SOUNDING OFF:

“Developer keeps permit” (Nov. 20) revealed the tragedy of the situation regarding the archaeological site at Bolsa Chica Brightwater development. Commissioner Mary K. Shallenberger got it right when she said, “We have a long and unattractive history of not understanding and not respecting Native American sacred sites.”

There has never been any doubt that the Cogged Stone site at Bolsa Chica was of international significance. The State Historic Preservation Commission voted in 2001 overwhelmingly to approve listing the Cogged Stone site as a historic site. The only other locations on Earth that have such a concentration of the 8,000-year-old cogged stones are two sites in Chile, the Huentelauquen site and Quebrada Las Conchas. That alone speaks to the amazing significance of this site.

What is being missed in the Coastal Commission decision is the tragic loss of our collective history. Eight thousand years ago these first people of our region lived here, raised their families, fished the waters off Bolsa Chica, fashioned tools and jewelry, manufactured these mysterious cogged stones, traveled to Catalina and laid their loved ones to rest. All of this was happening 4,000 years before Stonehenge was built, and more than 3,000 years before the pyramids of Egypt were constructed.

The fact that it is the last early Holocene coastal village site with an associated cemetery in Orange County should give us all pause. If this had been a Christian or Jewish burial site, the site would be treated with reverence it deserves. What can be done to recover and remember our collective history?

The Bolsa Chica is not only a place of international ecological significance, but it also sits at the crossroads of history and has huge historical significance. There are still six acres left of this prehistoric archaeological site. The Bolas Chica Land Trust and others are actively pursuing funding opportunities to acquire and preserve the last remnants of this unique archaeological site.

PAUL ARMS is president of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.