State agency lists Gregory Mountain as historical site

By: TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer | Monday, November 7, 2005 9:07 PM PST ∞

FALLBROOK ---- The Pala band of Mission Indians said Monday that a state agency's recent decision to label Gregory Mountain a historic site lends credence to the tribe's claim that a controversial landfill proposed nearby would intrude on culturally sensitive land.

However, representatives of the Pala tribe and an attorney representing Gregory Canyon Ltd. said the "historic" designation awarded by the state is not likely to significantly affect the status of the landfill.

The California Office of Historic Preservation voted unanimously Friday to add Gregory Mountain ---- looming above Gregory Canyon, where the controversial landfill is planned ---- to its list of historic sites.

Tribal representatives Monday said the decision was a symbolic victory that could require Gregory Canyon Ltd. to at least meet with the tribe to address cultural concerns about the location of the proposed dump.

Bill Hutton, an attorney for the developer, said there are already plans for such a meeting.

"I wasn't surprised," Hutton said of the state's decision.

He said Gregory Canyon Ltd. recognizes that the top of Gregory Mountain and a nearby site known as "Medicine Rock" are sacred to local American Indians.

"We did not object to the eligibility of those two areas," Hutton said, though Gregory Canyon Ltd. did argue that 122 acres of land that fell within its project area were not historically significant.

Pala officials said Gregory Mountain has been the site of sacred rituals and religious observances for centuries.

"It's a place of spiritual significance, where one of the Native American gods rested," said Lenore Volturno, the tribe's environmental director. "Cutting out half of the mountain is really not appropriate, for cultural reasons."

Volturno was referring to the proposed solid-waste landfill, a 320-acre facility that would accommodate 1 million tons of waste every year for 30 years.

Pala spokesman Keith Battle said the tribe was pleased that one of its most important cultural sites was recognized by the state.

"For all the tribal members who went up (to Sacramento) and spoke Friday, it was for their culture, their past generations and their future generations," Battle said. "This is a sacred site that they hold dear to their hearts."

Also known as Taakwic Mountain and Chokla, the hilltop is believed by local American Indians to be a source of healing and power, and to be frequented by the god Takwish, Battle said.

The Pala tribe's letter of application to the Office of Historic Preservation called Gregory Mountain "one of the few unbroken links with traditional life ways that have been extensively eroded over the course of the last few hundred years."

Attorneys representing Gregory Canyon Ltd. also spoke at the hearing Friday, saying that only about 122 of the 1,500 acres nominated for protection overlapped with the landfill's footprint and that those 122 acres had no basis as a historical site.

"One of the ways you determine historical importance of these sites is ... to look at indicators of use," said Hutton, the lawyer who is handling permits for the controversial project.

"There were no indicators of any use in these 122 acres ---- there were no prehistoric remains discovered at all, so that's why we believe it didn't meet the criteria under historic preservation regulations as to the west face of Gregory Mountain," Hutton said.

Hutton said he also argued that the mountain has fallen into disuse as a religious site in modern times, a notion sharply disputed by the Pala tribe.

"They say that the tribe hasn't used that site since the Mission era, and that's simply not true," Volturno said, insisting that Gregory Canyon Ltd. has ignored the cultural impacts of its proposed landfill. "When tribal members go to worship on that mountain, they're not necessarily telling anyone about it."

Battle agreed: "It's very secret to the people, and they don't advertise when they use it."

Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 731-5799 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.