Idaho National Laboratory Cultural Resource Management Plan

times, including during an annual meeting to
discuss recent and future activities regarding INL
cultural resource management.
Effective identification and management of
diverse cultural resources, such as American
Indian cultural and traditional sites and
one-of-a-kind reactor facilities, that are of
importance to living people requires well-planned
communication with these stakeholders. The
values and concerns associated with these
resources cannot be understood unless the people
who use and value them place them in appropriate
context. Groups such as the INL Retirees
Association, local and state historical societies,
and professional organizations provide insights
and information relevant to the management and
disposition of post-1942 cultural resources.
American Indian Interests. As a federal
agency, DOE recognizes its trust responsibility to
American Indian tribes. In the spirit of that
responsibility, DOE-ID has been active in
outreach efforts with the Tribes. This has
facilitated ongoing communication with the
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to identify and protect
significant tribal resources at INL. A signed
Agreement-In-Principle (AIP) with the
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes (DOE-ID 2007)
commits DOE-ID to conducting INL activities in a
manner that protects the health, safety,
environment, and cultural resources of the Tribes
and outlines efforts to help them maintain
economic self-sufficiency (see Appendix B).
Cultural resource protection is an important
part of the AIP and is coordinated through the INL
Cultural Resources Working Group (CRWG) with
membership from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes,
DOE-ID, and the INL CRM Office. This group
meets regularly to address issues and opportunities
in a timely manner and in an environment of
mutual respect. Recurring topics of discussion
include cultural resource protection, Native
American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
(NAGPRA) requirements, educational outreach,
and overall management of INL cultural resources,
particularly sites and areas that are culturally
important to them.
Tribal input is actively solicited for new and
ongoing INL projects, and working guidelines
developed by the CRWG facilitate these
interactions. Under these guidelines, designated
tribal point(s) of contact receive regular reports on
INL CRM Office activities that address field
projects and resources of importance to them.
Invitations to comment on, visit, observe, and/or
assist in any of the described activities are implicit
in all communications. If required by law or
requested by the Tribes, formal government-togovernment
consultation may follow at any time.
The holistic view regarding cultural resources and
cooperative spirit embodied in this group are
designed to enhance understanding and
appreciation of all types of cultural resources
within the INL community and the Tribes.
Ongoing communication and consultation
with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes on cultural
resource matters through the CRWG has resulted
in the identification of several major areas of
interest. In general these are:
Protection of the integrity of archaeological
sites and objects
Treatment of archaeological sites and objects
during impact assessments and scientific
research
Protection of the environment and landscape
that houses tribally important plants and
animals, prehistoric resources, traditional
cultural places, and sacred sites
Treatment of human burials and burial items
Return of cultural patrimony and human
skeletal remains (i.e., repatriation)
Access to and free use and protection of
traditional cultural places and sacred sites.
A variety of procedures has been developed
and activities are conducted by the INL CRM
Office and DOE-ID to address the aforementioned
areas of interest (see Appendix B for details). For
example, the Tribes are involved in the protection
and treatment of archaeological sites through the
INL CRM Office’s routine communications
including the CRWG meetings, archaeological
survey reports, and various environmental
documents. This communication also helps
identify and ultimately protect other types of
resources that are of importance to the Tribes. The
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