SOUNDING OFF:

After reading the latest article/self-promo from In the Pipeline columnist Chris Epting (“Saving Bolsa Chica,” April 24) most local residents must by now find his musings annoying rather than merely laughable.

Epting’s personal lament over the procedures underway to re-inter ancient remains found on the Bolsa Chica mesa include several serious allegations. In addition, he claims he is “frustrated” and “sick and tired of watching Huntington Beach’s most valuable piece of history become so desecrated and abused.”

Really, Chris?

How frustrated you must have been prior to Hearthside Homes’ development: When oil companies were drilling through the burial grounds, when piles of creosote-soaked telephone poles littered the cog stone pits, when locals were dumping trash on the grave sites, when the homeless utilized unearthed bones to stir the ashes in their cooking fires, or when kids on BMX bikes were using ancient ceremonial sites as motocross jumps. Had Epting done any research at all he would have learned that well before housing development began, the Bolsa Chica mesa was “violated” in other ways. The military excavated much of the site and installed underground bunkers, followed by vast farming operations which ploughed several feet below the topsoil.

The truth, of course, is the developer has been working with the Coastal Commission and representatives of the two tribes that have been designated most likely descendants to ensure that remains and artifacts found at the site are treated with respect.

As quoted in another article (“Tribes clash over burial items at Bolsa”) in the same issue of the Independent, Joyce Perry, cultural resources manager for one Juaneno group, stated “Our desire is to have the ancestors reburied as quickly as possible. We do not desire them to be out of the earth any longer than possible. It’s against our spiritual and religious beliefs.”

Given the amount of time humans have roamed the earth, nearly any plot of land likely has some number of skeletons beneath the surface. Where remains or culturally significant items are discovered the same general process is often followed, up to and including re-location to a new site.

As a resident and someone who has worked closely with Hearthside Homes, I believe this company is performing with due diligence in this matter. Does anyone really think they would jeopardize their flagship project by risking violation of their permit with the Coastal Commission?

Responsible reporting requires research. Epting should hold off on any further bashing until he puts a little more effort into fact-finding.

BRYAN WILLIAMS is a resident of Brightwater, a Hearthside Homes development in Huntington Beach.