Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
the consulting parties and the ACHP during development of a programmatic agreement to resolve
the adverse effect.
Evaluation of Resource Significance
The Forest Service has evaluated the cultural resources identified for the EIS to determine if they
are eligible for listing on the NRHP. The evaluation of resources located on State Trust Land was
done in consultation with the State Land Office. This evaluation was conducted to determine
those resources that have status as historic properties, which is needed in order to determine the
effect of the project on historic properties under Section 106 of the NHPA and 36 CFR Part 800.
Properties eligible for the NRHP must have significance in American history, archaeology,
architecture, engineering, or culture. The guidelines for evaluation of significance can be found in
36 CFR 60.4. In order for a cultural resource to be considered significant, the resource must meet
at least one of four significance criteria:
1. Association with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of
our history.
2. Association with the lives of persons significant in our past.
3. Embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that
represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a
significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction.
4. Have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
The property must also possess integrity, or the ability to convey its significance. The NRHP
recognized seven aspects or qualities that, in varying combinations, define integrity. These are:
location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. In the case of
properties that possess traditional cultural significance, it is also important to consider the
integrity of relationship and condition, in addition to the previous seven aspects of integrity.
Compliance Status
The Forest Service has conducted cultural resource investigations, tribal consultation, and
consultation with consulting parties, all in an effort to identify significant resources in the APEs,
ascertain their NRHP eligibility, and determine the effect of the project on eligible historic
properties. As of the availability of this draft EIS, the Forest Service has collected information on
archaeological and ethnographic resources in the APEs, and has received input from the tribes
and consulting parties on the APEs, resources in the APEs, NRHP eligibility of resources, and the
potential effect of the project on eligible properties.
The Forest Service is still collecting information on eligible properties in the APEs. Ongoing
work includes additional resource recording, consulting on the report of the dewatering discharge
pipeline survey, consulting on the report of the archaeological testing and geomorphological
study, and continued tribal consultation.
The next steps will include development by the Forest Service of a Section 106 compliance
document that summarizes all of the cultural resource investigations and results; describes the
tribal consultation activities and input; describes the consulting party consultation process; and
presents and supports the Forest Service’s determinations of resource eligibility and project
314 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest