24th Street Improvement Project
Paleontological Resources
Identification and Evaluation Report
BAKERSFIELD, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
EA 06-493900 Caltrans ID: 0600000495
06-KER-58-51.7/51.8
06-KER-178-0.0/0.4
06-KER-99-24.9/25.7
EA 06-484700 Caltrans ID: 0600000485
06-KER-178-0.4/1.9
Project ID: NCIIPLN 5109 (111), NCIIPLN 5109 (110)
April 2011
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES
IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
FOR
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
DISTRICT 06
EA 06-493900 Caltrans ID: 0600000495
06-KER-58-51.7/51.8
06-KER-178-0.0/0.4
06-KER-99-24.9/25.7
EA 06-484700 Caltrans ID: 0600000485
06-KER-178-0.4/1.9
Project ID: NCIIPLN 5109 (111), NCIIPLN 5109 (110)
Prepared by:
___________________________________________________________
Robert E. Reynolds, Associate, Senior Paleontological Project Manager
LSA Associates, Inc.
1500 Iowa Avenue, Suite 200
Riverside, California 92507
For individuals with sensory disabilities this document is available in alternate formats. Please call or write to either David
Clark, 900 Truxtun Avenue, Suite 201, Bakersfield, California 93301, (661) 326-3496, or Kirsten Helton, 2015 East Shields
Avenue, Suite 100, Fresno, California 93726, (559) 243-8224, or use the CA Relay Service TTY number 1-800-735-2929).
April 2011
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APRIL 2011
PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The City of Bakersfield (City), in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans), proposes to construct arterial widening and intersection/interchange improvements on
State Route (SR) 58 west of SR-99, and on SR-178 (24th Street) east of SR-99. This stretch of
roadway will collectively be referred to as 24th Street. Improvements are proposed on 24th Street from
the southbound of SR-99 off-ramp intersection to 0.2 miles (mi) east of M Street, for a distance of
approximately 2.1 mi, and on SR-99 northbound from 1,500 feet (ft) south of and to the Kern River
Bridge in the City of Bakersfield, Kern County (County), California. Project alternatives involve
improvements at the SR-99 interchange; SR-99 auxiliary lane, improvements to the Oak Street
intersection; widening on 24th Street from Olive Street to D Street; and improvements to the 23rd
Street and 24th Street couplet. Right-of-way (ROW) acquisitions are proposed.
These improvements include widening of 24th Street between Olive Street and D Street and
reconstruction of 23rd and 24th Streets between D Street and 0.2 mi east of M Street. This will include
re-profiling; reconstruction of pavement, curb, sidewalk, and drainage facilities; provision of
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pedestrian curb ramps; traffic signal modifications; travel
lane restriping; potential removal of on-street parking; and potential ROW acquisition at intersections
to accommodate truck turning movements. The purpose of the proposed improvements is to improve
traffic operations, accommodate existing and forecast traffic volumes, and achieve acceptable level of
service (LOS) within the corridor.
The surface of the project area is underlain by two types of native sediments: Latest Pleistocene
alluvial fan deposits (Qf) and early Holocene stream deposits (Qsc). They are locally covered by
disturbed topsoil. The late Miocene Kern River Formation is projected to underlie the project at
shallow depth and occurs at surface outcrops 2 mi north of the project.
Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA), and the Caltrans Standard Environmental Reference (SER), impacts to
nonrenewable paleontological resources must be considered during project design and construction
within undisturbed Pleistocene and/or Miocene sediments. The literature review and records searches
through museums produced information showing that sediments dating from the late Miocene and
Pleistocene Period within the project have the potential to contain significant nonrenewable
paleontological resources (vertebrate fossils).
This study reviews definitions of paleontological significance and definitions for rock units to have
high potential and high sensitivity for the presence of nonrenewable paleontological resources. The
results of the research and field surveys conducted for this project show that fossiliferous Pleistocene
sediments deposited during the last million years may be encountered during excavation in
undisturbed sediments. However, the majority of excavation activities for the proposed project would
occur at a shallow depth in areas of existing fill, previously disturbed soils, or in Holocene sediments
that have a low potential to contain paleontological resources in a meaningful stratigraphic context.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
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This report is based on data indicating that excavation for retaining walls, drainage facilities, and the
extension of Carrier Canal will reach depths greater than 5 ft.
ii
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ................................................................................................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................................... iii PROJECT DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 PROJECT LOCATION ............................................................................................................... 2 PURPOSE .................................................................................................................................... 2 NEED ........................................................................................................................................... 2 PROJECT ALTERNATIVES ...................................................................................................... 2 SUMMARY OF EXCAVATION PARAMETERS .................................................................. 12 PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION ............................................................................................ 13 SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE ............................................................................................................ 19 DEFINITIONS OF SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE ................................................................. 19 SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE ...................................................................... 20 SENSITIVITY...................................................................................................................................... 21 DEFINITIONS OF SENSITIVITY ........................................................................................... 21 SUMMARY OF SENSITIVITY ............................................................................................... 23 METHODS ........................................................................................................................................... 25 LITERATURE REVIEW AND LOCALITY SEARCH ........................................................... 25 FIELD INSPECTION ................................................................................................................ 25 PERSONNEL ............................................................................................................................ 29 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................. 31 SETTING ................................................................................................................................... 31 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES (OVERVIEW FROM LITERATURE)................................. 35 DEPOSITIONAL HISTORY AND STRATIGRAPHIC RECORD OF FOSSILS................... 36 RESULTS SUMMARY............................................................................................................. 39 RECOMMENDATIONS: PALEONTOLOGICAL MITIGATION PROGRAM ............................... 41 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ..................................................... 41 CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PLANNING DEPARTMENT ....................................................... 42 SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY................................................................. 43 SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 47 REFERENCES CITED ........................................................................................................................ 49 APPENDICES
A: SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION
B: RECORDS SEARCH RESULTS
C: PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCE LOCALITIES – CONFIDENTIAL – NOT FOR
DISTRIBUTION
D: RÉSUMÉ
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
FIGURES AND TABLES
FIGURES
Figure 1: Project Location Map .............................................................................................................. 3 Figure 2: Project Location and Paleontological Study Area .................................................................. 5 Figure 3: Location of Four Retaining Walls......................................................................................... 15 Figure 4: Area of Potential Disturbance ............................................................................................... 27 Figure 5: Geologic Map of Project Area .............................................................................................. 33 TABLES
Table A: Excavation Parameters .......................................................................................................... 13 Table B: Stratigraphy ........................................................................................................................... 32 Table C: Number of Fossil Taxa by Formation .................................................................................... 35 Table D: Sequence of Deposition ......................................................................................................... 37 Table E: Exposures of Sediments ......................................................................................................... 38 R:\RBF0608\Final Tech Studies\Final Versions 5-15-12\Paleo_5.15.12_Final.doc «5/15/2012»
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
INTRODUCTION
The City of Bakersfield (City), in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans), proposes to construct arterial widening and intersection/interchange improvements on
State Route 58 (SR-58) west of State Route 99 (SR-99), and on State Route 178 (SR-178) east of
SR-99. This stretch of roadway will collectively be referred to as 24th Street. Improvements are
proposed on 24th Street from SR-99 to 0.2 mile (mi) east of M Street, for a distance of approximately
2.1 mi, and on SR-99 northbound from 1,500 feet (ft) south of and to the Kern River Bridge in the
City of Bakersfield, Kern County (County), California.
24th Street is a State facility that was relinquished to the City of Bakersfield in July 2011 per Caltrans
relinquishment report titled Transportation System Analysis and Evaluation (TSAE) for State Route
178 Relinquishment, as authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 1858 signed by Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger on September 18, 2006. The limits of the relinquishment are from the west end of
the Kern River Bridge (Post Mile [PM] 0.20) to just east of M Street (PM 1.70).
The 24th Street project will involve review and approvals by the City and Caltrans. The City is
designated as the Lead Agency for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance and
Caltrans is designated as the Lead Agency for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
compliance. The project area west of the west end of the Kern River Bridge will be designed using
the Caltrans Highway Design Manual, and the project area east of the Kern River will be designed
using City of Bakersfield Design Standards. The project is a part of the Thomas Roads Improvement
Program (TRIP) that was created to address traffic congestion and alleviate traffic problems in the
City. TRIP is a cooperative partnership between the City, the County of Kern, Caltrans, and the Kern
Council of Governments (Kern COG). The project would improve traffic operations, accommodate
existing and forecast traffic volumes, and achieve acceptable levels of service (LOS).
This section describes the proposed action and the design alternatives that were developed by a
multidisciplinary team to achieve the project purpose and need while avoiding or minimizing
environmental impacts. The alternatives include the No Build Alternative; Alternative 1,
(Improvements at the SR-99 Interchange; SR-99 auxiliary lane, Improvements to Oak Street
Intersection; 24th Street Widening from Olive Street to D Street, with Widening to the North;
Improvements to the 23rd Street and 24th Street Couplet); and Alternative 2 (Improvements at the
SR-99 Interchange; SR-99 auxiliary lane, Improvements to Oak Street Intersection; 24th Street
Widening from Olive Street to D Street, with Widening to the South; Improvements to the 23rd Street
and 24th Street Couplet). The physical improvements will extend from SR-99 to 0.2 mi east of M
Street.
The SR-99 auxiliary lane for the northbound auxiliary lane will be a phased improvement and will not
necessarily be constructed as part of this project. The decision to include the auxiliary lane as part of
the construction contract will be dependent upon the availability of funding at the time the
construction contract is awarded. The total project cost has been estimated to range from $42.8
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
million to $43.7 million, including $29.4 million to $29.3 million for roadway and structure
construction and $13.4 million to $14.4 million for right-of-way (ROW) acquisition and utility
relocation. The improvements at the SR-99 interchange, improvements to the Oak Street intersection,
widening of 24th Street from Olive Street to D Street, and improvements to the 23rd Street and 24th
Street couplet will be funded by TRIP funds and Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation
Equity Act–a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Section 1302 National Corridor Infrastructure
Improvement (NCIIP) funds. The cost is estimated at 30.9 million to 42.4 million for construction and
10.9 million for ROW acquisition and utility relocation. The City and Caltrans agreed to include the
auxiliary lane as a phased improvement in the Project Approval & Environmental Documentation
(PA&ED) documents. The auxiliary lane could then be included in the construction bid package as an
additional alternative. However, it will be the City’s decision as to whether or not to include the
auxiliary lane as part of the construction contract for the 24th Street Improvement Project, as it will be
dependent upon the availability of funding at that time. This approach will allow environmental
clearance for the auxiliary lane, should future funding become available from sources other than
TRIP, while allowing the City the necessary flexibility in the application of limited TRIP and local
funds.
PROJECT LOCATION
The project area is located east and west of the SR-99 and SR-178 interchange in the City of
Bakersfield. The project is shown on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Oildale, California
7.5-minute topographic quadrangle (1954, photoinspected 1973) in Sections 23, 25, and 26, Township
29 South, Range 27 East, and Section 30, Township 29 South, Range 28 East, Mount Diablo Baseline
and Meridian (MDBM). The project location and vicinity are shown in Figures 1 and 2.
PURPOSE
The purpose of the 24th Street Improvement Project is to address existing traffic congestion and future
travel demand (amount of additional traffic expected by 2035) along 24th Street. The project area
extends from southbound State Route 99 to just east of M Street, including 23rd Street and 24th Street
within the couplet (a pair of one-way streets).
NEED
In the past 10 years, growth in Kern County has been concentrated in Metropolitan Bakersfield.
Between 2000 and 2009, for example, growth in the City of Bakersfield ranged between 1.1 and
5.2 percent per year, while overall county growth ranged between 1.2 and 3.2 percent. As the city
grows, the amount of traffic also grows.
PROJECT ALTERNATIVES
Two studied build alternatives, Alternative 1 (Widen to the North) and Alternative 2 (Widen to the
South), combined with the at-grade intersection option at Oak Street/24th Street, are being analyzed in
this document along with the No Build Alternative.
2
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Regional Location
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
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24th St Improvement Project
Paleontological Study Area
EA 06-493900, EA 06-484700
PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
No Build Alternative
No improvements will be made to the existing Oak Street/24th Street intersection and 24th Street under
this alternative other than routine roadway maintenance such as roadway cleaning, pothole repair,
landscape maintenance, irrigation repair, and inspections.
A No Build Alternative was considered as a baseline to measure and compare the proposed
improvement alternatives.
Common Design Features of the Build Alternatives
The project is divided into four segments: the SR-99/SR-58/24th Street interchange improvements
(from southbound SR-99 off-ramp intersection to the west end of the Kern River Bridge) including
addition of the northbound SR-99 auxiliary lane, the 24th Street/Oak Street intersection (from the west
end of the Kern River Bridge to Olive Street), the 24th Street Widening (from Olive Street to D
Street), and the 23rd Street/24th Street Couplet (from D Street to 0.2 mile east of M Street).
The design features of the following are the same for both Alternatives 1 and 2:
•
SR-99 interchange and SR-99 auxiliary lane (Segment 1);
•
Oak Street intersection (Segment 2);
•
24th Street Bridge over Kern River (Segment 2);
•
Three bus stop locations: (1) eastbound and westbound 24th Street near Oak Street; (2) eastbound
and westbound 24th Street just west of Alder Street; and (3) near F Street (24th Street east of E
Street and 23rd Street east of G Street);
•
Reverse curve (S-curve) (Segment 3);
•
Two-way frontage road connecting Elm Street to Beech Street (Segment 3);
•
The 23rd Street/24th Street Couplet (from D Street to 0.2 mi east of M Street) (Segment 4); and
•
A hammerhead (which would allow large vehicles to turn around and accommodate entry and
exit) per City standards at Drake (D) Street.
Segments of each build alternative are described below.
SR-99/SR-58/SR-178 Interchange Improvements and Northbound SR-99 Auxiliary Lane–
Segment 1. The improvements to the SR-99 ramps include the following changes at the signalized
interchange intersections with 24th Street/Rosedale Highway:
•
Improve the westbound loop on-ramp from Rosedale Highway (SR-58) to southbound SR-99
from one lane to two lanes within the existing pavement width. The ramp section would include a
2 ft wide left shoulder, 12 ft wide lane, 17 ft wide lane, and an 8 ft wide right shoulder. The
shoulder at the westbound 24th Street approach at the intersection stop line would be restriped.
The section for the westbound approach would consist of 12 ft wide lanes, a 4 ft wide shoulder,
and an 8 ft wide right shoulder.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
•
Improve northbound SR-99 to include a 1,300 ft auxiliary lane before the SR-99 northbound offramp at 24th Street (SR-178). With the auxiliary lane option, the northbound off-ramp would be
changed from a one-lane off-ramp to a two-lane off-ramp. A retaining wall up to 11 ft high
(exposed height) and a concrete barrier would be built at the edge of shoulder from the beginning
of the improvements to the existing Kern River bridge. No structural improvements would be
made to the existing SR-99 Kern River bridge; however, there would be restriping for the
auxiliary lane and a two-lane departure. The auxiliary lane section would include a 12 ft wide
lane, 10 ft wide shoulder, retaining wall at the edge of the shoulder, and 2:1 side slopes. The SR99 widening for the northbound auxiliary lane would be built dependent upon the availability of
funding.
•
Improve the westbound 24th Street (SR-178) approach from three through lanes and one right-turn
lane to three through lanes and two lanes aligning with the southbound SR-99 loop on-ramp, one
on-ramp lane, and one shared through/right-turn lane. The section would include an additional
bike lane, 12 ft wide lane, 5 ft wide shoulder, 5 ft wide sidewalk, 10 to 12 ft high (exposed
height) retaining wall, and a 3 ft high concrete barrier. The three westbound lanes, which would
travel under the SR-99 superstructure, would be separated from the on-ramp lanes by a raised
median. The bike lane would align with the 8 ft wide right shoulder of the westbound lanes. The
three westbound through lanes continue westerly on 24th Street. A retaining wall would be
required to support the north abutment slope. The lanes would be 12 ft wide with an 8 ft wide
shoulder, an 8 ft wide sidewalk, and a 4 to 8 ft high (exposed height) retaining wall.
•
Improve the southbound Buck Owens Boulevard approach to 24th Street from two left-turn lanes
and one right-turn lane to two left-turn lanes and two right-turn lanes. All lanes of the approach
would be 12 ft wide.
•
Improve the northbound SR-99 northbound off-ramp from two left-turn lanes and one free rightturn lane to three left-turn lanes and one free right-turn lane. The additional left-turn lane would
be 12 ft wide with a 4 ft wide left shoulder. The northbound SR-99 northbound off-ramp at the
freeway exit nose would have a section that includes a 4 ft wide left shoulder, two 12 ft wide
lanes, and an 8 ft wide right shoulder. Eastbound 24th Street would remain as is with three
through lanes and an additional lane at the northbound SR-99 off-ramp free right-turn lane.
24th Street/Oak Street Intersection and 24th Street Improvements (from the west end of the
Kern River Bridge to Olive Street) – Segment 2. Improvements to the existing Oak Street/24th
Street intersection assume an at-grade intersection. The Oak Street intersection improvements are as
follows:
•
The existing 24th Street bridge over the Kern River, between Oak Street and Buck Owens
Boulevard, would require construction within the limits of the bridge to remove the existing
raised median and rebuild a 3 ft 3 inch raised median near the middle of the bridge to
accommodate four 12 ft wide lanes, a 6 ft wide right shoulder, and a 1 ft wide left shoulder in
each direction. The existing curb and 5 ft wide sidewalks in the westbound direction and the
existing concrete barrier in the eastbound direction would remain unchanged.
•
Improve the northbound Oak Street approach to 24th Street from one left-turn lane, one shared
left-turn/through lane, and one right-turn lane to two left-turn lanes, one shared left-turn/through
lane, and two right-turn lanes. The section would consist of 12 ft lanes, 6 ft wide shoulders, 4 ft
8
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
wide bike lane, and an 8 ft wide parkway. A new 6 ft wide sidewalk would be built next to the
existing curb on the west side of Oak Street from the 24th Street intersection. Curb, gutter, and
sidewalk would be built on the east side of Oak Street from the 24th Street intersection.
•
Restripe the southbound Oak Street approach to 24th Street from one shared left-turn/through lane
and one right-turn lane to one left-turn lane and one shared through/right-turn lane. The
southbound section would keep the existing curb and sidewalk.
•
Improve the eastbound 24th Street approach to Oak Street from one left-turn lane, two through
lanes, and one right-turn lane to one left-turn lane, four through lanes, and one right-turn lane. All
lanes would be 12 ft wide with a 6 ft shoulder. The median would vary from 3 ft 3 inches to 11 ft
in width. The outside through lane would begin to drop about 300 ft east of the center of the
intersection. A 9 ft high (exposed height) retaining wall with a 3 ft high barrier would be built at
Beach Park at the southwest quadrant of the intersection.
•
Improve the westbound 24th Street approach to Oak Street from two left-turn lanes, one through
lane, and one shared through/right-turn lane to two left-turn lanes, three through lanes, and one
shared through/right-turn lane. All lanes would be 12 ft wide with a 6 ft shoulder and a 10 ft
parkway.
•
Build a westbound far-side bus turnout (northwest quadrant of Oak Street and 24th Street) and an
eastbound far-side bus turnout (southeast quadrant of Oak Street and 24th Street).
24th Street Widening (from Olive Street to D Street) – Segment 3; with a Reverse Curve (Scurve). This 24th Street widening segment includes a reverse curve that begins along 24th Street near
Alder Street (A Street) and ends along 23rd Street near D Street. The reverse curve will include the
following features:
•
Construct raised medians along 24th Street, restricting cross-street access to right-in/right-out-only
vehicular movements, with left-turn movements allowed at three intersections (i.e., Beech Street,
Spruce Street, and Cedar Street) where median breaks can be accommodated within design
standards.
•
Provide two bus turnouts between Cedar Street and A Street: one of the turnouts would be on the
south side near the pedestrian crossing at A Street and the other turnout would be on the north
side near the same pedestrian crossing at A Street.
•
Add a frontage road between Elm Street and Beech Street. On the north side of 24th Street, a twoway frontage road connecting Elm Street to Beech Street would provide additional access to Elm
Street. On the south side of 24th Street, Elm Street (which is currently barricaded) would be
improved to a cul-de-sac per City fire department standards.
This segment of the 24th Street widening includes a reverse curve that begins along 24th Street near A
Street and ends along 23rd Street near D Street. The reverse curve would include the following
features:
•
Close D Street (north leg) between 24th and 23rd Streets due to sight distance limitations. A
hammerhead (which would allow large vehicles to turn around and accommodate entry and exit)
per City standards would be built on D Street at this location. A permanent easement would be
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
required within the existing parking area north of the alley on the west side of D Street to provide
a turnaround for fire trucks.
•
Add a lane on 23rd Street at B Street. The additional lane would allow vehicles coming from
northbound B Street to turn right onto 23rd Street. It would also eliminate intersection sight
distance conflicts for the turning vehicles.
•
Open the southbound approach of C Street onto 23rd Street to allow left-in, left-out access and to
help circulation to and from existing buildings.
23rd Street/24th Street Couplet (from D Street to 0.2 miles east of M Street) – Segment 4.
Under Alternatives 1 and 2, improvements would be made to the 23rd Street/24th Street couplet,
including removing existing on-street parking along 23rd and 24th Streets, rehabilitating the roadway,
and restriping to allow an additional travel lane in each direction. The roadway rehabilitation would
include reprofiling, rebuilding pavement, improving curb and drainage facilities, providing
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pedestrian curb ramps, changing traffic signals, and adding
bus turnouts.
The limits of the couplet area extend from D Street to 0.2 mi east of M Street. The typical section for
the couplet would consist of a 4.5 ft right shoulder, two outside 12 ft lanes and two inside 11 ft lanes,
and a 4 ft left shoulder. The width of the existing 15 ft sidewalk and parkway would remain. Total
curb-to-curb width for the couplet section would be the existing 54.5 ft width. The existing right-ofway is about 85 ft. The design of the couplet area would include the following:
•
The intersection of 24th Street and K Street would be changed to prevent a right turn from
southbound K Street onto westbound 24th Street. A raised curb and sidewalk would extend
halfway into K Street to prevent the right-turn movement. A permanent easement within the
existing parking area would be required on the west side of K Street, just north of the intersection,
to provide a hammerhead design for fire truck movements.
•
Along westbound 24th Street, the project would end at the SR-178 undercrossing, about 0.2 mi
east of M Street. The existing undercrossing consists of three through lanes. A fourth lane would
be added just west of the undercrossing. No construction on the undercrossing is planned. The
24th Street Frontage Road would join 24th Street just east of M Street as it currently does to add a
fifth through lane of traffic at the M Street intersection. The rightmost lane would be removed
between M Street and K Street.
•
Along eastbound 23rd Street, the project would end at the Union Avenue off-ramp, about 0.2 mi
east of M Street. Four eastbound through lanes would be built through the M Street intersection.
The fourth through lane would become the off-ramp, and the three existing through lanes would
continue to the undercrossing. No construction on the undercrossing is planned.
•
A midblock bus turnout would be provided on westbound 24th Street between E Street and F
Street. A far-side bus turnout would be provided on eastbound 23rd Street just east of G Street.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
Unique Features of the Build Alternatives (Alternative 1 and Alternative 2)
Alternatives 1 and 2 differ only in Segment 3. Alternative 1 would widen 24th Street between Olive
Street and D Street to the north of its existing alignment, and Alternative 2 would widen 24th Street to
the south of the existing roadway alignment adding two travel lanes (one in each direction). Both
alternatives include the SR-99 interchange and auxiliary lane, the Oak Street/24th Street intersection,
the 24th Street widening, and the 24th Street couplet area. The two alternative designs are described in
detail below.
Alternative 1 (Widen to the North) – Segment 3. Alternative 1 would widen 24th Street between
Olive Street and D Street to the north, adding two travel lanes (one in each direction). The proposed
roadway alignment would be shifted north of the existing alignment about 17 ft, which would
minimize the right-of-way acquisition on the south side of 24th Street required for the roadway
widening and would accommodate a bus turnout at A Street. The impacts include reconstruction of
Carrier Canal on the north and south sides of 24th Street to accommodate the widening. The parkway
(the area between the vehicular travel lanes and sidewalks, ordinarily used as a planting area) on the
north side, between Olive Street and Carrier Canal, would vary in width from 10 ft to 15 ft to
accommodate sight distance at Olive Street.
Carrier Canal would be extended on the north and south sides of 24th Street to accommodate widening
of 24th Street. The north side would require about 10 ft of culvert extension in addition to
reconstructing about 30 ft of transition area; the south side would require about 100 ft of culvert
extension in addition to reconstructing about 30 ft of transition. The reconstruction would result in the
partial acquisition of the Carrier Canal properties on the north and south.
Alternative 2 (Widen to the South) – Segment 3. Alternative 2 would widen 24th Street between
Olive Street and D Street to the south, adding two travel lanes (one in each direction). The roadway
alignment would be shifted south of the existing alignment about 21 ft, which would minimize the
right-of-way acquisition on the north side of 24th Street required for the roadway widening,
accommodate a bus turnout at A Street, and accommodate residential garage access from the north
properties directly to 24th Street.
The impacts include rebuilding Carrier Canal on the south side of 24th Street to accommodate the
widening. Carrier Canal would be extended on the south side of 24th Street to accommodate the
widening of 24th Street. The south side would require about 100 ft of culvert extension, in addition to
reconstructing about 30 ft of transition area. This work would result in the partial acquisition of the
Carrier Canal property on the south side.
Temporary Project Components
Construction. Phasing of construction may be required. If phasing is required, the Oak Street
intersection will be constructed in Phase 1, improvements to the SR-99 interchange would be
constructed in Phase 2, the 24th Street widening and improvements to the 23rd Street/24th Street
couplet would be completed in Phase 3, and the SR-99 auxiliary lane would be completed in Phase 4.
The number of existing through lanes would be maintained by restriping the existing lanes and by
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
shifting traffic within the corridor to maintain the existing capacity. Long-term closures of 24th Street
and 23rd Street, as well as of the SR-99 ramps, are not anticipated.
Carrier Canal Extension and Water Diversion. Reconstruction of the Carrier Canal on the north
and south sides will require diversion of canal waters. As a result, a diversion structure would be
placed to divert flows during construction. The diversion structure will begin approximately 350 ft
north of the proposed edge of roadway on the north side of 24th Street, travel between the Canal and
Elm Street on the east, and extend approximately 350 ft south of the proposed edge of roadway on the
south side of 24th Street.
Construction Vehicle Access and Material Staging. Construction vehicle access and staging of
construction materials would occur within disturbed or developed areas inside the existing ROW or
the proposed additional ROW. The parcel at the southeast quadrant of Oak Street and 24th Street is a
City-owned detention basin, may be utilized as a materials staging area, and shall be included within
the defined disturbance limits. All construction vehicle access, materials staging and storage, and
other construction activities would occur within the defined disturbance limits for the proposed
project.
Additional Temporary Construction Easements. Temporary construction easements (TCEs) would
be necessary for construction along the proposed ROW. TCEs may also be necessary at areas of
driveway reconstruction within the 24th Street widening and couplet sections.
Kern River Construction Activity. The existing Kern River bridge median will be replaced. A
description of the bridge work and TCEs is provided below:
The Kern River bridge median would be replaced. Removal of the existing overhang and construction
of the closure pour would require access to the underside of the Kern River bridge by means of a
series of Temporary Construction Easements. Construction vehicles would enter the Kern River rightof-way through a single entrance and exit at the cul-de-sac at the northernmost end of Oak Street.
Construction vehicles would then reach the underside of the Kern River bridge by means of the
existing Kern River Parkway Bike Trail on the east side of the Kern River within a 30-foot
Temporary Construction Easement. Construction would be accomplished from the bridge deck and
from the Kern River Parkway Bike Trail. Construction vehicles would be utilized to remove the
bridge joint from above the bike trail so that no scaffolding would be required on and between the
bike trail and bridge abutment. This method of construction access to the underside of the Kern River
bridge may require temporary daily closure of the bike trail, lasting for no more than 10 days, which
may or may not be consecutive. Construction would not occur from the riverbed.
SUMMARY OF EXCAVATION PARAMETERS
A final geotechnical report describing depth of excavation of various project phases and excavation
for tasks involved with the proposed project was not available at the time of completion of this report.
Such a report is helpful for paleontological resource studies since it describes the depth of project
12
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
excavation relative to sedimentary formations through which project-related excavations pass.
However, information on depths of excavations for canal box extension, storm drains and footings of
retaining walls (Figure 3) was forwarded (personal communication from Leah Larson, RBF
Engineers, and Neva Popenoe, Kleinfelder, October 23, 2009). Excavation for retaining walls,
drainage facilities, and the extension of Carrier Canal is anticipated to reach depths greater than 5 ft
(Table A). Excavation for water treatment facilities and for demolition of structures on acquired
parcels is anticipated as less than 5 ft.
Table A: Excavation Parameters
Improvement
Location
Excavation
Depth
Proposed retaining walls
Four retaining walls
6–12 ft
Drainage facility improvements: storm drain pipes, junction
structures, and catch basins
Between Gibson Street
and Q Street
5–10 ft
Carrier Canal box extension
Beneath Carrier Canal
5–10 ft
Water treatment facilities
(“Best Management Practice” Facilities)
Between Gibson Street
and Q Street
Up to 5 ft
Acquired parcels
Between Elm Street and D
Street
Up to 5 ft
ft = feet
PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION
Significant nonrenewable paleontological resources including vertebrate fossils and unique or
scientifically important invertebrate fossils and remains of fossil plants are recognized by the State of
California and NEPA (Appendix A).
The paleontological locality search and field assessment were conducted pursuant to CEQA, Public
Resources Code (PRC) 21000 (Division 13), California Code of Regulations (CCR) 15000 (Title 14,
Division 3, Chapter 1); CEQA Attachment G; PRC 5097.5. The assessment documents the potential
for paleontological resources older than 10,000 years to occur in the study area. According to the
Caltrans Standard Environmental Reference (SER) Volume 1, Chapter 8,1 the usual approach to
addressing project-related paleontological resources involves three steps that include identification,
evaluation, and, if necessary, mitigation. These three steps generally entail preparation of (1) a
Paleontological Identification Report (PIR); (2) a Paleontological Evaluation Report (PER); and, if a
potential for encountering significant resources is determined, (3) a Paleontological Mitigation Plan
(PMP). At the conclusion of grading, one additional report may need to be prepared: a
Paleontological Mitigation Report (PMR).
1
Available on the Web at http://www.dot.ca.gov/ser/vol1/sec3/physical/Ch08Paleo/chap08paleo.htm.
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0
S
N
!
130
260
Feet
FIGURE 3
24th St Improvement Project
Retaining Walls, Approximate Heights
and Excavation Depths
SOURCE: RBF, 10/23/09.
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24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
The paleontological resource assessment was prepared in accordance with national guidelines,
including those from NEPA (P.L. 91–190, 83 Stat. 852, 42 USC 4321–4327), the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, P.L. 94–579, 43 U.S.C. 1701–1782), and the Paleontological
Resource Management 1998, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Handbook H-8270-1.
On a local level, this paleontological resource assessment was completed following the guidelines of
the Paleontological Resource Impact Mitigation Measures of the City of Bakersfield. The County of
Kern places emphasis on the preservation of historic and cultural resources but does not specifically
address paleontological resources. The paleontological resource assessment program for the 24th
Street Improvement Project also followed recommendations of the Society of Vertebrate
Paleontology (SVP).
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24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE
DEFINITIONS OF SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE
According to the Caltrans SER, the significance of a paleontological resource may be stated for a
particular fossil species, fossil assemblage, or for a rock unit as a whole. If a paleontological resource,
such as a rock unit or formation with the potential to contain fossils, cannot be avoided during
construction, the significance of the resource must be assessed before mitigation measures are
proposed (Caltrans 2007). There are two generally recognized types of paleontological significance:
•
National: A National Natural Landmark-eligible paleontological resource is an area of national
significance (as defined under 36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 62) that contains an
outstanding example of fossil evidence of the development of life on earth. This is the only
codified definition of paleontological significance.
•
Scientific: Definitions of a scientifically significant paleontological resource can vary by
jurisdictional agency and paleontological practitioner (Caltrans 2007).
Generally, scientifically significant paleontological resources are identified sites or geological
deposits containing individual fossils or assemblages of fossils that are unique or unusual,
diagnostically or stratigraphically important, and add to the existing body of knowledge in specific
areas, stratigraphically, taxonomically, or regionally (SVP, 1995). Particularly important are fossils
found in situ (undisturbed) in primary context (i.e., fossils that have not been subjected to disturbance
subsequent to their burial and fossilization). As such, they aid in stratigraphic correlation, particularly
those offering data for the interpretation of tectonic events, geomorphologic evolution,
paleoclimatology, the relationships between aquatic and terrestrial species, and evolution in general.
Discovery of in situ fossil-bearing deposits is rare for many species, especially vertebrates. Terrestrial
vertebrate fossils are often assigned greater significance than other fossils because they are rarer than
other types of fossils. This is primarily due to the fact that the best conditions for fossil preservation
include little or no disturbance after death and quick burial in oxygen-depleted, fine-grained
sediments. While these conditions often exist in marine settings, they are relatively rare in terrestrial
settings. This has ramifications about the amount of scientific study needed to characterize an
individual species adequately and therefore affects how relative sensitivities are assigned to
formations and rock units.
The SVP (1995) provides the following definitions of scientific significance:
•
Significant Nonrenewable Paleontological Resources are fossils and fossiliferous deposits, here
restricted to vertebrate fossils and their taphonomic and associated environmental indicators. This
definition excludes invertebrate and botanic fossils except when present within a given vertebrate
assemblage. Certain plant and invertebrate fossils or assemblages may be defined as significant
by a project paleontologist, local paleontologist, specialist, or special interest groups, or by Lead
Agencies or local governments.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
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•
APRIL 2011
A Significant Fossiliferous Deposit is a rock unit or formation that contains significant
nonrenewable paleontological resources, here defined as comprising one or more identifiable
vertebrate fossils, large or small, and any associated invertebrate and plant fossils, traces, and
other data that provide taphonomic, taxonomic, phylogenetic, ecologic, and stratigraphic
information (ichnites and trace fossils generated by vertebrate animals, e.g., trackways or nests
and middens, which provide datable material and climatic information). Paleontological resources
are considered to be older than recorded history and/or older than 5,000 years before the present
(BP).
SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE
This document uses the following abbreviated summary to define scientific significance as it relates
to paleontological resources:
All vertebrate fossils that can be related to a stratigraphic context are significant and
are considered a significant nonrenewable paleontological resource. Invertebrate
and plant fossils as well as other environmental indicators associated with vertebrate
fossils are considered significant. Certain invertebrate and plant fossils that are
regionally rare or uncommon, or help to define stratigraphy, age, or taxonomic
relationships are considered significant.
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
SENSITIVITY
DEFINITIONS OF SENSITIVITY
According to the Caltrans SER, significance is often stated as “sensitivity” or “potential.” In most
cases, decisions about how to manage paleontological resources must be based on this potential
because the actual situation cannot be known until construction excavation for the project is
underway. Significance may also be stated for a particular rock unit, predicated on the research
potential of fossils suspected to occur in that unit. The Caltrans SER uses the following tripartite
scale:
•
High Potential: Rock units which, based on previous studies, contain or are likely to contain
significant vertebrate, significant invertebrate, or significant plant fossils are considered High
Potential. These units include, but are not limited to, sedimentary formations that contain
significant nonrenewable paleontological resources anywhere within their geographical extent
and sedimentary rock units temporally or lithologically suitable for the preservation of fossils.
These units may also include some volcanic and low-grade metamorphic rock units. Fossiliferous
deposits with very limited geographic extent or an uncommon origin (e.g., tar pits and caves) are
given special consideration and ranked as highly sensitive. High sensitivity includes the potential
for containing: (1) abundant vertebrate fossils; (2) a few significant fossils (large or small
vertebrate, invertebrate, or plant fossils) that may provide new and significant taxonomic,
phylogenetic, ecologic, and/or stratigraphic data; (3) areas that may contain datable organic
remains older than Recent, including Neotoma (sp.) middens; or (4) areas that may contain
unique new vertebrate deposits, traces, and/or trackways. Areas with a high potential for
containing significant paleontological resources require monitoring and mitigation.
•
Low Potential: This category includes sedimentary rock units that (1) are potentially
fossiliferous, but have not yielded significant fossils in the past; (2) have not yet yielded fossils,
but possess a potential for containing fossil remains; or (3) contain common and/or widespread
invertebrate fossils if the taxonomy, phylogeny, and ecology of the species contained in the rock
are well understood. Sedimentary rocks expected to contain vertebrate fossils are not placed in
this category because vertebrates are generally rare and found in more localized stratum. Rock
units designated as Low Potential generally do not require monitoring and mitigation. However,
as excavation for construction gets underway, it is possible that new and unanticipated
paleontological resources might be encountered. If this occurs, a Construction Change Order
(CCO) must be prepared in order to have a qualified Principal Paleontologist evaluate the
resource. If the resource is determined to be significant, monitoring and mitigation is required.
•
No Potential: Rock units of intrusive igneous origin, most extrusive igneous rocks, and
moderately to highly metamorphosed rocks are classified as having no potential for containing
significant paleontological resources. For projects encountering only these types of rock units,
paleontological resources can generally be eliminated as a concern when the Preliminary
Environmental Analysis Report (PEAR) is prepared and no further action taken (Caltrans 2007).
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The SVP (1995) provides the following definitions of sensitivity:
•
Paleontological Sensitivity is determined only after a field survey of the rock unit, in
conjunction with a review of available literature and paleontologic locality records. In cases
where no subsurface data are available, sensitivity may be determined by subsurface excavation.
•
Paleontological Potential is the potential for the presence of significant nonrenewable
paleontological resources. All sedimentary rocks, some volcanic rocks, and some metamorphic
rocks have the potential for the presence of significant nonrenewable paleontological resources. A
review of available literature may further refine the potential of each rock unit, formation, or
facies. The SVP has only three categories of sensitivity: High, Low, and Undetermined. If a
geographic area or geological unit is classified as having undetermined potential for
paleontological resources, studies must be undertaken to determine whether that rock unit has a
sensitivity of either High or Low.
In accordance with SVP (2007) policies, the sensitivity of rock units and formations that may contain
paleontological resources is assessed on the basis of high, undetermined, or low potential for
paleontological resources:
•
High Potential: Rock units from which vertebrate or significant invertebrate fossils or significant
suites of plant fossils have been recovered are considered to have a high potential for containing
significant nonrenewable fossiliferous resources. These units include, but are not limited to,
sedimentary formations and some volcanic formations which contain significant nonrenewable
paleontological resources anywhere within their geographical extent, and sedimentary rock units
temporally or lithologically suitable for the preservation of fossils. Sensitivity comprises both
(a) the potential for yielding abundant or significant vertebrate fossils or for yielding a few
significant fossils, large or small, vertebrate, invertebrate, or botanical and (b) the importance of
recovered evidence for new and significant taxonomic, phylogenetic, ecologic, or stratigraphic
data. Areas which contain potentially datable organic remains older than Recent, including
deposits associated with nests or middens, and areas which may contain new vertebrate deposits,
traces, or trackways are also classified as significant.
•
Undetermined Potential: Specific areas underlain by sedimentary rock units for which little
information is available are considered to have undetermined fossiliferous potentials. Field
surveys by a qualified vertebrate paleontologist to specifically determine the potentials of the
rock units are required before programs of impact mitigation for such areas may be developed.
•
Low Potential: Reports in the paleontological literature or field surveys by a qualified vertebrate
paleontologist may allow determination that some areas or units have low potentials for yielding
significant fossils. Such units will be poorly represented by specimens in institutional collections.
These deposits generally will not require protection or salvage operations.
Given the range of criteria that may be used, significance assessments should necessarily be based on
the recommendations of a professional Principal Paleontologist with expertise in the region under
study and the resources found in that region. An evaluation of a particular rock unit’s significance
rests on the known importance of specific fossils. Often this significance is reflected as a sensitivity
ranking relative to other rock units in the same region.
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SUMMARY OF SENSITIVITY
This document uses the following abbreviated summary to define paleontological sensitivity and the
potential for significant paleontological resources:
A formation or rock unit has paleontological sensitivity or the potential for
significant paleontological resources if it has previously produced, or has lithologies
conducive to the preservation of vertebrate fossils and associated or regionally
uncommon invertebrate and plant fossils. All sedimentary rocks and certain extrusive
volcanic rocks and mildly metamorphosed rocks are considered to have potential for
paleontological resources.
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
METHODS
To ensure that research was comprehensive, the paleontological resources “study area” encompasses
a 1,000 ft (300-meter [m]) radius beyond the project Area of Potential Direct Disturbance (APD).
Prior to the field survey, research was conducted to locate fossil localities within the study area and
within central Kern County. Research focused on locating sediments and formations conducive to the
preservation of paleontological resources, including review of available geological and
paleontological literature concerning, or related to, the Miocene and Pleistocene stratigraphy of the
project area. Paleontological locality data were gathered from California museums known to have
conducted research in the vicinity of the project.
Appendix B contains a summary of the locality search results. Appendix C contains confidential
fossil resource locality sheets.
LITERATURE REVIEW AND LOCALITY SEARCH
A paleontological literature review was conducted for the proposed project using unpublished reports,
paleontological assessment and monitoring reports, field notes, and published literature. A
paleontological resource locality search was conducted through the Natural History Museum of Los
Angeles County (LACM), the University of California, Museum of Paleontology (UCMP), and
through geologists and paleontologists at California State University, Bakersfield. Paleontological
resource locality forms housed in those institutions record fossil localities in sediments equivalent to
those underlying the proposed project.
FIELD INSPECTION
Vehicular Survey
A vehicular survey of the project APD was conducted on July 16, 2008. Project redesign and
additions necessitated a second field review on February 9, 2009. The surveys verified the results of
the literature review and analysis of the geologic mapping along the project APD (Smith, 1964). The
vehicular survey also verified lithologic descriptions that support the potential for preservation of
fossils in older Pleistocene alluvium. Figure 4 shows the APD.
Foot Survey
Foot surveys associated with the vehicular surveys were conducted within the 1,000 ft (300 m)
perimeter study area on vacant parcels (Figure 4). These limited exposures were covered on foot by
intuitive random deviations to inspect the surface area, cuts, and back dirt from rodent burrows.
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na
i
ne
1,300
Feet
E
Ca
P STREET
CHESTER AVENUE
OAK STREET
al
an
650
rC
S
AV
E
24TH STREET
ie
0
ST
AT
E
NU
23RD STREET
N
!
DE
N
Ca
ve
Ri
rn
Ke
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NO
C A M I URT
O
R IO C
ROSEDALE
HIGHWAY
St
l
r
99
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}
|
·
GO
L
rr
TRUXTUN AVENUE
FIGURE 4
Legend
Paleontological Study Area
SOURCE: RBF, 2008/2009; Kern County, 2005, 2007, 2008
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24th St Improvement Project
Area of Potential Disturbance
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
PERSONNEL
Paleontologist Robert E. Reynolds completed the paleontological resource literature review, field
survey, and report preparation. Mr. Reynolds (Appendix D) is an LSA Associate and paleontological
program manager at LSA’s Riverside office, a research associate of the LACM and California State
University, Fullerton Desert Studies Consortium, and former Curator of Earth Sciences at the San
Bernardino County Museum. He has 28 years of experience with paleontological salvage programs
and 42 years of research experience collecting biostratigraphic specimens from sediments in central
and southern California, Arizona, and Nevada.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
BACKGROUND
SETTING
Natural Setting
The project, in central Bakersfield, lies at elevations between 400 and 420 ft above mean sea level
(amsl). The project region is characterized by a semi-arid climate, with hot dry summers and
moderate winters. Precipitation usually occurs in the form of winter rain. The linear, east-west
oriented, 24th Street Improvement Project crosses the Kern River and the Carrier Canal.
The Central Valley contains three primary communities of plants and animals: Valley Grassland,
Freshwater Marsh, and Riparian Woodland (Schoenherr, 1992) or Oak Woodland (Beck and Haase,
1974). Natural vegetation is minimal in the project area except for the riparian community along the
banks of the Kern River. Terraces along the Kern River west and east of the project area have
previously been used for grazing, farming, and orchards.
Physiography
The project area is within the southeastern portion of California’s Central Valley in the southern San
Joaquin Valley, west of the southwestern foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and within the San Joaquin
Valley Geologic Province (Jahns, 1954; Beck and Haase, 1974).
The Central Valley is an elongated north-south depression, 430 mi long and approximately 75 mi
wide, lying between the Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada (Schoenherr, 1992). Its northernmost
point is near Redding and Shasta Lake; its southern point is south of Bakersfield near Grapevine. The
northern portion is drained by the Sacramento River and the central portion by the San Joaquin River.
The Kern River drains a large portion of the southern Sierra Nevada and runs westward to the Buena
Vista lakebed, then northerly into the internally drained basin that contains the Tulare lakebed. In
general, the borders of the Central Valley are considered to be the zone where alluvial sediments meet
bedrock features (Schoenherr, 1992).
East of the project, the Sierra Nevada is the highest mountain range in California with peaks reaching
elevations over 14,000 ft. The western slope of the Sierra Nevada is gradual, while the eastern
escarpment above Owens Valley is abrupt. The range is composed of granitic plutons that have
intruded and metamorphosed older Paleozoic marine sediments. Many cobbles deposited in midvalley sediments by the ancestral Kern River have their source in the Sierra Nevada.
Geology
The project is on the southeast side of California’s San Joaquin Valley, west of the southern
Greenhorn Mountains (a geologic complex in the southern Sierra Nevada) in west-central Kern
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
County. Crystalline rocks in the southern Greenhorn Mountains include Mesozoic granitic rocks
(tonalite and diorite; Smith, 1964).
Tertiary sediments along the southeast side of the San Joaquin Valley have been deposited over the
last 40 million years. A marine incursion into the Central Valley trough allowed marine sediments to
be deposited from the early Oligocene (30 Ma) to the late Miocene (10 Ma; Kleinpell, 1938; Smith,
1964; Addicott, 1970; Woodburne and Swisher, 1995). Table B shows the stratigraphy of sediments
from Miocene to Pleistocene in the vicinity of the project, with the oldest at the bottom of the table.
Table B: Stratigraphy
Formation
Surface sediments*
Stream Channel deposits*
Great Valley Sequence
Alluvial Fans*
Great Valley Sequence
Basin Deposits*
Great Valley Sequence
Quaternary Lake Deposits*
Quaternary Terrace Deposits
Qoa1
Qoa2
Qoa3
Kern River Formation*
(non-marine)
Santa Margarita Formation (marine)
Round Mountain Silt (marine)
Basement complex
Age
Holocene
Land Mammal Age
Recent
Holocene
Early Holocene
Latest Pleistocene
Rancholabrean
Latest Pleistocene
Rancholabrean
Late Pleistocene
Mid Pleistocene
Early Pleistocene
Latest Miocene
to Pliocene
Late Miocene
Middle Miocene
Mesozoic
Rancholabrean
Irvingtonian
Irvingtonian
Early
Hemphillian
Early Barstovian
Million Years
This Study
Qya
Qsc
0.014 Ma
Qf
Qb
0.2–0.002 Ma
Ql
Qt
Qoa1
Qoa2
8.2 Ma
QP
16.0–15.2
Trm
* Expected to be present within impact area of the 24th Street Project.
Sources: Smith, 1964; Bartow, 1981.
The 24th Street Improvement Project is on the south side of the Kern River on a flat-topped terrace
incised by the Kern River. The late Miocene to Pliocene Kern River Formation crops out on both
sides of the Kern River east of the project. The non-marine Kern River sediments are derived from
the Sierra Nevada, which started rising and shedding sediment about 10 million years ago.
Latest Pleistocene and Holocene sediments (Qoa1; Bartow, 1981; Qt, Qf, Qsc; Smith, 1964) within
the project were deposited by the fan delta created as the Kern River cut through older sediments,
depositing sediments on both sides of its channel, and reaching its current channel grade.
The current topography around the project was formed when a cohesive Kern River drainage system
developed through the southern Sierra Nevada and exited southwest between the Greenhorn and
Tehachapi Mountains. The Kern River cut through the Tertiary marine sedimentary sequence on the
southeast side of the San Joaquin Valley, leaving a series of terraces on each side of its channel. In the City
of Bakersfield, an upper terrace of middle Pleistocene age is represented by sediments at elevation 720 ft.
A lower, late Pleistocene terrace along the Kern River is at elevation 460 ft or less, approximately 20 to 40
ft above the current Kern River bed (Qoa1; Bartow, 1981; Reynolds, 2009) (Figure 5).
32
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Qc
QP
GO
L
Qsc
DE
Ke
ROSEDALE HIGHWAY
St
l
na
ST
AT
E
AV
E
NU
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rn
Ri
99
þ
}
|
·
Ca
ve
r
N
Qf
i
E
I NO DEL
C AM
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178
þ
}
|
·
24TH STREET
C a r r ie
0
S
N
!
Feet
1,000
n
r Ca
Qf
UNION AVENUE
OAK STREET
TRUXTUN AVENUE
Sti n
e Ca n
al
Ca
CHESTER AVENUE
rr
ie
rC
an
al
P STREET
23RD STREET
Qb
al
2,000
1:200 Scale
FIGURE 5
Legend
Paleontological Study Area
Geologic Units
QP, Plio-Pleistocene Nonmarine
Qc, Pleistocene Nonmarine
Qf, Fan Deposits
Qsc, Stream Channel Deposits
Qb, Basin Deposits
SOURCE: RBF, 2008/2009; Kern County, 2007; Geologic Map of Bakersfield 1:250,000 Quad, Smith, 1964, USGS 7.5' Quads: Oildale (1968), Gosford (1973), Oil Center (1973), Lamont (1973), CA.
I:\RBF0608\Reports\Paleo\fig5_Geology.mxd (06/17/11)
24th St Improvement Project
Geologic Map of Project Area
EA 06-493900, EA 06-484700
PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES
(OVERVIEW FROM LITERATURE)
There is a detailed record of more than 150 years of paleontological study from along the Kern River
(Mitchell, 1965). These studies were initiated in 1853 by William P. Blake, sent by Secretary of War
Jefferson Davis to survey rail routes to the west coast of the United States. Fossil shark teeth,
mollusks, and bone collected by Blake made their way to Drs. Louis Agassiz, Joseph Leidy, and T.A.
Conrad, and descriptions of the fossils were published before 1857 (Mitchell, 1965). The owner of
Barker Ranch presented to the California Academy of Science shark teeth that were described by D.S.
Jordan in 1907. The Academy conducted a 4-month excavation in 1924 and large vertebrate fossils
and mollusks were described; microfossils were described by Dr. G.D. Hanna.
The paleontological resource locality records search (Appendix B) located 31 paleontological
resource localities in Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene sediments comparable to those that occur on
and under the Project within a 10 mi radius of the 24th Street project study area. These records were
obtained from the LACM, the UCMP, and from published and unpublished documents (Jefferson,
2008a and b; Reynolds, 2009). Table C presents the age and distribution of these localities.
Table C: Number of Fossil Taxa by Formation
Formation
Kern River QP
Age
Miocene
No. Taxa
No. Localities
24
23
Source
LACM; UCMP
Qoa2
Middle Pleistocene
1
1
Reynolds, 2009
Qt; Qoa1
Late Pleistocene
27
6
Jefferson, 2008a and b; Reynolds, 2009
Qf
Latest Pleistocene
1
1
Marchand and Allwardt, 1981.
53
31
Total
Sources: Geologic Age after Smith, 1964; Bartow, 1981.
LACM = Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
UCMP = University of California, Museum of Paleontology
The 31 localities located by research are from five formations (QP, Qoa2, Qt, Qoa1, and Qf). The 23
localities from the Miocene through Pliocene Kern River Formation produced 24 vertebrate taxa
including giant tortoise, vulture, giant ground sloth, cats and bone-crushing dogs, weasels and civets,
rabbits and rodents, horses, rhinos, antelope, camel, and peccary. The Kern River Formation provides
a thick sequence of sediments that contain fossil mammals representing the Clarendonian,
Hemphillian, and Blancan North American Land Mammal Ages. These fossil faunas suggest that the
Kern River Formation spans a period of time from 10 Ma to 4 Ma, thus providing a critical record of
debris derived from the uplift of the Sierra Nevada range.
The middle Pleistocene terrace deposits (Qoa2; Bartow, 1981) produced the limb of a large Ice Age
camel. The late Pleistocene terrace deposit south of Lake Ming (Qoa1; Bartow, 1981; Reynolds,
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
2009) produced 27 species of vertebrate and invertebrate fossils including river mussels, four species
of fish, pond turtle, lizard, snake, bird, rabbits, rats, mice, voles, muskrat, mole, bat, horse, deer, and
tiny antelope. An additional fauna from late Pleistocene sediments at the Arvin Landfill, 14 mi
southeast of Bakersfield, produced eight taxa of frogs, lizards, rabbits, rodents, and coyote (Fay and
Thiessen; 1993; Jefferson, 2008a and b). The latest Pleistocene terrace deposit (Qf; Smith, 1964)
produced fossil wood (14,000–9,000 years BP; Marchand and Allwardt, 1981).
The late Pleistocene fauna from terraces south of Lake Ming (Reynolds, 2009) is the most complete
late Pleistocene fauna from within the city limits of Bakersfield. The younger Pleistocene deposits on
the lower terrace (Qoa1) produced a diverse fauna of mollusks, lower vertebrates, and mammals. The
presence of freshwater mussel Gonidea angulata is a southern geographical record for the state of
California; the closest living occurrences are to the north at Clear Lake and Los Banos. It has
apparently been extirpated from the Kern River. Late Pleistocene vertebrates from the Kern River
terraces include four species of freshwater fish, frogs or toads, and pond turtle. Small birds, lizards,
and snakes were present on adjacent riverbanks. The fossils include insectivores including bats and
moles that are rare in any fossil fauna. The bat and mole represent the first late Pleistocene records of
insectivores in the Central Valley portion of Kern County (Jefferson, 1991; Jefferson, 2008b; UCMP,
2008). Additional small mammals include rabbits, rodents, and muskrat. The muskrat (Ondatra
zibethica) is the first record of this large rodent from the Central Valley portion of Kern County
(Jefferson, 1991; Jefferson, 2008b; UCMP, 2008). Herbivorous mammals include small Ice Age
horse, deer, and dwarf pronghorn antelope. The fossil horse and dwarf pronghorn on terrace
sediments reinforce the late Pleistocene age of the fauna.
DEPOSITIONAL HISTORY AND STRATIGRAPHIC RECORD OF FOSSILS
The record of sedimentary deposition along the southeastern margin of the southern San Joaquin
Valley spans the last 40 million years. Sedimentation started in a marine environment, was replaced
by estuary environments, and was subsequently replaced by fluvial deposition. Depositional events
record change in depositional style, which can often be recognized as an erosional event in the study
area. The sequence of deposition in the study area is described in Table D, with the oldest at the top
of the table:
Literature Review
The potential for near-surface late Pleistocene fossils from the Bakersfield area was substantiated by
the locality search, which records late Pleistocene fossils from shallow depths such as creek
exposures (Poso Creek; Jefferson, 2008a and b), excavations for canals (Bakersfield Canal Cutting;
Jefferson, 2008a and b), and residential developments on terraces 20–30+ ft higher than the Kern
River (Reynolds, 2009). The latter, described in a monitoring report for residential development east
of the 24th Street Improvement Project (Reynolds, 2009), encountered 27 species of fossils in Qoa1
(Bartow, 1981), a layer of late Pleistocene sediment deposited on a terrace which may also underlie
this project. An additional excavation monitoring project at the Arvin Landfill, southeast of the 24th
Street Improvement Project, recovered eight fossil species.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
Table D: Sequence of Deposition
Late Tertiary and Quaternary Depositional Events
Miocene-Pliocene Period
Kern River Formation (QP; Smith, 1964). Gray, silty
sandstone of late Miocene and Pliocene age.
Exposures
Fossils
Subsurface deposits at
east end of project
24 taxa of large and small
mammals
Surface outcrops east of
project
Large camel
Surface outcrops 3 mi
northeast of the project
Horse, antelope, deer,
rodents, mole, bat,
reptiles, and fish
Middle Pleistocene Period
Middle Pleistocene Terrace Deposits (Qoa2; Bartow,
1981). Silts, sands, and gravel, commonly with caliche,
of middle Pleistocene age.
Late Pleistocene Period
Late Pleistocene Terrace Deposits (Qt; Smith, 1964;
Qoa1; Bartow, 1981). Tan, silty sands
Quaternary Lake Deposits (Ql; Smith, 1964)
Latest Pleistocene Period—Great Valley Sequence
Basin Deposits (Qb; Smith, 1964)
Alluvial Fans (Qf; Smith, 1964)
Surface outcrops south
of project
Outcrops 1 mi south of
project
Surface outcrops
underlying project, west
of QP
Fossil wood
Holocene Period—Great Valley Sequence
Stream Channel deposits (Qsc; Smith, 1964)
Surface outcrops along
Kern River within
project
Surface sediments (Qal; Smith, 1964)
Thin surface coating
within project
mi = mile/miles
Middle Miocene to Pliocene paleontological resource localities from the Kern River Formation are
located 1 mi or more east of the project (previously referenced Figure 4; QP; Smith, 1964). The Kern
River Formation dips westerly in this area and may underlie Pleistocene sediments at an
undetermined depth.
A previous field assessment for paleontological resources for the Thomas Road Improvement
Program (TRIP; Wagner, 2007) notes the presence of latest Pleistocene/early Holocene fan deposits
(Qf) underlying the area of the 24th Street Improvement Project, as well as Holocene stream channel
deposits (Qsc) along the Kern River channel, and outcrops of Pleistocene sediments (Qc) and Kern
River Formation (QP) at a short distance from the 24th Steet Improvement Project. The previous
paleontological assessment (Wagner, 2007) calls for monitoring of project excavation at 5 ft or
deeper.
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
Locality Search
The UCMP online paleontological locality records (Appendix B) list two Pleistocene fossil localities
in the vicinity of Bakersfield (Bakersfield Canal Cutting, UCMP V65247; Poso Creek, USGS 1088).
The LACM locality search (Appendix B) does not include any localities recorded within the project
study area. Seven LACM fossil localities are located more than 1 mi east of the Project in the very
fossiliferous Kern River Formation. The Kern River Formation may be present under the 24th Steet
Improvement Project at undetermined depth. The LACM recommends that excavations that contact
Pleistocene formations or the Kern River Formation should be monitored closely to quickly and
professionally recover fossil resources without impeding development. The LACM further
recommends that any collected resources be placed in an accredited scientific institution.
Field Inspection
Latest Pleistocene sediments within the study area with a high potential to contain significant,
nonrenewable paleontological resources are visible in adjacent vacant lots and parks. Some exposures
in vacant lots have been covered by light-colored introduced fill dirt. The paleontological resources
locality search indicated that resource sites are known to occur in sediments in the project vicinity at
shallow depths. Based on geologic mapping of the area (Smith, 1964; Bartow, 1981), latest
Pleistocene sediments are exposed on the surface within the project study area. These sediments are
of appropriate age to contain paleontological resources. Exposures of natural sediments were
inspected at the following localities depicted in Table E.
Table E: Exposures of Sediments
Locality Name
Beach Park
Intersection
Cross Street
Sediments
Formation1
West of
Oak Street
Exposed brown loam
Qf & Qsc
th
Southeast corner
At Oak Street
Exposed brown loam
Qf
th
Southwest corner
At Elm Street
Exposed brown loam
Qf
th
Southeast corner
At C Street
Exposed brown loam
Qf
24 Street
24 Street
24 Street
th
Stine Carrier Canal
North of
24 Street
Exposed brown loam
Qf
Rosedale Highway
Southeast corner
Gilmore Avenue
Exposed brown loam
Qf
1
Smith, 1964.
Exposed brown loam at intersections north and south of 23rd and 24th Streets and Rosedale Highway
verified the presence of late Pleistocene/older Holocene alluvium (Qf and Qsc; Smith, 1964) within
the study area. Sediments also consisted of artificial fill, which is recognizable as lighter in color than
the brown, early Holocene sandy loam.
Based on the sensitivity of the area for paleontological resources, excavation below a depth of 5 ft in
latest Pleistocene native sediments within the 24th Street study area could result in adverse impacts on
paleontological resources.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
RESULTS SUMMARY
The 24th Street Improvement Project is located on latest Pleistocene sediments (Qf; Smith, 1964) and
may overlie the late Miocene Kern River Formation at shallow depth (QP; Smith, 1964; Tkr; Bartow,
1981). The Summary of Excavation Parameters, discussed above, indicate that excavation for the
project will extend in some areas below 5 ft. Excavation deeper than 5 ft may encounter these
sedimentary formations with potential to contain significant nonrenewable paleontological resources.
The project is cut by the Kern River, which has deposited early Holocene channel sands (Qsc; Smith,
1964) and the Miocene and latest Pleistocene formations are also covered by a thin layer of recent
alluvium (Qal; Smith, 1964). Holocene and recent alluvial deposits are not considered to contain
paleontological resources in a meaningful stratigraphic context.
This document incorporates recent data (email from Neva M. Popenoe, P.E., Staff Engineer,
Kleinfelder, October 23, 2009) that indicate excavation for retaining walls, drainage facilities and the
extension of Carrier Canal is anticipated to reach depths greater than 5 ft on the 24th Street
Improvement Project. Since project-associated excavation may encounter potentially fossiliferous
Miocene and latest Pleistocene sediments, this report recommends that a PMP be developed prior to
completion of final design and attached as impact mitigation to the excavation phase of the project.
This PMP should be synthesized from outlines and guidelines provided by Caltrans and the SVP, and
specifically tailored to the resources and sedimentary formations underlying the 24th Street
Improvement Project. It is recommended that the PMP be written in the early planning stages of
reports for the 24th Street Improvement Project documenting and describing impact mitigation
programs that must accompany project final design and development. This study does not anticipate
special paleontological situations that would require project redesign to avoid critical localities or
strata.
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
RECOMMENDATIONS:
PALEONTOLOGICAL MITIGATION PROGRAM
Caltrans, the City, and the SVP all present similar guidelines for adequate mitigation of impacts to
significant nonrenewable paleontological resources. Excerpts from individual guidelines follow.
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Caltrans has developed a set of guidelines similar to those of the SVP to reduce impacts to
paleontological resources. These recommendations start with avoidance of the resource area by the
project and continue with recommendations for impact mitigation measures during construction
excavation.
Avoidance
Adverse impacts to paleontological resources could be avoided by selecting the No-build Alternative.
The proposed build alternatives could have the potential to adversely affect paleontological resources
that cannot be avoided. The proposed build alternatives are all constrained by the existing right-ofway and the fact that geologic formations of concern are laterally extensive. As a result, impacts to
paleontological resources cannot be avoided or effectively minimized. However, mitigation would
reduce impacts and could result in the discovery of fossils that would not have been exposed without
construction and, therefore, would not have been available for study. Mitigation for the proposed
build alternatives would include proper paleontological monitoring, salvage, and data recovery.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
A related strategy creates Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) around paleontological localities.
ESAs are a standard part of the Caltrans toolkit to protect resources within or adjacent to a project
while concurrently delivering the project. Generally, these involve some combination of fencing or
cyclic monitoring as an alternative to excavation monitoring. If viable and properly implemented;
however, ESAs can reduce costs and time associated with more extensive traditional mitigation
approaches.
Caltrans Paleontological Mitigation Program
Due to the possibility of encountering scientifically sensitive specimens during excavation into
Pleistocene sedimentary formations and Miocene Kern River formations, paleontological mitigation
in the form of monitoring, salvage, and data recovery is indicated where excavation will disturb in
situ deposits of these strata. Deeper excavation for the proposed retaining walls, drainage facilities
and the extension of the Carrier Canal has a chance of encountering fossils.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
APRIL 2011
Based on field reviews and the paleontological literature available, it does not appear that full-time
monitoring will be required at all of the proposed excavation sites within the project. It is anticipated
that only minor monitoring and spot checks will be necessary where soil disturbance below a depth of
five feet in native sediments will occur. However, the actual extent of monitoring will be dictated by
the design details of the selected alternative and will be determined during design by a Principal
Paleontologist (who meets the requirements presented in the SER). The Principal Paleontologist will
review the construction plans with proposed excavation sites and this PER to determine which, if any,
project components will involve earthmoving activities at depths sufficient to warrant development of
a Paleontological Mitigation Plan (PMP) consistent with Caltrans’ SER. The Principal Paleontologist
will review the construction schedule in order to develop the monitoring schedule and compile
accompanying costs. A nonstandard special provision to address paleontological resources will also
be incorporated into the construction contract to notify the construction contractor to cooperate with
the paleontological monitoring and salvage activities. Paleontological resources should also be
discussed at the pre-bid meeting.
Based on currently available information, the specific mitigation measures contemplated for possible
incorporation into this project’s PMP include:
1. Retain a qualified Principal Paleontologist to implement the PMP.
2. The qualified Principal Paleontologist will attend pre-grading meetings and consult with grading
and excavation contractors.
3. The construction contractor’s employees will attend paleontological resource awareness training
session(s) if they will be involved in earthmoving project activities.
4. Paleontological monitoring by a qualified individual as needed.
5. Fossil discovery, recovery, and subsequent handling will follow the protocol in the approved
PMP.
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD PLANNING DEPARTMENT
The City of Bakersfield Planning Department Paleontological Mitigation Measure guidelines conform
to the recommendations of the SVP guidelines and are similar to those provided by Caltrans to reduce
construction-related impacts to significant nonrenewable paleontological resources. After the
potential for paleontological resources has been determined by records search and field inspection,
the following steps are recommended to occur with construction excavation:
•
Retain a qualified vertebrate paleontologist to attend a pregrade meeting and set forth the
procedures to be followed during the monitoring program.
•
A full-time paleontological monitor trained and equipped to allow rapid removal of fossils with a
minimal construction delay shall be on the project site during ground-disturbing activities in high
sensitivity sediments.
•
If fossils are found elsewhere within an area being cleared or graded, earth disturbance activities
shall be diverted elsewhere until the monitor has completed salvage of the fossils. If construction
personnel make the discovery, the grading contractor shall immediately divert construction and
call the monitor to the site for salvage.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
The project paleontologist shall prepare, identify, and curate all recovered fossils. Upon
completion of the grading, the project paleontologist shall prepare a preliminary summary report
documenting mitigation measures and results, with itemized inventory of collected specimens.
After completion of the grading, the project paleontologist shall submit the report to the City of
Bakersfield and other appropriate agencies, and transfer the fossil collection to an appropriate
depository.
SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
Recommended general guidelines for conformable impact mitigation to significant nonrenewable
paleontological resources have been published by the SVP (1995), along with conditions of
receivership that the repository institution can require when receiving fossils recovered from
construction projects (SVP, 1996).
A. Assessment Before Construction Starts
Pre-construction assessment will develop an adequate program of mitigation. This may include a field
survey to delimit the specific boundaries of sensitive areas and pre-excavation meetings with
contractors and developers. In some cases, it may be necessary to conduct field surveys and/or a
salvage program prior to grading to prevent damage to known resources and to avoid delays to
construction schedules. Such a program may involve surface collection and/or quarry excavations. A
review of the initial assessment and proposed mitigation program by the Lead Agencies before
operations begin will confirm the adequacy of the proposed program. (The City is the Lead Agency
for CEQA; Caltrans is the Lead Agency with regard to NEPA.)
B. Adequate Monitoring
An excavation project will retain a qualified project paleontologist. In areas of known high potential,
the project paleontologist may designate a paleontological monitor to be present during 100 percent
of the earthmoving activities. If, after 50 percent of the grading is completed, it can be demonstrated
that the level of monitoring should be reduced, the project paleontologist may so amend the
mitigation program.
Paleontologists who monitor excavations must be qualified and experienced in salvaging fossils and,
with concurrence of the Resident Engineer, authorized to divert equipment temporarily while
removing fossils. They should be properly equipped with tools and supplies to allow rapid removal of
specimens.
Provision should be made for additional assistants to monitor or help in removing large or abundant
fossils to reduce potential delays to excavation schedules. If many pieces of heavy equipment are in
use simultaneously but at diverse locations, each location may be individually monitored.
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C. Macrofossil Salvage
Many specimens recovered from paleontological excavations are easily visible to the eye and large
enough to be easily recognized and removed. Some may be fragile and require hardening before
moving. Others may require encasing within a plaster jacket for later preparation and conservation in
a laboratory. Occasionally specimens encompass all or much of a skeleton and will require moving
either as a whole or in blocks for eventual preparation. Such specimens require time to excavate and
strengthen before removal and the patience and understanding of the contractor to recover the
specimens properly. It is thus important that the contractors and developers are fully aware of the
importance and fragility of fossils for their recovery to be undertaken with the optimum chances of
successful extraction. With concurrence of the Resident Engineer, the monitor may temporarily halt
or redirect the excavation equipment away from the fossils to be salvaged.
D. Microfossil Salvage
Many significant vertebrate fossils (e.g., small mammal, bird, reptile, or fish remains) are too small to
be visible within the sedimentary matrix. Fine-grained sedimentary horizons and paleosols most often
contain such fossils. They are recovered through concentration by screen washing. If the sediments
are fossiliferous, bulk samples are taken for later processing to recover any fossils. An adequate
sample comprises 12 cubic meters (6,000 pounds [lbs] or 2,500 kilograms [kg]) of matrix for each
site horizon or paleosol, or as determined by the supervising paleontologist. The uniqueness of the
recovered fossils may dictate salvage of larger amounts. To avoid construction delays, samples of
matrix should be removed from the site and processed elsewhere.
E. Preservation of Samples
Oriented samples must be preserved for paleomagnetic analysis. Samples of fine matrices should be
obtained and stored for pollen analysis. Other matrix samples may be retained with the samples for
potential analysis by later workers, for clast source analysis, as a witness to the source rock unit and
possibly for procedures that are not yet envisioned.
F. Preparation
Recovered specimens are prepared for identification (not exhibition) and stabilized. Sedimentary
matrix with microfossils is screen-washed and sorted to identify the contained fossils. Removal of
excess matrix during the preparation process reduces storage space required.
G. Identification
Specimens are identified by qualified specialists to a point of maximum specificity. Ideally,
identification is of individual specimens to element, genus, and species. Batch identification and
batch numbering (e.g., “mammals, 75 specimens”) should be avoided.
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H. Analysis
Specimens may be analyzed by stratigraphic occurrence, and by size, taxa, or taphonomic conditions.
This results in a faunal list, a stratigraphic distribution of taxa, or evolutionary, ecological, or
depositional deductions.
I. Storage
Adequate storage in a recognized repository institution for the recovered specimens is an essential
goal of the program. Specimens will be cataloged and a complete list will be prepared of specimens
introduced into the collections of a repository by the curator of the museum or university. Adequate
storage includes curation of individual specimens into the collections of a recognized, nonprofit
paleontological specimen repository with a permanent curator, such as a museum or a university. A
complete set of field notes, geologic maps, and stratigraphic sections accompany the fossil
collections. Specimens are stored in a fashion that allows retrieval of specific, individual specimens
by researchers in the future.
J. Site Protection
In exceptional instances, the process of construction may reveal a fossil occurrence of such
importance that salvage or removal is unacceptable to all concerned parties. In such cases, the design
concept may be modified to protect and exhibit the occurrence with the project’s design, e.g., as an
exhibit in a basement mall. Under such circumstances, the site may be declared and dedicated as a
protected resource of public value. Associated fragments recovered from such a site will be placed in
an approved institutional repository.
K. Final Report
A report is prepared by the project paleontologist including a summary of the field and laboratory
methods, site geology and stratigraphy, faunal list, and a brief statement of the significance and
relationship of the site to similar fossil localities. A complete set of field notes, geological maps,
stratigraphic sections, and a list of identified specimens must accompany the report. The report is
finalized only after all aspects of the program are completed. The Final Report together with its
accompanying documents constitutes the goals of a mitigation project. Full copies of the Final Report
are deposited with the City, Caltrans, and the repository institution.
L. Compliance
The City and Caltrans ensure compliance with measures to protect fossil resources from the
beginning of the project by:
1. Requesting an assessment and program for impact mitigation that includes salvage and protection
during the initial planning phases;
2. Arranging for recovered specimens to be housed in an institutional paleontological repository;
and
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3. Requiring the Final Report.
The supervising paleontologist is responsible for:
1. Assessment and development of the program for impact mitigation during initial planning phases;
2. The repository agreement;
3. The adequacy and execution of the mitigation measures; and
4. The Final Report.
Acceptance of the Final Report for the project by the City and Caltrans signifies completion of the
program of mitigation for the project. Review of the Final Report by a vertebrate paleontologist
designated by the City and Caltrans will establish the effectiveness of the program and adequacy of
the report. Inadequate performances in either field comprise noncompliance and may result in the
Lead Agency removing the paleontologist from its list of qualified consultants.
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
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CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
SUMMARY
The 24th Street Improvement Project is within an area that contains subsurface sediments with
potential to contain significant nonrenewable paleontological resources. This Paleontological
Identification Report/Paleontological Evaluation Report (PIR/PER) presents definitions of
paleontological significance, the results of records search requests, reviews of geological and
paleontological literature, and appends paleontological resource locality records from around the
study area. The study area includes areas of direct/indirect impact (Areas of Potential Disturbance–
APD) located in a sensitive area of native Pleistocene alluvial sediments that have been known to
contain paleontological resources below the surface.
This study does not anticipate special paleontological situations that would require project redesign to
avoid critical localities or strata. This document incorporates data that indicate excavation for
retaining walls, drainage facilities, and the extension of Carrier Canal is anticipated to reach depths
greater than 5 ft (Table A) on the 24th Street Improvement Project. Before completion of final design
and in accordance with the guidelines in the Caltrans Standard Environmental Reference, a
Paleontological Mitigation Plan shall be prepared by a qualified paleontologist and implemented
during the excavation phase of the project. Paleontological monitoring will be addressed in the project
specifications. Based on the subsurface sensitivity of the area for paleontological resources,
excavation in native sediments within the study area for the proposed 24th Street Improvement Project
could result in adverse impacts on paleontological resources. Adherence to the PMP proposed to
accompany project excavation will reduce impacts to nonrenewable paleontological resources to a
level below significant. This report concurs with the previous TRIP evaluation (Wagner, 2007) that
paleontological resource monitoring should accompany construction excavation below a depth of 5 ft.
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REFERENCES CITED
Addicott, W.O. 1970. Miocene gastropods and biostratigraphy of the Kern River area, California.
United States Geological Survey professional paper 642: 174 pages.
Barnes, L.G., and R.E. Reynolds. 2007. A primitive Early Miocene platanistoid dolphin (Cetacea:
Odontoceti) from Cajon Pass, San Bernardino County, California. Abstracts and Program,
Desert Symposium, Zyzzyx, California, April 2007.
Bartow, J.A. 1981. Geologic map of the Rio Bravo Ranch quadrangle, California. United States
Geological Survey Open File Report OF 81-152.
Beck, W.A., and Y.D. Haase. 1974. Historical Atlas of California. Oklahoma City: University of
Oklahoma Press.
California Department of Transportation. 2007. Standard Environmental Reference (SER),
Environmental Handbook, Volume 1, Chapter 8. http://www.dot.ca.gov/ser/vol1/sec3/
physical/Ch08Paleo/chap08paleo.htm. Last updated October 17, 2007.
Fay, L.P., and K.R. Thiessen. 1993. A preliminary note on the Arvin Landfill local fauna (?
Holocene), Kern County, California. PaleoBios 15(1-4):78–80.
Jahns, R.H. 1954. Investigations and Problems of Southern California Geology. In Jahns, R.H., ed.
Geology of Southern California. California Division of Mines Bulletin 170, Chapter 1:5–29.
Jefferson, G.T. 1991. A catalog of late Quaternary vertebrates from California: part two, mammals.
Technical Reports, Number 7, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, p. 129.
Jefferson, G.T. 2008a. DRAFT: A Catalogue of Blancan and Irvingtonian vertebrates and floras from
Arizona, southern California, Nevada, Utah and northwestern Mexico. Unpublished
manuscript.
Jefferson, G.T. 2008b. DRAFT: Catalog of late Quaternary vertebrates from California. Unpublished
manuscript.
Jordan, D.S. 1926. New sharks from the Temblor group in Kern County, California collected by
Charles Morrice. Proceedings of the California Academy of Science, series 4, volume 15, pp.
257–261.
Kleinpell, R.M. 1938. Miocene stratigraphy of California. American Association of Petroleum
Geologists. Murby & Co., London. 450 pages.
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Marchand, Denis E., and Alan Allwardt. 1981. Late Cenozoic Stratigraphic Units, Northeastern San
Joaquin Valley, California. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1470, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, D.C.
Mitchell, E. 1965. History of research at Sharktooth Hill, Kern County, California. Special
Publication of the Kern County Historical Society and the County of Kern, pp 1–45.
Reynolds, R.E. 2009. Paleontological Resources Monitoring Program, Eagle Crest Development,
LSA Associates, Inc. for Centex Homes, p. 31.
Smith, A.R. 1964. California Division of Mines and Geology. Geologic Map of California,
Bakersfield sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Schoenherr, A.A. 1992. A Natural History of California. The University of California Press 772
pages.
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. 1995. Assessment and Mitigation of Adverse Impacts to
Nonrenewable Paleontologic Resources: Standard Guidelines. SVP News Bulletin No.
163:22–27.
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. 1996. Conditions of Receivership for Paleontologic Salvage
Collections. SVP News Bulletin No. 166:31–32.
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. 2007. Assessment and Mitigation of Adverse Impacts to
Nonrenewable Paleontologic Resources: Standard Guidelines. (www.vertpaleo.org).
United States Geological Survey. 1954. Oildale, California 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle map.
(Photoinspected 1973).
United States Geological Survey. 1954. Rio Bravo Ranch, California 7.5-minute topographic
quadrangle map. (Photorevised 1997).
University of California Museum of Paleontology. 2008. Online paleontological Database
http://ucmpdb.berkeley.edu/.
Wagner, Hugh M. 2007. Paleontological Resources Inventory: TRIP-Thomas Roads Improvements
Program, Metropolitan Bakersfield Freeway Projects, Kern County, California. Chambers
group for City of Bakersfield Public Works Department, p. 13.
Woodburne, M.O., and C.C. Swisher III. 1995. Land mammal high-resolution geochronology,
intercontinental overland dispersals, sea level, climate, and vicariance. In: Geochronology,
Time Scales and Global Stratigraphic Correlations: Unified Temporal Framework for an
Historical Geology. (Berggren, W. A., D. V. Kent, M.-P. Aubry, and J. Hardenbol, eds.).
S.E.P.M. Special Publication 54:335–364.
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APPENDIX A
SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION
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PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION REPORT
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SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION
Laws, Regulations, and Guidance
This section summarizes Federal and State laws and regulations pertaining to paleontological
resources and how these integrate with project development and delivery activities. Policies and/or
contact information for Federal and State land managing and regulatory agencies that have
paleontological authorities and responsibilities are provided directly or by hotlink. In the event that a
project involves land owned or administered by another Federal or State agency, that agency should
be contacted in order to ascertain specific requirements they may have relative to paleontological
resources. In addition to Federal and State requirements, project proponents may also be subject to
local ordinances concerning paleontological resources. Local ordinances are not summarized in this
document and local entities such as cities and counties should be contacted to determine if there are
additional local requirements that must be met.
Federal Legislation
A variety of Federal statutes specifically address paleontological resources. They generally become
applicable to specific projects if that delivery crosses Federal lands or involves a Federal agency
license, permits, approval, or funding.
Antiquities Act of 1906 (16 United States Code [USC] 431–433). The Antiquities Act of 1906
states, in part: That any person who shall appropriate, excavate, injure or destroy any historic or
prehistoric ruin or monument, or any object of antiquity, situated on lands owned or controlled by the
Government of the United States, without the permission of the Secretary of the Department of the
Government having jurisdiction over the lands on which said antiquities are situated, shall upon
conviction, be fined in a sum of not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned for a period of
not more than ninety days, or shall suffer both fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court.
Although there is no specific mention of natural or paleontological resources in the Act itself, or in
the Act’s uniform rules and regulations (Title 43 Part 3, Code of Federal Regulations [43 CFR 3]),
“objects of antiquity” has been interpreted to include fossils by the National Park Service (NPS), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Forest Service (FS), and other Federal agencies. Permits to
collect fossils on lands administered by Federal agencies are authorized under this Act (see “Permit
Requirements of Federal Agencies section, below). Therefore, projects involving Federal lands will
require permits for both paleontological resource evaluation and mitigation efforts.
Archaeological and Paleontological Salvage (23 USC 305). Statute 23 USC 305 amends the
Antiquities Act of 1906. Specifically, it states: Funds authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
title to the extent approved as necessary, by the highway department of any State, may be used for
archaeological and paleontological salvage in that state in compliance with the Act entitled “An Act
for the preservation of American Antiquities,” approved June 8, 1906 (PL 59-209; 16 USC 431-433),
and State laws where applicable.
This statute allows funding for mitigation of paleontological resources recovered pursuant to Federal
aid highway projects, provided that “excavated objects and information are to be used for public
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purposes without private gain to any individual or organization” (Federal Register [FR] 46(19): 9570;
[Also see FHWA policy section, below]).
Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1935 (20 USC 78). Section 305 of the Federal Aid Highway Act of
1956 (20 USC 78, 78a) gives the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) authority to use Federal
funds to salvage archaeological and paleontological sites affected by highway projects.
National Registry of Natural Landmarks (16 USC 461–467). The National Natural Landmarks
(NNL) program was established in 1962 and is administered under the Historic Sites Act of 1935.
Implementing regulations were first published in 1980 under 36 CFR 1212 and the program was redesignated as 36 CFR 62 in 1981. A National Natural Landmark is defined as:
…an area designated by the Secretary of the Interior as being of national
significance to the United States because it is an outstanding example(s) of major
biological and geological features found within the boundaries of the United States
or its Territories or on the Outer Continental Shelf (36 CFR 62.2).
National significance describes:
… an area that is one of the best examples of a biological community or geological
feature within a natural region of the United States, including terrestrial
communities, landforms, geological features and processes, habitats of native plant
and animal species, or fossil evidence of the development of life (36 CFR 62.2).
Federal agencies (e.g., FHWA) and their agents (e.g., Caltrans) should consider the existence and
location of designated NNLs, and of areas found to meet the criteria for national significance, in
assessing the effects of their activities on the environment under section 102(2)(c) of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 USC 4321). The NPS is responsible for providing requested
information about the National Natural Landmarks Program for these assessments (36 CFR 62.6(f)).
However, other than consideration under NEPA, NNLs are afforded no special protection.
Furthermore, there is no requirement to evaluate a paleontological resource for listing as an NNL.
Finally, project proponents (State and local) are not obligated to prepare an application for listing
potential NNLs, should such a resource be encountered during project planning and delivery.
Examples of paleontological NNLs in California include:
•
Rancho La Brea—Hancock Park, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles
•
Sharktooth Hill—Kern County
•
Rainbow Basin—near Barstow, San Bernardino County
For an up-to-date listing of NNLs in California, visit the National Natural Landmarks website.
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National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA; 16 USC 470). Section 106 of the NHPA does
not apply to paleontological resources unless the paleontological specimens are found in culturally
related contexts (e.g., fossil shell included as a mortuary offering in a burial or a culturally–related
site such as petrified wood locale used as a chipped stone quarry). In such instances the materials are
considered cultural resources and are treated in the manner prescribed for the site in question;
mitigation being almost exclusively limited to sites determined eligible for or listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. It should be emphasized that cooperation between the cultural resource
and paleontological disciplines is expected in such instances.
Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 (23 USC 138; 49 USC 1653).
Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act does not specifically address paleontological
resources. This section of the law places restrictions on the ability of the FHWA to take publicly
owned land 4(f) properties (which include parks, recreation areas, wildlife or waterfowl refuges, and
National Register of Historic Places eligible or listed properties). Paleontological resources would
only be addressed under this law if located within a 4(f) property.
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 USC 4321). The National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) directs Federal agencies to use all practicable means to “Preserve important historic,
cultural, and natural aspects of our national heritage…” (Section 101(b) (4)). Regulations for
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA are found in 40 CFR 1500–1508.
If the presence of a significant environmental resource is identified during the scoping process,
Federal agencies and their agents must take the resource into consideration when evaluating project
effects. Consideration of paleontological resources may be required under NEPA when a project is
proposed for development on Federal land, or land under Federal jurisdiction. The level of
consideration depends upon the Federal agency involved (see section, below, entitled Identification of
Regulatory/Management Agencies.
•
1872 Mining Law, amended 1988. Excludes fossils (including petrified wood) from claim or
patent. U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management regulates surface effects of
development under this law. BLM regulations specifically state that operators may not knowingly
disturb or destroy any scientifically important paleontological remains on Federal lands; that they
notify an authorized officer of such finds; and that said officer shall take action to protect or
remove the resource(s).
•
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (sec. 30). Requires and provides for the protection of interest of the
United States. Natural resources, including paleontologic resources, are commonly regarded as
such interests.
•
Executive Order 11593, May 31, 1971, Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural
Environment (36 CFR 8921). Requires Federal agencies to inventory and protect properties
under their jurisdiction. National Park Service regulations under 36 CFR provide that
Paleontologic specimens may not be disturbed or removed without a permit.
•
Archaeological and Historic Data Preservation Act of 1974 (P.L. 86-253, as amended by
P.L. 93-921, 16 U.S.C. 469).Act of May 24, 1974 (88 Stat 174, sec. 3 a0, 4a). Provides for the
survey, recovery, and preservation of significant scientific, prehistoric, historic, archaeological, or
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paleontological data when such data may be destroyed or irreparably lost due to a Federal,
federally licensed, or federally funded project. A “Statement of Program Approach” was
published in the Federal Register on March 26, 1979 (40 FR 18117) to advise the manner in
which this law will be implemented.
•
36 CFR Part 800 (39 FR 3365, January 25, 1974, and 44 FR 6068, January 30, 1979):
Procedures for the Protection of Historic and Cultural Properties. Establishes procedures to
ensure that historic and cultural resources are given proper consideration in the preparation of
environmental impact statements.
•
Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976 (FLPMA, P.L. 94-579, 43 U.S.C. 1701–
1782). Provides authority for BLM to regulate lands under its jurisdiction, managed in a manner
to “protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historic, ecological, environmental...and
archaeological values.” Authority is given to establish areas of critical environmental concern
(ACEC).
•
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA, P.L. 95-87, 30 U.S.C. 1201–
1328). Regulates surface coal mining and provides designation as unsuitable for surface mining if
mining would “result in significant damage to important cultural, scientific, and esthetic values
and natural systems....”
•
Paleontological Resource Management 1998, Bureau of Land Management Handbook H-8270-1
General Procedural Guidance for Paleontological Management.
State of California Legislation
The following state laws and regulations are applicable, or potentially applicable, to Caltrans and
locally sponsored projects.
California Environmental Quality Act of 1970 (CEQA, 13 PRC, 2100, et seq.). Requires
identification of potential adverse impacts of a project to any object or site of scientific importance
(Div. 1, PRC 5020.1(b)).
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Chapter 1, Section 21002) states that:
it is the policy of the state that public agencies should not approve projects as
proposed if there are feasible alternatives or feasible mitigation measures available
which would substantially lessen the significant environmental effects of such
projects, and that the procedures required are intended to assist public agencies in
systematically identifying both the significant effects of proposed projects and the
feasible alternatives or feasible mitigation measures which will avoid or substantially
lessen such significant effects.
Guidelines for the Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act, as amended
May 10, 1980 (14 Cal. Admin. Code: 15000, et seq.). Requires mitigation of adverse impacts to a
Paleontologic site from development on public land by construction monitoring.
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The CEQA Guidelines (Article 1, Section 15002(a)(3)) state that CEQA is intended to: prevent
significant, avoidable damage to the environment by requiring changes in projects through the use of
alternatives or mitigation measures when the governmental agency finds the changes to be feasible.
Guidelines for the Implementation of CEQA, 1992, Appendix G, section J (Significant effects).
CEQA Guidelines, Appendix G, states, in part, that: A project will “normally” have a significant
effect on the environment if it, among other things, will disrupt or adversely affect …a
paleontological site except as part of a scientific study. If paleontological resources are identified
during the Preliminary Environmental Analysis Report (PEAR), or other initial project scoping
studies, as being within the proposed project area, the sponsoring agency (Caltrans or local) must take
those resources into consideration when evaluating project effects. The level of consideration may
vary with the importance of the resource.
Periodic review of CEQA-related court cases for decisions related to paleontology is also
recommended. These cases can be found at the California Environmental Resources Evaluation
System (CERES) web site.
California Environmental Quality Act, State of California Public Resources Code, 2100–21177
as amended January 1, 1999, Appendix G Environmental Checklist Form. Impacts to known,
important paleontological resources are specifically covered under CEQA as potentially significant
effects (i.e., the project will have a significant effect on the environment). Specifically, each
California project must answer the question: Cultural Resource - would the project directly or
indirectly destroy a unique paleontological resource or site or unique geological feature? There are
four possible answers: Potentially Significant Impact, Potentially Significant Unless Mitigation
Incorporated, Less than Significant Impact, No Impact.
California Coastal Act. The California Coastal Act, in part, authorizes the California Coastal
Commission (CCC) to review permit applications for development within the coastal zone and, where
necessary, to require reasonable mitigation measures to offset effects of that development. Permits for
development are issued with “special conditions” to ensure implementation of these mitigation
measures.
Section 30244 of the Act, “Archaeological or Paleontological Resources,” states that: Where
development would adversely impact archaeological or paleontological resources as identified by the
State Historic Preservation Officer, reasonable mitigation measures shall be required.
If the CCC determines that a paleontological resource is present within an applicant’s proposed
project area, they generally look for evidence that the applicant has taken the resource into
consideration (e.g., through formal survey by a professional paleontologist with implementation of
resulting recommendations). If a paleontological site is present, special permit conditions may range
from avoidance of the site to construction monitoring and/or salvage of significant fossils. This
approach virtually parallels the level of protection afforded to paleontological resources by CEQA.
Additionally, the CCC relies heavily on project sponsoring or permitting agencies to ensure
compliance with CEQA (and consequently, the California Coastal Act).
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Warren-Alquist Act (PRC 25000 et seq.). Requires the California Energy Commission to evaluate
energy facility siting in unique areas of scientific concern (Section 26627).
Public Resources Code, Section 5097.5 (State 1965, c. 1136, p. 2792). Section 50987.5 of the
California Public Code Section states: No person shall knowingly and willfully excavate upon, or
remove, destroy, injure or deface any historic or prehistoric ruins, burial grounds, archaeological or
vertebrate paleontological site, including fossilized footprints, inscriptions made by human agency, or
any other archaeological, paleontological or historical feature, situated on public lands, except with
the express permission of the public agency having jurisdiction over such lands. Violation of this
section is a misdemeanor.
As used in this section, “public lands” means lands owned by, or under the jurisdiction of, the state,
or any city, county, district, authority, or public corporation, or any agency thereof. Consequently,
Caltrans, as well as local project proponents, is required to comply with PRC 5097.5 for their own
activities, including construction and maintenance, as well as for permit actions (e.g., encroachment
permits) undertaken by others.
Public Resources Code, Section 30244. Requires reasonable mitigation of adverse impacts to
paleontological resources from development on public land.
California Administrative Code. Four sections of the California Administrative Code (Title 14,
State Division of Beaches and Parks) administered by the California Department of Parks and
Recreation CDPR) address paleontological resources. These include:
•
Section 4306: Geological Features – “No person shall destroy, disturb, mutilate, or remove earth,
sand, gravel, oil, minerals, rocks, or features of caves.”
•
Section 4307: Archaeological Features – “No person shall remove, injure, disfigure, deface, or
destroy any object of paleontological, archaeological, or historical interest or value.”
•
Section 4308: Property – “No person shall disturb, destroy, remove, deface, or injure any property
of the state park system. No person shall cut, carve, paint, mark, paste, or fasten on any tree,
fence, wall, building, monument, or other property in the state parks, any bill, advertisement, or
inscription.”
•
Section 4309: Special Permits – “Upon a finding that it will be for the best interest of the state
park system and for state park purposes, the director may grant a permit to remove, treat, disturb,
or destroy plants or animals or geological, historical, archaeological, or paleontological materials;
and any person who has been properly granted such a permit shall to that extent not be liable for
prosecution for violation of the foregoing. “
These sections of the California Administrative Code establish authority and processes to protect
paleontological resources while allowing mitigation through the permit process.
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Local Laws and Regulations
Various cities and counties have passed ordinances and resolutions related to paleontological
resources within their jurisdictions. Examples include the Counties of Orange, Riverside, and San
Bernardino and the Cities of San Diego, Carlsbad, Palmdale, and Chula Vista. These regulations
generally provide additional guidance on assessment and treatment measures for projects subject to
CEQA compliance. Project staff should periodically coordinate with local entities to update their
knowledge of local requirements.
Further Reference
Additional information is posted on the SVP’s Web site. In the event that a project involves lands
administered by either Federal or State entities, the local offices of those organizations should also be
contacted for guidance and direction.
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APPENDIX B
RECORDS SEARCH RESULTS
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Paleontological Resource Localities
Jefferson, G.T. 2008b. DRAFT: Catalog of late Quaternary vertebrates from California. Unpublished
manuscript.
Bakersfield Canal Cutting: UCMP V65247
Relative age:
Rancholabrean
Taxon:
Equus occidentalis
Source:
TAXIR
Poso Creek: USGS 1088
Relative age:
Rancholabrean
Taxon:
Equus sp.
Arvin Landfill (Arvin # 2 and #3): UCMPV 93068
Relative age:
? Holocene, ? Rancholabrean
Taxa:
? Hyla sp.
Lacertilia
Leporidae
? Thomomys sp.
Dipodomys sp.
Neotoma sp.
Microtus sp.
Canidae
Source:
Fay and Thiessen (1993)
Additional Locality: Fossilized wood from Qf (Marchand, Denis E., and Alan Allwardt, 1981)
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Paleontological Resource Localities
UCMP Paleontology Locality Search Results
Kern River Formation
1.
Vertebrate specimen northeast of project area (west of Sharktooth Hill)
Locality Name: Kern River Field Ne 3
Locality ID: V 70114
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Miocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Hemphillian
Equidae—Pliohippus
2.
Three vertebrate specimens northeast of project area (north of Kern River Field No. 3)
Locality Name: Malta Well No. 7
Locality ID: V 70115
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Miocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Hemphillian
Equidae ×3
3.
Two vertebrate specimens northeast of project area
Locality Name: Kew 1
Locality ID: -3569
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Miocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Hemphillian
Equidae—Pliohippus
Artiodactyla—Capromeryx
4.
Nine vertebrate specimens northeast of project area
Locality Name: Kern River Field Ne 1
Locality ID: V 7074
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
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Epoch: Miocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Hemphillian
Testudines
Equidae—Pliohippus unspecified
Artiodactyla
5.
Vertebrate specimen northeast of project area
Locality Name: JS Locality #4
Locality ID: V93029
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Rodentia
6.
Two vertebrate specimens and 14 microfossil specimens east of project area
Locality Name: Reed Canyon
Locality ID: V93032
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Mammalia—unspecified
Rodentia
7.
Four vertebrate specimens east of project area (west of Reed Canyon)
Locality Name: Pipe Support #4
Locality ID: V93026
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Rodentia—Dipodomys
8.
Thirty-five vertebrate specimens at approximate location of Pipe Support #4
Locality Name: Meter Station Type 1, Auger 13
Locality ID: V93025
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
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Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Reptilia
Order Squamata
Order Serpentes, Genus Arizona
Mammalia
Order Insectivora, Genus Scapanus
Order Rodentia, Genus Thomomys, Dipodomys, unspecified
9.
Six vertebrate specimens east of project area
Locality Name: Sovereign #35
Locality ID: V93034
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Reptilia: Anniella pulchra
Publ. Bell, C.J., Mead, J.I. and Fay, L.P., 1995. Copeia no. 3, p. 726.
Mammalia:
Order Lagomorpha
Order Rodentia
10.
Six vertebrate specimens east of project area
Locality Name: Pump #72
Locality ID: V93027
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Osteichthyes
Rodentia: Neotoma, Dipodomys, unspecified
11.
Fourteen vertebrate specimens east of project area (southeast of Pump #72)
Locality Name: JS Locality #2
Locality ID: V93028
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Insectivora: Scapanus
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Rodentia: Dipodomys, unspecified
Lagomorpha: unspecified
12.
Thirteen vertebrate specimens east of project area, approx. same location as JS Locality #2
Locality Name: JS Locality #5
Locality ID: V93030
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Reptilia: Anniella pulchra
Publ. Bell, C.J., Mead, J.I. and Fay, L.P., 1995. Copeia no. 3, p. 726.
Lagomorpha
Rodentia: Peromyscus, unspecified
13.
One hundred seventy-four vertebrate specimens east of project area, approx. same location as JS
Locality #5 and #2
Locality Name: JS Locality #9
Locality ID: V93031
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Amphibia: Genus Bufo
Reptilia
Family Iguanidae, Genus Gambelia, Phrnoosoma, Sceloporus, Uta stansburiana
Family Teiidae, Genus Cnemidoophorus
14.
Two vertebrate specimens east of project area, approx. same location as JS Locality #2, #5, #9
Locality Name: Brea Channel
Locality ID: V93033
County: Kern County
Period: Tertiary
Epoch: Pliocene
Formation: Kern River
Storage age: Blancan
Reptilia: Anniella pulchra
Rodentia
Pleistocene Sediments (Qf; Smith, 1964).
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15.
Vertebrate specimen southeast of project area
Locality Name: Bakersfield Canal Cutting
Locality ID: V 65247
County: Kern County
Period: Quaternary
Epoch: Pleistocene
Formation: Qf
Storage age: Rancholabrean
Equidae – Equus occidentalis
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Paleontological Resource Localities
Reynolds, R.E., 2009 Paleontological Resources Monitoring Program, Eagle Crest Development,
LSA for Centex Homes, p. 31.
MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE FAUNA
Table B.1: Middle Pleistocene Fossils from Qoa2 (Figure 2; Bartow, 1981)
Family
Artiodactyla
Scientific Name
Camelops sp.
Common Name
Ice Age camel
LATE PLEISTOCENE FAUNA
Late Pleistocene Fauna (Qoa1; Bartow, 1981) from Reynolds, 2009
The younger Pleistocene deposits on the lower terrace (Qoa1) produced a diverse fauna of mollusks,
lower vertebrates, and mammals. The presence of freshwater mussel Gonidea angulata is a southern
geographical record for the state of California; the closest living occurrences are to the north at Clear
Lake and Los Banos. It has apparently been extirpated from the Kern River. Late Pleistocene
vertebrates from the Kern River terraces include freshwater fish, frogs or toads, and pond turtle.
Small birds, lizards, and snakes were present on adjacent river banks. The fossils include insectivores
including bats and moles that are rare in any fossil fauna. The bat and mole represent the first late
Pleistocene records of insectivores in the Central Valley portion of Kern County (Jefferson, 1991;
Jefferson, 2008b; UCMP, 2008). Additional small mammals include rabbits, rodents, and muskrat.
The muskrat (Ondatra zibethica) is the first record of this large rodent from the Central Valley
portion of Kern County (Jefferson, 1991; Jefferson, 2008b; UCMP, 2008). Large herbivorous
mammals include small Ice Age horse, deer, and dwarf pronghorn antelope. The fossil horse in the
sediments of the lower terrace suggests a pre-Holocene or late Pleistocene fauna, while the low
position of the terrace eighty ft above the current river channel suggests latest Pleistocene age.
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Table B.2: Late Pleistocene Fossils from Qoa1 (Figure 2; Bartow, 1981)
Family
Pelecypods
Fish
Amphibia
Testudinoidea - Emydidae
Reptilia
Aves
Mammals
Insectivores
Lagomorpha
Rodentia
Artiodactyls
Perissodactyla
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Scientific Name
Common Name
Gonidea angulata
Osteichthyes
Urodela
Clemmys? sp.
Lacertilia
Colubridae
Fringillidae
Freshwater Ridged mussel
Freshwater bony fish
Frog or toad
Freshwater turtle
lizards
Non-venomous snakes
Small birds
Chiroptera
Scapanus sp. cf. S. latimanus
Sylvilagus sp.
Lepus sp.
Eutamias sp.
Peromyscus sp.
Neotoma sp.
Microtus sp.
Perognathus sp
Dipodomys sp.
Dipodomys sp. (lg)
Thomomys sp.
Ondatra zibethica
Capromeryx sp.
Odocoileus sp.
Equus sp. (sm.)
bat
mole
cottontail
jack rabbit
chipmunk
deer mouse
wood rat
vole – meadow mouse
pocket mouse
kangaroo rat
large kangaroo rat
pocket gopher
muskrat
small antelope
deer
Small Ice Age horse
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APPENDIX C
RESOURCE LOCALITIES—CONFIDENTIAL
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
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MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE FAUNAL LOCALITIES
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FOSSIL LOCALITY SHEET
LSA Associates, Inc. 1500 Iowa Avenue, Suite 200, Riverside, California 92507
Please fill in this form as completely as possible. This form will be kept on site and may be referenced during a locality
search. Use additional sheets if necessary.
LSA Job Name: Eagle Crest
LSA Job Number: CHO 0701
Field Locality Number: QB
Institutional Number:
General Location: Ming Lake – Alfred Harrell HWY.
Specific Location: Eagle Crest
Plan Page:
Elevation: Of Fossil: 720
Final grade:
Topographic:
7.5 Minute Quadrangle(s): Rio Bravo Ranch
Exact Locality: Base Meridian:
SBBM
SW ¼ of NE
¼ of SE ¼ of NW
UTM coordinates:
Zone: 11
Township: 29 S
¼ of Section: 10
Range: 29 E
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | Easting/ | 3 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | Northing
Formation: Mid-Pleistocene Terrace Deposit
Age: Mid-Pleistocene
Description of Sediments: Brown silty sands at the base of the cobble-rich Unit Qoa2
Material Obtained: Pleistocene camel (Camelops? sp.) metapodial. Fragments collected from trench
along old highway.
Disposition of Material: Curated at BVNHM
Collected by: RS, AC, MS, CL, CA, and SB
Date: 2006–2008
References:
Other Institutional Numbers:
Papers on Site:
Important Notes:
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LATE PLEISTOCENE FAUNAL LOCALITIES
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24TH STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
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FOSSIL LOCALITY SHEET
LSA Associates, Inc. 1500 Iowa Avenue, Suite 200, Riverside, California 92507
Please fill in this form as completely as possible. This form will be kept on site and may be referenced during a locality
search. Use additional sheets if necessary.
LSA Job Name: Eagle Crest
LSA Job Number: CHO 0701
Field Locality Number: QA (Q1, Q2, Q3)
Institutional Number:
General Location: Ming Lake – Alfred Harrell Highway
Specific Location: Eagle Crest
Plan Page:
Elevation: Of Fossil: 580
Final grade:
Topographic:
7.5 Minute Quadrangle(s): Rio Bravo Ranch
Exact Locality: Base Meridian:
SBBM
Township:
¼ of NE
¼ of SE ¼ of
SW ¼ of Section: 3
UTM coordinates:
29S
Range: 29E
Zone: 11
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 0 | Easting/ | 3 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 | Northing
3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 0 | Easting/ | 3 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 |0 Northing | 3 | 3 | 1
| 8 | 2 | 0 | Easting/ | 3 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2| 0 | 0 | Northing
Formation: Terrace Deposit
Age: Pleistocene
Description of Sediments: Silty sands
Material Obtained: Pleistocene Horse, deer, small antelope (Capromeryx sp.), rabbits, rodents, bird,
snake, fish, freshwater mollusks (Gonidea sp.)
Disposition of Material: Curated at BVNHM
Collected by: RS, AC, MS, CL, CA, and SB
Date: 2006–2008
References:
Other Institutional Numbers:
Papers on Site:
Important Notes:
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APPENDIX D
RÉSUMÉ
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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC.
ROBERT E. REYNOLDS
PALEONTOLOGIST/ASSOCIATE
PAGE 1
ROBERT E. REYNOLDS
PALEONTOLOGIST / ASSOCIATE
EXPERTISE
Paleontological Resource Assessment
Paleontological Resource Mitigation
Fossil Preparation and Identification
Comparative Osteology and Skeletal Identification
Cultural Resource Assessment and Mitigation
Specimen and Artifact Curation
EDUCATION
B.A., Geology, University of California, Riverside, 1966.
A.A., Geology, Pasadena City College; minor Anthropology.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Senior Cultural Resource Manager, Paleontologist, LSA Associates, Inc., Riverside office, 1999 to
present.
Curator of Geology/Earth Sciences, San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, 1992 to 1999,
1970 to 1990, 1969 to 1978 (Acting Museum Director 1969 to 1970).
Deputy Director of Resource Management, San Bernardino County Museum, 1990 to 1992.
Consultant, paleontology, geology, 1970 to 1999, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service,
University of California, Riverside, Bureau of Land Management, California and Nevada, San
Bernardino County Museum Association, Southern California Edison Company, Federal Aviation
Administration, San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department, Santa Fe railroad, Southern
Pacific Railroad, Army Corps of Engineers, and private-sector consulting firms.
Archaeological Technician, U.S. Forest Service, San Bernardino National Forest, 1972 to 1981.
Fossil Quarry Supervisor/Laboratory Technician, Department of Geological Sciences, University of
California, Riverside, 1964 to 1965.
Laboratory Technician, Department of Geology, Pasadena City College, 1963.
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Initial assessments of paleontological resources in early planning phases. Evaluation of
paleontological resources for Environmental Impact Reports: literature and records review, field
surveys, development of impact mitigation programs, directing field monitoring and resource salvage
operations. Management of locality data, specimen preparation and identification and analysis of
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ROBERT E. REYNOLDS
PALEONTOLOGIST/ASSOCIATE
PAGE 2
LSA ASSOCIATES, INC.
fossils for curator. Inventories of recovered specimens and reports of findings signaling compliance
with agency guidelines for the impact mitigation program.
PROJECT EXPERIENCE
Coachella Valley Water District Mid-Valley Pipeline Project
Coachella Valley, Riverside County, California
Mr. Reynolds was the Paleontological Project Manager for the Mid-Valley Pipeline Phase I project in
the Coachella Valley. The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) is proposing to construct a new
water line between the Coachella Canal and WRP10; three potential routes have been identified. LSA
will provide the professional services necessary to complete the environmental review under the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the proposed construction and conduct various
technical studies as needed depending on the preferred alignment. Based on the assumption of the
levee alignment, LSA will conduct a cultural field investigation of the site and a biological review.
Metropolitan Water District Inland Feeder Project
Mr. Reynolds was a team member performing paleontological resources to the Inland Feeder project
for Metropolitan Water District. LSA provided mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Services to
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the Inland Feeder Project. This work included
conducting many of the general and focused field surveys, performing habitat assessments, and
preparing mitigation plans to support the environmental documents prepared for the project.
Metropolitan Water District On-Call Environmental Planning Services
LSA was hired by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to perform on-call
environmental planning services. Mr. Reynolds performed the paleontological resources investigation
for the project. Environmental planning services included CEQA and National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) technical environmental evaluation and documentation.
Paleontological Resource Monitoring Program, Equilon Pipeline, McKittrick to Fellows
RAM Environmental Engineering Services
Kern County, California
LSA provided paleontological resource monitoring during excavation of the 33-mi pipeline between
McKittrick and Fellows in Kern County. This paleontological resource excavation monitoring
program recovered 61 fossil specimens from six localities along the ROW. Depending on locality, the
fossils ranged from Pliocene to Pleistocene in age.
Paleontological Resource Monitoring for the Arboretum, Murrieta
Greystone Homes
Riverside County, California
LSA conducted monitoring and fossil recovery for the Arboretum Tract in Murrieta, western
Riverside County. Excavation monitoring was conducted in the Pauba Formation and the recovery of
vertebrate fossils assisted with dating of that sedimentary unit. The first local Ice Age record of the
tiger salamander from Murrieta were associated with toads, lizards, birds, and rodents, as well as rare
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peccary and tapir, and two species of giant ground sloth, mammoth, antelope, and deer, suggest they
lived near seasonal ponds that are not now present in the area.
Paleontological Resource Monitoring for the Redhawk III Tract, Temecula
Centex Homes
Riverside County, California
LSA conducted monitoring and fossil recovery for the Centex Homes Redhawk III tract in Temecula,
western Riverside County. Excavation monitoring was conducted in the Pauba Formation, and the
recovery of vertebrate fossils assisted with dating of that sedimentary unit. Ice Age mammoth, camel,
and giant ground sloth from Redhawk were associated with toads, lizards, birds, and rodents that
suggest they lived near meadows and marshlands that are not now present in the area.
Paleontological Resource Monitoring for Infrastructure Improvements, PRA-BADL 10(2), Badlands
Loop Road
Pennington and Jackson Counties
Interior, South Dakota
LSA provided paleontological resource monitoring during landslide stabilization and construction of
roads, sewer ponds, and visitor facilities for eight months that spanned summer and winter conditions
in South Dakota. This project involved a minimum of four field monitors working 12 hour days. The
program salvaged 424 fossil specimens of large mammals and rodents from 65 localities that were
recovered from Oligocene and Pleistocene sediments. This is one of the more successful
paleontological recovery programs in a National Park.
Paleontological Resource Monitoring for the Butterfield Tracts, French Valley
Beazer Homes
Riverside County, California
LSA conducted monitoring and fossil recovery for two Beazer Homes Tracts in French Valley,
western Riverside County. Excavation monitoring was conducted in a previously undescribed
sedimentary formation, and the recovery of vertebrate fossils assisted with dating of that sedimentary
unit. The first Ice Age horse, camel, and deer from French Valley were associated with toads, lizards,
birds, and rodents that suggest they lived near seasonal ponds that are not now present in the area.
Paleontological Resource Monitoring for the Flint Ridge Development, City of Chino Hills
Richmond American Homes
San Bernardino County, California
LSA conducted monitoring and fossil recovery for the Flint Ridge Development in Chino Hills. A
single LSA paleontological monitor managed three months of excavation monitoring. More than 273
specimens representing 25 fossil taxa of plants, marine algae, and invertebrate fossils were recovered.
The abundant leaf fossils allowed interpretation and evaluation of fossil floras and habitats that
occupied the adjacent continental margin 10 million years ago.
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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC.
Paleontological Resource Monitoring for Laband Village, City of Chino Hills
Danoff-Kraus Development
San Bernardino County, California
LSA conducted monitoring and fossil recovery for the Laband Village Development in Chino Hills. A
single LSA paleontological monitor managed eight months of excavation monitoring. More than 330
specimens representing 24 fossil taxa of fish plants, marine algae, and invertebrate fossils were
recovered. The unusual fish fossils were preserved as three-dimensional specimens in sandstone and
allowed new opportunities for study and research of fossil fish that occupied the margin of the Pacific
Ocean ten million years ago.
Kern River Pipeline Expansion- Paleontological Monitoring
Ecology and Environment. Inc.
Wyoming, Nevada, and California
LSA contracted with Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E&E) to provide field assistance with
paleontological monitoring and excavation needs on the Kern River Pipeline Expansion 2003 project
in Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. Additionally, LSA provided a senior level paleontologist
(Mr. Reynolds) to manage and coordinate all the paleontological needs for the Kern River Pipeline
Expansion 2003 project. LSA assisted E&E with the preparation and implementation of
paleontological guidelines based on BLM of Wyoming, Nevada, and California rules and regulations.
LSA provided paleontological awareness training for all Nevada and California construction crews.
Agency requirements indicated excavation monitoring on federal lands was required in Wyoming,
Nevada, and California, states where LSA provided experienced paleontological monitors. Monitors
(as many as 10 concurrently) worked six, and sometimes seven days a week, often in dusty,
inclement, and freezing weather. LSA paleontological staff was required to be in compliance with
safety and environmental laws and agency conditions that were in effect. The five-month field project
required managing paleontological resources at and recovered from 42 localities, some of which
produced hundreds of fossil specimens.
PERMITS AND LICENSES
Federal Antiquities Permit, Bureau of Land Management, California Desert Region, for
paleontological research, assessment, and salvage.
Federal Antiquities Permit, Bureau of Land Management, Nevada, for paleontological research,
assessment, and salvage.
Federal Antiquities Permit, Bureau of Land Management, Arizona, for paleontological
research, assessment, and salvage.
National Park Service collecting permits, various.
U.S. Forest Service collecting permits, various.
California State Department of Fish and Wildlife collecting permit.
State of California driver’s license.
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PALEONTOLOGIST/ASSOCIATE
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PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND AWARDS
Research Associate, Convener – Desert Studies Symposium at the Desert Studies Center, Zzyzx,
California, under management of California State University Fullerton.
Research Associate, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
Research Associate, George C. Page Museum.
President, Southern California Chapter, Friends of Mineralogy, 1991–Present.
American Geological Institute.
Geological Society of America.
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (Chair, Committee on Conformable Impact Mitigation, 1989
1998; Member, Outreach committee, 1992–present; Government Liaison Committee, 1992–
present).
Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists.
Southern California Academy of Sciences.
American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Inland Geological Society (charter member; President, 1986).
Mojave Desert Quaternary Research Center (Steering Committee and Advisory Board, 1986–
present).
Intermountain Paleontological Advisory Committee.
Shoshone Museum Association (Board of Directors, 1987–1988).
San Bernardino County Museum Association.
Past member, San Bernardino County Environmental Review Committee.
Past member, San Bernardino County Environmental Review Board.
Recipient, San Bernardino County Annual Appreciation Award.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Reynolds, R.E., 1967. Exploring the Calico Mining District: Bloomington, San Bernardino County
Museum Association Quarterly, vol. XV, no. 2.
Reynolds, R.E., 1984. Miocene faunas in the lower Crowder Formation, Cajon Pass, California—a
preliminary discussion, in Guidebook for the San Andreas fault—Cajon Pass to Wrightwood:
Pacific Section, American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
Reynolds, R.E., ed., 1985. Geologic investigations along Interstate 15, Cajon Pass to Manix Lake:
Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum.
Reynolds, R.E., 1985. Tertiary small mammals in the Cajon Valley, San Bernardino County,
California, in Geologic investigations along Interstate 15, Cajon Pass to Manix Lake:
Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum, p. 49–58.
Reynolds, R.E., 1985. Pleistocene fossils from SCE Coolwater area: Rosemead, Southern California
Edison Company, Advanced Engineering Department Seminar Series, 16 July, abs.
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Reynolds, R.E., 1986. California trackways from the lower Jurassic Aztec Sandstone, in Gillette,
D.D., ed., First Annual Symposium on Dinosaur tracks and traces. Albuquerque, New
Mexico Museum of Natural History: 24 (abs).
Reynolds, R.E., 1987. Biostratigraphic relationships in Cajon Valley, San Bernardino County,
California. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 7(3): 24A.
Reynolds, R.E., 1987. On Daggett Pond: a late Pleistocene fauna suggests activity on the Calico
Fault. San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly XXXIV (3, 4):55–56.
Reynolds, R.E., 1987. Shoshone Zoo—Natural traps in Pleistocene Tecopa Lake sediments. San
Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly XXXIV (3, 4):64–65.
Reynolds, R.E., editor, 1988. Cenozoic Tectonics in the Halloran Hills, in This Extended Land.
Cordilleran Section, Geological Society of America, Field Trip Guidebook: 201–222.
Reynolds, R.E., 1988. Middle Miocene Vertebrates from Daggett Ridge, central Mojave Desert, San
Bernardino County, California. Cordilleran Section, Geological Society of America,
Abstracts with Programs.
Reynolds, R.E., 1988. Structural Evolution of the Shadow Valley Basin. Redlands, San Bernardino
County Museum Association Quarterly XXXV (3, 4).
Reynolds, R.E., ed., 1989. Sequence of extensional tectonics in the Halloran Hills and Shadow Valley
Basin, northeastern San Bernardino County, California: a field guide. Redlands, San
Bernardino County Museum, for Inland Geological Society.
Reynolds, R.E., ed., 1989. The west-central Mojave Desert: Quaternary studies between Kramer and
Afton Canyon. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication.
Reynolds, R.E., 1989. Mid-Pleistocene faunas of the west-central Mojave Desert, in The west-central
Mojave Desert: Quaternary studies between Kramer and Afton Canyon. Redlands, San
Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication.
Reynolds, R.E., 1990. Erosion, Deposition, and Detachment: the Halloran Hills Sequence. Redlands,
San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication, MDQRC Guidebook.
Reynolds, R.E., 1991. Biostratigraphic relationships of Tertiary small vertebrates from Cajon Valley,
San Bernardino County, California, in Inland Southern California: the last 70 million years,
M.O. Woodburne, R.E. Reynolds, and D.P. Whistler, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County
Museum Association Quarterly 38(3, 4):54–59.
Reynolds, R.E., 1991. The Cadiz Fauna: Possible Irvingtonian Land Mammal Age sediments in
Bristol Basin, San Bernardino County, California. San Bernardino County Museum
Association Quarterly, 38(2):53–54.
Reynolds, R.E., 1991. Hemingfordian/Barstovian Land Mammal Age faunas in the central Mojave
Desert, exclusive of the Barstow Fossil Beds, in Inland Southern California: the last 70
million years, M.O. Woodburne, R.E. Reynolds, and D.P. Whistler, ed. Redlands, San
Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly 38(3, 4):88–90.
Reynolds, R.E., 1991. Irvingtonian Land Mammal Age indicators in the west-central Mojave Desert.
San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 38(3, 4):106–107.
Reynolds, R.E., 1992. Quaternary movement on the Calico Fault, Mojave Desert, California, in
Deformation associated with the Neogene Eastern California Shear Zone, southeastern
California and southwestern Arizona, S.M. Richards, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County
Museums Special Publication 92-1:64–65.
Reynolds, R.E., 1992. The Tertiary Pioneertown sequence, in Old routes to the Colorado, J.
Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication
92-2:31–33.
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Reynolds, R.E., (ed.) 1993. Landers: Earthquakes and aftershocks. San Bernardino County Museum
Association Quarterly, 40(1): 72 p.
Reynolds, R.E., 1993. Road log through the 1992 Landers surface rupture, in Landers: Earthquakes
and aftershocks, R.E. Reynolds (ed). San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly,
40(1): 3–39.
Reynolds, R.E., 1993. The Devil Peak Sloth, in Abstracts of Proceedings, the 1993 Desert Research
Symposium, J. Reynolds, compiler. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association
Quarterly, 40(2):31.
Reynolds, R.E., 1993. Erosion, deposition, and detachment: the Halloran Hills area, California, p. 21–
24, in Extended terranes, California, Arizona, Nevada, D.R. Sherrod and J.E. Nielson, eds.
U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin, 2053: 250 p.
Reynolds, R.E. (ed.), 1994. Off limits in the Mojave Desert. Redlands, San Bernardino County
Museum Association Special Publication, 94(1): 100 p.
Reynolds, R.E., 1995. The long outreach of the Devil Peak Sloth, in Abstracts from Proceedings, the
1995 Desert Research Symposium. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association
Quarterly, 42(2).
Reynolds, R.E., 1995. Grandview Gorge: research involving the Mid Hills tectonic block, in Ancient
surfaces of the East Mojave Desert, Reynolds, R.E. (compiler) and J. Reynolds (ed). San
Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 42(3): in prep.
Reynolds, R.E., 1995. Rhinoceros in Lanfair Valley in Ancient surfaces of the East Mojave Desert,
Reynolds, R.E. (compiler) and J. Reynolds (ed). San Bernardino County Museum
Association Quarterly, 42(3): in prep.
Reynolds, R.E., 1995. Pack mule trails in the New York Mountains, East Mojave Desert in Ancient
surfaces of the East Mojave Desert, Reynolds, R.E. (compiler) and J. Reynolds (ed). San
Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 42(3): in prep.
Reynolds, R.E., 1995. New York Mountains Pegmatite in Ancient surfaces of the East Mojave
Desert, Reynolds, R.E. (compiler) and J. Reynolds (ed). San Bernardino County Museum
Association Quarterly, 42(3).
Reynolds, R.E., 1998a. Flamingo egg from the Miocene sediments of the Calico Mountains, San
Bernardino County, California, in Abstracts of Proceedings, 1998 Desert Research
Symposium, J. Reynolds (ed). San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 45(1,
2), p. 106.
Reynolds, R.E., 1998b. Paleontologic partners in the Mojave Desert. Journal of Vertebrate
Paleontology, Abstracts of Papers, 18(3): 72A.
Reynolds, R.E., 1999. Fossil footprints. San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly,
46(2): 55p.
Reynolds, R.E., 1999. Pleistocene mammal tracks near Shoshone, southern Death Valley, in
Reynolds, R.E., 1999. Fossil footprints. San Bernardino County Museum Association
Quarterly, 46(2): 27–30
Reynolds, R.E., 1999. Gomphothere tracks in Southern California, in Reynolds, R.E., 1999. Fossil
footprints. San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 46(2): 31–32.
Reynolds, R.E., 2000. Marker units suggest correlation between the Calico Mountains and the Mud
Hills, central Mojave Desert, California, in Reynolds, R.E. and Reynolds, J. (eds), Empty
Basins, Vanished Lakes. San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 47(2): 3–
20.
Reynolds, R.E. (ed.), 2001. The changing face of the east Mojave Desert. California State University,
Desert Studies Center: 76 p.
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Reynolds, R.E., 2001. Wolves of Shoshone, southern Death Valley, in Reynolds, R.E. (ed.), 2001.
The changing face of the east Mojave Desert. California State University, Desert Studies
Center: 58–60.
Reynolds, R.E., 2001. The changing face of the east Mojave Desert: field trip guide, in Reynolds,
R.E. (ed.), 2001. The changing face of the east Mojave Desert. California State University,
Desert Studies Center: 3–14.
Reynolds, R.E., 2001. Tracking Big Game in the Mojave Desert: a partnership in education. Federal
Millennium Conference, May, Barstow California.
Reynolds, R.E., 2001. Ancient lakes of the Mojave Desert: a field trip to Miocene and Pleistocene
fossiliferous strata of the Central Mojave Desert. Federal Millennium Conference, May,
Barstow California.
Reynolds, R.E. 2001. A billion years of life in the Amargosa Valley–Death Valley region.
Interpretive trail text for Bureau of Land Management, August.
Reynolds, R.E. 2001. Marker bed correlations between the Mud Hills, Calico Mountains, and Daggett
Ridge, central Mojave Desert, California. Geological Society of America Abstracts with
Programs, Cordilleran section, GSA and Pacific Section 33(3): A-70.
Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002. Between the Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern Basin
and Range Province. California State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 83 p.
Reynolds, R.E., 2002. Between the Basins: field guide, in Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002. Between the
Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern Basin and Range Province. California
State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 3–14.
Reynolds, R.E., 2002. Impressions: Late Tertiary Mammalian Footprints in Various Substrates.
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Abstracts of Papers.
Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2003. Land of Lost Lakes. California State University, Desert Studies
Consortium: 68 p.
Reynolds, R.E., 2003. Fossil footprints in the Calico Mountains, in Guide to the Calicos: Calico
Mining Camps and Scenic Areas, Bill Mann. Gem Books.
Reynolds, R.E., 2003. Reuniting the Barstow Basin. Western Association of Vertebrate
Paleontologists Annual Meeting Field Trip Guide: 11 p.
Reynolds, R.E., 2003. Widespread early Miocene marker beds unite the Barstow Formation, central
Mojave Desert. Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists, Abstracts and Program.
Reynolds, R.E., 2003. Miocene horse tracks in California and Nevada: morphology, motion, and
tribes. Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists, Abstracts and Program.
Reynolds, R.E., 2003. Reunite Barstow. Presentation, Michael O. Woodburne convocation,
University of California, Riverside.
Reynolds, R.E., 2004. Miocene cat tracks in the Mojave Desert of California. Journal of Vertebrate
Paleontology, Abstracts of Papers. V. 25, 104a.
Reynolds, R.E., 2005. Morphometric categorization of California’s Jurassic quadruped tracks. Journal
of Vertebrate Paleontology, Abstracts of Papers. V. 24, 103a.
Reynolds, R.E., 2005. Old Ores: Mining History in the eastern Mojave Desert. California State
University, Desert Studies Consortium 92p.
Reynolds, R.E., and Ted Weasma, 2005. Old Ores: Mines and mineral marketing in the eastern
Mojave Desert—a field trip guide. California State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 3–
19.
Reynolds, R.E., 2005. Halloran turquoise: a thousand years of mining history. California State
University, Desert Studies Consortium: 63–67.
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Reynolds, R.E., 2006. Making Tracks across the Southwest. California State University, Desert
Studies Consortium, 80p.
Reynolds, R.E., 2006. Jurassic Tracks in California. California State University, Desert Studies
Consortium: 19–24.
Reynolds, R.E., 2006. Horse Hoof Prints in the Fossil Record. California State University, Desert
Studies Consortium: 25–28.
Reynolds, R. E. 2006. Imprints of Horse Hooves in the southwestern Neogene Fossil Record.
Abstracts of Papers. Jour. Vert. Paleo, Vol. 26, Suppl. to No. 3. p. 104A.
Reynolds, R.E., 2006. Way out west: California’s only dinosaur tracks. Presentation, 2006 Federal
Fossil Conference, Albuquerque New Mexico.
Reynolds, R.E., 2006. Tracks missing: extinct camel tracks from the BLM Owl Canyon Campground,
Miocene Barstow Formation, Mojave Desert, California. Presentation, 2006 Federal Fossil
Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Reynolds, R.E., in press 2006. Preserving California’s Fossil Heritage During Construction
Excavation. CDMG Special Publication, Engineering Practice in Northern California.
Reynolds, R. E. 2006. Way Out West: Jurassic tracks on the continental margin. In: Harris et al., eds.,
2006, The Triassic-Jurassic Terrestrial Transition. New Mexico museum of Natural History
and Science Bulletin 37. p. 232–237.
Reynolds, Robert E., 2007. Wild, scenic and rapid: a trip down the Colorado River Trough. 2007
Desert Symposium Volume, California State University, Desert Studies Consortium. p. 116.
Senior Authored Publications
Reynolds, R.E., and Buffington, K., 2003. The Park Place fauna: a faunal assemblage from Irvine,
Orange County, California, in Abstracts of the 2003 Desert Symposium. California State
University Desert Studies Consortium: 66–67.
Reynolds, R.E., and Buffington, K., 2003. The Park Place faunal assemblage (Irvine, Orange County,
California). Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists, Abstracts and Program.
Reynolds, R.E., Buising, A.V., and Beratan, K.K., 1992. Old routes to the Colorado: the 1992 Mojave
Desert Quaternary Research Center field trip, in Old routes to the Colorado, J. Reynolds, ed.
Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication 92-2:5–27.
Reynolds, R.E., and Calzia, James, 2001. Neogene erosional surfaces in the northeastern Mojave
Desert, California, in Reynolds, R.E. (ed.), 2001. The changing face of the east Mojave
Desert. California State University, Desert Studies Center: 41–43.
Reynolds, R.E., and Conkling, Steven, 2001. Protecting our fossil heritage in Badlands National Park:
preliminary report of paleontological monitoring at Interior, South Dakota. Partners in
Paleontology, Grand Junction, Colorado.
Reynolds, R.E., and Cox, B.F., 1999. Tracks along the Mojave: a field guide form Cajon Pass to the
Manix Basin and Coyote Lake. San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly,
46(3): 1–26.
Reynolds, R. E., J. Faulds, P. K. House, K. Howard, D. Malmon, C. F. Miller, P. A. Pearthree, 2007
Wild, scenic and rapid trip down the Colorado River Trough, Desert Symposium Field Trip
2007. 2007 Desert Symposium Volume, California State University, Desert Studies
Consortium. p. 5–32.
Reynolds, R.E., and Fay, L.P., 1989. The Coon Canyon Fault Crevice Local Fauna: Preliminary
evidence for recency of faulting in the Mud Hills, San Bernardino County, California, in The
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west-central Mojave Desert: Quaternary studies between Kramer and Afton Canyon.
Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication.
Reynolds, R.E., Fay, L.P., and Reynolds, R.L., 1990. California Oaks Road: an early-late Irvingtonian
Land Mammal Age fauna from Murrieta, Riverside County, California. Redlands, San
Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 37(2).
Reynolds, R.E., Glazner, A.F., and Meek, N., 1989. Field trip road log, in The west-central Mojave
Desert: Quaternary studies between Kramer and Afton Canyon. Redlands, San Bernardino
County Museum Association Special Publication.
Reynolds, R.E., Hilburn, R., and Weasma, T., 2000. Tracks through time: a learning experience, in
Reynolds, R.E. and Reynolds, J. (Eds), Empty Basins, Vanished Lakes. San Bernardino
County Museum Association Quarterly, 47(2): 3–20.
Reynolds, R.E., Hunt, R., and Albright, B., 1995. Rhinoceros in Lanfair Valley in Ancient surfaces of
the East Mojave Desert, Reynolds, R.E. (compiler) and J. Reynolds (ed). San Bernardino
County Museum Association Quarterly, 42(3): in prep.
Reynolds, R.E., and Jefferson, G.T., 1971, Late Pleistocene vertebrates from Valley Wells, Mojave
Desert, California: Geological Society of America, 67th Annual Meeting Cordilleran Section,
Abstracts with Programs.
Reynolds, R.E., and Jefferson, G.T., 1988. Timing of deposition and deformation in Pleistocene
sediments at Valley Wells, eastern San Bernardino County, California. Cordilleran Section,
Geological Society of America, Field Trip Guidebook.
Reynolds, R.E., and Jefferson, G.T., 1988. Timing of deposition and deformation in Pleistocene
sediments at Valley Wells, eastern San Bernardino County, California. Cordilleran Section,
Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs.
Reynolds, R.E., Jefferson, G.T., and Reynolds, R.L., 1991. The sequence of vertebrates from PlioPleistocene sediments at Valley Wells, San Bernardino County, California, in Crossing the
borders: Quaternary studies in eastern California and southwestern Nevada, R.E. Reynolds,
ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication MDQRC
1991:72–77.
Reynolds, R.E., and Jenkins, J.E., 1986, Secondary mineral assemblage, Copper Consolidated Lode,
Copper Basin, San Bernardino County, California, in Geology around the margins of the
eastern San Bernardino Mountains: Redlands, Publications of the Inland Geological Society,
Vol. 1, p. 81–84.
Reynolds, R.E., and Kampf, A.R., 1984, Minerals of the Mohawk mine, San Bernardino County,
California: Tucson, Friends of Mineralogy, Annual Meeting, abs.
Reynolds, R.E., and Knoll, M.A., 1992. Miocene vertebrate faunas of the Little Piute Mountains,
southeastern Mojave Desert, in Old routes to the Colorado, J. Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San
Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication 92-2:92–94.
Reynolds, R.E., and Kooser, M.A., 1986, Road log, in Geology around the margins of the eastern
San Bernardino Mountains: Redlands, Publications of the Inland Geological Society, Vol. 1,
p. 7–50.
Reynolds, R.E., and Lander, E.B., 1985, Preliminary report on the Miocene Daggett Ridge local
fauna, central Mojave Desert, California, in Geological investigations along Interstate 15,
Cajon Pass to Manix Lake: Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum, p. 105–110.
Reynolds, R.E., Lemmer, B., and Jordan, F., 1994. The Landers Rupture Zone and other faults in the
Central Mojave Desert Province, California, Field Trip 11 in Geological investigations of an
active margin, S.F. McGill and T.M. Ross, eds. 27th Annual Meeting, Geological Society of
America, Cordilleran Section Guidebook: 258–271.
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Reynolds, R.E., and Lindsay, E.H., 1999. Late Tertiary Basins and vertebrate faunas along the
Nevada–Utah border, in Gillette, D.D. (ed.), Vertebrate Paleontology in Utah. Utah
Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication 99-1: 469–478.
Reynolds, R.E., and McMackin, M.R., 1988. Field trip roadlog, Cenozoic tectonics in the Halloran
Hills and Kingston Range. Cordilleran Section, Geological Society of America, Field Trip
Guidebook.
Reynolds, R.E., Meek, Norman, McMackin, M.R., and Awramik, S.M., 2000. Empty Basins,
vanished lakes, the year 2000 desert symposium field guide, in Reynolds, R.E. and Reynolds,
J. (Eds), Empty Basins, Vanished Lakes. San Bernardino County Museum Association
Quarterly, 47(2): 3–20.
Reynolds, R. E. and Debra L. Mickelson, 2006. Way Out West: Preliminary Description and
Comparison of Pterosaur Ichnites in the Mescal Range, Mojave Desert, California. In: Harris
et al., eds., 2006, The Triassic-Jurassic Terrestrial Transition. New Mexico Museum of
Natural History and Science Bulletin 37. p. 232–237.
Reynolds, R.E., Miller, David, and Bishop, Kim, 2003. Land of lost lakes, the 2003 Desert
Symposium field trip, in Land of Lost Lakes, R.E. Reynolds, ed. California State University
Desert Studies Consortium: 3–26.
Reynolds, R.E., Miller, D.M. Nielson, J.E., and McCurry, M., 1995. Road log, in Ancient surfaces of
the East Mojave Desert, Reynolds, R.E. (compiler) and J. Reynolds (ed). San Bernardino
County Museum Association Quarterly, 42(3): in prep.
Reynolds, R. E., Andrew R. C. Milner, Gary Hunt, Jared Brinton, 2007. Mammal Trackways from
the Middle Miocene (Late Barstovian NALMA) volcaniclastic sediments in southwestern
Utah. Abstract with proceedings. Jour. Vert. Paleo, Vol. 27, Suppl. to No. 3
Reynolds, R.E., and Nance, M.A., 1988. Shadow Valley Basin: late Tertiary deposition and Gravity
Slides from the Mescal Range. Cordilleran Section, Geological Society of America, Field
Trip Guidebook.
Reynolds, R.E., and Nance, M.A., 1988. Shadow Valley Basin: late Tertiary deposition and Gravity
Slides from the Mescal Range. Cordilleran Section, Geological Society of America, Abstracts
with Programs.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reeder, W.A., 1986. Age and fossil assemblage of the San Timoteo formation,
Riverside County, California, in Geology around the margins of the eastern San Bernardino
Mountains: Redlands, Publications of the Inland Geological Society, Vol. 1, p. 51–56.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reeder, W.A., 1991. The San Timoteo Formation, Riverside County, California.
San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 38(3, 4):44–48.
Reynolds, R.E., and Remeika, P., 1993. Ashes, faults and Basins: the 1993 Mojave Desert Quaternary
Research Center field trip, in Ashes, faults and Basins. R.E. Reynolds and J. Reynolds, eds.
Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication MDQRC 93-1:
3–33.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, J., 1991. Crossing the borders: the 1991 MDQRC field trip, in
Crossing the borders: Quaternary studies in eastern California and southwestern Nevada, R.E.
Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication
MDQRC 91:5–35.
Reynolds, R.E. (compiler), and Reynolds, J. (ed), 1992. Old routes to the Colorado, J. Reynolds, ed.
Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication 92-2:106 p.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, J. (eds), 1993. Ashes, faults and Basins. Redlands, San Bernardino
County Museum Association Special Publication MDQRC 93-1: 107 p.
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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC.
Reynolds, R.E. (compiler), and Reynolds, J. (ed), 1995. Ancient surfaces of the Eastern Mojave
Desert. San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 42(3): 160 p.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, J. (eds), 1996. Punctuated chaos in the northeastern Mojave Desert.
San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 43(1, 2): 156 p.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, J. (eds), 1997. Death Valley: The Amargosa Route. San Bernardino
County Museum Association Quarterly, 44(2): 106 p.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, J. (eds), 1999. Tracks along the Mojave. San Bernardino County
Museum Association Quarterly, 46(3): 120 p.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, J. (eds), 2000. Empty Basins, Vanished Lakes. San Bernardino County
Museum Association Quarterly, 47(2)): 88 p.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, R.L., 1985, Late Pleistocene faunas from Daggett and Yermo, San
Bernardino County, California, in Geological investigations along Interstate 15, Cajon Pass to
Manix Lake: Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum, p. 175–191.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, R.L., 1990. A new, late Blancan faunal assemblage from Murrieta,
Riverside County, California. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association
Quarterly, 37(2).
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, R.L., 1990. Irvingtonian? faunas from the Pauba Formation,
Temecula, Riverside County, California. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum
Association Quarterly, 37(2).
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, R.L., 1991. Structural implications of late Pleistocene faunas from the
Mojave River Valley, California, in Inland Southern California: the last 70 million years,
M.O. Woodburne, R.E. Reynolds, and D.P. Whistler, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County
Museum Association Quarterly 38(3,4):100–105.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, R.L., 1992. Pleistocene Faunas in the Bristol-Danby Trough, in Old
routes to the Colorado, J. Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum
Association Special Publication 92-2:83–86.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, R.L., 1993. Rodents and rabbits from the Temecula Arkose, in Ashes,
faults and Basins. Redlands, R.E. Reynolds and J. Reynolds, eds. San Bernardino County
Museum Association Special Publication MDQRC 93-1: 98–100.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, R.L., 1994. The Victorville Fan and an occurrence of Sigmodon, in
Off limits in the Mojave Desert, R.E. Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County
Museum Association Special Publication, 94(1): 31–33.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, R.L., 1994. The isolation of Harper Lake Basin, in Off limits in the
Mojave Desert, R.E. Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association
Special Publication, 94(1): 34–37.
Reynolds, R.E., and Reynolds, R.L., 1994. Depositional history of the Bitter Springs Playa
paleontologic site, Tiefort Basin, Fort Irwin National Training Center, California, in Off
limits in the Mojave Desert, R.E. Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum
Association Special Publication, 94(1): 56–60.
Reynolds, R.E. and Reynolds, R.L., 1999. An early occurrence of woodrat (Paraneotoma:
Hemphillian) from San Bernardino County, California. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology,
19(3): 70A.
Reynolds, R.E., Reynolds, R.L., Bell, C.J., Czaplewski, N.J., Goodwin, H.T., Mead, J.I., and Roth,
B., 1991. The Kokoweef Cave faunal assemblage, in Crossing the borders: Quaternary
studies in eastern California and southwestern Nevada, R.E. Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San
Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication MDQRC 91:97–103.
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PALEONTOLOGIST/ASSOCIATE
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Reynolds, R.E., Reynolds, R.L., Bell, C.J., and B. Pitzer, 1991. Vertebrate remains from Antelope
Cave, Mescal Range, San Bernardino County, California, in Crossing the borders: Quaternary
studies in eastern California and southwestern Nevada, R.E. Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San
Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication MDQRC 91:107–109.
Reynolds, R.E., Reynolds, R.L., and Lindsay, E.H., in press. Biostratigraphy of the Miocene Crowder
Formation, Cajon Pass, southwestern Mojave Desert, California. Natural History Museum of
Los Angeles County.
Reynolds, R.E., Reynolds, R.L., and Pajak III, A.F., 1991. Blancan, Irvingtonian, and Rancholabrean
(?) Land Mammal Age faunas from western Riverside County, California. 38(3, 4):37–40.
Reynolds, R.E., Schmidt, D., Harris, J. D., and Milner, A. R. C., 2006. Making Tracks – the field trip
guide. California State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 3–18.
Reynolds, R.E., and Turner, W.G., 1971. Petroglyph dating, in Three essays on petroglyphology:
Bloomington, San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, vol. XIX, no. 1, p. 28–
34.
Reynolds, R.E., and Weasma, Ted, 2002. California dinosaur tracks: inventory and management
[abs], in Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002. Between the Basins: exploring the western Mojave and
southern Basin and Range Province. California State University, Desert Studies Consortium:
82.
Reynolds, R.E., and Weasma, Ted, 2002. California dinosaur tracks: inventory and management, in
Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002. Between the Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern
Basin and Range Province. California State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 15–18.
Reynolds, R.E., and Weasma, Ted, 2002. California dinosaur tracks: inventory and management, in
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Park Paleontology 6(2):5–7.
Reynolds, R.E., and Weasma, Ted, 2003. California dinosaur tracks: inventory and management.
Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists, Abstracts and Program.
Reynolds, R.E., and Weldon, R.J., 1988. Vertebrate paleontologic investigation, DOSECC “Deep
Hole” project, Cajon Pass, San Bernardino County, California. Geophysical Research Letters
15(9):1073–1076.
Reynolds, R.E., Wells, S.G., and Brady III, R.H., 1990. At the end of the Mojave: Quaternary studies
in the eastern Mojave Desert. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special
Publication: 134 p.
Reynolds, R.E., and Whistler, D.E., 1990. Early Clarendonian Faunas of the Eastern Mojave Desert,
San Bernardino County, California. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association
Special Publication, MDQRC Guidebook.
Reynolds, R.E., Whistler, D.P., and Woodburne, M.O., 1991. Road log: the 1991 SVP field trip to
paleontologic localities in inland Southern California. San Bernardino County Museum
Association Quarterly, 38(3, 4):5–36.
Reynolds, R.E., and Woodburne, M.O., 2001. Review of the Proboscidean datum within the Barstow
Formation, Mojave Desert, California. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Abstracts of
Papers, 21(3): 93A.
Reynolds, R.E., and Woodburne, M.O., 2001. Marker bed correlations between the Mud Hills, Calico
Mountains, and Daggett Ridge, central Mojave Desert, California. GSA Cordilleran section,
97th Annual Meeting, and Pacific Section, American Association of Petroleum Geologists,
April.
Reynolds, R.E., and Woodburne, M.O., 2002. Review of the Proboscidean datum within the Barstow
Formation, Mojave Desert, California [abs], in Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002. Between the
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Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern Basin and Range Province. California
State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 82–83.
Reynolds, R.E., and Woodburne, M.O., 2002. Marker bed correlations between the Mud Hills, Calico
Mountains, and Daggett Ridge, central Mojave Desert, California [abs], in Reynolds, R.E.,
(ed), 2002. Between the Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern Basin and Range
Province. California State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 82.
Reynolds, R.E., and Woodburne, M.O., 2002. Review of the Proboscidean datum within the Barstow
Formation, Mojave Desert, California [abs], in Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002. Between the
Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern Basin and Range Province. California
State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 82–83.
Reynolds, R.E., and Woodburne, M.O., 2002. Marker bed correlations between the Mud Hills, Calico
Mountains, and Daggett Ridge, central Mojave Desert, California [abs], in Reynolds, R.E.,
(ed), 2002. Between the Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern Basin and Range
Province. California State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 82.
Co-authored Publications
Agenbroad, L.D., Mead, J.I., and Reynolds, R.E., 1992. Mammoths in the Colorado River Corridor,
in Old Routes to the Colorado, J. Reynolds, ed. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum
Association Special Publication 92-2:104–106.
Barnes, Lawrence G., and R. E. Reynolds, 2007. A primitive early Miocene platanistoids dolphin
(Cetacea: Odontoceti) from Cajon Pass, San Bernardino County, California. Desert
Symposium Volume, California State University, Fullerton, Desert Studies Consortium. p.
107.
Calzia, J.P., and Reynolds, R.E., 1998. Finding Faults in the Mojave Desert. San Bernardino County
Museum Association Quarterly, 45(1, 2), 112 p.
Conkling, S.W., and Reynolds, R.E., 2001. Protecting our fossil heritage in a national park—
preliminary report of paleontological monitoring at Badlands National Park, South Dakota.
Partners in Paleontology, September, Grand Junction, Colorado.
Conkling, S.W., and Reynolds, R.E., 2001. Protecting our fossil heritage in a national park –
preliminary report of paleontological monitoring at Badlands National Park, South Dakota.
Federal Millennium Conference, May, Barstow California.
Cooper, J.F. Jr., Dunning, G.E., Hadley, T.A., Moller, W.P., and Reynolds, R.E., 2002. The Sulfur
Hole, Calico District, San Bernardino County, California, in Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002.
Between the Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern Basin and Range Province.
California State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 29–36.
Davisson, Cole, and Reynolds, R.E., 1999. Occurrence of fossil mammal tracks in the Diligencia
Formation, Orocopia Mountains, southeast California, in Reynolds, R.E., 1999. Fossil
footprints. San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 46(2): 33–36.
Goodwin, H.T., and Reynolds, R.E., 1989. Late Quaternary Sciuridae from Kokoweef Cave, San
Bernardino County, California. Bulletin, Southern California Academy of Sciences,
88(1):21–32.
Goodwin, H.T., and Reynolds, R.E., 1989. Late Quaternary Sciuridae from low elevations in the
Mojave Desert, California. The Southwestern Naturalist, 34(4):506–512.
Henderson, Zac, and Reynolds, R.E., 2000. Digitizing paleontological sensitivity maps, in Reynolds,
R.E. and Schneider, J., Abstracts from the Year 2000 Desert Symposium, San Bernardino
County Museum Association Quarterly 47(2): 77.
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Hilburn, Bob, and Reynolds, R.E., 2002, Tracks through time: the fossil animal track replication
project, in Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002. Between the Basins: exploring the western Mojave and
southern Basin and Range Province. California State University, Desert Studies Consortium:
77.
Hilburn, R.F., and Reynolds, R.E., 2003. The Tracks through Time program at the Mojave River
Valley Museum, in Abstracts from the 2003 Desert Symposium. California State University
Desert Studies Consortium: 64–65.
Housley, R.M., and Reynolds, R.E., 2002. Mineralogical survey of the Mount General area, in
Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002. Between the Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern
Basin and Range Province. California State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 61–63.
Jessey, D. R., and R. E. Reynolds, 2007. Major and trace element geochemistry of the Neogene
Halloran Hills andesites, San Bernardino County, California: implications for tectonic
evolution of the eastern Mojave. 2007 Desert Symposium Volume, California State
University, Fullerton, Desert Studies Consortium. p. 33–37.
Karnes, Kyle, and Reynolds, R.E., 1995. Marmota flaviventris from Devil Peak Cave, southern
Nevada, in Abstracts from Proceedings, the 1995 Desert Research Symposium. Redlands,
San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 42(2).
Kooser, M.A., and Reynolds, R.E., eds, 1986, Geology around the margins of the eastern San
Bernardino Mountains: Publications of the Inland Geological Society, Vol. 1, 124 p.
Korth, W.W., and Reynolds, R.E., 1994. A hypsodont gopher (Rodentia, Geomyidae) from the
Clarendonian (Miocene) of California, Off limits in the Mojave Desert, R.E. Reynolds, ed.
Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication, 94(1): 91–95.
Lange, F. W., R. E. Reynolds, and D. Ewers. 2007. A cultural-geological analysis of quartz shatters
from the Mesquite Regional Landfill, Imperial County, California. 2007 Desert Symposium
Volume, California State University, Desert Studies Consortium. p. 98–102.
Lum, Maria, Reynolds, R.E., and Sanders, Andrew, 2001. The hanging gardens of Amargosa
Canyon, in Reynolds, R.E. (ed.), 2001. The changing face of the east Mojave Desert.
California State University, Desert Studies Center: 65–68.
Mende, Doug, and Reynolds, R.E., 2000. Developing a paleontological sensitivity map and GIS
database for the Mojave Desert, in Reynolds, R.E. and Schneider, J., Abstracts from the Year
2000 Desert Symposium, San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly 47(2): 81.
Pagnac, D.C., and Reynolds, R.E., 2006. The Fossil Mammals of the Barstow Formation. California
State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 65–70.
Roth, B., and Reynolds, R.E., 1988. Late Pleistocene nonmarine Mollusca from Kokoweef Cave,
Ivanpah Mountains, California. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association
Quarterly XXXV (3, 4).
Roth, B., and Reynolds, R.E., 1990. Late Quaternary nonmarine mollusca from Kokoweef Cave,
Ivanpah Mountains, San Bernardino County, California. Bulletin, Southern California
Academy of Sciences, 89(1):1–9.
Sarjeant, W.A.S., and Reynolds, R.E., 1999. Camelid and horse footprints from the Miocene of
California and Nevada in Reynolds, R.E., 1999. Fossil Footprints. San Bernardino County
Museum Association Quarterly, 46(2): 3–20.
Sarjeant, W.A.S., and Reynolds, R.E., 2001. Bird footprints from the Miocene of California, in
Reynolds, R.E. (ed.), 2001. The changing face of the east Mojave Desert. California State
University, Desert Studies Center: 21–40.
Sarjeant, W.A.S., Reynolds, R.E., and Kissell-Jones, M.M., 2002. Fossil creodont and carnivore
footprints from California, Nevada, and Wyoming, in Reynolds, R.E., (ed), 2002. Between
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the Basins: exploring the western Mojave and southern Basin and Range Province. California
State University, Desert Studies Consortium: 37–50.
Simpson, R.D., Haenszel, A., Reynolds, R.E., and Bowers, D., 1971. Rock Camp: Bloomington, San
Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, vol. XIX, no. 1, p. 28–34.
Turner, W.G., and Reynolds, R.E., 1977. Dating the Salton Sea petroglyphs: Science News, vol. 111,
February.
Wagner, H.M., and Reynolds, R.E., 1983. Leptarctus ancipidens (Carnivora: Mustelidae) from the
Punchbowl formation, Cajon Pass, California: Bulletin of the Southern California Academy
of Sciences.
Wells, S.G., and Reynolds, R.E., 1990. Desert wind, water, and brimstone: Quaternary landscape
evolution in the eastern Mojave Desert, in At the end of the Mojave, R.E. Reynolds, ed.
Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Special Publication:5–16.
Whistler, D.P., and Reynolds, R.E., 1991. Recent revisions to the Clarendonian faunal assemblage
from the Avawatz Formation. San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 38(3,
4):91–92.
Wilkerson, Gregg, Reynolds, R.E., Lawlor, D., and Nafus, B., 1995. Fossil resources involving
Federal Lands in California, in Abstracts from Proceedings, the 1995 Desert Research
Symposium. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly, 42(2).
Wilkerson, Gregg, Reynolds, R.E., Lawlor, D., and Nafus, B., 1995. Fossil resources and Federal
Lands in California. Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly,
42(2).
Woodburne, M.O., Reynolds, R.E., and Whistler, D.P., eds. 1991. Inland Southern California: the
last 70 million years, Redlands, San Bernardino County Museum Association Quarterly 38(3,
4):88–90.
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