Draft Environmental Impact Report - California Off Highway Vehicle ...

California Public Resource Code
3.6 Cultural Resources
Several sections of the PRC are relevant to cultural resources investigations conducted within the
state.
PRC 5024
PRC 5024 mandates that all state agencies make a good faith effort to protect and preserve all
state‐owned historical resources under its jurisdiction, and to submit to the State Historic
Preservation Officer (SHPO) an inventory of all state‐owned historical resources over 50 years of
age under its jurisdiction. PRC 5024.5 states that SHPO has the authority to review all efforts made
by state agencies to protect and preserve those resources from development and maintenance
projects. SHPO has instituted a Memorandum of Understanding with the State Parks to do 5024
reviews of all projects that have the potential to adversely affect significant historical resources.
Archaeologists from the OHMVR Division prepare a report of 5024 reviews for SHPO annually.
Following the completion of a cultural resources inventory, OHMVR Division archaeologists
evaluate the significance of the resources and determine potential impacts to those resources
resulting from proposed projects. A cultural resource is considered significant if it meets all of the
following criteria:
it meets one of the criteria lists for significance with regard to either the California Register
of Historical Resources or the National Register of Historic Places,
it is at least 50 years old, and
it retains its integrity.
The 5024 review process insures that OHMVR Division projects follow the required standards in
managing and protecting cultural resources. Those guidelines are the Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The basic concepts that underlie all the
treatments are:
good documentation is essential to good management;
repair and retain historic fabric instead of replacing;
replace with only “like‐kind” materials, styles, finishes, colors and craftsmanship;
avoid the false historicity that is created by using features that are undocumented or period
styles that never were there;
make treatments reversible whenever possible; and
protect archaeological resources.
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
Draft EIR 3.6-3 February 2012