Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office, Lakewood, CO

[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 73 (Thursday, April 16, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20479-20480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07378]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7075; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042593; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]


Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office, Lakewood, CO

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, Bureau 
of Land Management, Colorado State Office (BLM Colorado State Office) 
has completed an inventory of human remains and has determined that 
there is a cultural affiliation between the human remains and Indian 
Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

DATES: Repatriation of the human remains in this notice may occur on or 
after May 18, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains 
in this notice to Natalie Clark, Deputy Preservation Officer, Bureau of 
Land Management, Colorado State Office, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 
81506, email BLM_CO_NAGPRA@blm.gov.

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 
BLM Colorado State Office, 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

    Human remains representing at least one individual have been 
identified. No associated funerary objects are present. The human 
remains were collected by the Colorado State University Laboratory of 
Public Archaeology in 1977 from archaeological site 5MF607, a

[[Page 20480]]

sheltered architectural site in Moffat County, Colorado. The human 
remains are reasonably believed to be culturally affiliated with the 
Hopi Tribe, Pueblo of Jemez, Pueblo of Zia, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, 
Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and Ute Mountain 
Ute Tribe, based on the geographical location and the archaeological 
site type. It is unknown if but unlikely that any hazardous substances 
were used to treat the human remains.

Cultural Affiliation

    Based on the information available and the results of consultation, 
cultural affiliation is reasonably identified by the geographical 
location or acquisition history of the human remains described in this 
notice.

Determinations

    The BLM Colorado State Office has determined that:
    •  The human remains described in this notice represent the 
physical remains of one individual of Native American ancestry.
    •  There is a connection between the human remains described 
in this notice and the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Pueblo of Jemez, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the 
Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & 
Ouray Reservation, Utah; and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.

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:
    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 human remains described in this notice to a 
requestor may occur on or after May 18, 2026. If competing requests for 
repatriation are received, the BLM Colorado State Office must determine 
the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for 
joint repatriation of the human remains are considered a single request 
and not competing requests. The BLM Colorado State Office is 
responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and 
Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice and any other 
consulting parties.
    Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 
25 U.S.C. 3003, and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.10.

    Dated: April 8, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-07378 Filed 4-15-26; 8:45 am]
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