Burial Sites Preservation Board Thursday, June 3, 2021 10:30 AM Via Teleconference
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Burial Sites Preservation Board Thursday, June 3, 2021 10:30 AM Via Teleconference AGENDA I. Welcome and Call to Order II. Roll Call, for Determination of Quorum III. Approval of Agenda IV. Approval of Minutes V. Introductions and Welcome of Guests VI. Committee Reports i. Budget Committee ii. Transition Committee • Consideration of revisions to by-laws iii. Consideration of draft conflict of interest document VII. Wisconsin Inter-Tribal Repatriation Committee Report VIII. Consideration of Applications for Completion and Entry to and/or Removal from the Registry of Interested Persons IX. Wisconsin Historical Society Staff Report i. Report on All Determinations Pertaining to the Disposition of Human Remains and Associated Burial Objects ii. State Historic Preservation Officer Report iii. SHPO Compliance Section Report • Determinations Pertaining to Uncatalogued Burial Sites • Catalogued Burial Site Permit Request Decisions • Unauthorized/Unpermitted Burial Site Disturbances iv. Office of the State Archaeologist Staff Report X. New Business XI. Public Comment XII. Announcements XIII. Adjournment Burial Sites Preservation Board Phone: 608.516.7130 c/o Paul Reckner Email: [email protected] Wisconsin Historical Society 816 State Street Madison, WI 53706 State of Wisconsin BURIAL SITES PRESERVATION BOARD MINUTES OF THE WISCONSIN BURIAL SITES PRESERVATION BOARD Thursday, March 4 2020 10:30 AM Meeting Held Via Teleconference I. CALL TO ORDER Board Vice-Chair Cynthia Stiles called the meeting to order at 10:34 A.M. II. ROLL CALL • Present: Ms. Cynthia Stiles, Dr. Jennifer Haas, Dr. Katherine Stevenson, Dr. Paul Reckner, Dr. Daina Penkiunas, Mr. David Grignon, Dr. Tyler Howe (acting SHPO after retirement of Mr. John Broihahn in Dec. 2020) • Not Present: Ms. Corina Williams, Ms. Melinda Young • WHS Staff Present: Dr. Amy Rosebrough, Ms. Amy Wyatt • Guests: Mr. John Gorski, Mr. Robert Gariepy, Ms. Tammy Haefer III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA On mo�on of Dr. Reckner and second by Dr. Stevenson the agenda for the March 4th, 2021 mee�ng of the Burial Board was approved. IV. APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 3, 2020 BURIAL BOARD MINUTES On motion by Dr. Haas and second by Mr. Grignon, the minutes for the December 3, 2020 meeting were approved. V. INTRODUCTIONS AND WELCOME OF GUESTS Three members of the public applying for the RIP—Mr. John Gorski from St. Charles, Illinois, Mr. Robert Gariepy from Waterford, Wisconsin, and Ms. Tammy Haefer from Appleton, Wisconsin— introduced themselves to the Board. VI. COMMITTEE REPORTS i. Budget Committee The board reviewed proposed figures for a dra� 2021-22 Budget. Dr. Penkiunas outlined assump�ons behind the budget, which builds in several in-person mee�ngs as well as a possible hearing date. Mr. Grignon mo�oned to approve; Dr. Haas seconded. The proposed dra� budget was approved unanimously by the Board. Dr. Penkiunas will next meet with Wisconsin Historical Society Financial Services staff and present the dra� budget to them. ii. Transition Committee Proposed changes to the by-laws were not included in the packet sent out to the Board and were thus not noticed publicly. The Board agreed to table the issue until the June meeting, and asked that a fully revised document including the By-Laws changes be sent out to the Board for review. 1 Meeting Minutes, March 4, 2021 State of Wisconsin BURIAL SITES PRESERVATION BOARD VII. WITRC REPORT Mr. William Quackenbush reported that WITRC will meet on March 11, 2021 at 9:00 AM, and that the agenda will focus on filling the Vice-Chair position now that Ms. Melinda Young is stepping away from her THPO position, and on obtaining documents from Tribal leadership formalizing WITRIC positions. WITRC has also invited representatives of the University system to discuss a more standardized, streamlined, and systemic approach to preservation, land acknowledgements, and other issues related to university properties so that work on those issues is not duplicated. WITRC may ask that the Wisconsin Historical Society be included in these discussions. Ms. Stiles asked Mr. Quackenbush to update the Board on the status of invitations to out-of- state Tribes to join the RIP. Mr. Quackenbush has a list of out-of-state Tribes kept informally by the Ho-Chunk and obtained from the Wisconsin Historical Society. Mr. Quackenbush suggested that a Board member attend the WITRC meeting next week (March 11, 9:00 AM) to explore the issue, and noted that the Board could be accorded a permanent place on the WITRC agenda. Ms. Stiles and Dr. Haas both agreed to attend. Ms. Stiles also requested confirmation that Tribal members have gotten reappointment notices for their Board positions from the Governor’s office. Dr. Penkiunas confirmed that all Board members have been re-appointed on staggered appointment schedules. Mr. Quackenbush indicated that there had been informal discussions within his office regarding application for the seat formerly held by Ms. Corina Williams, but that COVID has delayed that application. Mr. Quackenbush will continue to follow up on the application process. VIII. CONSIDERATION OF APPLICATIONS FOR COMPLETION AND ENTRY TO AND/OR REMOVAL FROM THE REGISTRY OF INTERESTED PERSONS Mr. John Gorski described his work at the Kneeland Cemetery (BCR-0008) in support of his application to the Registry of Interested Persons. Mr. Gorski has been working with WHS, the Catholic Archdiocese, local drone operators, UW-La Crosse, and Lawrence University to resolve issues of site boundaries and ownership that have resulted in disturbance to the site. GPR work has identified formal burials and another area that may represent a Native American burial ground. Upon motion to accept Mr. Gorski to the RIP by Dr. Stevenson, and second by Dr. Haas, the Board approved Mr. Gorski’s application to the RIP. Ms. Tammy Haefer described her efforts to investigate and protect the Evergreen/Grand Chute Pioneer Cemetery (BOU-0069), in support of her application to the Registry of Interested Persons. Ms. Haefer is concerned about the current condition of the cemetery, and in particular with the protection of un-marked gravesites. She hopes to continue to build interest in the cemetery and to improve caretaking practices. Dr. Haas offered to share historic documents obtained during the monitoring process with Ms. Haefer. Upon motion to accept Ms. Haefer to the RIP by Mr. Reckner, and second by Dr. Stevenson, the Board approved Ms. Haefer’s application to the RIP. 2 Meeting Minutes, March 4, 2021 State of Wisconsin BURIAL SITES PRESERVATION BOARD Mr. Robert Gariepy described his efforts to protect and restore Waterford/Old Settler’s Cemetery (RA-0304/BRA-0021) on behalf of the organization Explore Waterford. Explore Waterford is working with archaeologist Ned Farley to restore the site to something approaching its original condition. Upon motion to accept Mr. Gariepy to the RIP by Mr. Grignon, and second by Dr. Stevenson, the Board approved Mr. Gariepy’s application to the RIP. IX. WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY STAFF REPORTS i. Report on all Determinations Pertaining to the Disposition of Human Remains and Associated Burial Objects – Dr. Tyler Howe Dr. Haas asked for an update on re-commencement of disposition decisions. Dr. Howe indicated that WHS has not moved forward on this matter. WHS is also still working to resolve WHS’s rule-making authority in order to move forward with HS2 revisions. The SHPO continues to follow up regarding the burial discovery at Camp Shaginappi in Fond du Lac County. SHPO staff are investigating a report of human remains at another location that was just received. More details on this latter discovery will be available in the next few days. ii. State Historic Preservation Officer Report – Dr. Daina Penkiunas Dr. Penkiunas provided updates on a number of maters pertaining mostly to staffing changes and upcoming events. Mr. Broihahn, State Archaeologist, has re�red and Dr. Tyler Howe is ac�ng state archaeologist. Ms. Jen Davel, the WHS Deputy SHPO has taken another job in the private sector. The Wisconsin Historical Society is now hiring for the Deputy SHPO posi�on, a staff archaeologist (not the state archaeologist), and an American Indian curator. The later posi�on will become the Society’s NAGPRA lead. The state archaeologist posi�on will be hired later in the year. WHS is open for research by appointment, but is s�ll working with skeleton staffing. Archaeology and Historic Preserva�on month is in May, and the calendar is ready to accept events. The annual Board of Curator’s awards are accep�ng nomina�ons for preserva�on, restora�on, and the life�me achievement categories. Historic structures reports are underway for Society projects. The WHS museum has a new loca�on and has obtained funding, so planning is gearing up on that front. The annual archaeology workshop will be held end of April. A tax credit workshop will be held on March 26th. Work con�nues on the Menominee River NRHP nomina�on, with the con�nued assistance of Mr. Broihahn and SHPO counterparts in Michigan. iii. SHPO Compliance Section Report –Dr. Tyler Howe Compliance has received over 252 requests to disturb uncatalogued burial sites since the previous meeting; all are typical requests with no major issues attached. With regard to catalogued sites, several matters are ongoing. Conversations continue with regard to Lizard Mound Park. The Milwaukee Audubon Society presented SHPO and WDNR with a draft management plan just before the holidays and SHPO staff determined that the management plan is not adequate. WDNR staff concurred. Comments on the draft were forwarded to MAS. The Sauk County Historical Society has requested to cut trees at Man Mound NHL, including a tree between an arm and the body of the mound. The RIP was 3 Meeting Minutes, March 4, 2021 State of Wisconsin BURIAL SITES PRESERVATION BOARD asked to comment on that matter, and one objection has been received so far.