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Skeletons in Closets

Paucity of information is problematic

By Laura Stutchinsky

What the legal debate over the Boulder Ridge golf course obscured is the extent to which archaeological preservation rests on the shoulders of the public--a public that is largely uninformed about the history beneath its feet.

The county has spent millions excavating American Indian artifacts as a result of its many construction projects over the years, but CalTrans archaeologist Mark Hylkema points out that most of the artifacts are in storage at area universities, including San Jose State University. Santa Clara County has no museum or historical parks to display its native history, he lamented. And, she said, there's no process to feed this material into the county's schools.

When it comes to development projects, the paucity of information is even more problematic. A good deal of the archaeological record is kept secret to protect artifacts from vandalism. As a result, only a summary of the archaeologist's report on Boulder Ridge was made public. Records on file at the Sonoma repository known as the Northwest Information Center are restricted to archaeologists. No exceptions are made for Indian tribes.

It's a catch-22, says Hylkema. Archaeological records are withheld in order to shield artifacts from harm. But, when information is withheld from the public makes it hard for the community to evaluate the issues and hold developers, consultants and political representatives accountable in the planning process, before construction begins. And when it is discovered during construction, state law provides no enforcement mechanism to require construction projects to preserve archaeological materials they uncover, short of burial sites. As a result, archaeological sites continue to fall by the wayside.

"I have seen again and again and again [archaeological] sites destroyed," King said. "The very heart, the very core of the archaeological record is being chinked away."

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