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

3.6 Cultural Resources
directly or indirectly destroy a unique paleontological resource or site, or unique geologic
feature; or
disturb any human remains, including those interred outside of formal cemeteries.
Section 15064.5 of the State CEQA Guidelines defines “substantial adverse change” as physical
demolition, destruction, relocation, or alteration of the resource or its immediate surroundings.
As cited in Section 15064.5, the lead agency shall consider a resource to be “historically
significant” if the resource meets the CRHR criteria for eligibility or is listed in a local historic
register or deemed significant in a historical resource survey. According to the CRHR criteria, a
significant historical resource is one that meets one or more of the following:
a. is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of
California’s history and cultural heritage;
b. is associated with the lives of persons important in our past;
c. embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of
construction, or represents the work of an important creative individual, or possesses high
artistic values; or
d. has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
3.6.4 Environmental Evaluation
Evaluation Methodology
A complete cultural resource inventory was completed for Clay Pit SVRA by OHVMR Division
archaeologists (Perez and Long 2009). This investigation included a record search conducted at
the NIC of the California Historical Resources Information System located at California State
University, Chico, and an archaeological survey of undisturbed portions of the SVRA. In addition,
archaeologists contacted individual representatives and Native American tribal organizations that
might have concerns with or an interest in implementation of the General Plan.
The OHMVR Division archaeologists conducted a pedestrian survey of portions of Clay Pit SVRA on
October 28, 2008. This survey focused on segments of the project site’s original surface elevation
along the existing park boundary, near the fence line. The interior of the SVRA was not surveyed
because it is highly likely the various mining and digging activities have since removed any
existing resources.
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
Draft EIR 3.6-7 February 2012