Notice2025-23361
Notice of Intended Disposition: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite, CA
Primary source
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Published
December 19, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Yosemite National Park (YOSE) intends to carry out the disposition of human remains and associated funerary objects removed from Federal or Tribal lands to the lineal descendants, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization with priority for disposition in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 242 (Friday, December 19, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 242 (Friday, December 19, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59562-59563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23361]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6821; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041642; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Disposition: U.S. Department of the Interior,
National Park Service, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite, 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 U.S. Department of the Interior,
National Park Service, Yosemite National Park (YOSE) intends to carry
out the disposition of human remains and associated funerary objects
removed from Federal or Tribal lands to the lineal descendants, Indian
Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization with priority for disposition in
this notice.
DATES: Disposition of the human remains and associated funerary objects
in this notice may occur on or after January 20, 2026. If no claim for
disposition is received by December 21, 2026, the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice will become unclaimed human
remains and associated funerary objects.
ADDRESSES: Send written claims for disposition of the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice to Raymond McPadden,
Superintendent, Yosemite National Park, 9039 Village Drive, Yosemite
National Park, CA 95389, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a4ddcbd7c1fbcdcac0cdc5cafbc8cdc5cdd7cbcae4cad4d78ac3cbd2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="50293f23350f393e3439313e0f3c393139233f3e103e20237e373f26">[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
Superintendent, YOSE and additional information on the human remains
and associated funerary objects in this notice, including the results
of consultation, can be found in the related records. The National Park
[[Page 59563]]
Service is not responsible for the identifications in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
Based on the informational available, human remains representing,
at least, one individual have been reasonably identified. The
individual was discovered on March 31, 1995, by an archaeological
monitor along the cutbank of the road between Rancheria Court and the
water tank, close to a rock shelter site at CA-MRP-382. The human
remains were then accessioned into the Yosemite National Park
collections (YOSE-6108). No associated funerary objects are present.
Based on the information available, human remains representing, at
least, one individual have been reasonably identified. The individual
was discovered on June 24, 1997, by a camper within Yosemite National
Park at Housekeeping camp. The individual later found in the park
collections with a note detailing the information above but was never
accessioned into the collections. No associated funerary objects are
present.
In April 2014, human remains and associated funerary objects were
removed from the Yosemite Village Site Complex (CA-MRP-056/H), during a
subsurface survey (2014E). The intent of the survey was to further
identify and characterize the area of potential effect for the
rehabilitation of two buildings that comprise the Yosemite Valley
Emergency Services Complex. Based on the information available, human
remains representing, at least, 10 individuals have been reasonably
identified. The 63 associated funerary objects are three lots light
bulb fragments, three sherds of glass fragments, four lots of glass
fragments, two lots of mixed metal, two wire nail fragments, seven lots
of wire nail fragments, one lot of burned milled wood, one slightly
charred milled wood fragment, two lots of milled wood, one electrical
fuse, two lots of ceramic sewer pipe fragments, one whiteware ceramic
sherd, one lot of obsidian and chert debitage, one lot of obsidian and
volcanic debitage, 24 lots of obsidian debitage, three edge-modified
obsidian fragments, one obsidian discoidal edge-modified fragment, one
projectile point fragment, one granite manuport, one lot of obsidian
biface fragments, and one rodent bone.
In January 2016, human remains and associated funerary objects were
removed from the Yosemite Village Site Complex (CA-MRP-056/H), during a
subsurface survey (2015E). The intent of the survey was to resolve an
adverse effect to the site from rehabilitation of the Yosemite Valley
Emergency Services Complex. Based on the information available, human
remains representing, at least, 36 individuals have been reasonably
identified. The 186 associated funerary objects are three glass pieces,
one shell button fragment, four obsidian tinklers, one obsidian
perforator, one granite manuport, one obsidian drill, two granite
handstones, eight steatite vessel fragments, one granite cobble tool,
three obsidian edge-modified pieces (oval scrapers), 42 obsidian edge-
modified pieces, one lot of obsidian edge-modified piece fragments,
three rose spring contracting stem projectile points, four rose spring
corner notched points, one elko corner-notched projectile point, one
large stemmed dart point, three stone cores, one obsidian exhausted
core, seven obsidian biface fragments, two desert side-notched
projectile points, two cottonwood triangular projectile points, one
basalt biface fragment, 45 lots of obsidian debitage, three lots quartz
debitage, one lot obsidian and quartz debitage, one lot of obsidian and
chert debitage, six soil column samples, six light fraction soil
samples, one unidentifiable bone micro fragment, one bone bead, three
non-human tooth enamel fragments, one lot of non-human mammal bones,
and 25 non-human faunal bones.
Determinations
YOSE has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of 48 individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> The 249 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 Bishop Paiute Tribe; Bridgeport Indian Colony;
Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California; Picayune Rancheria
of Chukchansi Indians of California; and the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk
Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria of California have priority for
disposition of the human remains and associated funerary objects
described in this notice.
Claims for Disposition
Written claims for disposition of the human remains and associated
funerary objects in this notice must be sent to the appropriate
official identified in this notice under ADDRESSES. If no claim for
disposition is received by December 21, 2026, the human remains and
associated funerary objects in this notice will become unclaimed human
remains or cultural items. Claims for disposition may be submitted by:
1. Any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization identified in this notice and, if joined to a claim for
disposition from one or more of the Indian Tribes, the Southern Sierra
Miwuk Nation and the Mono Lake Kootzaduka[revaps]a Tribe, non-federally
recognized Indian groups.
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 associated funerary objects in
this notice may occur on or after January 20, 2026. If competing claims
for disposition are received, YOSE must determine the most appropriate
claimant prior to disposition. Requests for joint disposition of the
human remains and associated funerary objects are considered a single
request and not competing requests. YOSE 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: December 11, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-23361 Filed 12-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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