Notice2026-05974
Notice of Proposed Transfer or Reinterment: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Waterford, NY
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
March 27, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation (NYOPRHP) proposes to transfer human remains listed in notices of inventory completion published in the Federal Register on June 27, 2024 and December 18, 2025.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 59 (Friday, March 27, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 59 (Friday, March 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14870-14871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05974]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N6975; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042296; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Proposed Transfer or Reinterment: New York State Office
of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Waterford, NY
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 New York State Office of Parks,
Recreation & Historic Preservation (NYOPRHP) proposes to transfer human
remains listed in notices of inventory completion published in the
Federal Register on June 27, 2024 and December 18, 2025.
DATES: Repatriation, transfer, or reinterment of the human remains in
this notice may occur on or after April 27, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written request for repatriation of the human remains
to Jessica Vavrasek, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation &
Historic Preservation, Peebles Island State Park, P.O. Box 189,
Waterford, NY 12188-0189, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e5af8096968c8684cbb38493978496808ea59584978e96cb8b9ccb828a93"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="87cde2f4f4eee4e6a9d1e6f1f5e6f4e2ecc7f7e6f5ecf4a9e9fea9e0e8f1">[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
NYOPRHP 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
This notice follows publication of two notices of inventory
completion in the Federal Register (89 FR 53636, June 27, 2024 and 90
FR 59177, December 18, 2025). Human remains representing, at least,
three individuals have been identified. A suspected Native American
scalp was discovered during periotic cleaning of 80+ year old exhibit
dedicated to Dan Beard located within Bear Mountain State Park as well
as a necklace containing suspected Native American hand and foot bones
with blue glass trade beads in-between the remains. The scalp was
discovered within a riker box inside of a cardboard box with ``Indian
Scalp'' written on the
[[Page 14871]]
outside in pencil. The necklace was discovered hung on a replica mantle
display. No information is available as to where, when, or how they
were acquired.
Consultation
Invitations to consult were sent to the Delaware Nation, Oklahoma;
Delaware Tribe of Indians; and the Stockbridge Munsee Community,
Wisconsin. The Delaware Nation, Oklahoma; Delaware Tribe of Indians,
and the Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin all responded yes to
NYOPRHP's request for consultation on this matter with all three
Nations agreeing that the Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin would
take the lead during this consultation.
Cultural Affiliation
The following types of information about the cultural affiliation
of the human remains in this notice are available: geographical and
historical. The information, including the results of consultation,
identified:
1. No earlier group connected to the human remains.
2. No Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization connected to the
human remains.
3. No relationship of shared group identity between the earlier
group and the Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization that can be
reasonably traced through time.
Determinations
The NYOPRHP has determined that:
<bullet> The human remains described in this notice represent the
physical remains of three individuals of Native American ancestry.
<bullet> No known lineal descendant who can trace ancestry to the
human remains in this notice has been identified.
<bullet> No Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization with
cultural affiliation to the human remains in this notice has been
clearly or reasonably identified.
<bullet> The Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin have requested
transfer of the human remains described in this notice.
Requests for Repatriation
Written requests for repatriation of the human remains in this
notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this
notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation may be submitted by
any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization
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, transfer, or reinterment of the human remains
described in this notice may occur on or after April 27, 2026. If
requests for repatriation are received, the NYOPRHP must evaluate the
requests and respond in writing to the requestors. The NYOPRHP is
responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes or
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: March 11, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-05974 Filed 3-26-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on March 27, 2026.
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