REPORT OF FINDINGS FROM A PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT OF ASSESSOR S PARCEL NUMBER 436-600-012, 013, 014 PREPARED FOR: BAYPOINT PREPARATORY ACADEMY c/o Mr. Bradley Burke, Steven Nelson 122 ½ S. Kalmia Escondido, CA 92025 PREPARED BY: SRSINC 11810 Pierce St. Riverwalk Executive Suites #209 Riverside, CA 92505 Principal Investigators/Authors: Joe Stewart PhD Graphics: Michelle Garcia SRS Project No. 1794 May 7, 2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction....1 Environmental Setting..4 Regulatory Setting...4 State Level 4 Local Level 4 Methods..5 Paleontological Resources Records Search...5 Paleontological Resources Literature Search...5 Pedestrian Survey...5 Results.... 7 Paleontological Resources Records Search...7 Literature Search..7 Pedestrian Survey.... 7 Summary of Results and Mitigation 9 Paleontological Resources..9 References.10 APPENDIX A LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. General location of proposed project area (APN 436-600-012, 013, 014)...2 Figure 2. Project Area Location on San Jacinto USGS Quadrangle..3 Figure 3. Project Area on Geologic Map.6 Figure 4. Plat Maps for (T5S, R1W).8
I. INTRODUCTION Project Undertaking and Location Quotidian Partners, LLC is proposing to develop a 29-acre parcel of land in San Jacinto, California. The proposed Project, APN 436-600-012, 013, 014 (Baypoint Preparatory Academy), is located on the west side of Lyons Avenue, between Seventh Avenue and Esplanade Avenue (Figures 1 and 2). The Baypoint Preparatory Academy will be a charter school for grades K-12. The Project is located within the San Jacinto 7.5-Minute Topographic Quadrangle. It lies within Township 5S, Range 1W, but does not bear a section designation. The elevation of the Project falls within the range of 1,530 and 1535 feet above sea level, based on the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929. The UTM coordinates near the center of the study area are Zone 11 S 500783mE 3737473mN. The property for the Project is currently a plowed field but was the location of a nursery in the not too distant past. Residences occupy the opposite side of Lyons Ave. A horse ranch lies to the south and southwest. A cultivated field occupies most of the western margin, and there is a residence to the north. Scope of Study and Personnel The scope of work for this paleontological assessment included a paleontological resource records search at the San Bernardino County Museum, and a field survey, in conformance with the guidelines established by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP 2010). A field survey of the project site was conducted by SRSINC cultural resources staff to determine possible paleontological resource impacts in compliance with the CEQA and Riverside County s guidelines for paleontological resources. Within this report are the conclusions of comprehensive paleontological resources assessment, with the intention of satisfying the cultural resource requirements of CEQA and the county of Riverside. SRSINC employees involved in this assessment include Dr. Joe D. Stewart. Qualifications of Dr. Stewart are provided in Appendix A. 1
Figure 1. General Location of Proposed Project Area USGS 1979 Santa Ana 1:250,000 map. 2
Figure 2. Map of Project Area Location as noted on San Jacinto USGS 7.5' Quadrangles 1953 PR 1987. 3
II. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING The proposed Project is located near the city of San Jacinto in Riverside County, CA. In general, the 29-acre property is rectangular and is not developed. It lies on the west side of Lyon Avenue, between West 7 th street to the north and West Esplanade Avenue to the south. The property is located within the northern peninsular ranges geomorphic province (Norris and Webb, 1990; Harden, 2004). It is bounded to the north by the San Bernardino Mountains (transverse ranges geomorphic province), to the west by the Elsinore fault zone, to the south by Mexico, and to the east by the San Jacinto fault zone. III. REGULATORY SETTING CEQA provides regulations concerning significant impacts to paleontological resources. The following is concise description of the State and local laws and regulations. State Level The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) provides protection for paleontological resources through environmental legislation. Direction regarding significant impacts on paleontological resources is found under Appendix G (part V) of the CEQA Guidelines. The guidelines state, A project will normally result in a significant impact on the environment if it will disrupt or adversely affect a paleontological resource or site or unique geologic feature, except as part of a scientific study. Per section 5097.5 of the Public Resource Code, it is unlawful to remove paleontological remains without authorization and can result in a misdemeanor. In addition, Section 622.5 of the California Penal Code sets the penalties for damage or removal of paleontological resources. Local Level The Resources Element of the City of San Jacinto General Plan (2006) contains Goal 4: promote cultural awareness through the preservation of the City s historical, archaeological, and paleontological resources. The Implementation Program for the element is a series of actions, procedures and techniques that includes a description of the responsible agency/department, funding source, time frame and related policies in the Resource Management Element. Action RM-16 is: Continue to assess the development proposals for potential impacts to sensitive historic, archaeological, and paleontological resources pursuant to CEQA. Item c. of that action is: The city shall require an assessment of the potential for development proposals to significantly impact paleontological resources pursuant to CEQA. If the project involves earthworks, the City may require a study conducted by a professional paleontologist to determine if paleontologi9cal assets are present, and if the project will significantly impact the resources. If significant impacts are identified, the City may require the project to be modified to avoid impacting the paleontological materials, requiring monitoring of rock units with high potential to contain significant nonrenewable paleontological resources, or require mitigation measures to mitigate the impacts, such as recovering the paleontological resources for preservation. 4
IV. METHODS Paleontological Resources Records Search On April 19, 2018, SRSINC requested a paleontological records search through the San Bernardino County Museum (SBCM). Site records with supporting maps and documents are maintained at this facility. The record search included the examination of current geologic maps and paleontological locality maps. The record search is used to determine if any paleontological resources have been recovered within and around the Project site and establish a foundation for gauging the sensitivity of the project site for additional and buried paleontological resources. Alternatively, similar information is also available at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (LACM). Paleontological Resources Literature Search SRSINC searched published and unpublished literature pertinent to the geology and paleontological resources of this Project. Pedestrian Survey On April 24, 2018, a pedestrian survey of the project site was performed by SRSINC paleontologists under the direction of Dr. Joe Stewart (see Appendix A). The survey included walking the perimeter of the site and transects across it to determine if any outcrops were evident on the property that might contain paleontological resources. 5
Figure 3. Map of Project Area Location as noted on the 2003 Dibblee, T.W. and J. A. Minch Geologic map of the San Jacinto quadrangle, Riverside County, California. 6
V. RESULTS Paleontological Resources Records Search The SBCM records search report was not received at the time of this report preparation. However, for a nearby project SRS (2017) recently received a Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM) records search. This project is located within the same geology as the Baypoint project. LACM reported the previous Project had surficial deposits of Quaternary Alluvium, underlain by older Quaternary deposits (McLeod, 2016). The Quaternary Alluvium is too young to produce significant paleontological resources, but older Quaternary deposits have produced them. The LACM collections have no records of nearby localities producing vertebrate fossils. The report recommended a paleontological monitoring program including testing sediment samples for micro-vertebrate fossils. Such a program should also involve reporting and curation of any fossils recovered. Literature Search The survey of published and unpublished literature revealed no paleontological resources within the Project footprint. Dibblee and Minch (2003) mapped the entire Project area as the area as Qa (alluvial sediments, unconsolidated, undissected; alluvial sand and clay of valley area, covered by gray soil) of Holocene age as mentioned (Figure 3). Neither of Jefferson s compendia of California Pleistocene vertebrate fossil localities (1991a, b) lists any localities near to the Project. However, similar deposits seven to ten miles southwest of the Project have yielded numerous, significant paleontological resources, including sabre-tooth cats, mammoths, mastodons, bison, ground sloths, large and small camels, large and small horses (Reynolds and Reynolds 1991; Anderson et al. 2002; Springer and Scott 1994; Springer et al. 1998; Springer et al. 1999; and Springer et al. 2009). The paleontological sensitivity assigned to this area by the County of Riverside is Hb, which connotes high sensitivity, but at a certain distance subsurface (Figure 4). Pedestrian Survey The pedestrian survey revealed no paleontological resources on the proposed construction site. There were no natural exposures, as the property is nearly flat. No pedogenic carbonate was detected. The surficial soils have been disturbed by agriculture, and some artificial fill (in the form of gravel) is seen in a few places. The survey crew noted, in the west-central part of the property, numerous shells of Rumina decollata, the decollate snail. This is not a native snail. It was first introduced to California in 1966 to control Cornu apserum, the brown garden snail, which was introduced into California in the 1850s. The presence of Rumina decollata at this site probably dates to when it was used as a nursery. Google maps still show the site as the location of the All American Nursery. The species did not exist in California prior to 1966 (Tupen and Roth, 2001). 7
N Figure 4. Map of Project Area Location Engineering Drawing as seen on the Riverside County Paleontological Sensitivity Map. 8
VI. SUMMARY OF RESULTS AND MITIGATION Paleontological Resources The paleontological resources records search conducted by the LACM shows the project area to be Quaternary Alluvium underlain by older Quaternary deposits (McLeod2016). The Quaternary Alluvium is too young to produce significant paleontological resources, but older Quaternary deposits have produced them. The LACM recommended that a paleontological resource monitoring program be designed for the Project construction. Furthermore, the paleontological sensitivity assigned to this area by the County of Riverside is Hb, which connotes high sensitivity, but at a certain distance subsurface. Therefore, it is recommended that a paleontological mitigation plan be prepared and implemented in conjunction with development; it should include monitoring of excavations having potential to disturb Pleistocene sediments, testing of sediments for micro-vertebrate fossils, preparation and curation of specimens collected, and preparation of a final report in accordance with the guidelines of Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP 2010). The Western Science Center should be the preferred repository for any significant paleontological resources recovered. 9
VII. REFERENCES Dibblee, T.W. and J. A. Minch. 2003 Geologic map of the San Jacinto quadrangle, Riverside County, California, Dibblee Geological Foundation, DF-116, scale 1:24,000. Harden, Deborah R. 2004 California Geology. 2nd Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. New Jersey. 552p. Jefferson, G. T. 1991a A catalogue of Late Quaternary vertebrates from California, Part One, nonmarine lower vertebrate and avian taxa. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Technical Reports no. 5, 60 pages. 1991b A catalogue of Late Quaternary vertebrates from California, Part Two, mammals. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Technical Reports, no. 7, 129 p. Mc Cleod, S.A. 2016 Paleontological resources for the proposed Phase I survey of the Main Street and Ramona Expressway Intersection, SRSinc Project #1771, in the City of San Jacinto, Riverside County project. Records review letter report prepared by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Section of Vertebrate Paleontology, Los Angeles, California. Norris, R. M., and R. W. Webb. 1990 Geology of California. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. New York. 541p. City of San Jacinto. 2006 City of San Jacinto General Plan. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 2010 Standard Procedures for the Assessment and Mitigation of Adverse Impacts to Paleontological Resources. Electronic document. http://vertpaleo.org/pdfs/8f/8fe02e8f- 11a9-43b7-9953-cdcfaf4d69e3.pdf. Springer, K. B. and E. Scott. 1994 First record of late Pleistocene vertebrates from the Domenigoni Valley, Riverside County, California. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14:47A. Springer, K. B., E. Scott, L. K. Murray, and W. G. Spaulding. 1998 Partial skeleton of a large individual of Mammut americanum from the Domenigoni Valley, Riverside County, California. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 18:78A. Springer, K. B., E. Scott, J. C. Sagebiel, and K. M. Scott. 1999 A late Pleistocene lake edge vertebrate assemblage from the Diamond Valley, Riverside County, California. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 19:77A. Springer, K. B., E. Scott, J. C. Sagebiel, and L. K. Murray. 2009 The Diamond Valley Lake Local Fauna: late Pleistocene vertebrates from inland southern California. Pp. 217-235 In: L. Albright III (ed.), Papers on Geology, Vertebrate Paleontology, and Biostratigraphy in Honor of Michael O. Woodburne. Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin 66. 10
Stewart, Joe 2017 Paleontological Resource Assessment for TTM 31810 (42.2 Acres) Riverside County. SRSINC Project #1771, in the City of San Jacinto, Riverside County. Tupen, J., and B. Roth. 2001 Further spread of the introduced decollate snail, Rumina decollata (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Sublinidae), in California, USA. The Veliger 44:400-404. 11
Appendix A