Minutes from the first meeting of the Cultural and Historical Resources Technical Advisory Team held Monday, June 28, 1999, 10:00 a.m. in conference Room D at the Pima County Public Works Center, 201 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson AZ 85701.
Present were the following individuals:
Dr. Paul Fish, Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona
Dr. Beth Grindell, Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona
Ms. Sue Wells, National Park Service, Western Archaeological Conservation
Center
Ms. Mary Farrell, U.S. Forest Service, Coronado National Forest
Mr. Joe Joaquin, Tohono O'odham Nation, Office of Cultural Preservation
Mr. Peter Steere, Tohono O'odham Nation, Office of Cultural Preservation
Mr. David Cushman, Pima County staff
Ms. Linda Mayro, Pima County staff
Ms. Maeveen Behan, Pima County staff
Team members not present:
Mr. Max Witkind, Bureau of Land Management, Tucson Area Office
Ms. Christina Ramiriz, Pasqua Yaqui Tribe
No members of the public were present at the meeting. Maeveen Behan joined the meeting at approximately 11:00 a.m.
David Cushman opened the meeting at approximately 10:10 a.m. and welcomed the participants. He asked each of the participants to give a brief introduction and summary of their professional background. A sign in sheet was circulated and the participants were directed to the agenda items and handout materials.
At approximately 10:20 Linda Mayro spoke about the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, specifically the problems of growth and development pressure that Pima County is attempting to solve. She provided statistics to illustrate the problem and briefly described the Section 10 permit under the Endangered species Act and how that is the driving force behind the Plan. She mentioned that Pima County is taking a landscape view of the problem of historic preservation; instead of attempting to save a site here and a site there Pima County wishes to set aside land that contains the highest natural and cultural resource values.
At approximately 10:40 Mr. Cushman spoke about the role of the Technical Advisory Teams, specifically the cultural and historic resources team. He stated the purpose of the team and explained what the team would be doing. Paul Fish asked what the results of the team's effort would be. Mr. Cushman explained that the team would be compiling data and contracting for professional services to collect information in report form on cultural and historic resources, and that the team would be evaluating this information, and making management recommendations to the Steering Committee based on these reports. The process would include developing scopes of work, contracting for the services, reviewing the research products, making corrections as needed, and then synthesizing the findings into a preliminary report. These findings will be used to evaluate the resources and then to prepare a final report to the Steering Committee containing the Team's management recommendations.
Mr. Cushman went on to point out that the Team will be concerned with all types of Cultural Resources not just archaeological sites, but the built environment too, as well as traditional cultural properties, sacred places, and rural historic landscapes. As such, he pointed out that contracting for the necessary studies will mean working with archaeologists, historians, and ethnographers. Mr. Cushman noted that given the scale and comprehensive nature of the effort, it will be very important to have a clear understanding of the mission of the team and he used this to shift into a discussion of the draft mission statement.
Mr. Cushman reviewed the primary objectives of the Team as presented in the mission statement and finished by emphasizing the ultimate objective, which is to be the county's experts on historic preservation for the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan and to advise the Steering Committee about how to manage Pima County's cultural resources under the Plan.
Maeveen Behan entered the room at approximately 11:00 and at approximately 11:10 she spoke to the group about the history of the Plan from its inception about a year ago. She explained that listing the Pygmy owl in 1997 has had the effect of halting development in some areas all together and piece-mealing development in others because of the threat of legal action. She described the difference between Section 9 and Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act and how this affects the politics and economics of growth in Pima County. Ms. Behan then referred the group to a handout she distributed that shows the organizational relationship between the Steering Committee and the Technical Teams under the Plan. She explained the role of the technical teams in gathering and supplying the Steering Committee technical information and recommendations and noted that the Cultural and Historical Resources Team had an unique opportunity to influence the preservation of cultural resources in Pima County for the life of the permit, which could be 25 years or more.
Mr. Cushman then pointed out that since the Plan will be used as the basis for the county's Comprehensive Plan, and that the Comprehensive Plan is the basis for local zoning decisions, the Team has the opportunity to affect land use planning at the local level and that this is where the real power is. Ms. Behan agreed.
Ms. Behan pointed out that funding for the necessary studies was being sought through the Department of the Interior's budget request for the next fiscal year and that so far there seems to be support for the funding on both the Senate and House sides. The hope is that money will be allocated at one million dollars a year for the next three years. She also explained that the county had to do two things with the Plan in order get its Section 10 permit: commit to the Plan and demonstrate that money is available to make the plan work. She pointed out that the federal government may be able to help the county in this regard.
Peter Steere asked a series of questions to Ms. Behan related to the Tohono O'odham's concern with problems that they are having with federal agencies in managing impacts to natural and cultural resources. He wanted to know if the Sonoran Desert conservation Plan was going to affect these problems. Ms. Behan responded positively be saying the Plan provided the opportunity to facilitate discussions among a wide range of parties that are trying to work out solutions to various problems now. Mr. Steere wanted to know when money would be available and would money be able to be used to acquire land for the protection of cultural sites. Ms. Behan explained that money for land acquisition might be available but through the Land and Water Conservation Fund
At approximately 12:30 p.m., Mr. Cushman recommended that the meeting adjourn. He reminded the group to review the mission statement and to get comments back to him in a couple of weeks. He also asked the group to look at the address list and make any corrections and additions that need to be made, especially fax numbers and email addresses.
Ms. Mayro asked Beth Grindell if she could give the group an update on the AZSITE contract with Pima County. Dr. Grindell said yes. Ms. Mayro also recommended that we discuss the GIS (geographical Information Systems) aspects of the data collection and analysis reminding the group that most if not all of the natural and cultural resources data will be organized into this format for manipulation. She recommended that John Regan, the county's GIS specialist, attend the next meeting.
Mr. Cushman recommended that they Team meet at least once more before the October 16th training session. Ms. Mayro explained that these training sessions are the "boot camp" for the Steering Committee to educate them about the subject matter relevant to the Plan. She noted that several historic preservation professionals have been contacted about giving presentations on subjects including historic architecture, archaeology, traditional cultural properties, and regional planning for cultural resources management. Mr. Steere recommended that the Tohono O'odham Nation be invited to participate as well.
Mr. Cushman asked when the best time for the next meeting would be and offered Monday, August 30, at 10:00 a.m. in the same place, the Pima County Public Works Center. All agreed.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 12:40 p.m.