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HomeMy WebLinkAbout(1994, 01/24) - K-5 - Amended - changed to K-4C K-4 PALEONTOLOGICAL GUIDELINES I. GENERAL POLICY. The policies set forth below shall be used to guide the development or redevelopment of lands within the City: A. The City shall, through its planning policies and permit conditions, ensure the preservation of paleontological resources and require that the impact caused by any development be mitigated in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act. B. The City shall prepare and maintain sources of information regarding paleontological sites and the names and addresses of responsible organizations and qualified individuals who can analyze, classify, record, and preserve paleontological findings. C. If determined to be necessary by the Environmental Coordinator, it shall be the responsibility of a landowner or developer prior to the commencement of land development to cause the proposed site to be examined to determine the existence and extent of paleontological resources. The examination shall be by qualified observers, approved by the City. The observers shall prepare and submit to the City a written report describing findings and making recommendations for further action. The report shall discuss both positive and negative aspects of the effects of the proposed development on paleontological resources. The report shall be considered as part of the CEQA review process and, if appropriate, the recommendations shall be included as mitigation measures and conditions of approval for the project. D. Based on the report and recommendations of the observers, the City shall take such steps as are necessary to assure that any findings or sites are recorded, preserved and protected. These steps may include requiring the landowner or developers to incur reasonable expenditures of time or money, encouraging the involvement of appropriate volunteer or non -profit organizations or acquisition of the sites by public or private agencies. Provision shall be made for the deposit of scientifically valuable paleontological materials which are removed from the site with responsible public or private 40 institutions. In all cases, the City shall seek responsible scientific I K-4 • advice and make the necessary decisions consistent with the public interest. PROCEDURES. The following procedures shall be used in examining and reporting on possible paleontological sites. A. The site examination shall consist of: 1. A walk -over site survey. 2. A review of publications and reports on the geology or paleontology of the area. 3. Analysis of all available soils information. 4. Examination of the relationship of the proposed development site to known or potential fossil producing areas identified in available records. • B. Prior to the commencement of any land alterations, the Environmental Coordinator shall determine whether a pre - grading conference is required. This determination shall be based on an analysis of the potential of a paleontological discovery occurring as follows: 1. If the Environmental Coordinator determines that it is unlikely that any paleontological discovery would occur, a pre - grading conference may be waived. _ .. 2. Otherwise, the pre - grading conference shall be required. C. During the pre - grading conference, the Environmental Coordinator shall ensure the following: 1. That a responsible organization, e.g., the Natural History Foundation of Orange County, is notified and that a qualified representative is authorized to participate in the conference. 2. That the grading schedule provides for identification and • avoidance of resource discoveries to allow their immediate recovery. 2 K-4 3. That a qualified observer or collector is available to monitor the site during grading operations. Any observer included on the County of Orange list of certified paleontologists will be considered to be qualified. 4. That a copy of the grading schedule is available to the appropriate parties, including the on -site observer. 5. That the observer has adequate authority to institute temporary delays or alterations in the grading schedule to allow collection of paleontological material. 6. That the grading contractor clearly understands the observer's role and authority. 7. That the responsible parties are notified and ready on a 24- hour notice to respond if a resource discovery is uncovered. 8. That adequate insurance has been provided for protection of the observer, the property owner, and the developer. 9. That, in the event any paleontological materials having scientific value are discovered, reasonable provisions are made for extraction and preservation Adopted - August 26,1974 Amended - January 24,1994 Formerly K -5 3