HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix F - Paleontological AssessmentPALEONTOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT FOR
THE SANTA ANA AND LIVE OAK PROJECT
CITY OF FONTANA,
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
APNs 236-141-05, -06, and -20
Prepared for:
EPD Solutions
2355 Main Street, Suite 100
Irvine, California 92614
Submitted to:
City of Fontana
Community Development Department
8353 Sierra Avenue
Fontana, California 92335
Prepared by:
Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc.
14010 Poway Road, Suite A
Poway, California 92064
July 20, 2022
Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak Project
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paleontological Database Information
Author: Todd A. Wirths, M.S., Senior Paleontologist, California
Professional Geologist No. 7588
Consulting Firm: Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc.
14010 Poway Road, Suite A
Poway, California 92064
(858) 679-8218
Report Date: July 20, 2022
Report Title: Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak
Project, City of Fontana, San Bernardino County, California
Prepared for: EPD Solutions
2355 Main Street, Suite 100
Irvine, California 92614
Submitted to: City of Fontana
Community Development Department
8353 Sierra Avenue
Fontana, California 92335
Prepared by: Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc.
14010 Poway Road, Suite A
Poway, California 92064
USGS Quadrangle: USGS Fontana, California (7.5-minute) quadrangle, Section 26,
Township 1 South, Range 6 West.
Assessor’s Parcel Numbers: 236-141-05, -06, and -20
Study Area: Approximately 14 acres
Key Words: Paleontological assessment; Pleistocene alluvial fan deposits;
High sensitivity; City of Fontana.
Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak Project
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Table of Contents
Section Page
I. INTRODUCTION AND LOCATION ...................................................................... 1
II. REGULATORY SETTING ...................................................................................... 1
State of California .................................................................................................... 4
City of Fontana ......................................................................................................... 4
Southwest Industrial Park (SWIP) Specific Plan .................................................... 5
III. GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 5
IV. PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ..................................................................... 6
Definition ................................................................................................................... 6
Fossil Locality Search ............................................................................................... 6
V. PALEONTOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY ................................................................... 8
Overview .................................................................................................................... 8
Professional Standards ............................................................................................. 8
City Assessment of Paleontological Sensitivity at the Project ................................. 9
VI. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................... 9
VII. CERTIFICATION ................................................................................................... 10
VIII. REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 10
Appendices
Appendix A – Qualifications of Key Personnel
Appendix B – Fossil Locality Search Report
List of Figures
Figure Page
Figure 1 General Location Map ................................................................................ 2
Figure 2 Project Location Map .................................................................................. 3
Figure 3 Geologic Map .............................................................................................. 7
Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak Project
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I. INTRODUCTION AND LOCATION
A paleontological resource assessment has been completed for the Santa Ana and Live Oak
Project (“project”), located northwest of the intersection of Santa Ana Avenue and Live Oak
Avenue in the southeastern portion of the city of Fontana, San Bernardino County, California
(Figures 1 and 2). The project serves as an addendum to the Southwest Industrial Park (SWIP)
Specific Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The project incorporates three parcels
(Assessor’s Parcel Numbers 0236-141-05, -06, and -20) for a total of approximately 14 acres. On
the U.S. Geological Survey (7.5-minute), 1:24,000-scale Fontana, California topographic
quadrangle map, the project is located in Section 26, Township 1 South, Range 6 West, of the San
Bernardino Baseline and Meridian. The project parcels are highly disturbed, having previously
been utilized for agricultural, industrial, and residential purposes throughout the latter half of the
twentieth century. As a result of the previous land use, the properties have been repeatedly graded
and cleared. The project parcels are being considered for redevelopment.
As the lead agency, the City of Fontana has required the preparation of a paleontological
assessment to evaluate the project’s potential to yield paleontological resources. The
paleontological assessment of the project included a review of paleontological literature and fossil
locality records for a previous project in the area; a review of the underlying geology; and
recommendations to mitigate impacts to potential paleontological resources.
II. REGULATORY SETTING
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which is patterned after the National
Environmental Policy Act, is the overriding environmental regulation that sets the requirement for
protecting California’s paleontological resources. CEQA mandates that governing permitting
agencies (lead agencies) set their own guidelines for the protection of nonrenewable
paleontological resources under their jurisdiction.
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State of California
Under “Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act,” as
amended in December 2018 (California Code of Regulations [CCR] Title 14, Division 6, Chapter
3, Sections 15000 et seq.), procedures define the types of activities, persons, and public agencies
required to comply with CEQA. Section 15063 of the CCR provides a process by which a lead
agency may review a project’s potential impact to the environment, whether the impacts are
significant, and provide recommendations, if necessary.
In CEQA’s Environmental Checklist Form, one of the questions to answer is, “Would the
project directly or indirectly destroy a unique paleontological resource or site or unique geologic
feature?” (Appendix G, Section VII, Part f). This is to ensure compliance with California Public
Resources Code Section 5097.5, the law that protects nonrenewable resources including fossils,
which is paraphrased below:
a) A person shall not 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, rock art, 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.
b) 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.
c) A violation of this section is a misdemeanor.
City of Fontana
In the Final EIR of the City of Fontana General Plan Update 2015–2035, two
paleontological resource mitigation measures are specified, MM-CUL-4 and MM-CUL-5. MM-
CUL-4 must be implemented before construction starts, while MM-CUL-5 must be implemented
before, during, and after construction (City of Fontana 2018a). The measures are as follows:
MM-CUL-4 A qualified paleontologist shall conduct a pre-construction field
survey of any project site within the Specific Plan Update area that is underlain by
older alluvium. The paleontologist shall submit a report of findings that provide
specific recommendations regarding further mitigation measures (i.e.,
paleontological monitoring) that may be appropriate.
MM-CUL-5 Should mitigation monitoring of paleontological resources be
recommended for a specific project within the project site, the program shall
include, but not be limited to, the following measures:
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• Assign a paleontological monitor, trained and equipped to allow the rapid
removal of fossils with minimal construction delay, to the site full-time
during the interval of earth-disturbing activities.
• Should fossils be found within an area being cleared or graded, earth-
disturbing activities shall be diverted elsewhere until the monitor has
completed salvage. If construction personnel make the discovery, the
grading contractor shall immediately divert construction and notify the
monitor of the find.
• All recovered fossils shall be prepared, identified, and curated for
documentation in the summary report and transferred to an appropriate
depository (i.e., San Bernardino County Museum).
A summary report shall be submitted to City of Fontana. Collected specimens shall
be transferred with [a] copy of [the] report to [the] San Bernardino County Museum
(City of Fontana 2018a).
Southwest Industrial Park (SWIP) Specific Plan
The project is located within the boundaries of the previously approved SWIP Specific
Plan and is therefore subject to the mitigation measures proposed therein. The relevant mitigation
measures from the SWIP Specific Plan EIR are presented in Section VI, below.
III. GEOLOGY
The project is located near the western margin and distal southern end of the broad Lytle
Creek alluvial fan that emanates from the San Gabriel Mountains, approximately nine to 10 miles
to the north, as a result of uplift and dissection of the eastern San Gabriel Mountains. The main
source of these sediments is from the Lytle Creek drainage, near where the northwest-southeast-
trending San Andreas fault zone cuts across and separates the San Gabriel and San Bernardino
mountain ranges (Morton and Miller 2006). Geomorphically, the project is relatively flat-lying,
with a gentle slope to the southwest (see Figures 2 and 3). The project is mostly underlain by late
to middle Pleistocene (approximately 11,700 to 780,000 years ago [Cohen and Gibbard 2011]) old
alluvial fan deposits (pale amber areas labeled “Qof3” on Figure 3; after Morton 2003). Holocene
and late Pleistocene (present day to approximately 120,000 years ago [Cohen and Gibbard 2011])
young alluvial fan sediments (light yellow areas labeled “Qyfl”) of the Lytle Creek fan compose
the northwest corner of the project (see Figure 3). Dutcher and Garrett (1963) indicate that young
alluvial fan deposits may exceed 100 feet thick in some areas but show that young alluvial fan
deposits are approximately 15 feet thick (Pl. 7, cross-section G-G') for a broad area in the Fontana
Plain a little more than three miles east-northeast of the project. The proximity of old alluvial
deposit outcrops to the young alluvial deposits underlying the site supports Dutcher and Garrett’s
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(1963) later assessment, and general geologic structural relationships as well, for a relatively thin
thickness of the young alluvial deposits.
IV. PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES
Definition
Paleontological resources are the remains of prehistoric life that have been preserved in
geologic strata. These remains are called fossils and include bones, shells, teeth, and plant remains
(including their impressions, casts, and molds) in the sedimentary matrix, as well as trace fossils
such as footprints and burrows. Fossils are considered older than 5,000 years of age (Society of
Vertebrate Paleontology 2010) but may include younger remains (subfossils) when viewed in the
context of local extinction of the organism or habitat, for example. Fossils are considered a
nonrenewable resource under state, county, and local guidelines (Section II of this report).
Fossil Locality Search
A prior paleontological collections and locality records search was conducted for a nearby
project, the 14801 Slover Avenue Project, by a vertebrate paleontologist in the Division of
Geological Sciences at the San Bernardino County Museum (SBCM) in Redlands (Cortez 2021,
Appendix B). The 14801 Slover Avenue Project is located at the southwest corner of the
intersection of Slover Avenue and Live Oak Avenue, just north of the current project. The
resulting report identified eight localities (SBCM localities [locs.] 5.1.11, 5.1.14 to 5.1.17, and
5.1.19 to 5.1.21) that were situated about one and a half miles southwest of the 14801 Slover
Avenue Project, and therefore about the same for the current project. The bones of large and small
Pleistocene-age mammals as well as the remains of terrestrial snails and freshwater clams were
recovered from these localities, mostly from clayey, silty sands from depths ranging from five to
21 feet below the surface, when recorded. Mammals from these localities include three species of
rodent, cottontail rabbit, bison, western camel, horse, Pacific mastodon, saber-toothed cat, and
other unidentified large mammal remains.
Cortez (2021) indicates that the young alluvial fan deposits mapped at the surface by
Morton (2003) in the area of the project have a low potential to yield significant paleontological
resources. Conversely, the underlying late Pleistocene alluvial fan deposits are considered to have
a high paleontological sensitivity, based on numerous fossil localities in the region. Fossils include
the bones from extinct species such as mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, dire wolves,
saber-toothed cats, large and small horses, large and small camels, and bison (Cortez 2021).
Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak Project
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V. PALEONTOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY
Overview
The degree of paleontological sensitivity of any particular area is based on a number of
factors, including the documented presence of fossiliferous resources on a site or in nearby areas,
the presence of documented fossils within a particular geologic formation or lithostratigraphic unit,
and whether or not the original depositional environment of the sediments is one that might have
been conducive to the accumulation of organic remains that might have become fossilized over
time. Holocene alluvium is generally considered to be geologically too young to contain
significant nonrenewable paleontological resources (i.e., fossils) and is thus typically assigned a
low paleontological sensitivity. Pleistocene (over 11,700 years old) alluvial and alluvial fan
deposits in the Inland Empire, such as those at the project (“Qof3” on Figure 3), however, often
yield important terrestrial vertebrate fossils, such as extinct mammoths, mastodons, giant ground
sloths, extinct species of horse, bison, camel, saber-toothed cats, and others (Cortez 2021,
attached). These Pleistocene sediments are thus accorded a High paleontological resource
sensitivity.
Professional Standards
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology has drafted guidelines that include four categories
of paleontological sensitivity for geologic units (formations) that might be impacted by a proposed
project, as listed below:
• High Potential: Rock units from which vertebrate or significant invertebrate, plant, or
trace fossils have been recovered.
• Undetermined Potential: Rock units for which little information is available
concerning their paleontological content, geologic age, and depositional environment,
and that further study is needed to determine the potential of the rock unit.
• Low Potential: Rock units that are poorly represented by fossil specimens in
institutional collections or based on a general scientific consensus that only preserve
fossils in rare circumstances.
• No Potential: Rock units that have no potential to contain significant paleontological
resources, such as high-grade metamorphic rocks and plutonic igneous rocks.
Using these criteria, based on the presence of nearby significant fossil localities (SBCM
locs. 5.1.11, 5.1.14 to 5.1.17, and 5.1.19 to 5.1.21) and the strong likelihood that the nearby fossil
localities originated from the same geologic formation as that at the project, the Pleistocene old
alluvial fan deposits can be considered to have a high potential to yield significant paleontological
resources.
Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak Project
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City Assessment of Paleontological Sensitivity at the Project
Section 5.4.1.5 of the City of Fontana’s draft EIR for the general plan (City of Fontana
2018b) describes the paleontological sensitivity of the strata underlying the city. Based on
Pleistocene vertebrate fossils recovered from the city’s southwestern area (SBCM locs. 5.1.11,
5.1.14 5.1.17, and 5.1.19 to 5.1.21), subsurface “older fan” Pleistocene deposits are considered by
the City to have a high potential for yielding fossils. The overlying “younger fan” deposits at the
surface are considered by the city as having no potential to yield significant paleontological
resources. This geologic scenario includes the project, and therefore the paleontological context.
VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Research has confirmed the existence of potentially fossiliferous late Pleistocene old
alluvial fan deposits (“Qof3” on Figure 3) at the project. Furthermore, the Holocene and late
Pleistocene young alluvial fan sediments (“Qyfl”) mapped at the northwest corner of the project
also have the potential to yield significant fossils with depth. The occurrence of terrestrial
vertebrate fossils at shallow depths from Pleistocene alluvial fan sediments across the Inland
Empire of western Riverside County is well documented. The “High” paleontological sensitivity
rating typically assigned to Pleistocene alluvial fan sediments for yielding paleontological
resources supports the recommendation that paleontological monitoring be implemented during
mass grading and excavation activities in undisturbed Pleistocene old alluvial fan sediments to
mitigate any adverse impacts (loss or destruction) to potential nonrenewable paleontological
resources. Full-time monitoring of undisturbed alluvial fan deposits at the project is warranted,
starting at a depth of five feet below the surface. The project will comply with the SWIP Specific
Plan mitigation measures and will not require additional mitigation. The relevant mitigation
measures are outlined below:
4.4–3a A qualified paleontologist shall conduct a pre-construction field survey of any
Project site within the Specific Plan Update area that is underlain by older
alluvium. The paleontologist shall submit a report of findings that provides
specific recommendations regarding further mitigation measures (i.e.,
paleontological monitoring) that may be appropriate.
4.4–3b Should mitigation monitoring be recommended for a specific project within the
Project site (Specific Plan Update), the Mitigation Program shall include, but not
be limited to, the following measures:
• Assign a paleontological monitor, trained and equipped to allow the rapid
removal of fossils with minimal construction delay, to the site full-time during
the interval of earth-disturbing activities.
Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak Project
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• Should fossils be found within an area being cleared or graded, earth-
disturbing activities shall be diverted elsewhere until the monitor has
completed salvage. If construction personnel make the discovery, the grading
contractor shall immediately divert construction and notify the monitor of the
find.
• All recovered fossils shall be prepared, identified, and curated for
documentation in the summary report and transferred to an appropriate
depository (i.e., San Bernardino County Museum).
• A summary report shall be submitted to City of Fontana. Collected specimens
shall be transferred with copy of report to the San Bernardino County Museum.
(City of Fontana and RBF Consulting 2012)
VII. CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the statements furnished above and in the attached exhibits present the
data and information required for this paleontological report, and that the facts, statements, and
information presented are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, and have been
compiled in accordance with CEQA criteria.
July 20, 2022
Todd A. Wirths Date
Senior Paleontologist
California Professional Geologist No. 7588
VIII. REFERENCES
City of Fontana. 2018a. Final Environmental Impact Report. Cultural Resources, Fontana
Forward General Plan Update 2015-2035. State Clearinghouse #2016021099.
https://www.fontana.org/DocumentCenter/View/29525/Final-Environmental-Impact-
Report-for-the-General-Plan-Update.
City of Fontana. 2018b. Draft Environmental Impact Report, Chapter 5.4. Cultural Resources,
Fontana Forward General Plan Update 2015-2035. https://www.fontana.org/Document
Center/View/26716/54-Cultural-Resources.
City of Fontana and RBF Consulting. 2012. Southwest Industrial Park Specific Plan. Electronic
document, https://www.fontana.org/DocumentCenter/View/29312/Southwest-Industrial-
Specific-Plan---Combined-Document.
Cohen, K.M., and Gibbard, P.L. 2011. Global chronostratigraphical correlation table for the last
Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak Project
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2.7 million years. Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (International Commission
on Stratigraphy), Cambridge, England. http://quaternary.stratigraphy.
org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/POSTERstratchart-v2011.jpg.pdf.
Cortez, C. 2021. Paleontology records review for proposed 14801 Slover Avenue Project in San
Bernardino County, California. Unpublished letter report prepared for Brian F. Smith and
Associates, Inc., Poway, California, by the Division of Earth Sciences at the San
Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, California.
DeLorme World Basemap. 2020. A seamless global data set with horizontal accuracy of +/- 50
meters. https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/Specialty/DeLorme_World
_Base_Map/MapServer
Dutcher, L.C., and Garrett, A.A. 1963. Geologic and hydrologic features of the San Bernardino
area, California - with special reference to underflow across the San Jacinto fault. USGS
Water-Supply Paper 1419.
Morton, D.M. 2003. Preliminary geologic map of the Fontana 7.5' Quadrangle, San Bernardino
and Riverside Counties, California, Version 1.0: U. S. Geological Survey Open-File
Report 03-418, scale 1:24,000.
Morton, D.M. and Miller, F.K. 2006. Geologic map of the San Bernardino and Santa Ana 30' x
60' quadrangles, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 06-1217, scale
1:100,000.
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. 2010. Standard procedures for the assessment and mitigation
of adverse impacts to paleontological resources; by the SVP Impact Mitigation Guidelines
Revision Committee: http://vertpaleo.org/Membership/Member-Ethics/SVP_Impact_
Mitigation_Guidelines.aspx.
United States Geological Survey. 1980. Fontana, California (USGS 7.5' quadrangle series).
Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak Project
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APPENDIX A
Qualifications of Key Personnel
To dd A. W ir ths , MS, PG No. 7588
Senior Paleontologist
Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc.
14010 Poway Road Suite A
Phone: (858) 679-8218 Fax: (858) 679-9896 E-Mail: twirths@bfsa-ca.com
Education
Master of Science, Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, California 1995
Bachelor of Arts, Earth Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz 1992
Professional Certifications
California Professional Geologist #7588, 2003
Riverside County Approved Paleontologist
San Diego County Qualified Paleontologist
Orange County Certified Paleontologist
OSHA HAZWOPER 40-hour trained; current 8-hour annual refresher
Professional Memberships
Board member, San Diego Geological Society
San Diego Association of Geologists; past President (2012) and Vice President (2011)
South Coast Geological Society
Southern California Paleontological Society
Experience
Mr. Wirths has more than a dozen years of professional experience as a senior-level paleontologist
throughout southern California. He is also a certified California Professional Geologist. At BFSA, Mr.
Wirths conducts on-site paleontological monitoring, trains and supervises junior staff, and performs all
research and reporting duties for locations throughout Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside,
Orange, San Diego, and Imperial Counties. Mr. Wirths was formerly a senior project manager
conducting environmental investigations and remediation projects for petroleum hydrocarbon-
impacted sites across southern California.
Selected Recent Reports
2019 Paleontological Assessment for the 10575 Foothill Boulevard Project, City of Rancho Cucamonga,
San Bernardino County, California. Prepared for T&B Planning, Inc. Report on file at Brian F.
Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2019 Paleontological Assessment for the MorningStar Marguerite Project, Mission Viejo, Orange
County, California. Prepared for T&B Planning. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates,
Inc., Poway, California.
Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc. 2
2019 Paleontological Monitoring Report for the Nimitz Crossing Project, City of San Diego. Prepared
for Voltaire 24, LP. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2019 Paleontological Resource Impact Mitigation Program (PRIMP) for the Jack Rabbit Trail Logistics
Center Project, City of Beaumont, Riverside County, California. Prepared for JRT BP 1, LLC.
Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Monitoring Report for the Oceanside Beachfront Resort Project, Oceanside, San
California. Prepared for S.D. Malkin Properties. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates,
Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Resource Impact Mitigation Program for the Nakase Project, Lake Forest, Orange
County, San California. Prepared for Glenn Lukos Associates, Inc. Report on file at Brian F.
Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Resource Impact Mitigation Program for the Sunset Crossroads Project, Banning,
Riverside County. Prepared for NP Banning Industrial, LLC. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and
Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Assessment for the Ortega Plaza Project, Lake Elsinore, Riverside County.
Prepared for Empire Design Group. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc.,
Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Resource Record Search Update for the Green River Ranch III Project, Green River
Ranch Specific Plan SP00-001, City of Corona, California. Prepared for Western Realco. Report
on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Assessment for the Cypress/Slover Industrial Center Project, City of Fontana, San
Bernardino County, California. Prepared for T&B Planning, Inc. Report on file at Brian F. Smith
and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2020 Paleontological Monitoring Report for the Imperial Landfill Expansion Project (Phase VI,
Segment C-2), Imperial County, California. Prepared for Republic Services, Inc. Report on file at
Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2021 Paleontological Assessment for the Manitou Court Logistics Center Project, City of Jurupa Valley,
Riverside County, California. Prepared for Link Industrial. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and
Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2021 Paleontological Resource Impact Mitigation Program for the Del Oro (Tract 36852) Project,
Menifee, Riverside County. Prepared for D.R. Horton. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and
Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2021 Paleontological Assessment for the Alessandro Corporate Center Project (Planning Case PR-2020-
000519), City of Riverside, Riverside County, California. Prepared for OZI Alessandro, LLC.
Report on file at Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
2021 Paleontological Monitoring Report for the Boardwalk Project, La Jolla, City of San Diego.
Prepared for Project Management Advisors, Inc. Report on file at Brian F. Smith and
Associates, Inc., Poway, California.
Paleontological Assessment for the Santa Ana and Live Oak Project
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APPENDIX B
Fossil Locality Search Report
29 June, 2021
Brian F. Smith and Associates, Inc.
Attn: Todd Wirths
14010 Poway Rd.,
Poway CA 92064
PALEONTOLOGY RECORDS REVIEW for proposed 14801 Slover Avenue Project
in San Bernardino County, California
Dear Mr. Wirths,
The Division of Earth Sciences of the San Bernardino County Museum (SBCM) has
completed a records search for the above-named project in San Bernardino County, California.
The proposed Slover Avenue project is located near in the City of Fontana, California as shown
on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5-minute Fontana, California quadrangles.
Previous geologic mapping (Morton, 2003) indicates that the study area is located
entirely upon alluvial fan deposits of late Holocene age (= Qyf). These recent sediments have
low potential to contain significant nonrenewable paleontologic resources. However, these
Holocene sediments form a thin veneer overlying subsurface Pleistocene alluvial fan deposits (=
Qof3). These older fan sediments have high potential to contain fossil resources. Pleistocene
alluvium elsewhere in San Bernardino County and the Inland Empire has been repeatedly
demonstrated to have high paleontologic sensitivity (Jefferson, 1991; Reynolds and Reynolds,
1991; Woodburne, 1991; Springer and Scott, 1994; Scott, 1997; Springer and others, 1998,
1999; Anderson and others, 2002). Fossils recovered from these Pleistocene sediments
represent extinct taxa including mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, dire wolves,
sabretoothed cats, large and small horses, large and small camels, and bison (Jefferson, 1991;
Reynolds and Reynolds, 1991; Woodburne, 1991; Springer and Scott, 1994; Scott, 1997;
Springer and others, 1998, 1999).
San Bernardino
County Museum
Division of Earth
Sciences
Crystal Cortez
Curator of Earth Sciences
email: Crystal.cortez@sbcm.sbcounty.org
2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, CA 92374 | Phone: 909.798.8616 Fax 909.307.0539
For this review, I conducted a search of the Regional Paleontological Locality Inventory
(RPLI) at the SBCM. The results of this search indicate that no paleontological resources have
been discovered within the proposed project site; however, there are several sites within a 2
mile buffer. Located approximately 1.5 miles southwest of the proposed site are eight (8)
SBCM localities from Pleistocene aged deposits; SBCM 5.1.11, 5.1.14, 5.1.15, 5.1.16, 5.1.17,
5.1.19, 5.1.20, and 5.1.21. Locality SBCM 5.1.11 uncovered a partial Smilodon skull at around a
five (5) foot depth as estimated by trenching machine installing a pipeline. At SBCM 5.1.14
remains belonging to Gyraulus sp, Stagnicola sp, Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Sylvilagus sp, Thomomys
sp, Neotoma sp, Microtus californicus, Mammut pacificus were discovered in very fine silty
clayey sand with occasional pebbles. A single Bison sp. tooth was recovered from cemented
clayey silty moderately sorted sand with small caliche rootlets at SBCM 5.1.15. Clayey silty fine
sand with occasional larger subangular grains at locality SBCM 5.1.16 yielded bone fragments of
Camelops hesternus. In the same type of sediment SBCM 5.1.17 and SBCM 5.1.19 unearthed
remains of a large mammal along with fragmentary material of Mammut pacificus. SBCM
5.1.20 had a dry light olive gray subangular san that yielded fragments from Camelops
hesternus, Artiodactyla, and a large mammal. SBCM locality 5.1.21 found fragmentary material
from Equus sp. at an approximate 21 foot depth.
This records search covers only the paleontological records of the San Bernardino
County Museum. It is not intended to be a thorough paleontological survey of the proposed
project area covering other institutional records, a literature survey, or any potential on-site
survey.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any further questions that you may have.
Sincerely,
Crystal Cortez, Curator of Earth Sciences
Division of Earth Sciences
San Bernardino County Museum