R2008-87 AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT - Laserfiche WebLink

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Manage Beaver and Prevent their Damage The need to remove existing dams should be done with advice from individuals possessing wildlife management skills. Conditions that merit removal may include downstream impacts from increased flows,which may cause excessive erosion and sedimentation. One alternative to beaver dam removal is the installation of a Clemson Beaver Pond Leveler, contact the NRCS and SWCD for more information. Historic issues were also looked into. Cultural Resources and Watershed Planning The watershed planning committee must be aware that implementation of conservation measures that use federal or state assistance must take into account significant cultural resources. Federal and state laws require that proposed land-disturbing activities take into consideration any effects on historic properties (cultural resources eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places). The National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA)and the National Historic Preservation Act(NHPA)of 1966, amended in 2001, require federal agencies to consider historic properties during planning. In Illinois,the Illinois State Agency Historic Resources Preservation Act requires any state agency that provides assistance or licenses a potentially land-disturbing activity to also take into account the effect their activities may have on historic properties. In addition, unmarked mortuary sites over 100 years old are protected by the 1989 Illinois Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act,which prohibits any disturbance of grave markers(including earthen mounds), burial remains, and grave offerings both on private and public lands, by all individuals. If � disturbed graves are recognized they must be reported to the County Coroner within 48 hours of discovery. ' When the Natural Resources Conservation Service provides engineering or financial assistance for the installation of chosen conservation practices,the NRCS Cultural Resources Specialist can provide an inventory of formally recorded cultural sites on file with the Illinois State Museum to assist with resource inventory and planning. When structural conservation practices are chosen to address resource needs, archaeological surveys will need to be conducted in each project location to identify any cultural sites present and determine the effects of the project activities on them. State and federal policies require that significant cultural resources (historic properties)be avoided or mitigated. Site Locations and Cultural Periods Prehistoric human settlement frequently focused on water resources. These early cultural sites are often located adjacent to large rivers, lakes and wetlands, usually on terraces and floodplain land slightly elevated above the frequently flooded bottomlands. Any stream and wetland restoration projects and construction or rehabilitation of stormwater detention structures have the potential for disturbing these types of sites. Other favorite locations for prehistoric settlement and burial are the bluff crests overlooking wide floodplains. The construction of upland water retention basins, diversions and terraces may potentially affect sites in these locations. Very little of the Illinois landscape has been formally surveyed for archaeological sites. NRCS refers to an electronic GIS database where approximately 50,000 sites are mapped. This represents the work of . professional archaeologists conducting research for universities, federal and state-funded public projects, and private development as well as the findings of amateur archaeologists. These survey areas , 14