[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 82 (Wednesday, April 30, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17966-17967]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-07439]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0040033; 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 May 30, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Lindsay Busse PQS Principal Investigator, Prehistoric 
Archaeology, California Department of Transportation, District 4, 111 
Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612, telephone (510) 847-1977, email 
[email protected] and Althea Asaro, PQS Principal Investigator, 
Prehistoric Archaeology, California Department of Transportation, 
District 4, 111 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612, telephone (510) 847-
2178, email [email protected].

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

    Associated funerary objects have been identified totaling 1,182 
catalog entries representing lithics, paleobotanicals, soil samples, 
faunal remains, shell, shell beads, light fraction samples, ground 
stone, baked clay, and post-contact historic artifacts. Of the 1,182 
associated funerary objects, eight catalog numbers are missing and 
Caltrans and Sonoma State University (SSU) continue to look for them. 
These collections, known as the ``Gleason Beach Collections,'' are from 
Sonoma County along Highway 1 and are housed at SSU. The collections 
are the result of Caltrans project-delivery related excavations at the 
following sites between 1977 and 2020: CA-SON-346 (Acc. 2013-024); CA-
SON-347 (Acc. 77-016, 2013-028, 2019-061, 2020-005, and an 
unaccessioned 2003 collection); CA-SON-2585 (Acc. 2013-026); CA-SON-
2612 (Acc. 2013-027); and CA-SON-465/H (Acc. 2013-025). There are no 
known/documented potentially hazardous substances used to treat any of 
the cultural items. As a result of consultation, the Kashia Band of 
Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria deferred to the Federated 
Indians of Graton Rancheria.

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:
     The 1,182 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.

[[Page 17967]]

     There is a connection between the associated funerary 
objects described in this notice and the Federated Indians of Graton 
Rancheria, 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 May 30, 2025. 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: April 15, 2025.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2025-07439 Filed 4-29-25; 8:45 am]
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