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MANAGEMENT
PHASES
The
California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, identifies
three distinct phases of cultural resources investigation:
Phase One Inventory, Phase Two Evaluation, and Phase
Three Treatment (or Mitigation). Archival research (formally
known as a "records search") is completed
during Phase One, and if deemed necessary, a foot reconnaissance
(or foot survey) is also performed. Information gathered
during these efforts is compiled into a written report
that discusses and summarizes the project description,
a discussion of cultural resources (if any are located
during the research and/or survey), and recommendations
for further work, or Phase Two.
Phase
Two involves the analysis of any resources located during
Phase One. Using primarily National Register of Historic
Places criteria, the site is determined to be of significant
value or not. If the site is, indeed, determined to
be eligible for inclusion to the National Register,
then mitigation measures are formed to reduce the impacts.
Significance or importance is characterized by a number
of considerations, such as the age and rarity of the
resource.
Phase
Three is designed to treat the significant cultural
resources that are located and analyzed in the previous
two phases. A number of mitigation measures can be used
to avoid project impacts to these sites. Most popular
(and cost efficient) is avoidance of the site by building
the project at a safe distance, and by placing the archaeological
or historic site in a protected area. "Capping"
the site, or placing a layer of sterile fill over archaeological
deposits, is also quite common in California. Excavation
or data recovery is the most expensive and time consuming
measure, and is performed when other mitigations are
not plausible. Data recovery comprises the removal,
analysis, recording, and archiving of at least a portion
of the cultural resources present at the project site.
NATIVE
AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT
Along
with governing bodies, the project applicant should
inform local Native American representatives of any
land modifying activities in an area of known prehistoric
sensitivity. In some instances Native American burials
are uncovered during construction, during which the
local coroner must first be called. If s/he identifies
the burial as Indian, a local Native American representative
must then be called. Contacts can be made through the
Native American Heritage Commission in Sacramento: 916/653-4082.
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