Attachment 7 Signed IDP.pdf

This document is an Inadvertent Discoveries Plan of Action for the Hiawatha National Forest that establishes procedures for addressing unanticipated discoveries of cultural materials, historic buildings, structural elements, and human remains during federal undertakings on public lands managed by the Forest Service.

The plan outlines three main procedural frameworks. For archaeological discoveries and historic buildings/structures, work must immediately cease within a 100-foot minimum radius, and Forest Service personnel must notify line officers, heritage staff, and law enforcement within 24 hours. Archaeological discoveries will be identified, documented, and evaluated by Forest Service Heritage Professionals meeting Secretary of Interior Professional Qualification Standards. Resources younger than 50 years lacking integrity are documented as non-designated resources and permit project resumption. Heritage resources are formally assigned Forest Service site numbers, inventoried, mapped, photographed, and subject to a 30-meter protection zone. National Register of Historic Places eligibility is evaluated through consultation with Tribal Historic Preservation Officers and State Historic Preservation Office, with site avoidance designated as the preferred protection method. For human remains and associated objects, work must cease immediately and Forest Service Law Enforcement must be contacted. The Hiawatha National Forest's ARPA/NAGPRA Plan of Action serves as the primary direction for treatment and disposition of ancestral remains and relatives. Tribal representatives receive opportunities to conduct ceremonies and participate in excavation and removal, with no destructive analyses, photographs, or public displays permitted without tribal consultation and consent. The plan was signed by representatives from the Hiawatha National Forest, Bay Mills Indian Community, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Forest Service Law Enforcement, and the State Historic Preservation Office, effective February 2025.