(AP) — Spearheads, hammerstones and pickaxes buried beneath layers of leaves, roots and rock — these were the evidence Scott Ashcraft was looking for.

The ancient tools were accidentally unearthed by a bulldozer fighting a wildfire on a steep hillside in Western North Carolina in 2021. Ashcraft, a U.S. Forest Service archaeologist, knew that these forested mountainsides held more clues to early human history in the Appalachian Mountains than anyone imagined.

He has tried to sound the alarm to forest managers for years, saying outdated modeling sometimes ignores artifacts hidden in steep terrain, especially important sites. Native American tribes — Prescribed fires needed to be reconsidered when planning logging projects, new recreation trails and other work on national forest lands.

Instead, Ashcraft says, administrators retaliated against him and advanced his plans, often violating historic preservation and environmental protection laws by avoiding consultation with tribes, restricting information from state archaeologists, and systematically suppressing scientific data.

Ashcraft conveyed his concerns Thursday to senior officials at the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the White House Council on Native American Affairs and the National Congress of American Indians in a letter shared with The Associated Press. He described an increasing pattern of illegal, unethical, and irresponsible behavior by forest managers in North Carolina that contrasts sharply with historic forests. Steps taken by the Biden administration Incorporating indigenous expertise at the national level when making decisions about public land management.

Although the case focuses on a single state, Ashcraft said it highlights a larger problem: There are no guardrails to prevent the Forest Service from using outdated modeling and baseboard requirements to consult with tribes before moving forward with projects.

“The completion of the project, feathers in the cap, and good performance reviews appear to have outweighed the preservation of cultural resources,” Ashcraft said in an interview with the AP.

The letter is the latest salvo in the federal whistleblower case that began with Ashcraft. made a long statement In 2023, he met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general. That office referred the matter back to the Forest Service, where regional officials declared the legal requirements met.

The tip’s disclosure attracted the attention of conservationists and other researchers because of forest managers’ hostility toward Ashcraft, the heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest.

Emails and other documents reviewed by the AP show that many of Ashcraft’s duties were delegated to other employees and that he was barred from contacting tribes.

Regional forest officials did not directly address the allegations of retaliation against Ashcraft, but they doubled down on promises to work with dozens of tribes with ancestral connections to the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests.

At the national level, the Biden administration has moved toward recognizing Native Americans’ ties to their homelands through the following releases: action plans And guidance for dealing with holy places. In 2022, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation aimed at setting minimum standards for how agencies should conduct consultations with tribes.

Valerie Grussing, executive director of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officials, said the system is broken in North Carolina. The group has been in talks with tribes and senior forest officials about violations there.

“What is happening in the forest unit and at the regional level is very serious. “This is unreasonable,” he said. “This is not only a breach of federal fiduciary responsibility, but also a violation of established relationships.”

James Melonas, superintendent of four forests in North Carolina, said in a statement that an independent group of experts was appointed last year to review various projects after an “internal concern” was expressed to ensure compliance with federal law and tribal consultation obligations.

Experts recommended more training for employees on the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act and a comprehensive review of the forest heritage program. Regional forest officials said the internal review was conducted in May and confirmed that obligations had been met.

“Honoring this rich tribal heritage and managing these lands together with tribal nations is a top priority for the Forest Service,” Melonas said.

Some tribal officials say the Forest Service did not reach out to them when it conducted inspections.

Ashcraft’s attorneys have partnered with the legal nonprofit Whistleblower Aid. They claim Ashcraft risked his career to bring attention to what they describe as the “intentional destruction of Native American heritage sites.”

Whistleblower Aid’s general counsel, Andrew Bakaj, said the agency’s review included virtually no interviews with key stakeholders with knowledge of the violations and the report was kept out of public view.

The concerns raised by the whistleblower are not the first time the Forest Service has been accused of not following procedures. Documents obtained by AP in 2016 revealed the following: Parts of the Trail of Tears have been torn apart An employee approved unauthorized construction of levees and ditches in eastern Tennessee. The Forest Service later apologized to the Cherokee Nation and other tribes.

Ashcraft has explored vast areas of forest during his 31-year career. Without more research on the steep slopes, he said, the full extent of damage in western North Carolina won’t be known as a result of managers relying on outdated modeling.

The whistleblower’s account presents examples of forest managers allegedly trying to prevent further archaeological research on steep slopes. Recreational trail projects, including a multimillion-dollar effort to expand hiking and biking networks east of Asheville, have already been constructed in some areas, and prescribed burnings are being implemented, although further evaluation and tribal consultation are needed.

“These actions irreparably damage or destroy countless Native American cultural and archaeological sites, including some of great significance. This behavior continues today,” Ashcraft warned in his letter.

Ashcraft said the goal is not to stop work on forest lands, but rather to document areas before they are altered or to redirect work where areas are more sensitive and need protection.

The Center for Native and Ancient Quarry Research worked with Ashcraft and other scientists to uncover dozens of sites, many of which have a “staggering density” of Native American cultural materials and evidence of land use dating back thousands of years.

Stone axes and other tools used to excavate quartz and soapstone quarries were unearthed in the trace of the Seniard Creek Fire south of Asheville; all were examples of what researchers describe as engineering achievements by the advanced societies that called this region home about 6,000 years ago. .

“We’re here at higher altitudes and steeper slopes where an absolutely spectacular resource is eroding downward,” said Philip LaPorta, the center’s managing director and assistant senior research scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.

LaPorta said discoveries like the one near Asheville should make people think differently about how indigenous people use steep landscapes.

The notice was shared with the Cherokee Nation, Eastern Cherokee Band of Indians, Catawba Indian Nation, Muscogee Nation and United Keetoowah Band.

The Eastern Cherokee Band was hopeful for more meaningful and frequent consultations with forest managers after the agency adopted a new strategy. revised plan 2023 for Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. But one expert from the tribe said not much has changed.

Identifying and protecting Native American heritage sites goes beyond a single agency, tribe or tipster, Ashcraft wrote in his letter.

“This concerns us all,” he wrote. “Protecting these resources is a mission shared by state and federal government, sovereign tribes, and actors in civil society. When one fails – conspicuously and maliciously – it is up to the rest to intervene.

For Native Americans, Grussing said it goes beyond artifacts found in a particular spot. It is an intangible energy that comes from being tied to a place.

“That’s what’s at stake,” he said. “These are irreplaceable cultural resources and places. They are not renewable.”