HomeMy WebLinkAboutI - Paleo AssessmentPALEONTOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
FOR THE ALMOND AND VALLEY
DISTRIBUTION CENTER PROJECT
CITY OF FONTANA
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
APNs 234-071-26 and -27
Lead Agency:
City of Fontana
Community Development Department
8353 Sierra Avenue
Fontana, California 92335
Preparer:
BFSA Environmental Services,
a Perennial Company
14010 Poway Road, Suite A
Poway, California 92064
Project Proponent:
T&B Planning, Inc.
3200 El Camino Real, Suite 100
Irvine, California 92602
March 8, 2023
Paleontological Assessment for the Almond and Valley Distribution Center
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Paleontological Database Information
Author: Todd A. Wirths, M.S., Senior Paleontologist, California
Professional Geologist No. 7588
Consulting Firm: BFSA Environmental Services, a Perennial Company
14010 Poway Road, Suite A
Poway, California 92064
(858) 484-0915
Report Date: March 8, 2023
Report Title: Paleontological Assessment for the Almond and Valley
Distribution Center Project, Fontana, San Bernardino County,
California
Prepared for: T&B Planning, Inc.
3200 El Camino Real, Suite 100
Irvine, California 92602
Submitted to: City of Fontana
Community Development Department
8353 Sierra Avenue
Fontana, California 92335
USGS Quadrangle: Section 22, Township 1 South, Range 6 West, Fontana,
California (7.5-minute) USGS Quadrangle
Assessor’s Parcel Numbers: 234-071-26 and 234-071-27
Study Area: 11.22 acres
Key Words: Paleontological assessment; Pleistocene old alluvial fan deposits;
high paleontological resource sensitivity; monitoring
recommended below five feet.
Paleontological Assessment for the Almond and Valley Distribution Center
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Table of Contents
Section Page
1.0 INTRODUCTION AND LOCATION ...................................................................... 1
2.0 REGULATORY SETTING ....................................................................................... 1
2.1 State of California ............................................................................................... 1
2.2 City of Fontana Southwest Industrial Park Specific Plan ................................... 4
3.0 GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 5
4.0 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ..................................................................... 7
4.1 Definition ............................................................................................................ 7
4.2 Fossil Locality Record Search ........................................................................... 7
5.0 PALEONTOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY ................................................................... 7
5.1 Overview ............................................................................................................. 7
5.2 Professional Standards ........................................................................................ 8
5.3 City Assessment of Paleontological Sensitivity ................................................. 8
6.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................... 9
7.0 CERTIFICATION ................................................................................................... 11
8.0 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................ 11
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 .............................................................................................. 6
Paleontological Assessment for the Almond and Valley Distribution Center
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1.0 INTRODUCTION AND LOCATION
A paleontological resource assessment has been completed for the Almond and Valley
Distribution Center Project, located along the east side of Almond Avenue between San
Bernardino Avenue and Valley Boulevard, in the city of Fontana in San Bernardino County,
California (Figures 1 and 2). The 11.22-acre project consists of two parcels (Assessor’s Parcel
Numbers [APNs] 234-071-26 and -27). The project is situated within Section 22, Township 1
South, Range 6 West, as shown on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fontana, California
topographic quadrangle map (see Figure 2). The project includes the construction of an
industrial warehouse with new landscaping and associated infrastructure. Currently, the project
parcels are developed as a commercial trucking yard.
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 in the area, a review of the underlying geology, and recommendations to
mitigate impacts to potential paleontological resources, if necessary.
2.0 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.
2.1 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:
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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.
2.2 City of Fontana Southwest Industrial Park Specific Plan
The project is being processed as an addendum to Fontana’s Southwest Industrial Park
(SWIP) Specific Plan (City of Fontana 2011). As such the project is subject to the policies and
regulations established within the plan’s Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP)
of the SWIP Specific Plan. The MMRP does not establish any additional local level criteria for
evaluating resources beyond the standard CEQA criteria. Rather, the SWIP MMRP ensures
projects within the Specific Plan area proceed in compliance with CEQA as it relates to the
identification, evaluation, and mitigation, if necessary, of cultural resources.
Regarding paleontological resources, the following Mitigation Measures (MMs) have
been developed for the SWIP Specific Plan:
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. (General Plan
Environmental Impact Report [GPEIR] MM CR-5)
4.4-3b Should mitigation monitoring be recommended for a specific project
within the project site, the 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.
• Should fossils be found within an area being cleared or graded, earth
disturbing activities shall be diverted elsewhere until the monitor has
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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 the City of Fontana. Collected
specimens shall be transferred with a copy of the report to San
Bernardino County Museum. (GPEIR MM CR-6)
3.0 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 underlain by late
Holocene-aged (approximately within the last few thousand years) young alluvial fan deposits
(light yellow areas with red dots labeled “Qyf5”) (see Figure 3, after Morton and Miller 2006).
These deposits are likely underlain by an older deposit of young alluvial fan sediments (yellow
areas labeled “Qyf1” on Figure 3) that are early Holocene and late Pleistocene in age
(approximately 6,000 to 120,000 years ago [Cohen and Gibbard 2011]). The “Qyf1” young
alluvial fan deposits occur as slightly raised areas protruding through the surrounding younger
“Qyf5” young alluvial fan sediments. On the geologic map of the 7.5-minute Fontana
quadrangle, the “Qyf1” young alluvial fan deposits are accorded an age of late to middle
Pleistocene (Morton 2003), a time span of approximately 11,700 to 780,000 years ago (Cohen
and Gibbard 2011).
Dutcher and Garrett (1963) indicate that (undifferentiated) 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
about four 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 (1963) later
assessment, and general geologic structural relationships as well, for a relatively thin thickness of
the young alluvial deposits.
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4.0 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES
4.1 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 and local guidelines (Section 2.0 of this report).
4.2 Fossil Locality Record Search
A prior paleontological collections and locality records search was conducted for a
nearby project, the 14801 Slover Avenue Project, by 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 about one mile southeast of the current project. The report
identified seven localities (SBCM localities [locs.] 5.1.14 to 5.1.17 and 5.1.19 to 5.1.21) situated
approximately one-and-a-half to two miles southwest of the Almond and Valley Distribution
Center Project. The bones of large and small Pleistocene-age mammals as well as 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, and other unidentified large mammal remains. Based on another source, the
saber-tooth cat (Smilodon) specimen (SBCM loc. 5.1.11) mentioned by Cortez (2021) was
reportedly discovered in the Declezville neighborhood, about two miles southeast of the current
project (Reynolds, in Aron et al. 2018).
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).
5.0 PALEONTOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY
5.1 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,
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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 may
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 therefore is typically
assigned a low paleontological sensitivity. Pleistocene (over 11,700 years old) alluvial and
alluvial fan deposits in the Inland Empire, however, often yield important terrestrial vertebrate
fossils, such as extinct mammoths, mastodons, and giant ground sloths, as well as extinct species
of horse, bison, camel, saber-toothed cats, and others (Jefferson 1991; Cortez 2021). These
Pleistocene sediments are therefore accorded a high paleontological resource sensitivity.
5.2 Professional Standards
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (2010) 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 which underlies the project at
depth, the Pleistocene old alluvial fan deposits can be considered to have a high potential to yield
significant paleontological resources.
5.3 City Assessment of Paleontological Sensitivity
Section 5.4.1.5 of the City of Fontana’s Draft Environmental Impact Report for the
General Plan (City of Fontana 2018) 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 to 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.
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The overlying “younger fan” deposits at the surface are considered by the City as having no
potential to yield significant paleontological resources. Similar conclusions are stated in the
SWIP Specific Plan (City of Fontana 2011).
6.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Research has confirmed the existence of potentially fossiliferous late Pleistocene alluvial
fan deposits (“Qyf1” on Figure 3) that likely underlie the Holocene young alluvial fan sediments
mapped at the surface (“Qyf5” on Figure 3) of the project. The occurrence of terrestrial
vertebrate fossils at shallow depths from Pleistocene alluvial fan sediments across the Inland
Empire 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 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 recommended starting at a depth
of five feet below the surface.
If a fossil(s) is found at shallower depths, earth-disturbing activities should be halted
within a radius of 50 feet from the location of the fossil, and a qualified, project-level
paleontologist shall be consulted to determine the significance of the fossilized remains. If the
fossil is deemed significant by the paleontologist, full-time monitoring should be initiated at the
project.
Based on the conclusions and recommendations outlined above, a Paleontological
Resource Impact Mitigation Program (PRIMP) is recommended prior to approval of the grading
permit. A suggested PRIMP is outlined below. When implemented with the provisions of
CEQA, the City of Fontana’s SWIP Specific Plan (City of Fontana 2011), and the guidelines of
the SVP (2010), this PRIMP would mitigate any adverse impacts (loss or destruction) to
potential nonrenewable paleontological resources (fossils), if present, to a level below
significant.
1. Monitoring of mass grading and excavation activities shall be performed by a
qualified paleontologist or paleontological monitor. Starting at a depth of five feet,
monitoring will be conducted full-time in areas of grading or excavation in
undisturbed sediments of alluvial fan deposits.
2. If a fossil(s) is found at a shallower depth, earth-disturbing activities should be halted
within a radius of 50 feet from the location of the fossil, and a project-level
paleontologist shall be consulted to determine the significance of the fossilized
remains. If the fossil is deemed significant by the project-level paleontologist, full-
time monitoring should be initiated at the project.
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3. Paleontological monitors will be equipped to salvage fossils as they are unearthed to
avoid construction delays. The monitor must be empowered to temporarily halt or
divert equipment to allow removal of abundant or large specimens in a timely
manner. Monitoring may be reduced if the potentially fossiliferous units are not
present in the subsurface or, if present, are determined on exposure and examination
by qualified paleontological personnel to have low potential to contain fossil
resources. The monitor shall notify the project paleontologist, who will then notify
the concerned parties of the discovery.
4. Paleontological salvage during trenching and boring activities is typically from the
generated spoils and does not delay the trenching or drilling activities. Fossils are
collected and placed in cardboard flats or plastic buckets and identified by field
number, collector, and date collected. Notes are taken on the map location and
stratigraphy of the site, which is photographed before it is vacated, and the fossils are
removed to a safe place. On mass grading projects, discovered fossil sites are
protected by flagging to prevent them from being overrun by earthmovers (scrapers)
before salvage begins. Precise location of the site is determined with the use of a
Global Positioning System application. If the site involves remains from a large
terrestrial vertebrate, such as large bone(s) or a mammoth tusk, that is/are too large to
be easily removed by a single monitor, a fossil recovery crew shall excavate around
the find, encase the find within a plaster and burlap jacket, and remove it after the
plaster is set. For large fossils, use of the contractor’s construction equipment may be
solicited to help move the jacket to a safe location.
5. In accordance with the “Microfossil Salvage” section of the Society of Vertebrate
Paleontology guidelines (2010:7), bulk sampling and screening of fine-grained
sedimentary deposits (including carbonate-rich paleosols) must be performed if the
deposits are identified to possess indications of producing fossil “microvertebrates” to
test the feasibility of the deposit to yield fossil bones and teeth.
6. In the laboratory, individual fossils are cleaned of extraneous matrix, any breaks are
repaired, and the specimen, if needed, is stabilized by soaking in an archivally
approved acrylic hardener (e.g., a solution of acetone and Paraloid B-72).
7. Recovered specimens are prepared to a point of identification and permanent
preservation (not display), including screen-washing sediments to recover small
invertebrates and vertebrates. Preparation of individual vertebrate fossils is often
more time consuming than for accumulations of invertebrate fossils.
8. Identification and curation of specimens into a professional, accredited public
museum repository with a commitment to archival conservation and permanent
retrievable storage (e.g., the SBCM) shall be conducted. The paleontological
program should include a written repository agreement prior to the initiation of
mitigation activities. Prior to curation, the lead agency (e.g., the City of Fontana) will
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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. (attached)
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.
Jefferson, G.T. 1991. A catalogue of late Quaternary vertebrates from California: Part two,
mammals. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Technical Reports, 7: i–v +
1–129.
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.
Reynolds, R.E. 2018. West Valley Connector, Geology and Paleontological Resources, in Aron,
G., Richards, C., and Webster, B., Paleontological Identification Report and Evaluation
Report, West Valley Connector Project. Unpublished consulting report prepared for the
San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, by Paleo Solutions, Inc., Monrovia,
California.
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: https://vertpaleo.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/01/SVP_Impact_Mitigation_Guidelines-1.pdf.
Paleontological Assessment for the Almond and Valley Distribution Center
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APPENDIX A
Qualifications of Key Personnel
Todd A. Wirths, MS, PG No. 7588
Senior Paleontologist
BFSA Environmental Services, A Perennial Company
14010 Poway Road Suite A
Phone: (858) 679-8218 Fax: (858) 679-9896 E-Mail: twirths@bfsa.perennialenv.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.
BFSA Environmental Services, A Perennial Company, 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.
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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