Cultural Resources Technical Report Lopez Canyon Equestrian Trails and Trailhead Project City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Sanitation Angeles National Forest June USGS Quadrangles: San Fernando 2017 Total Project Acres: 101 ARR#05-01-01267 Prepared for: City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation Wastewater Engineering Services Division 2714 Media Center Drive Los Angeles, CA 90065 Angeles National Forest 701 N. Santa Anita Ave. Arcadia, CA 91006 Prepared by: James Whitaker, B.A. Staff Archaeologist Wayne Glenny, M.S., RPA Principal Investigator HDR, Inc. 8690 Balboa Avenue, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92123 Cultural Resources Survey Lopez Canyon Equestrian Trails and Trailhead Project Contents 1 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 1-1 2 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 PROJECT OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 REGULATORY SETTING ....................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2.1 National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) ......................................................... 2-1 2.2.2 National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) ...................................................... 2-2 2.2.3 National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) .................................................. 2-2 2.2.4 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) ..................................................... 2-2 2.3 PERSONNEL ....................................................................................................................... 2-3 3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................ 3-1 3.1 PROJECT LOCATION ........................................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 PROJECT AREA OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS ............................................................................. 3-1 4 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................ 4-1 4.1 ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................... 4-1 4.2 PALEOENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE ........................................................................................ 4-1 4.3 PREHISTORIC OVERVIEW .................................................................................................... 4-2 4.4 ETHNOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW ................................................................................................ 4-3 4.5 HISTORIC OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................... 4-3 4.5.1 Spanish Period (1769–1822) ............................................................................... 4-3 4.5.2 Mexican Period (1822–1848) .............................................................................. 4-4 4.5.3 American Period (1848–Present) ........................................................................ 4-5 4.6 PROJECT AREA HISTORIC OVERVIEW.................................................................................. 4-6 5 METHODS ................................................................................................................................. 5-1 5.1 PRE-FIELD RESEARCH........................................................................................................ 5-1 5.2 INITIAL NATIVE AMERICAN COORDINATION .......................................................................... 5-4 5.3 FIELD METHODS ................................................................................................................. 5-4 6 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................. 6-1 7 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................. 7-1 8 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 8-1 Appendices Appendix A Resumes of Key Personnel Appendix B DPR 523 Forms June 2017 | i Cultural Resources Survey Lopez Canyon Equestrian Trails and Trailhead Project Tables Table 5-1. Previously recorded resources within one-half mile of Project APE from SCCIC. ........... 5-1 Figures Figure 3-1. Area of potential effects shown on the San Fernando USGS 7.5’ Quadrangle. ............. 3-2 Figure 3-2. Aerial overview of area of potential effects. ..................................................................... 3-3 Figure 5-1. SCCIC overview of previously recorded resources within 0.5 mile of the area of potential effect. 5-2 Figure 5-2. ANF overview of previously recorded resources within 0.5 mile of the area of potential effect 5-3 Figure 6-1. Aerial overview of CA-LAN-4718H. .................................................................................. 6-8 Figure 6-2. Aerial overview of CA-LAN-4718H. .................................................................................. 6-9 Photographs Photograph 6-1. Overview of conditions at the western segment of the APE. View north. ............... 6-1 Photograph 6-2. Overview of conditions at the western segment of the APE. View south. .............. 6-2 Photograph 6-3. Overview of conditions at the eastern segment of the APE. View north. ................ 6-2 Photograph 6-4. Overview of conditions at the eastern segment of the APE. View north. ............... 6-3 Photograph 6-5. Overview of the proposed future connection 1, northern trail segment connection. View south. ................................................................................................................................ 6-3 Photograph 6-6. Overview of the proposed future connection 1, northern trail segment connection. View south. ................................................................................................................................ 6-4 Photograph 6-7. Overview of the proposed future connection 2, southern trail segment connection. View west. .................................................................................................................................. 6-4 Photograph 6-8. Overview of the proposed future connection 2, southern trail segment connection. View east. .................................................................................................................................. 6-5 Photograph 6-9. Overview of conditions at the southern segment of the APE. View northwest. ..... 6-5 Photograph 6-10. Overview of conditions at the southern segment of the APE. View southeast. .... 6-6 Photograph 6-11. Overview of conditions at the proposed trailhead staging yard. View west. ......... 6-6 Photograph 6-12. Overview of conditions at the proposed trailhead staging yard. View east. .......... 6-7 Photograph 6-13. Overview of CA-LAN-4718H. View southwest. ................................................... 6-10 Photograph 6-14. Overview of CA-LAN-4718H. View west. ............................................................ 6-10 June 2017 | ii Cultural Resources Survey Lopez Canyon Equestrian Trails and Trailhead Project Acronyms and Abbreviations ACHP Advisory Council on Historic Preservation ANF Angeles National Forest AD Anno Domini AMSL Above Mean Sea Level APE Area of Potential Effects BCE Before Common Era BP Before Present CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CRHR California Register of Historical Resources CE Common Era DPR Department of Parks and Recreation ft feet GIS Geographic Information System GPS Global Positioning System LASAN City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation LAX Los Angeles International Airport NAHC Native American Heritage Commission NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NRHP National Register of Historic Places m meter(s) PRC Public Resources Code RPA Register of Professional Archaeologists SLF Sacred Lands File SCCIC South Central Coastal Information Center SHPO State Historic Preservation Officer USGS United States Geological Service June 2017 | iii Cultural Resources Survey Lopez Canyon Equestrian Trails and Trailhead Project THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. June 2017 | iv Cultural Resources Survey Lopez Canyon Equestrian Trails and Trailhead Project 1 Management Summary The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation (LASAN) is proposing the Lopez Canyon Equestrian Trails and Trailhead Project (proposed project). The project area is near the community of Sylmar in northern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California. The project will consist of an equestrian trail loop and vehicle staging area. LASAN is proposing to operate the trail loop system within the Lopez Canyon Landfill, which closed in 1996, and City of Los Angeles owned “buffer lands.” The proposed trail loop would extend approximately five miles and would incorporate a maintenance access road, segments of existing trail, the design and construction of two trail gap segments, and the trailhead staging area. Once constructed, the proposed project would provide a formal trail system for equestrians and hikers. On May 23, 2016, the South Central Coastal Information Center (SCCIC) was contacted to perform