Final Archeological Resources Management Plan

The National Park Service (NPS) is pleased to announce the release of the Final Archeological Resources Management Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement (Final Plan/EIS) for Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. The central North Dakota park preserves, protects, researches and interprets archeological and natural resources related to Northern Great Plains Indian peoples. This document is the first of its kind cultural resources management plan and is the culmination of a five year effort to address long-standing threats to the site's archeological resources.

This Final Plan/EIS provides a framework for proactive, sustainable archeological resource management for the next 30 years. The planning process involved extensive input from tribal government representatives, coordinating agencies, agency specialists, and the public to address four major threats to the park's archeological resources: riverbank erosion, burrowing mammals, vegetation encroachment and the location of park infrastructure. Under the preferred alternative, park managers would address riverbank erosion, burrowing mammals, and vegetation encroachment using an adaptive management process designed to provide a suite of tools for resources management, a monitoring protocol that detects changes to important indicators, and the flexibility to adapt management actions as data is collected. Park infrastructure would be moved to an alternative location inside or outside of park boundaries. The plan highlights the importance of ongoing tribal involvement in decision-making, management, research, and interpretation of park resources.

The Final Plan/EIS and record of decision are now available on this website. The National Park Service values your interest in the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site and looks forward to implementing this plan with your continued support.

Document Content:

2016_0606_KNRI_ROD_Final_Signed.pdf   (1.0 MB, PDF file) KNRI ARMP- Final EIS-ROD-DNI - 508.pdf   (14.2 MB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.