Salem, Ore. Thursday, May 23, 2019 — The Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has determined that the opponents of the proposed Q’alya ta Kukwis shichdii me (Jordan Cove and the Bay of the Coos People) Traditional Cultural Property Historic District (District) in Coos County submitted enough objections to prevent listing the District in the National Register of Historic Places. According to federal rules for the program, if a majority of the private property owners within a proposed district object to the listing, the district cannot be listed in the National Register. There are 1,001 owners in the boundaries of the proposed district, and 696, or 70%, submitted valid objections.

Among those objections, long neglected parking lots, overgrown trail heads, long degraded trails, vandalized signage, litter, and graffiti.  Every possible effort to generate interest in the property had been made with no participation, or any discernible sign of shared effort to maintain what was claimed to be a valued area.  It was so valued that it was promptly forgotten and relegated to an isolated spot for rigs to park.

The SHPO sent the nomination document to the NPS on May 23, 2019 for a “determination of eligibility.” In this process, the NPS determines if the District is eligible for listing in the Register, but does not actually list it. The SHPO expects the NPS to respond before early-July 2019, following a consideration period of up to 45 days.

The nomination document and all materials submitted to the National Park Service (NPS) are online at http://bit.ly/coostcp.

Additional comments may be sent to the National Park Service at:

National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
1849 C Street, NW (7228)
Washington, DC 20240

Or

By email to Alexis_Abernathy@nps.gov.

The Oregon SHPO requests that all correspondence be copied to the office at

Q’alya ta Kukwis shichdii me
State Historic Preservation Office
725 Summer Street NE, Suite C
Salem, OR 97301

Or

By email to ORSHPO.NationalRegisterProgram@oregon.gov

The proposed Q’alya ta Kukwis shichdii me Traditional Cultural Property Historic District is a 20-square mile area that follows the general horseshoe shape of the Coos Bay Estuary. The District includes portions of the cities of Coos Bay and North Bend and Coos County. A Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) recognizes the cultural significance and identity of a living community. A TCP not only tells the stories of the people who have historically called the area home, but recognizes how the descendants of those people keep the traditional practices and beliefs alive.

The Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) nominated the District for its cultural significance to the Tribe. The Tribes tribe’s continued use of the estuary since time immemorial to present is shown by archaeological sites, named places in Hanis and Miluk dialects of the Coosan Language, and the presence of prehistoric and historic burials of peoples at former villages and Native American subsistence sites.

The State Advisory Commission on Historic Preservation, a governor-appointed volunteer commission of people with interest and skill in Oregon history, first reviewed and recommended approval of the nomination in February 2019.

The commission may have reviewed the application, but no site visit had been made.

No REASONABLE or ETHICAL observer would find ANY effort exerted to preserve, maintain, or care for the property.

We have visited this site several times since the Jordan cove Project was announced, and have seen ZERO effort to do any work of any kind to clean or mitigate the vandalism.

We certainly welcome a state official to dispute our evaluation that we may call you a liar publicly and directly to your face.