And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: from [Tusweca <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>] Subject: AGFC DESECRATE NATIVE SITE For further information see: http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/porton/73/seals/eddy.html ARKANSAS FISH AND GAME COMMISSION DESECRATE NATIVE SITE IN NORTHEAST ARKANSAS Northeast Arkansas, in present day Randolph County, along the Black River was home to Native Americans for at least 10,000 years. The land is mostly swamp and wetland and the Original Inhabitants built eathern mounds for their home and burial sites. One such 'site' was desecrated recently to provide access to a boat ramp for duck hunters on the land of Gary Gazaway. The sites listed as affected are 3 RA 1, 3 RA429, and 3 RA 430. This access site is known as either Schaffer's Eddy or Shaver's Eddy. All this land is under federal flood plain management protection. After Mr. Gazaway discovered a human skeleton disinterred by grave robbers in 1995, about 15' from the access road, he erected a fence to control traffic to the ramp and protect the mounds. He turned the remains over to the Arkansas Archeological Survey and they determined they were of an ~13 year old girl who died about 1000 years ago. However, in 1995 a court order was issued preventing him from controlling access to the site. In 1962 then owner Cleve Gazaway sold 6 acres of his land to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). The AGFC has admitted they built the ramp/road on the wrong tract of land. In 1993 Gary Gazaway, and some of his kin, inherited the land from his grandfather. However, in 1994 a public meeting was held in Pocahontas Arkansas "to discuss problems associated with the use of Shaver's Eddy as access to the Black River Wildlife Management Area... AGFC Assistant Director Scott Henderson said the boat ramp and portion of the road leading to it belong to Gazaway through an error made at the time of construction about 30 years ago... Henderson said he didn't know, but that as a state agency they couldn't file for prescriptive easement,...(Pocahontas Star Herald 8/11/94) So, 9 duck hunters did and an injunction was issued granting public access to the road on 11/21/94. However, in 1995 AGFC asked Randolph County Judge John Hart to place grave on a parking area near the access road. Somehow, the 310 tons of gravel were spread on the access road. The gravelling and grading of the road seriously affected the native sites there. Artifacts of all types were found in the piles of earth scraped from the road bed. Arkansas law states that any destruction of a native site can only be done after notification of the appropriate tribe and with the land owner's consent. Neither was done and the AGFC now claim a prescriptive easement right to the ramp and road. Judge Hilburn issued an order in January 1999 granting the prescriptive easement pending archeological reports but to date the order remains unsigned. The best hope is that the AAC will declare the whole of the road a protected site and preserve the mounds from further damage. The AAC pointed out about all three sites: "Based on the presence of houses and burials, it is my opinion the site is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places because of the information it contains about the pre history of Randolph County and Northeast Arkansas." Please contact the following and ask that the ramp and road be closed and the area be placed on the Register of Historic Places, so that these important sites will not be further desecrated. Governor Huckabee http://www.state.ar.us/governor/govmailNew.html" Senator Nick Wilson P.O. Box 525 Pocahontas AR 72455 Phone : 870-892-7906 Fax : 870-892-8794 Senator Hutchison [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sen. Blanche Lambert Lincoln 705 Hart Senate Office Building United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 202-224-4843 AGFC [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 1-800-364-GAME --------------3E0820F6A8F-- &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
