# 2026-15516: Park Service Tallies Ancient Human Remains for Tribal Return

2026-15516, Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Mesa Verde National Park, CO, is a Federal Register notice from Interior Department, National Park Service published 2026-07-31, effective 2026-08-31 (as of 2026-08-07).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15516
- As of: 2026-08-07
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-15516
- Title: Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Mesa Verde National Park, CO
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Interior Department; National Park Service
- Citation: 91 FR 48415
- Published: 2026-07-31
- Effective: 2026-08-31
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-08-07

## In one line

Park Service Tallies Ancient Human Remains for Tribal Return

## Summary

In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Mesa Verde National Park 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. The human remains and associated funerary objects were removed from Mesa Verde National Park, Montezuma County, CO; Montezuma Valley, Montezuma County, CO; near Blanding, San Juan County, UT; near Mancos, Montezuma County, CO; Rock Canyon, Montezuma Country, CO or Cheese Box Canyon, San Juan County, UT; and possibly the Canyon de Chelly area, Apache County, AZ.

## Effects PRIA read

- Tribes cleared to request repatriation: benefit, high. Mesa Verde National Park completed an inventory and determined that human remains representing at least 85 individuals and 4,304 associated funerary objects are culturally affiliated with named Indian Tribes. The notice names specific tribes (for example: Hopi Tribe; Jicarilla Apache Nation; Mescal…

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## Sources
- [2026-15516 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/31/2026-15516/notice-of-inventory-completion-us-department-of-the-interior-national-park-service-mesa-verde)
- [2026-15516 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-07-31/pdf/2026-15516.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-15515, Notice of Intended Disposition: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15515)
- [Next: 2026-15517, Notice of Intended Repatriation: Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History,…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15517)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15516 (as of 2026-08-07).