When developers and public agencies assess the environmental impact to their projects, they must consider “Cultural Resources” as an aspect of the environment in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines. These “Cultural Resources” can include Native American graves and artifacts; natural resources used for food, ceremonies or traditional crafts and places that have special significance because of spiritual power associated with them.
When projects are proposed in areas where cultural resources are likely to be affected, one way to avoid damage to cultural resources and minimized litigation associated with the project is to perform archaeological testing, with Native American monitor and/or consultant on site during part or all of the construction work. By working with and acting as a liaison between Native American, Archeologist, developers, contractor and public agencies, a Native American monitor and/or consultant can see that cultural resources are treated appropriately from the Native American point of view.