Notice2025-14263
Notice of Intended Disposition: U.S. Department of the Air Force, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Santa Barbara County, CA
Primary source
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Published
July 29, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Department of the Air Force, Vandenberg Space Force Base intends to carry out the disposition of human remains and cultural items removed from Federal land to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians (SYBCI) who has priority for disposition in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 143 (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35714-35715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-14263]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6370; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0040640; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Disposition: U.S. Department of the Air Force,
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Santa Barbara County, CA
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Department of the Air Force, Vandenberg
Space Force Base intends to carry out the disposition of human remains
and cultural items removed from Federal land to the Santa Ynez Band of
Chumash Indians (SYBCI) who has priority for disposition in this
notice.
DATES: Disposition of the human remains and cultural items in this
notice may occur on or after August 28, 2025. If no claim for
disposition is received by July 29, 2026, the human remains and
cultural items in this notice will become unclaimed human remains and
cultural items.
ADDRESSES: Send written claims for disposition of the human remains and
cultural items in this notice to Josh Smallwood, Vandenberg Space Force
Base Cultural Resources, Installation Tribal Liaison Officer/Cultural
Resources Manager, SLD 30 CES/CEIEA, 1028 Iceland Avenue, Building
11146, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA 93437-6010, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ff8c8b9e9c86d18c929e93938890909bbf8c8f9e9c9a99908d9c9ad1929693"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="55262134362c7b2638343939223a3a31152625343630333a2736307b383c39">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA.
The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the
Department of the Air Force, and additional information on the human
remains and cultural items in this notice, including the results of
consultation, can be found in the related records. The National Park
Service is not responsible for the identifications in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
In support of mitigation activities carried out near Launch
Facility-04 for the Sentinel Test Program, the Department of the Air
Force, Vandenberg Space Force Base conducted data recovery excavations
at archaeological site CA-SBA-512, the ethnohistoric Chumash village of
Lospe between October 2021 and June 2023. At Locus 2, which has been
identified as an ancient shell mound, four test excavation units and 18
shovel test pits were excavated. Two of the test units encountered
human remains. The human remains were left in place in the test units
in accordance with the project's NAGPRA Plan of Action.
After consultation with the Tribe, consideration of tribal
traditional knowledge regarding shell mound funerary practices, and
further analysis of the collection, it has been determined that the
artifacts from the other two test units and all 18 shovel test pits
excavated in the shell mound should be considered unassociated funerary
items under NAGPRA. These excavations contained fragments of bone hair
pins, fishhooks, shell beads, steatite beads, obsidian and chert
projectile points, and burned or broken milling implements which could
be associated with burials at that location that have since
disintegrated, were removed historically, or were not intersected by
the recent excavations. Native American shell mounds found along the
California coast such as this one are known for containing human
burials, and while no human remains were found, artifacts suggestive of
human interments are present in the shell mound. Based on the
information available from two spatially separate test excavation
units, human remains representing at least two individuals have been
reasonably identified at the shell mound. A total of 1,063 associated
funerary objects were identified in the two excavation units which had
human remains, including flaked and ground stone tools, debitage, shell
beads, pendants and fishhooks, ground and polished stone, and faunal
remains. A total of 2,595 unassociated funerary objects were identified
in the other two units and 18 shovel test pits, again including flaked
and ground stone tools, debitage, shell beads, pendants and fishhooks,
ground and polished stone, and faunal remains. No objects of cultural
patrimony or sacred objects were identified.
Determinations
The Department of the Air Force, Vandenberg Space Force Base has
determined that:
[[Page 35715]]
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of at least two individuals of Native American
ancestry encountered in the shell mound.
<bullet> The 1,063 objects described in this notice are reasonably
believed to have been placed intentionally with or near individual
human remains at the time of death or later as part of the death rite
or ceremony.
<bullet> The 2,595 unassociated funerary objects described in this
notice are reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with
or near human remains, and are connected, either at the time of death
or later as part of the death rite or ceremony of a Native American
culture according to Native American traditional knowledge. The
unassociated funerary objects have been identified by a preponderance
of the evidence as related to human remains, specific individuals, or
families with cultural affiliation to the Chumash.
<bullet> The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians of the
Santa Ynez Reservation, California has priority for disposition of the
human remains and cultural items described in this notice.
Claims for Disposition
Written claims for disposition of the human remains and cultural
items in this notice must be sent to the appropriate official
identified in this notice under ADDRESSES. If no claim for disposition
is received by July 29, 2026, the human remains and cultural items in
this notice will become unclaimed human remains and cultural items.
Claims for disposition may be submitted by:
1. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization identified in this notice.
2. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a
preponderance of the evidence, that they have priority for disposition.
Disposition of the human remains and cultural items in this notice
may occur on or after August 28, 2025. If competing claims for
disposition are received, the Department of the Air Force, Vandenberg
Space Force Base must determine the most appropriate claimant prior to
disposition. Requests for joint disposition of the human remains and
cultural items are considered a single request and not competing
requests. The Department of the Air Force, Vandenberg Space Force Base
is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the lineal
descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations
identified in this notice and to any other consulting parties.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3002, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.7.
Dated: July 16, 2025.
Mariah Soriano,
Acting Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-14263 Filed 7-28-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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