Notice2026-11237
Notice of Intended Repatriation: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Sacramento, 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
June 4, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of sacred objects and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 107 (Thursday, June 4, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 107 (Thursday, June 4, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33743-33744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-11237]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[N7198; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042930; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Intended Repatriation: California Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection, Sacramento, 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 Forestry and
Fire Protection intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet
the definition of sacred objects and that have a cultural affiliation
with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES: Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on
or after July 6, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the
cultural items in this notice to Helen Lopez, CAL FIRE, 715 P Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814, email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3f575a535a511153504f5a457f59564d5a115c5e11585049"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2b434e474e450547445b4e516b4d42594e05484a054c445d">[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
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and additional
information on the determinations in this notice, including the results
of consultation, can be found in the summary or related records. The
National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this
notice.
Abstract of Information Available
A total of 63 cultural items have been requested for repatriation.
The 63 sacred objects are biface fragments, projectile points,
debitage, scrapers, pestles, groundstone, and metates.
Based on information available, sacred objects from nine sites have
been identified. The 63 lots of sacred objects include biface
fragments, projectile points, debitage, scrapers, pestles, groundstone,
and metates. These cultural items were collected by the California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection during archaeological
surveys and site investigations for projects during the 1980s and
1990s.
The 63 cultural items originate from the following nine sites and
areas in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity Counties, California: CA-MEN-
2443, CA-TRI-865, CA-TRI-1314, CA-TRI-1317, CA-HUM-820, CA-HUM-840, CA-
HUM-852, CA-HUM-856, CA-HUM-876. The cultural items from the following
sites have been accessioned at Sonoma State University: CA-MEN-2443,
CA-TRI-1314, CA-TRI-1317, CA-HUM-852, CA-HUM-856, and a portion of CA-
HUM-876. The cultural items from the following sites have been
accessioned at the California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection Sacramento Headquarters: CA-TRI-865, CA-HUM-820, CA-HUM-840,
and a portion of CA-HUM-876. Collections were treated with substances
for labeling and identification and are unlikely to be potentially
hazardous.
Determinations
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has
determined that:
<bullet> The 63 sacred objects described in this notice are
specific ceremonial objects needed by a traditional Native American
religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional
Native American religion, according to the Native American traditional
knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian
organization.
<bullet> There is a connection between the cultural items described
in this notice and the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria,
California.
Requests for Repatriation
Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items
in this
[[Page 33744]]
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
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 cultural items in this notice to a requestor
may occur on or after July 6, 2026. If competing requests for
repatriation are received, the California Department of Forestry and
Fire Protection must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to
repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the cultural items are
considered a single request and not competing requests. The California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is responsible for sending a
copy of this notice to the 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. 3004 and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9.
Dated: May 29, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-11237 Filed 6-3-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 4, 2026.
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