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6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATION OF IMPACTS The nine prehistoric sites identified and recorded during the present field investigation may be very significant, as they represent a vestige of a large prehistoric settlement demonstrating the richness and diversity of ancestral Miwok lifeways. Considerable information regarding social organization, demography, subsistence and technology could be gleaned through a study of the archaeological remains at Buckeye Ranch. In addition, the property offers one of the few remaining glimpses of a relatively unaltered environment in which the ancestral Miwok lived. Finally, contemporary Miwok regard the project area as a significant representation of their past, and wish to see the cultural sites preserved. Section 21083.2(b) of CEQA requires that a reasonable effort be made to permit any or all unique archaeological resources to be preserved in place or left in an undisturbed state. Such efforts may include: (1) planning construction to avoid archaeological sites; (2) deeding archaeological sites into permanent conservation easements; (3) capping or covering archaeological sites with a layer of soil before building on the sites; and (4) planning parks, greenspace, or other open space to incorporate archaeological sites. In conferring with Dave Fisher of Robertson Homes, all the impacts to archaeological sites (including impacts to possible semisubterranean structures), as delineated in the previous section, can be avoided with modifications to the development plan. Robertson Homes proposes specific modifications enumerated below. The three remaining unimpacted sites are located in a designated Natural Zone, as discussed in the Buckeye Ranch Management Plan (Muick et al. 1991). Their protection is ensured, as this zone will be placed under a deed of conservation easement which precludes development and provides for management of resources within its domain. 34