Notice2025-23180
Notice of Inventory Completion: Merced College, Merced, CA
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 18, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Merced College has completed an inventory of human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 241 (Thursday, December 18, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 241 (Thursday, December 18, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59186-59187]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23180]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6726; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041486; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: Merced College, Merced, 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), Merced College has completed an inventory of
human remains and associated funerary objects and has determined that
there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and
associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary
objects in this notice may occur on or after January 20, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice to Jeff Buechler, Social
Sciences Stop 35, Merced College, 3600 M Street, Merced, CA 95348,
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0b616e6d6d796e7225697e6e6863676e794b6668686f256e6f7e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b3d9d6d5d5c1d6ca9dd1c6d6d0dbdfd6c1f3ded0d0d79dd6d7c6">[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 Merced
College,
[[Page 59187]]
and additional information on the determinations in this notice,
including the results of consultation, can be found in the inventory or
related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the
determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
Human remains representing at least two individuals have been
identified in Merced College records as having been removed on an
unknown date from an unknown location called ``Indian Valley''. There
are multiple areas in the Central Valley area of California that are
referred to as ``Indian Valley''. No associated funerary objects are
present.
Human remains representing at least 22 individuals were located in
the Merced College Anthropology lab space in December 2019 and January
2020. They were not accompanied with any identifying information or
provenience, but it is believed that they likely had been removed from
California's Central Valley at an unknown date. The one associated
funerary object is one possible charmstone.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical
location and acquisition history of the human remains and associated
funerary objects described in this notice.
Determinations
Merced College has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of 24 individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The one object described in this notice is 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> There is a reasonable connection between the human remains
and associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Big
Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley; Big Sandy Rancheria of Western
Mono Indians of California; Bishop Paiute Tribe; Bridgeport Indian
Colony; Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California; Burns
Paiute Tribe; California Valley Miwok Tribe, California; Cedarville
Rancheria, California; Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of
California; Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California;
Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, California; Fort Bidwell Indian
Community of the Fort Bidwell Reservation of California; Fort
Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians of the Fort
Independence Reservation, California; Fort McDermitt Paiute and
Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Nevada and
Oregon; Ione Band of Miwok Indians of California; Jackson Band of Miwuk
Indians; Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe; Lovelock Paiute Tribe of the
Lovelock Indian Colony, Nevada; Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of
California; Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Paiute-
Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, Nevada; Picayune
Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California; Pyramid Lake Paiute
Tribe of the Pyramid Lake Reservation, Nevada; Reno-Sparks Indian
Colony, Nevada; Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa
Rancheria, California; Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle
Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract), California; Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
of the Fort Hall Reservation; Summit Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada;
Susanville Indian Rancheria, California; Table Mountain Rancheria;
Tejon Indian Tribe; Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River
Reservation, California; Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the
Tuolumne Rancheria of California; United Auburn Indian Community of the
Auburn Rancheria of California; Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe of the
Benton Paiute Reservation, California; Walker River Paiute Tribe of the
Walker River Reservation, Nevada; Washoe Tribe of Nevada & California
(Carson Colony, Dresslerville Colony, Woodfords Community, Stewart
Community, & Washoe Ranches); Wilton Rancheria, California; Winnemucca
Indian Colony of Nevada; and the Yerington Paiute Tribe of the
Yerington Colony & Campbell Ranch, Nevada.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the
authorized representative identified in this notice under ADDRESSES.
Requests for repatriation may be submitted by:
1. Any one or more of the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations 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 the requestor is a lineal
descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization.
Repatriation of the human remains and associated funerary objects
in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after January 20, 2026.
If competing requests for repatriation are received, Merced College
must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation.
Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains and associated
funerary objects are considered a single request and not competing
requests. Merced College is responsible for sending a copy of this
notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations
identified in this notice.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.
Dated: December 2, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-23180 Filed 12-17-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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