Tribes, owner at odds over land’s value

JOSEPH, Ore. – Tribal members gathered at the Old Chief Joseph Monument this week to protest excavation of land they considered sacred.

On a hilltop a half mile away, landowner Steve Krieger and supporters held a rally of their own, defending the recent bulldozing.

Krieger of K&B Family Limited Partnership said that he appreciates the right to disagree, but when it impinges on private property it is wrong.

Leaders from the Nez Perce and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation say the land contains the bones of their ancestors.

“It’s for no one to disturb another’s grave, our ancestors’ resting site,” said Armand Minthorn of the Umatilla tribes.

Krieger and his wife Paula own 60 acres at the north end of Wallowa Lake known locally as the Marr Ranch property. They’ve met with stiff opposition in multiple attempts to develop the land into subdivisions and pads for trailers.

No evidence has been submitted to show the land is historically or archaeologically significant, says Krieger’s attorney, D. Rahn Hostetter.

Rebecca Miles, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee, claimed Krieger illegally bulldozed the land. “Let us be clear: The scarring of that land is illegal and criminal. Oregon law protects archaeological sites from disturbance without a state permit,” she said.

She said the law authorizes tribes to designate significant historical sites.

Minthorn said it is up to Indians to protect what is important to them.

“We can use the white man’s law to stop this from happening. No one is exempt from the law,” he said.

Tribal lawyers say Krieger needed a permit to excavate because of the possibility of the presence of artifacts and remains.

Hostetter said in an interview that there is disagreement over the land’s actual cultural and historical significance.

“To say we’re digging up the bones of their ancestors is offensive, when they know we’re not,” he said. “If there are graves there, we will stop. But they have not shown us evidence that there are.” The attorney said the bulldozing established roads into the property to provide access for agriculture, a permitted use.

Wallowa County Commissioner Dan Deboie issued a stop-work order Monday, saying the roadbuilding appeared to be an early phase of proposed subdivisions.

Hostetter disputed that in his response Wednesday.

Also Monday, the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners approved a Measure 37 claim from Krieger for $1 million, which the county cannot pay. In lieu of money, the county waived two sections of the land-use plan, one dealing with protection of historic, cultural and archaeological resources, the other with a broad range of issues.