In The Pipeline:

Have you ever heard of ORA 83?

This is from the Bolsa Chica Land Trust website: “One of the most unique and significant archaeological sites in coastal Southern California lies within the Bolsa Chica. Known as ORA 83, this site contains evidence of an 8,000-year-old village site and burial ground on the grassland mesa, now proposed for a residential tract.” As you may know, that’s where the Brightwater housing complex is being developed.

More from the site: “It is the last remaining Early Holocene coastal village in Orange County, California. At least 25 known burial sites are within ORA 83. The precious nature of this site is even more profound with the loss of a second nearby site for construction of housing units. Over 1,000 ‘cogged’ stones have been found on the Bolsa Chica Mesa, possibly a manufacturing site of these mysterious artifacts.”

Have you heard of cogged stones? They are fascinating. Lastly, from the Land Trust site: “Various theories about the religious or social use of the cogged stones abound. While cogged stones are found at other sites in the region, they are few. No other site shows indications of cogged stone manufacture. Prehistorically, ORA 83 was situated near the mouth of the Santa Ana River and the beginning of a known natural transportation corridor that stretched into the Mojave Desert. ORA 83 had a profound influence in the region and probably was the hub of a ritual interaction sphere.”

OK, so now you’re up to speed on ORA 83 and cogstones. Why the quick lesson? Well there’s a letter circulating, which I had the opportunity to read this week. Sent to the California Coastal Commission from Larry Meyers at the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)it details how upset the commission is becoming over the shoddy reporting work being done at ORA 83 by Hearthside Homes, developer of Brightwater.

In case you missed it, Hearthside has landed in even more hot water recently (after erecting the infamous, bird-killing “Wall of Death”) for not disclosing many of the discoveries they made at the site — discoveries that are supposed to be cataloged, detailed and reported in a timely manner (before being reburied out of respect for the tribe).

Hundreds, perhaps thousands of cogstones and other artifacts may be at issue, and it seems like a war may soon break out between the developer and tribal representative over the missteps.