97-17510. Closure of Whoopup Canyon Petroglyph Site, Wyoming

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 128 (Thursday, July 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 36072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-17510]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-060-07-1050-03]


Closure of Whoopup Canyon Petroglyph Site, Wyoming

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Emergency closure of Whoopup Canyon Petroglyph Site Area of 
Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) to All Uses Except Scientific and 
Sociocultural.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that effective immediately, Whoopup 
Canyon Petroglyph Site ACEC, located in Weston County, Wyoming, on 
public land administered by the BLM, Casper District, Newcastle 
Resource Area, is closed to all uses except scientific and 
sociocultural and those specified in the ``Whoopup Canyon Petroglyph 
Site Management Plan,'' available from the BLM Newcastle Resource Area. 
This action is taken to protect world class petroglyphs and associated 
cultural resources which date from 11,500 years before present to late 
prehistoric times. Individuals or institutions wanting access to the 
Whoopup Canyon ACEC for scientific research must apply for a cultural 
resource research permit to the Wyoming State Office of the BLM. 
Individuals or institutions wanting access to the ACEC for 
sociocultural uses must request access from the BLM authorized officer 
(BLM Newcastle Resource Area Manager).

EFFECTIVE DATE: This closure will be effective upon publication of this 
notice. The closure will remain in effect until further notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Johnson, Area Manager, or Alice 
M. Tratebas, Archeologist, Newcastle Resource Area, 1101 Washington 
Blvd., Newcastle, Wyoming 82701. Telephone: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Newcastle Resource Area is responsible 
for the management of sensitive, fragile cultural resources in the 
Whoopup Canyon petroglyph site ACEC. All but a very few petroglyphs in 
the ACEC have been damaged by past unsupervised visitor use. The damage 
has increased during the past 50 years at an exponential rate. Whoopup 
Canyon is a nationally and internationally significant petroglyph site. 
It is the only known site in North America that has such an extensive 
record of Paleo-Indian petroglyphs. It has the longest continuous 
tradition of rock art known in North America. These cultural resources 
are protected under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 
as amended, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as amended, 
the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, and the American 
Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978.

    Authority for closure orders is provided under 43 CFR subpart 
8364.1.

    Dated: June 27, 1997.
Gary Johnson,
Area Manager.
[FR Doc. 97-17510 Filed 7-2-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-M