Notice2026-02030
Notice of Inventory Completion: California Department of Transportation, Oakland, 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
February 2, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 21 (Monday, February 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 21 (Monday, February 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4600-4601]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02030]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6903; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0041923; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: California Department of
Transportation, Oakland, 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 California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) has completed an inventory of associated funerary objects
and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between the
associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the associated funerary objects in this notice
may occur on or after March 4, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the associated
funerary objects in this notice to Lindsay Busse, PQS Principal
Investigator and Cesar Villanueva, Co-Principal Investigator--
Prehistoric Archaeology, California Department of Transportation,
District 4, 111 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612, email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7e1217101a0d1f07501c0b0d0d1b3e1a110a501d1f50191108"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8de1e4e3e9feecf4a3eff8fefee8cde9e2f9a3eeeca3eae2fb">[email protected]</span></a> and <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#195a7c6a786b374f70757578776c7c6f78597d766d377a78377e766f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="07446274667529516e6b6b6669726271664763687329646629606871">[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
Caltrans, and additional information on the determinations in this
notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in its
inventory or related records. The National Park Service is not
responsible for the determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
The 354 associated funerary objects are catalog entries
representing lithics, baked clay, battered stone, a stone bead, and
fire-affected rock. Of the 354 associated funerary objects, six catalog
numbers are missing, and Caltrans and Sonoma State University (SSU)
continue to look for them. These collections are from Napa County along
Highway 29 in Napa City and are housed at SSU. The collections are the
result of Caltrans project-delivery related excavations at CA-NAP-916
(Accession Nos. 99-04 and 2001-02) between 1999 and 2001. There are no
known/documented potentially hazardous substances used to treat any of
the cultural items.
Cultural Affiliation
Based on the information available and the results of consultation,
cultural affiliation is clearly identified by the information available
about the associated funerary objects described in this notice.
Determinations
Caltrans has determined that:
<bullet> The 354 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> There is a connection between associated funerary objects
described in this notice and the Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of
the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria, California;
Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation of the Cortina Rancheria (previously listed
as Kletsel Dehe Band of Wintun Indians); and the Yocha Dehe Wintun
Nation, California.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the 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 an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with
cultural affiliation.
Repatriation of the associated funerary objects described in this
notice to a requestor may occur on or after
[[Page 4601]]
March 4, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received,
Caltrans must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to
repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the associated
funerary objects are considered a single request and not competing
requests. Caltrans 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: January 22, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-02030 Filed 1-30-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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