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SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA State regulations regarding cultural resources are described in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Appendix K and Appendix G. Both state and federal laws may be applicable for the protection of cultural resources. CEQA provides that if a "project may cause damage to an important archaeological resource,the project may have a significant effect on the environment"(CEQA, Appendix G and K). CEQA provisions regarding archaeological resources affected by earthmoving projects have been modified by Section 21083.2 of the Public Resources Code(AB 952),which requires that a lead agency determine: 1) whether a project will have a significant effect on archaeological resources; and 2) whether such resources are important. According to Appendix K, Section III of CEQA, an important archaeological resource is one which: A. Is associated with an event or person of: 1. Recognized significance in California or American history, or 2. Recognized scientific importance in prehistory; B. Can provide information which is both of demonstrable public interest and useful in addressing scientific consequential and reasonable archaeological questions; C. Has a special or particular quality such as oldest,best example,largest, or last surviving example of its kind; D. Is at least 100 years old and possesses substantial stratigraphic integrity, or E. Involves important research questions that historical research has shown can be answered only with archaeological methods. Only one of the above criteria needs to be met to quality a site for protection as an important archaeological resource. The Tracy Lakes Complex is one of the few aggregates of sites in central California that qualifies as an "important archaeological resource" under all five of the CEQA criteria that apply to prehistoric archaeological sites. Under Criterion A, the site is associated with a series of scientific events that led to the development of the Central California Taxonomic System. Beginning with the 1929 publication of early excavations by Schenck and Dawson, and continuing with the historic research by Bennyhoff published in 1977,the Tracy Lakes Complex helped lay the framework for the development of central California archaeology(Schenck and Dawson, 1929; Bennyhoff, 1977). Under Criterion B,the Tracy Lakes Complex has provided,and can continue to provide,information that is "both of demonstrable public interest and useful in addressing scientifically consequential and reasonable or archaeological questions." Residents of San Joaquin County have shown interest in material from these sites, indicated by the displays of local artifacts at the San Joaquin County Historical Society in Lodi. The acceptance of Marie Moyer's collection of artifacts from Tracy Lakes by the City of Tracy Elementary School District also indicates an interest in using local cultural resources for educational purposes. Almost 100 years ago, a representative of the Smithsonian Institute investigated 22