A hole dug into a burial mound at the Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa. Photo from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

Federal prosecutors declined to file charges against National Park Service employees who allowed sacred burial mounds to be damaged over the course of 10 years.

The Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa suffered at least $3 million in damages under former superintendent Phyllis Ewing and employee Thomas Sinclair, according to an NPS investigation that was released on Monday. They allowed construction projects that damaged the site and, in one instance, allowed a large hole to be dug into one mound.

“The era of Ewing and Sinclair was devastating to our little park’s cultural and natural resources,” Timothy Mason, a former monument employee who initiated a complaint, said in a press release. “Their actions left an indelible stain on the history of the National Park Service. The spirits buried in these wooded hills are spinning with indignation in their graves.”

Superiors at NPS knew about the complaints but allowed Ewing to remain in place until she was transferred to another position with the agency at the same pay level. She was fired in February, the Associated Press reported.

The projects that Ewing and Sinclair authorized have not been removed. One tribal leader compared that they turned the burial grounds into "places to walk your dog," according to memo that was included in the report.

Get the Story:
Lack of charges in sacred site damage upsets some (AP 5/12)
Investigation: National Park Service Long Ignored Preservation Laws In Desecrating Sacred Ground At Effigy Mounds National Monument (National Parks Traveler 5/11)
Effigy Mounds report to be released Monday (The Cedar Rapids Gazette 5/10)

Relevant Documents:
NPS Investigative Report |