The state of Washington might fine a developer that damaged several Yakama Nation sacred sites. The Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation said the Windy Flats wind farm developer built a road without a permit. The work damaged rock piles that mark hunting sites, food gathering grounds and burial sites. "Fines could be imposed if someone was negligent," Allyson Brooks, the director of the department, told The Yakima Herald-Republic. "A damage assessment will figure it out." The Windy Flats developer said it didn't know about the sacred sites. "It wasn’t a known site," project administrator Brandy Myers . "It was something that happened accidentally." Yakama elder Johnson Meninick said the developer hasn't consulted the tribe about potential sites. "Now they want to mitigate. The damage is already done — what do they want to mitigate?" he asked. Get the Story:
Damage can’t be undone, say tribes (AP 5/18)