19laro23_Plan of Action_v2.pdf

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Lake Roosevelt National

Recreation Area

1008 Crest Drive

Coulee Dam, WA 99116

509-754-7800 phone

509-633-9332 fax

LAKE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL RECREATION AREA MEMORANDUM

19laro23 - Plan of Action for the Inadvertent Discovery of Human Remains or Cultural

Items

January 21, 2025

Re: Realign and Stabilize Hawk Creek Road (PEPC# 64995)

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA; 25

U.S.C. §3001-3013) and the Archeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA; 16 U.S.C. §470aa-

470mm), the following procedures should be followed in the event that either human remains, or other cultural materials are inadvertently discovered within the boundaries of the Lake Roosevelt

National Recreation Area (LRNRA):

1) If potential human remains or other cultural materials are encountered, any activity in the within 30 meters (100 feet) of the discovery shall cease and the following actions should be followed:

a. If the specific location of the remains or cultural items are known, they should be left in-place and the area should be secured and protective measures should be taken to assure that the remains are not in danger of further depredation or disturbance. This may include the temporary reburial of the remains or items in the location where they were found and this location documented so that the remains can be relocated.

b. If the specific location of the remains or cultural items are unknown (i.e., if they were recovered from a ground disturbing sample or were found in a spoil pile) the remains should be collected and the location of the discovery should be recorded as accurately as possible (i.e., UTMs, LAT/LONG, etc.).

*Do not take any photographs of the remains if they are thought to be human.

Taking overview photographs and GPS points of the location are permitted for the sole purpose of providing information to facilitate the relocation of the discovery.

2) If the inadvertent discovery is of human remains immediately contact a National

Park Service law enforcement ranger through the following dispatch phone numbers:

a. South District (Lincoln and Grant Counties) – Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office

i. (509) 725-3501 non-emergency

b. North District (Stevens and Ferry Counties) – Stevens’ County Sheriff’s Office

i. (509) 684-2555 non-emergency

*Be prepared to provide the operator your name, contact method/information, location and the type of assistance you require. Communicate that you are located within the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (LRNRA) and seeking the assistance of a Law Enforcement Officer with the National Park Service.

c. If neither dispatch can be reached, then the National Park Service Visitor and

Resource Protection (VRP) Office may be reached directly by calling the VRP

Ranger Message Line or the Chief Ranger of Visitor and Resource Protection:

i. VRP Ranger Message Line: (509) 754-7872; Office

ii. District Ranger : (509) 754-7861; Office

d. If cell phone service is unavailable, you should attempt to contact an NPS ranger via LRNRA radio frequencies. Please use Radio Call#s if known otherwise ask for assistance from “any NPS Ranger”. Human remains and cultural materials are sensitive resources so please be discreet with sharing details and locational information over the radio. Please only share what is necessary to contact a ranger, share your location and inform them of your needs. The use of euphuisms such as “sensitive resources”, or similar, for the discovery may be appropriate.

3) If the inadvertent discovery is of human remains OR cultural materials contact the

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area Archaeologist/Cultural Resource Program

Manager. If the Archaeologist/Cultural Resource Program Manager cannot be reached, please contact the Chief of Integrated Resource Management:

a. Dr. Justin E. Eichelberger - Archaeologist/Cultural Resource Program Manager

i. (509) 631-4191; cell phone available 24 hours a day; or

b. Jon Edwards – Chief of Integrated Resource Management

i. (509) 879-5981; cell phone

4) The responding NPS ranger will also notify the LRNRA Cultural Resource Program

Manager/Archaeologist and the appropriate NPS District Ranger. If the inadvertent discovery is of human remains the District Ranger will also notify the Chief Ranger who will in turn notify the Superintendent's office about the discovery.

5) The LRNRA Cultural Resource Program Manager/Archaeologist or the Chief of

Integrated Resource Management will notify the appropriate tribal representatives once the scene has been secured by law enforcement. If there is any doubt about which tribe should be contacted, both tribes should be consulted. The LRNRA

Cultural Resource Program Manager will also contact the Bureau of Reclamation

(BoR) Archaeologist for the Grand Coulee Dam Project Area (GCDPA) and the

Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP).

6) The LARO Cultural Resource Program Manager/Archaeologist in coordination with the appropriate tribe(s), the Bureau of Reclamation and the Washington State

Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) will develop a specific Plan of Action (PoA) for the inadvertent discovery. The approved plan of action will include for:

a. The treatment of the human remains or cultural materials in the field. This may include plans for the recovery of any remains or cultural materials and/or the reburial of the remains or cultural materials on-site;

b. The transportation, handling and storage of any human remains or cultural materials collected from the field, if any were collected; and

c. The recording of any details of the remains and/or cultural materials to be shared with/by the NPS, via a report, with the intent to support/evaluate a claim for repatriation under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

(NAGPRA) and/or for the creation or update of an archaeological site form.

7) Once all of the parties involved have been consulted and a Plan of Action is approved and executed activities may proceed within the area of the inadvertent discovery only under the terms of the approved Plan of Action (PoA).

8) List of Contacts

a. See Attached

National Park Service – Lake Roosevelt National

Recreation Area

1. Dispatch: Stevens and Ferry Counties Office: (509) 684-2555

2. Dispatch: Lincoln and Grant Counties Office: (509) 725-3501

3. VRP Ranger Message Line Office: (509) 754-7872

4. Karl Danforth District Ranger of Visitor and Resource Protection

Office: (509) 754-7861

5. Justin Eichelberger Cultural Resource Program Manager/Archaeologist

Office: (509) 754-7860

Cell: (509) 631-4191

6. Jon Edwards Chief of Integrated Resource Management

Office (HQ): (509) 754-7829

Office (KF): (509) 754-7876

Cell: (509) 879-5981