HomeMy WebLinkAbout(1974, 11/11) - K-5 - AmendedPALEONTOLOGICAL GUIDELINES K -5
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, insure the preservation of paleontological
resources and require that the impact caused by any
development be mitigated in accordance with the California
Environmental Quality Act of 1970.
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. 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.
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 institutions. In all cases, the City
shall seek responsible scientific advice and make the
necessary decisions consistent with the public interest.
II. DETAILED'PROCEDURES. The following procedures shall be used in exam-
ining and reporting on possible paleontological sites.
A. The site examination shall consist of:
1. A walk -over site survey.
2. 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.
PALEONTOLOGICAL GUIDELINES -- Page 2 . K -5
a
B. Prior to the commencement of any land alterations, the City 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 City determines that it is unlikely to
assume 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 City shall insure 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 identifi-
cation and avoidance of resource discoveries to
allow their immediate recovery.
3. That a qualified observer or collector is available
to monitor the site during grading operations.
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 insti-
tute 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
Reaffirmed - November 11, 1974