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• Burial Sites Preservation Program and 1985 Wisconsin Act 316 A new state law (1985 Wisconsin Act 316) provides The initial work of the staff will be to create protection and property tax exemptions for human a computerized inventory of burial sites burial sites. This was enacted because human already recorded in sources such as local burial sites located outside the boundaries of formal histories, maps, archaeological publications, cemeteries were not protected and large numbers of manuscript collections, or government prehistoric and historic Indian cemeteries, pioneer documents on file at the State Historical cemeteries, family burial plots, and abandoned Society. At the same time the staff will cemeteries throughout the state have been damaged begin to solicit information from the public or destroyed. The new law provides penalties for about cemeteries and burial sites. desecration or vandalism at any human burial site and allows local units of government to use zoning Individuals aware of prehistoric or historic and other methods, such as easements, to protect Indian burial sites, family plots, or historic burial sites. cemeteries that they would like catalogued and protected, and would like forms to record Under this new law, a burial sites preservation such sites, should contact the burial sites program has been established in the Historic preservation staff at: Preservation Division. The duties of the program staff will be to establish general operating Burial Sites Preservation procedures and to begin to inventory and record State Historical Society of Wisconsin burial sites in the state. Once a site has been 816 State Street documented, the staff may record it with the Madison, WI 53706 register of deeds in the county in which it is located. If recorded with the county, the land Telephone (608)262-4015 containing the burial site will have a property tax exemption. This makes the property tax treatment The staff is particularly interested in of all human burial sites equal to the property tax learning about sites that face any immediate treatment afforded to operating cemeteries. Once a threat of destruction. burial site has been cataloged, no one may disturb this site without a permit from the director of the This new program is to be overseen by a State Historical Society. board appointed by the governor. The nine member board will consist of three members If any activity inadvertently exposes a burial which nominated by the Wisconsin Archaeological has not been cataloged, the State Historical Society Survey, three members of federally must be notified before proceeding with the recognized tribes or bands nominated by the activity. In cases in which there are persons (other Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council and the ,. than the property owner) who can prove a Menominee tribe, the director of the State substantial interest in the burial, the owner must Historical Society, and, as non-voting either leave the burial alone or allow a qualified members, the State Archaeologist and the archaeologist to excavate the remains. State Historic Preservation Officer.