DRAFT CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY SNOW DROP ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT UNICORPORATED SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Submitted to: Albert A. Webb Associates 3788 McCray Street Riverside, CA 925096 (951)-320-6052 Submitted by: Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. 3120 Chicago Avenue, Suite 110 Riverside, California 92507 Gini Austerman, M.A., RPA – Principal Investigator Cynthia Morales – Project Archaeologist June 2018 Amec Foster Wheeler Project No./Proposal No. 1855400743 ©2017 Amec Foster Wheeler. All Rights Reserved. USGS Cucamonga Peak, Calif. 7.5' quadrangle. Approximately 2 miles Keywords: Phase I Cultural Resources Inventory; Township 1 North, Range 7 West, Section 14; no historical resources per CEQA Snow Drop Road Improvement Project Unincorporated San Bernardino County, California Amec Foster Wheeler No. 1855400743 June 2018 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY Amec Foster Wheeler was contracted by Albert A. Webb to conduct a Cultural Resources Assessment for the Snow Drop Road Project. The proposed Project involves improvements to the existing Snow Drop Road that are associated with the Rancho Hills Estates Tract 15952. The project site is situated along Snow Drop Road west of Haven Avenue, east of Archibald Avenue, in an unincorporated area of San Bernardino County. Specifically the Project is in Township 1 North, Range 7 West, Section 14, and as depicted in the U.S. Geological Survey Cucamonga Peak, California, 7.5’ quadrangle. The cultural resources survey was conducted in June 2018. The study is being conducted as a part of the environmental review process for proposed road improvements. San Bernardino County is the lead agency for the Project and required the study to support the preparation of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)-compliant documentation for the proposed Project. The purpose of this study is to provide the County with the necessary information and analysis to determine whether the Project would cause a significant adverse impact to any “historical resources,” as defined by CEQA, that may exist in or around the Project Area. In order to identify such resources, Amec Foster Wheeler conducted historical background research, completed an archaeological and historical resources records search, and carried out a Cultural Resources Assessment. Through the research approaches listed above, this study did not encounter any “historical resources.” Amec Foster Wheeler recommends to the County that no historical resources exist within the Project for the purposes of CEQA. No further cultural resource studies are necessary at this time. If resources are encountered during the undertaking, all work shall cease and the County will be notified immediately and will task a qualified archaeologist with assessing the nature of the find. Snow Drop Road Improvement Project Unincorporated San Bernardino County, California Amec Foster Wheeler No. 1855400743 June 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page MANAGEMENT SUMMARY 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 2.0 NATURAL SETTING .............................................................................................................4 Hydrology .........................................................................................................4 Biology ...................................................................................................................4 Geology ...............................................................................................................4 3.0 CULTURAL SETTING .......................................................................................................... 6 Prehistoric Context .......................................................................................................... 6 Ethnographic Context ...................................................................................................... 6 Historic Context and Overview ........................................................................................ 7 4.0 METHODS AND RESULTS ................................................................................................. 8 Record Search ................................................................................................................ 8 Resources............................................................................................................ 9 Reports ................................................................................................................ 9 Additional Research ........................................................................................... 10 Field Survey ....................................................................................................... 10 5.0 DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................11 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 11 Recommendations......................................................................................................... 11 6.0 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................12 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Cultural Resources Documented Within 1 Mile of the Project………………………......8 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Project Area Overview ..................................................................................... 2 Figure 2 Aerial Map........................................................................................................ 3 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A: RECORDS SEARCH BIBIOGRAPHY Snow Drop Road Improvement Project Unincorporated San Bernardino County, California Amec Foster Wheeler No. 1855400743 June 2018 1.0 INTRODUCTION At the request of Albert A. Webb Associates (Webb), Amec Foster Wheeler (AMECFW) conducted a cultural resources study on the approximately 2-mile Snow Drop Road in an unincorporated area of San Bernardino County, California (Figures 1 and 2). Snow Drop Road is located in the foothills below the San Bernardino Forest and immediately north of the city of Rancho Cucamonga. Specifically, the project is located in Township 1 North, Range 7 West, Section 14 of the San Bernardino Baseline and Meridian as depicted on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Cucamonga Peak, California 7.5 topographic quadrangle map. The study is part of the environmental review process for a proposed road improvement project. San Bernardino County (County), as lead agency for the project, required the study in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA; PRC § 21000, et seq.). AMECFW conducted this study to provide the County with the necessary information and analysis to determine, as mandated by CEQA, whether the proposed project would cause substantial adverse changes to any historical/archaeological resources that may exist in the project area. In order to identify and evaluate such resources, AMECFW conducted a historical archaeological resources records search, pursued historical background research, and carried out an intensive-level field survey. This report is a complete account of the methods, results, and final conclusion of the study. Native American consultation was conducted by the County and is outside the scope of this effort. pg. 1 d a u Q a g n o m a c u C ' 5 . 7 o p o t S G S U : e c r u o S p a m e s a B 8 1 0 2 / 6 2 / 6 : d e r a p e r p e t a D r e l e e h W r e t s o F c e m A , m h o e B y d n i M [ : y 0 1,000 2,000 b Legend d e r Feet a p Area of Potential Effect e 1 in = 2,000 ft r P T:\Mindy\archo\Snowdrop 1855400743.0004\topo.mxd Topographic Map F I G U R E Snow Drop Rd 1 3 E S A B _ P O R D _ W O N S , y r e g a m i I R S E : e c r u o S p a m e s a B 8 1 0 2 / 6 2 / 6 : d e r a p e r p e t a D r e l e e h W r e t s o F c e m A , m h o e B y d Legend n i M [ : y 0 670 b LIMIT OF WORK d e r Feet a p Area of Potential Effect e 1 in = 670 ft r P T:\Mindy\archo\Snowdrop 1855400743.0004\arial.mxd Survey Area Map F I G U R E Snow Drop Rd 2 Snow Drop Road Improvement Project Unincorporated San Bernardino County, California Amec Foster Wheeler No. 1855400743 June 2018 2.0 NATURAL SETTING Hydrology This portion of San Bernardino County is located in an area characterized by a semi-arid climate with dry, hot summers and moderate winters. Annual rainfall in this area averages from 16 to 24 inches per year (Beck and Haase 1974). Most precipitation occurs in the form of winter rain, with occasional warm monsoonal showers in the late summer. The Project is located in the foothills at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains north of Rancho Cucamonga. The nearest natural source of water is approximately 1 mile east to the point where Cucamonga and Deer Creeks (now channelized) converge and drain to the southwest. Biology At an average elevation of 2,700 feet above mean sea level (AMSL), the project area is within the Upper Sonoran Life Zone, which ranges from about 500 feet AMSL to an elevation of approximately 5,000 feet and is represented in valleys and low mountain slopes with a predominantly chaparral community. Common native plants include oak and scrub oak, sycamore, chamise, cacti, agave, yucca, species of sage, chía, and various grasses (Munz and Keck 1968). The vegetation observed included sycamore trees, oak trees, eucalyptus trees, gypsum weed, buckwheat, yucca whipplei, and sage. Common animals include deer,