News Release Archive

Private Monuments or Memorials on Reclamation Lands to be Removed

Media Contact: Patience Hurley, (701) 221-1204, phurley@usbr.gov

For Release: July 11, 2017

BISMARCK, N.D. -- The Bureau of Reclamation is asking that residents who have placed monuments or memorials on Federal lands to please remove them.

"Our facility maintenance staff have observed an increase in memorials placed on Federal property like canal banks and recreation areas over the last several years and this is not authorized," said Joe Hall, manager of Dakotas Area Office Environmental Resources.

Under Reclamation regulations 43 CFR 423.28 You must not bury, deposit, or scatter human or animal remains, or place memorials, markers, vases, or plaques on Reclamation facilities, lands, or waterbodies.

"We sympathize with people who have lost family members and pets, but this is not the proper place to memorialize them," said Hall.

Reclamation is requesting that memorials placed on federal property be removed by September 1, 2017. Any memorials remaining on federal property after that date will be removed by Reclamation staff.

For more information, contact Patience Hurley at 701.221.1204.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.

Relevant Link:

Dakotas Area Office Home Page