An archaeologist in Western North Carolina is crying foul. He says forest managers have for years sidestepped laws meant to safeguard historic Native American artifacts. On Thursday, the archaeologist sent his concerns to top government officials . . . again.
Scott Ashcraft is a U.S. Forest Service archaeologist. He’s also the heritage resources program manager for the Pisgah National Forest. He has tried for years to raise the alarm about bulldozing and building on steep terrain in the Appalachian Mountains. He believes outdated methods often ignore or overlook the artifacts hidden there. He suggests rethinking plans for prescribed fires, logging projects, and new trails on national forest lands because of the artifacts.
In response to his suggestions, Ashcraft claims managers retaliated. Emails and other documents show they reassigned many of Ashcraft’s duties to other employees. They also barred him from communicating with tribes.
What’s more, managers pushed ahead with plans. They sidestepped talks with tribes, limited input from state archaeologists, and quashed data, Ashcraft alleges.
In his most recent letter to federal authorities, the whistleblower describes a growing pattern of illegal, unethical, and careless behavior by forest managers in North Carolina.
Ashcraft claims what’s happening in North Carolina highlights a bigger problem. He says there are no guardrails to keep the Forest Service in line. Employees use outdated modeling and skirt requirements regarding artifacts and tribal land.
Ashcraft’s disclosure claims forest managers have tried to obstruct further research on steep slopes in North Carolina. It states that people have already built trail projects over some important areas. Those include multimillion-dollar hiking and biking networks east of Asheville.
“It seems that project completion, feathers in caps, and good performance evaluations have outweighed the protection of cultural resources,” Ashcraft says.
Ashcraft first filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2023. That office sent the case back to the Forest Service. Officials there declared that legal requirements had been met.
“Honoring this rich tribal heritage along with co-stewardship of these lands with tribal nations is a top priority for the Forest Service,” says James Melonas. He is the supervisor of the national forests in North Carolina.
But some tribal officials say the Forest Service did not reach out to them when conducting an internal review in May.
Over his 31-year career, Ashcraft has surveyed vast tracts of forest. He says the extent of the damage done in Western North Carolina can’t be fully known. He doesn’t necessarily intend to stop work on forest lands. He wants managers to document sites before they’re changed or to reroute work in areas that need protection.
Ashcraft believes that preserving Native American heritage sites goes beyond a single agency, tribe, or whistleblower.
“It concerns all of us,” he wrote in his letter. “Protection of these resources is a duty shared by actors across state and federal government. . . . When one fails—spectacularly and in bad faith—it is up to the rest to step in.”
