The federally recognized Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians was consulted on this matter. The recommendations of the Tribe’s cultural resource team have been incorporated into the Specific Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report. Worthy of note, the developer agreed to address concerns raised by the Tribe concerning the remnants of an old adobe structure on site, even though the Tribe acknowledged that the adobe has no apparent tribal significance.
Some of the most notable resources are the ancient rock art panels located along the base of the Coral Mountain. Unfortunately, because of unrestricted public access to the site over the past few decades, some of these 2000-year-old features have sadly been vandalized.
The Coral Mountain plan proposes to stabilize and preserve these sensitive resources. The developer has been working with the Desert Recreation District on a trail connection through the project site, near the base of the Coral Mountain, which would allow the public to continue to enjoy limited access to the site and better protect the resources.
Additionally, tribal monitors and archaeologists will observe all earth moving activity to ensure any resources that are encountered are properly recovered, catalogued, and curated.
The project has exceeded requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act in its commitment to preserve and curate the authentic pre-historic and historic resources onsite and they will be interpreted as part of the site experience for future visitors and residents.