From Basin and Range Watch:
At the Imperial Valley Solar Project site, cultural resources are very dense, including lithic artifacts, ceramic pieces, prehistoric camps, ancient trails, cairns, agave roasting pits, geoglyphs, sleeping circles, ancient trails, lithic workshops, fire pits, ceramics, a “village,” shell middens, geoglyphs, and a metate fragment, according the California Energy Commission Staff Assessment/Bureau of Land Management Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Cremation sites of concern to Native Americans would also potentially be disturbed by the placement of 40-foot tall SunCatcher dishes…
Fragile human remains on the project site should be completely avoided, the Tribes say (Quechan, Cocopah, and Kwaaymii), but the only choice offered them has been to cover the cremation sites with a cement cap.
Cultural experts for the CEC revealed that the Imperial Valley site has the most cultural and archaeological resources of any of the several large solar projects proposed for the California Desert, the second being the Calico Solar Project with half the density of artifacts and features. In fact, the CEC expert gave testimony at today’s hearing that the Imperial site is so dense with cultural material it surpasses in amount all other CEC cases to date.
Of course that hasn’t stopped CEC from approving the project. Read the rest.
Love the new look. I was over at your old blog reading your comments about Hawking. Very interesting. Found the post quite entertaining. I am just a poor plumber here in Atlanta trying to make sense of what is going on in our country. Whatever happens I will be there to help keep the water running. Keep up the good work. Cheers, Alan
Now we know that not only this site contain a very fragile ecosystem but important archaelogical and native american artifacts. As you have been pointing out for some time, how “green” is locating this faciity at this location when there are apparently good alternative sites that are already developed.
When will our ever expanding thirst for energy consumption stablize? Not until energy conservation becomes mandatory, that’s for sure.
Bill:www.wildramblings.com