Pechanga builds golf course on culturally significant property

From John Gomez:

Pechanga builds golf course on culturally significant property

Below is a link to Chairman Macarro's testimony to the House Resources Committee from April 17, 2002 regarding the Great Oak Ranch and the need to protect the resources theron: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_house_hearings&docid=f:78759.wais

For those who cannot connect to the link, here is a preview of some of the most relevant testimony regarding the Great Oak Ranch and the invaluable resources that Tribe said it needed assistance in protecting from development.

"We believe the resources found on the Great Oak Ranch should be
preserved and remain within the Ranch. The sole purpose of the
acquisition is the preservation and the protection of Luiseno people's
natural and cultural resources. The Pechanga Band is committed to
protecting and preserving the invaluable and irreplaceable cultural
resources of the Pechanga and Luiseno people. The cultural resources
located within the Great Oak Ranch provide the Pechanga Band with the
unique opportunity to protect and preserve such resources on property
owned by the Tribe itself.

Once the Great Oak Ranch property is accepted into trust by the
United States, it will become part of the Pechanga Reservation. The
Tribe will exercise powers of self-government, including civil
regulatory jurisdiction, to protect the unique archaeological,
biological and cultural resources, as well as the historic and sacred
sites on the Great Oak Ranch.

Mr. Hayworth: "Chairman Macarro, does the Pechanga Tribe have any plans
for development of any kind on the Great Oak Ranch property?"

Mr. Macarro: "No, we don't. As stated in our application to
Interior/BIA, we stated or have designated there is no change
of use in the property, and the intended use and purpose is to
preserve and protect the resources that are there.
The cultural resources in particular are also very
significant. Along the base of all the foothills there are
significant old village sites, dark midden soil area, cremation
areas and associated sacred sites."


Mr. Hayworth: "... Just one follow-up, and for purposes of the record, Mr.
Chairman, does the tribe plan to use the Great Oak Ranch for
gaming purposes or any purposes other than what you have just
outlined?"

Mr. Macarro. "No, the tribe does not."


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MEDIA ADVISORY November 9, 2008



Pechanga builds golf course on culturally significant property



TEMECULA, CA – The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians will officially open The Journey at Pechanga, a daily fee golf course, this week. The Journey, a new addition to the Pechanga Resort and Casino complex in Riverside County, California, cuts through the Great Oak Ranch which was once the home of “Perry Mason” novelist Erle Stanley Gardner.



The Great Oak Ranch was the subject of a heated and costly battle from 2000 to 2003 as the Pechanga Band fought to keep SDG & E from running a power line through the property. Throughout, tribal officials stressed the need to protect the Great Oak and the many significant and invaluable cultural and archaeological resources on the Ranch from the impacts related to development.



Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) sponsored several bills aimed at protecting the Ranch from development. In a hearing on one of Congressman Issa’s bills, Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro testified to the House of Representatives Committee on Resources that, “The sole purpose of the (land) acquisition is the preservation and protection of the Luiseno people’s natural and cultural resources.”



And, when specifically asked if the Pechanga Tribe had “any plans for development of any kind on the Great Oak Ranch property”, Chairman Macarro responded as follows:



“No, we don’t. As stated … the intended use and purpose is to preserve and protect the resources that are there.”



Needless to say, the development of the golf course and other projects on land that was supposed to be free from impacts in no way reflects the “no change in use” testified to by Mr. Macarro. While the transfer of the Ranch property protected it from the proposed power line project, the transfer did not protect the Ranch or its resources from tribal development projects, including the golf course.



“The transfer of the Great Oak Ranch and eventual development of the property is tragic,” stated John Gomez, Jr.* “If the golf course project, or any other development, had been proposed on private property as culturally rich and significant as this, you better believe that tribal officials would have taken every action, whether it be lawsuits or acts of Congress, to stop it. Unfortunately, the duty to protect and preserve does not apply to tribal projects that may add to the bottom line.”



In addition to the impacts development has had on the cultural and archaeological resources on the Great Oak Ranch and the surrounding area, it appears that the tribal officials’ double-talk was reason enough for the City of Temecula and others to raise serious concerns regarding a recent bill sponsored by Congressman Issa to transfer additional lands to the United States government for the Pechanga Band.



The bill, HR 2963, which was passed in September, transferred land in Riverside and San Diego Counties for “the protection, preservation, and maintenance of the archaeological, cultural, and wildlife resources thereon”. Based on their experience with the Great Oak Ranch transfer, the City of Temecula and local residents sought and received language in HR 2963 that would restrict development. However, only time will tell if the bill language is enough to protect the invaluable cultural and archaeological resources from the development plans of tribal officials.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*As Legal Analyst for the Office of the Tribal Attorney for the Pechanga Band, John Gomez Jr. spent the better part of two years working with local, State and Federal officials to protect the Great Oak Ranch and the cultural and archaeological resources located thereon from development.