20210046 Ver 1_Ashe Bridge 355 - UKB response_20210208

United Keetoowah Band
Of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma
Office of Historic Preservation
P.O. Box 746 • Tahlequah, OK 74465
4547 S. Whitmore Lane • Tahlequah, OK 74464
Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

January 4, 2021

RE: NCDOT 36.317030, -81.423069, Bridge #355 on SR 1181 replacement, Ashe County,
North Carolina

To whom it may concern.

Thank you for consulting with the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma
(UKB). This response is regarding the request from your office for a review of the project listed
above located in Ashe County, North Carolina. We have reviewed the information provided in
your letter and we concur with your findings of “no adverse effects”.

We remain interested in further communication regarding this project due to the location. The
UKB people have a documented historical presence in Ashe County, North Carolina. While there
are no documented village sites within the project site or within a proximity outside the project
site, there is the potential of finding unknown sites in and surrounding the project location.

There is the possibility that unrecorded cultural resources, including archaeological artifact or
human remains, may be encountered during construction, demolition, or earthmoving activities
of this project. Should this occur, we require that you contact our office immediately so we may
offer appropriate comments under 36 CFR 800.13. As the project moves forward, we request the
following conditions be followed:

Condition 1: Inadvertent Discoveries - If human remains, burials, funerary items, sacred objects,
or objects of cultural patrimony are found during project implementation, the proponent or
his/her authorized agent shall cease work immediately within 200 ft of the find. They shall take
steps to protect the find from further damage or disruption. They shall contact the Certified
Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (CTHPO), Whitney Warrior to report the find. The CTHPO
shall contact the appropriate law enforcement authority if human remains are found. No further
work shall be allowed on the project until the CTHPO has approved a plan for managing or
preserving the remains or items.
Condition 2: Post Review Discoveries - In the event that pre-contact artifacts (i.e., arrowheads,
spear points, mortars, pestles, other ground stone tools, knives, scrapers, pottery or flakes from
the manufacture of tools, fire pits, culturally modified trees, etc.) or historic period artifacts or
features (i.e., fragments of old plates or ceramic vessels, weathered glass, dumps of old cans,
cabins, root cellars, etc.) are found during project implementation, the proponent or his/her
authorized agent shall cease work immediately within 200 ft of the find. They then shall contact
the Certified Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Whitney Warrior to report the find. No further
United Keetoowah Band
Of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma
Office of Historic Preservation
P.O. Box 746 • Tahlequah, OK 74465
4547 S. Whitmore Lane • Tahlequah, OK 74464
Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

work shall be allowed on the project until the CTHPO has approved a work plan for managing or
preserving the artifacts or features.
Condition 3: Activities that have the potential to disturb cultural resources outside the areas
specified in the accompanying document(s) are not approved and will not proceed until cultural
resources review of potential adverse effects in the new area has been completed.

Please note that these comments are based on information available to us at the time of the
project review. We reserve the right to revise our comments as information becomes available. If
you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Certified Tribal Historic Preservation
Officer/NAGPRA Coordinator, Whitney Warrior at [phone] or by email wwarrior@ukb-
nsn.gov.

Thank you for your consultation,

Whitney Warrior
Whitney Warrior
Director
Office of Historic Preservation
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
918-871-2838
[e-mail]