By LINDA
ASHTON, Associated Press Writer
 COULEE
DAM, Wash. (AP) - For 60 years, Lake Roosevelt has served as a watery grave for
American Indian camps and sacred places that were flooded during construction
of the Grand Coulee Dam.
But drought in the Northwest has left lake levels
so low, the old sites have been exposed and are attracting artifact hunters who
have been illegally removing relics, officials say.
Cheryl Grunlose, manager
of the Colville Tribal Museum, is appalled by the activity.
``How would
you feel if it were your ancestry and people were just walking along and picking
it up and putting it on their fireplace mantel?'' she asked.
Several Indian
settlements, burial grounds and 11 town sites were permanently flooded in 1941
during construction of the Columbia River dam, the largest hydroelectric project
in the nation. The 130-mile-long Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area covers
portions of the Colville and Spokane reservations.
In a typical year, Lake
Roosevelt's level may be dropped as much as 100 feet in anticipation of spring
runoff from snowpacked mountains.
But with the Northwest in its worst drought
since 1977, water levels have been lower longer than usual, exposing remnants
of Indian cultural sites in the muddy lake bottom.
While the recreation
area is open to boating and camping, disturbing artifacts is forbidden. Fines
range from $50 to thousands of dollars, depending on the circumstances and damage,
said Lynne Brougher, chief of interpretation and education for the recreation
area.
Officials say the annual lake drawdown periodically attracts artifact
hunters but there has been an increase this spring in people searching with four-wheel-drive
vehicles and metal detectors.
Last year, two people were caught digging
for artifacts in the Spokane arm of the lake, a case now pending in federal court.
No
one has been cited this year, but the Park Service and the Spokane and Colville
tribes have increased patrols and are trying to educate people about the law and
cultural sensitivity, Chief Ranger Daniel Mason said. He said most cases involve
people looking for souvenirs rather than trafficking in artifacts.
``We
explain to them the importance of the artifacts and try to put it in context:
If it was your burial site for your family, would you like people to come in and
dig up whatever is there for their personal consumption?'' Mason said.
Protecting
artifacts has been a concern in other states as well.
Last month in South
Dakota, the Standing Rock reservation and Army Corps of Engineers settled a lawsuit
over erosion of Indian graves along the Missouri River. Remains of descendants
of an Indian chief were uncovered when water levels dropped in Lake Oahe. The
tribe sued, saying poor management of the river left the remains open to looters. |
