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]
[Page 20486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07385]



[[Page 20486]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[N7076; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042594; 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 associated funerary 
objects and has determined that there is a cultural affiliation between 
the human remains and associated funerary objects and Indian Tribes or 
Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.

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

ADDRESSES: Send written requests for repatriation of the human remains 
and associated funerary objects 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. The one associated funerary object is a charcoal sample. In 
1975, human remains representing a minimum of one individual were 
removed from archaeological site 5MN368 (Weimer Ranch, Battleship 
site), in Montrose County, CO. The site was excavated by Metropolitan 
State College (MSC) field school classes. In approximately 1999, the 
Rimrocker Historical Society acquired collections from MSC, including 
the Weimer Ranch, Battleship site, as well as several other sites 
excavated in various locations around Colorado by the MSC field school 
classes. In 2007, Fort Lewis College Center of Southwest Studies 
acquired a portion of these collections from the Rimrocker Historical 
Society through a transfer of other site collections. These collections 
have been held at Fort Lewis College since 2007. The human remains and 
associated funerary object are reasonably believed to be culturally 
affiliated with the Hopi Tribe of Arizona; Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Zia, New Mexico; Santo Domingo Pueblo; Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the 
Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & 
Ouray Reservation, Utah; Ute Mountain Ute Tribe; Ysleta del Sur Pueblo; 
and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation, New Mexico, based on the 
geographical location and the archaeological site type. The human 
remains and associated funerary object have not been treated with 
hazardous materials.

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 and associated 
funerary object 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.
    •  The one object described in this notice is 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.
    •  There is a connection between the human remains and 
associated funerary objects described in this notice and the Hopi Tribe 
of Arizona; Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico; Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Cochiti, New Mexico; Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Jemez, New Mexico; Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico; Pueblo of Nambe, New 
Mexico; Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico; Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico; Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico; 
Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico; Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico; Pueblo 
of Santa Clara, New Mexico; Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico; Pueblo of 
Tesuque, New Mexico; Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico; Santo Domingo Pueblo; 
Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado; 
Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Utah; Ute Mountain 
Ute Tribe; Ysleta del Sur Pueblo; and the Zuni Tribe of the Zuni 
Reservation, New Mexico.

Requests for Repatriation

    Written requests for repatriation of the human remains and 
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 human remains and associated funerary objects 
described in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after May 18, 
2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the 
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State 
Office must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to 
repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the human remains and 
associated funerary objects are considered a single request and not 
competing requests. The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land 
Management, 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. 2026-07385 Filed 4-15-26; 8:45 am]
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