Search Results for agency_names:"Interior Department"

The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, plans to return several cultural items to Native American tribes, in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). These items include four unassociated funerary objects and five objects of cultural patrimony, such as baskets, which have significant cultural connections to the Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation in California. The repatriation of these items can start on or after February 18, 2025. Competing claims for repatriation will be resolved by the museum, and the announcement is also open for any additional claims from descendants or affiliated tribes.

The Arizona State Museum, under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), plans to return certain objects of cultural patrimony to affiliated Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. The items include a lot of modified bone, originally obtained by the Gila Pueblo Foundation in 1934, and now linked to the United Auburn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria of California. The repatriation can happen after May 12, 2025, and other tribes can request the items if they show they have cultural ties. If there are conflicting requests, the museum will decide the most appropriate recipient.

The Office of Hearings and Appeals within the Department of the Interior has announced the delay of an interim final rule's effective date. Originally set to take effect on February 10, 2025, it will now be effective on March 21, 2025. This decision aligns with a directive from President Trump's memo titled "Regulatory Freeze Pending Review," which advises delaying rules to allow further review. The delay was implemented without public comment due to exemptions allowing immediate action when feedback is impractical or contrary to public interest.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a draft recovery plan for Jones cycladenia, a plant listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The plan outlines specific criteria and management actions needed to conserve the plant and potentially remove it from the list. Public comments are requested by March 15, 2021, to aid in finalizing the plan. The aim is to maintain stable populations across its habitat while addressing threats like energy development, and enhancing genetic diversity through seed or tissue collections.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum has completed an inventory of human remains under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and found a cultural link between these remains and certain Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. The remains, including scalp locks and navel amulets associated with Native American Plains cultures, represent at least eight individuals. The museum plans to repatriate these remains to identified tribes beginning April 18, 2025. Competing requests for repatriation will require the museum to determine the most appropriate parties for repatriation.

The Bureau of Land Management, part of the Interior Department, has issued an order to protect certain public lands in Douglas County, Oregon, from mining for 20 years. This order affects approximately 103.92 acres of lands managed by the Bureau, safeguarding the recreational value of three sites: Island Creek Recreation Area, Iron Mountain Recreation Area, and Olalla-Thompson Day Use Recreation Area. While these lands are withdrawn from mining activities, they remain open for mineral and geothermal leasing. Moreover, if the government acquires additional non-Federal lands or mineral interests in this area in the future, those will also be protected under this order.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is inviting public comments on proposed amendments to habitat conservation plans for the lesser prairie-chicken in areas including Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. These amendments involve changes to incidental take permits following updated boundaries for the lesser prairie-chicken's range. The public and various government levels can comment until February 13, 2025. The proposed amendments aim to expand conservation efforts and permit coverage without altering the original duration or scope of the plans.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service at Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, plans to transfer the human remains found on Federal or Tribal lands to the correct Native American families or groups, in line with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The remains, discovered during an analysis at the Aniakchak Bay Village Site in Alaska, belong to at least one person of Native American ancestry and are currently stored in Anchorage, Alaska. The Chignik Bay Tribal Council and several other Native American communities have the first rights to claim these remains. If there are no valid claims by March 18, 2026, the remains will become unclaimed.

The document is a notice from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior announcing that the class III gaming compacts between three Tribes in California and the State of California have been extended. The Tribes involved are the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, Cher-Ae-Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria, and the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians of California. These compacts have been extended until December 31, 2025. The extension does not change any other terms of the existing agreements and therefore does not require approval from the Secretary.

The National Park Service is inviting public comments on the significance of certain properties that were nominated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places before February 13, 2021. Comments can be submitted electronically by March 9, 2021, and details on how to submit are provided. The nominations include properties in several states such as Arizona, California, Georgia, and Texas, among others. The notice emphasizes that personal information in comments may be made publicly available, although there is an option to request withholding of such information.