## CERTIFIED MAIL -- Return Receipt Requested

October **XX**, 2002

Dr. Knox Mellon

California State Historic Preservation Officer

Office of Historic Preservation

## California Department of Parks and Recreation

P.O. Box 942896

Attention: Dr. Hans Kreutzberg, 106 Unit

Subject: Environmental Assessment -- Rehabilitation of Main Park Road
(Park Route 12) From near Cap Rock intersection to the Geology Tour
Road, Package 291

Dear Dr. Mellon:

In sending out public review copies of the environmental assessment (EA)
for the rehabilitation of the main park road (Park Route 12) at Joshua
Tree National Park, we inadvertently did not transmit a review copy of
the EA for this project to your office. Review copies of this EA were
sent to American Indian tribes that have expressed an interest in Joshua
Tree National Park on August 21, 2002, and a list of recipients is
attached for your information.

Because the EA document should have been submitted to you for your
review over 30 days ago, we would like to consult with you in an effort
to rectify this situation.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY

In cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration Joshua Tree
National Park proposes to rehabilitate the section of Park Route 12 from
near Cap Rock intersection to the Geology Tour Road intersection. As
described in the accompanying environmental assessment, we have
evaluated two alternatives for the rehabilitation of Route 12, and
believe that the preferred alternative, which is described on pages
33-39, would have the least affect on all resources.

In 2001 and 2002, archeologists from the National Park Service performed
an intensive archeological survey of the road project corridor,
including the proposed parking lot areas. During the records search
prior to the fieldwork, 13 previously recorded sites were identified
adjacent to or near the proposed road construction segment. The NPS
archeologists established that seven of these 13 sites (CA-RIV-93, 137,
344, 355, 357, 1938, and 4837) are outside of the project APE. Of the
six sites remaining within the project APE (CA-RIV-346, 359, 960, 1937,
1959, and 4836) two were proposed as eligible for inclusion in the
National Register. These sites are CA-RIV 346 and CA-RIV-1959. Although
CA-RIV-346 and 1959 are located within the APE, they are outside of the
road right-of-way.

Identified archeological sites would be protected with temporary fencing
and monitored during construction. If during construction previously
undiscovered archeological resources are discovered, all work in the
immediate vicinity of the discovery would be halted until the resources
could be identified and documented and an appropriate mitigation
strategy developed, if necessary, in consultation with your office. In
the unlikely event that human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects,
or objects of cultural patrimony are discovered during construction,
provisions outlined in the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (25 USC 3001) of 1990 would be followed.

It is anticipated that construction related impacts to these
archeological resources will be negligible and short-term. Applying the
criteria of effect found in 36 CFR 800, the NPS has determined that
there will be an effect on cultural resources, but that it will not be
adverse (page 38). Accordingly, we are seeking your concurrence with
this finding of no adverse effect. If you concur, please sign in the
space provided below and return the letter to:

> Ernest Quintana, Superintendent
>
> Joshua Tree National Park
>
> 74485 National Park Drive
>
> Twentynine Palms, California 92277

Your earliest reply to this letter is urgently requested to avoid
delaying the project construction schedule. Again, our apologies for not
transmitting the environmental assessment for this project to you in
August of 2002. We will follow-up on this correspondence with a
telephone call to your office to ascertain if you have any concerns
regarding this project.

If you should have any questions or require additional information,
please do not hesitate to contact either Jan Keswick of my staff at
(760) 367-5570 or Denver Service Center Cultural Resource Specialist
Jane Sikoryak at (303) 969-2425

Sincerely,

Ernest Quintana

Superintendent, Joshua Tree National Park

Enclosure:

1.  Environmental Assessment Joshua Tree National Park Rehabilitation of
    Main Park Road: Cap Rock Intersection to Geology Tour Road, 2002

2.  List of EA recipients

I Concur:

California State Historic Preservation Officer Date

cc: all w/o enc.

PWR-Regional Director

PWR-PGBSSO-Walters

PWR-CCSO-Cultural Resource Team Leader

WACC-Teague, Neff

JOTR-Keswick

bcc: all w/o enc.

DSC-PM-Campbell

DSC-PSD-Jarvis, Sikoryak

DSC-PIFS