EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT
NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Board Room
2950 Peralta Oaks Court
Oakland, California

Wednesday, February 18, 2009
12:45 - 2:45 p.m.
Board Room

12:30 p.m. Lunch for Committee Members

DRAFT -- AGENDA

The following agenda items are listed for Committee consideration. In accordance with the Board Operating Guidelines, no official action of the Board will be taken at this meeting; rather, the Committee’s purpose shall be to review the listed items and to consider developing recommendations to the Board of Directors.

A copy of the background materials concerning these agenda items, including any material that may have been submitted less than 72 hours before the meeting, is available for inspection on the District’s website (www. ebparks.org), the Headquarters reception desk, and at the meeting.

AGENDA SUMMARY

Brushy Peak Loop Trail, Cultural Resource Management                                                                            (Wiese/Parmer)

Planning and Interpretative Services staff will present the Committee with a followup to the construction of the Brushy Peak Loop trail in September of last year, and will discuss issues relating to public access and the management and protection of cultural resources at Brushy Peak related to the trail.

The Land Use Plan for Brushy Peak Regional Preserve was approved by the Board in 2002. Preparation of the LUP included cultural resource surveys, conducted by Miley Holman Associates, which mapped significant known cultural resources within the park. The planning process included notification of an extensive list of Native Americans for whom Brushy Peak might have cultural significance.

The land use plan designated two Special Protection Features: one included the rock outcrops area on LARPD land to the east of Brushy Peak, which is closed to the public; the other included the peak itself, as well as the lower peak located to the southwest. The LUP also included the alignment of a narrow, multi-use loop trail connecting two existing ranch roads, running through the special protection feature between the upper and lower peak, and turning visitors around at the northern boundary of the park property, below Brushy Peak. The plan also showed a footpath extending north of the fence line on LARPD property to take hikers to the peak.

At a Board Operations Committee meeting in July 2008 members of the Native American community appeared and objected to footpath to the summit of Brushy Peak. The Board responded by withdrawing that proposal and deferring to LARPD as the land owner. Native American representatives subsequently consulted with LARPD, which decided not to build the trail.
The Brushy Peak loop trail, on EBRPD property, was constructed in September 2008, per the approved land use plan and the Operations Committee’s confirmation and instruction to staff.

The northerly section of the loop trail passes through a field of rock outcrops, some of which contain bedrock mortars, formerly used by native Americans to grind acorns from the surrounding oak trees. An informal survey by park staff following trail construction found minor damage to one of the bedrock mortars adjacent to the trail track, which may have occurred during trail construction. Archaeologist Jeff Fentress was hired to evaluate any damage and recommend ways to protect the damaged rock, as well as other nearby mortar rocks, from trail impacts in the future.

Staff will summarize Dr. Fentress’ findings and recommend methods to protect the damaged mortar rock. Staff will also discuss approaches to ongoing protection, management and interpretation of the Brushy Peak cultural resource district with the Committee and members of the public.

Cultural Artifact Accessioning                                                           (Parmer/Parent)

Interpretive and Recreational Services staff will discuss the state of current historical and cultural artifact curatorial practices within the District, including the storage of existing resources held by the district. Preliminary cultural resource monitoring and identification training for some district field staff has been conducted by Jeff Fentress, consulting archaeologist, over the past three years. Fire-safe and secure storage units have been acquired for most Visitor Center sites for the cataloging and storage of select artifacts, photos, and documents within their interpretive sectors. An artifact photograph and accessioning manual has been compiled for use by each visitor site. Artifacts and documents are stored in several sites within the district at this time.

• Status
  • R: Recommendation for Future Board Consideration
  • I: Information
  • D: Discussion

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