Foundation Document

Effigy Mounds National Monument

Iowa March 2014

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Monument Boundary

Towns

0 1 2 Miles North

Sny Magill Unit

Prairie 

du Chien

McGregor

Yellow RiverYellow River

I O W A

W I S C O N S I N

76

76 Marquette

Heritage 

Addition

Visitor Center and

Monument Headquarters

EFFIGY MOUNDS NATIONAL MONUMENT

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR / NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

DSC / Feb 2011 / 394 / 20,022B

South

Unit

North

Unit

X-56

MINNESOTA

WISCONSIN

ILLINOIS

IOWA

Effigy Mounds National Monument

Foundation Document

II
Effigy Mounds National Monument

Contents

Mission of the National Park Service 1

Introduction 2

Part 1: Core Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Monument Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Monument Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Monument Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Monument Significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Fundamental Resources and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Other Important Resources and Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Interpretive Themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Part 2: Dynamic Components 10

Special Mandates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Part 3: Preparers, Consultants, and Meeting Attendees 12

Appendixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Appendix A: Legislative Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Appendix B: Enabling Legislation and Act for 

Effigy Mounds National Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Foundation Document
The arrowhead was authorized as the 

official National Park Service emblem by 

the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 

1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent 

vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and 

water represent scenic and recreational 

values, and the arrowhead represents 

historical and archeological values.

Effigy Mounds National Monument

1

Mission of the National Park Service

The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources 

and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this 

and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the 

benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout 

this country and the world.

The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its 

mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National 

Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are:

· Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the 

global preservation community.

· Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the 

highest ideals of public service.

· Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another.

· Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it.

· Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the 

well-being of everyone. 

The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While 

numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until 

August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service 

Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service.

The national park system continues to grow and comprises 401 park units covering more 

than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, 

Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national 

parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, 

seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and 

diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource 

stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these 

resources for future generations.
Foundation Document

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Introduction

Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide 

basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and 

management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description 

of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, 

other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. This foundation document 

also includes special mandates, and an assessment of planning and data needs that 

identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies 

and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment 

provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning 

documents are developed.

A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and 

coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is 

most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins 

with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined 

and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process 

of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying 

and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park 

management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning 

issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity.

Part 1: Core Components

The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, 

park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important 

resources and values, and interpretive themes. These components are core because they 

typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future 

planning and management efforts.

Monument Description

Effigy Mounds National Monument was authorized by Presidential Proclamation 2860 on 

October 25, 1949. The monument currently comprises 2,526 acres in northeastern Iowa in 

two counties: Allamakee and Clayton. It is divided into four units for the purposes of this 

management plan: North unit, South unit, Heritage Addition, and Sny Magill unit. Land 

surrounding Effigy Mounds National Monument is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (USFWS), the State of Iowa, and private landowners. Land uses in the area include 

agriculture (farming, timber cutting, and livestock grazing), rural development, resources 

management, recreation, and transportation.

The monument represents an important link in a complex of protected 

areas that preserve many of the values characteristic of this region. 

Much of the nearby Mississippi River bank and island area is managed 

by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the Upper Mississippi River 

National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, a 261-mile-long preserve that 

extends from Wabasha, Minnesota, to Rock Island, Illinois. Yellow 

River State Forest lies adjacent to the Heritage Addition. Between the 

currently developed monument units and the Sny Magill unit is Pikes 

Peak State Park, which preserves several effigy mounds and bluff tops 

much like those of the monument. The Iowa Department of Natural 

Resources (IDNR) manages small tracts of land and recreation sites 

near the monument. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources also 

manages the access road and boat ramp in the Sny Magill unit.
Effigy Mounds National Monument

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Monument Units

North Unit

The monument’s headquarters, maintenance facility, and visitor center are in the North 

unit. Trails in this unit allow visitors to view the mounds and scenic views on self-guided 

walks of varying distances (longest trail is 7 miles round trip). Wayside exhibits along the 

trails provide interpretive messages. Ranger-guided interpretive tours are available on a 

seasonal basis. Little Bear Mound (one of the monument’s finest examples of the effigy 

style), Great Bear Mound (the largest effigy mound in the monument), and many other 

mound groups are in the North unit. In addition, spectacular views of the Mississippi River 

Valley are available from Eagle Rock, Fire Point, Third Scenic View, and Hanging Rock.

South Unit

The South unit contains the renowned Marching Bear Group of mounds. Access to the 

South unit is by foot from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources day use area. It is a 

4-mile round-trip hike to the Marching Bear Group from the day use area.

Heritage Addition

This 1,045-acre unit was added in 2000, increasing the monument’s land base by 

approximately 70%. As of this writing (in fall 2013), the Heritage Addition is undeveloped 

for public access. There are five known mounds, five precontact stone quarries, four 

historic sites, the Yellow River, Dousman Creek, and an abundance of natural resources in 

this unit. There are also abandoned logging roads that could be used as foot trails.

Sny Magill Unit

This small 141-acre unit is in the floodplain on the west bank of the Mississippi River 

about 10 miles south of the headquarters/visitor center. The Iowa Department of Natural 

Resources maintains a boat ramp, parking area, and access road into the unit. With over 

100 mounds, the Sny Magill unit contains 50% of all mounds in the monument. It also has 

the highest concentration of mounds known in the region. A trail leads from the access 

road to mounds in the northern end of the unit.
Effigy Mounds National Monument preserves 

outstanding representative examples of significant 

phases of prehistoric Indian moundbuilding cultures 

in the American Midwest; protects wildlife and 

natural values within the monument; and provides 

for scientific study and appreciation of its features for 

the benefit of this and future generations.

Foundation Document

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Monument Purpose

The purpose statement identifies the specific reasons for establishment of a particular 

park. The purpose statement for Effigy Mounds National Monument was drafted through 

a careful analysis of its enabling legislation and the legislative history that influenced its 

development. The park was established by Presidential Proclamation 2860 on October 25, 

1949. The purpose statement lays the foundation for understanding what is most important 

about the park.

Effigy Mounds National Monument Purpose Statement:
Effigy Mounds National Monument

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Monument Significance

Significance statements express why a park’s resources and values are important 

enough to merit designation as a unit of the national park system. These statements are 

linked to the purpose of Effigy Mounds National Monument and are supported by data, 

research, and consensus. Statements of significance describe the distinctive nature of the 

park and why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide 

context. They focus on the most important resources and values that will assist in park 

planning and management.

The following significance statements have been identified for Effigy Mounds 

National Monument. (Please note that the sequence of the statements do not reflect

 the level of significance.)

· The national monument contains nationally significant archeological resources 

comprising one of the largest concentrations of burial mounds in the United States, 

including some of the finest and best preserved examples of effigy mounds in their 

original forms. These cultural features provide an insight into the social, spiritual, 

and ceremonial life of peoples in this region prior to European contact.

· The natural and cultural resources of the monument are intricately connected—

the moundbuilding cultures were the result of the dynamic interface of people 

and their environment. The native vegetation communities associated with the 

moundbuilding era were the result of the topography and climate found in the 

geologically unique Driftless Area of the Upper Midwest. This environment 

produced microhabitats that support extensive flora and fauna diversity. This 

diversity attracted and sustained generations of American Indians.

· The monument contains historic resources that represent European American 

settlement of the area and the displacement of historic American Indian culture. 

Conversely, early scientific research conducted in the monument during the late 

1800s began the period of understanding and preserving of the rich Indian culture.

· The monument preserves and protects physical evidence of the cultural landscape, 

which documents the early and continuing scientific interest in the mounds and 

moundbuilding cultures. The monument’s cultural resources and collections 

document the full breadth of archeological investigations in the monument, from 

early mound documentation and exploration to modern methods of archeological 

investigation that incorporate a variety of techniques and native perspectives.

· The monument is identified by present-day members of the monument’s 

traditionally associated tribes as a sacred landscape.
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Fundamental Resources and Values

Fundamental resources and values (FRVs) are those features, systems, processes, 

experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to warrant 

primary consideration during planning and management processes because they 

are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. 

Fundamental resources and values are closely related to a park’s legislative purpose and are 

more specific than significance statements.

Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management efforts on 

what is truly significant about the park. One of the most important responsibilities of 

NPS managers is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities 

that are essential (fundamental) to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining 

its significance. If fundamental resources and values are allowed to deteriorate, the park 

purpose and/or significance could be jeopardized.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Effigy Mounds 

National Monument:

· Archeological Sites and Moundbuilding Culture. These resources include the 

primary archeological sites in all units of the monument, including all their features 

such as mounds, rock shelters, habitation sites, rock art, and associated artifacts, 

representing 1,800 years of the moundbuilding culture. While the Heritage 

Addition has not yet had a systematic archeological inventory completed, some 

mounds have been discovered in that area. The resources of that area are included 

as fundamental resources.

· Rare Habitat for Flora and Fauna. The monument contains habitat for an 

assemblage of plants found nowhere else in Iowa and rare in the region. This 

habitat includes both the transition zone of several vegetation communities found 

in the eastern hardwood and prairie ecosystems and microclimates produced 

by north-facing slopes and the influence of the river valley. The monument also 

contains habitat, including wetlands, for almost 300 species of birds, including 

nesting habitat for the red-shouldered hawk (a state listed species) and habitat for 

several other federal and state listed animal and plant species, including bald 

eagles, peregrine falcons, Higgins eye pearlymussel, purple fringed orchid, and 

jeweled shooting star.

· Museum Collections. The monument’s museum collections include original 

documents, photographic collections, and artifact collections that both document 

the important contributions of Ellison Orr and others to the early development of 

the science of field archeology relating to the moundbuilding cultures and support 

future scientific study and interpretation of paleontology, natural history, geology, 

history, and ethnology.

· Cultural Landscape and Ethnographic Resources. The individual resources of 

the monument listed previously as fundamental and important resources—mounds 

and associated artifacts, native vegetation, and rivers—collectively form a cultural 

landscape. Tribes and NPS staff are pursuing a designation that would acknowledge 

the entire national monument as a traditional cultural property. Some natural 

resources present in the monument, such as medicinal and ceremonial plants, are 

also culturally important, contributing to the importance of the area to modern 

American Indian tribes.
Effigy Mounds National Monument

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Other Important Resources and Values

Effigy Mounds National Monument contains other resources and values that are not 

fundamental to the purpose of the park and may be unrelated to its significance, but are 

important to consider in planning processes. These are referred to as “other important 

resources and values” (OIRV). These resources and values have been selected because 

they are important in the operation and management of the park and warrant special 

consideration in park planning.

The following other important resources and values have been identified for 

Effigy Mounds National Monument:

· Yellow River. The Yellow River is listed in the Nationwide Rivers Inventory and 

possesses outstandingly remarkable values.

· Driftless Area Topography. The topography associated with the Driftless Area 

reveals 500-million-year-old limestone bedrock. 

· Mississippi River Bluffs. The exposed 400-foot bluffs overlooking the Mississippi 

River feature American Indian rock art sites, rock shelters that were important as 

habitation sites, and chert outcroppings that were locally important for making 

tools and weapons.

· 1840s Military Road. The monument includes a road built in 1840 by the military 

that connected Fort Crawford, Wisconsin Territory, with Fort Atkinson, Iowa, 

and a historic archeological site—the Jefferson Davis sawmill—that supported the 

building of Fort Crawford. These are some of the reminders of how early 19thcentury American Indian treaties involved the military in resolving “the Indian 

problem” and opened up the territories for U.S. expansion and settlement prior to 

the Mexican War.

· Other Early American historic sites. Additional historic sites within the 

monument document early American use of the land for homesteading; 

agriculture; and economic, consumptive purposes, such as clamming, logging, 

and quarrying. These sites are tangible connections to the early western expansion 

of the United States.
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Interpretive Themes

Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories or concepts that visitors should 

understand after visiting a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts 

communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes are derived from, and should reflect, 

park purpose, significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive themes is 

complete when it provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities 

for visitors to explore and relate to all park significance statements and fundamental and 

other important resources and values.

Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, 

contexts, and values represented by park resources. Sound themes are accurate and 

reflect current scholarship and science. They encourage exploration of the context in 

which events or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes. 

Interpretive themes go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple 

opportunities to experience and consider the park and its resources. These themes 

help explain why a park story is relevant to people who may otherwise be unaware of 

connections they have to an event, time, or place associated with the park.The following 

interpretive themes have been identified for Effigy Mounds National Monument:

· Effigy Mounds National Monument preserves earthen mounds that are a 

manifestation of a sophisticated moundbuilding culture composed of several 

cultural systems that allowed the inhabitants to maintain a balance with the natural 

environment. These cultural systems of social organization (required to harness 

the labor to build the mounds), spiritual expression (the mounds), economics 

(widespread trade networks), and horticulture and early agriculture, allowed these 

peoples to invest the time and labor necessary to build the mounds. 

· The notable erosional features of the Driftless Area set the framework for a 

unique assemblage of prairie and forest, wetlands, and upland, and warm and cool 

environments that are home to highly diverse communities of plants and animals. 

This provides an opportunity to study the intricate connection between the 

moundbuilding people and the dynamic continuum of the natural world that had a 

profound impact on the evolution of a complex American Indian culture.

· The design and extent of ancient mound construction reveals not only the cultural 

sophistication and foresight of generations of moundbuilders, but also illustrates 

the special value they placed in their shared community beliefs and in these 

sacred places.

· The monument’s cultural resources and collections document the full breadth of 

archeological investigations in the monument, from early mound documentation 

and exploration, to modern methods of archeological investigation that 

incorporates a variety of techniques and native perspectives. The monument 

continues to serve as a springboard for the progression of American archeology—

from a simple fascination with “curiosities” to a scientific methodology that today 

incorporates the sacred nature of American Indian archeological sites. 

· Combining a focus on less invasive archeological methods with continued 

consultation with traditionally associated tribes permits a better understanding 

of American Indian traditions, history, and stories related to the moundbuilding 

cultures. Only by combining earlier methods of archeology, other less invasive 

methods of today, and the oral traditions and histories of the native peoples can we 

develop a deeper understanding of and spiritual connection with the past.
Effigy Mounds National Monument

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Summary

Located in the picturesque Upper Mississippi River Valley, Effigy Mounds National 

Monument preserves over 200 mounds. These mounds are considered sacred by the 12 

tribes traditionally associated with the monument—visitors can contemplate the meanings 

of the mounds and the people who built them. By stating the park purpose, articulating 

significance statements, understanding interpretive themes, and identifying the 

fundamental resources and values that need protection, clear management decisions that 

fulfill the park purpose can be implemented. This foundation document serves as the 

cornerstone for the future direction of management at Effigy Mounds National Monument.
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Part 2: Dynamic Components

The dynamic components of a foundation document include special mandates and 

administrative commitments and an assessment of planning and data needs. These 

components are dynamic because they will change over time. New special mandates can 

be established and new administrative commitments made. As conditions and trends of 

fundamental and other important resources and values change over time, the analysis 

of planning and data needs will need to be revisited and revised, along with key issues. 

Therefore, this part of the foundation document will be updated accordingly.

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 

Many management decisions for a park unit are directed or influenced by special 

mandates and administrative commitments with other federal agencies, state and local 

governments, utility companies, partnering organizations, and other entities. Special 

mandates are requirements specific to a park that must be fulfilled. Mandates can be 

expressed in enabling legislation, in separate legislation following the establishment of 

the park, or through a judicial process. They may expand on park purpose or introduce 

elements unrelated to the purpose of the park. Administrative commitments are, in general, 

agreements that have been reached through formal, documented processes, often through 

memorandums of agreement. Examples include easements, rights-of-way, arrangements 

for emergency service responses, etc. Special mandates and administrative commitments 

can support, in many cases, a network of partnerships that help fulfill the objectives of the 

park and facilitate working relationships with other organizations. They are an essential 

component of managing and planning for Effigy Mounds National Monument.

Special Mandates

· Public Law 106-323 allows for additional lands (50-acre Riverfront Tract) to be 

purchased from willing sellers and adjusted the monument boundary to include 

these lands. While the Riverfront Tract is in the legislated monument boundary, 

it remains in ownership of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the 

Canadian Pacific Railroad. Should this land become available, it may be purchased 

by the federal government and immediately included in the monument.

Administrative Commitments

· No administrative commitments were identified for Effigy Mounds 

National Monument.
Effigy Mounds National Monument

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Assessment of Planning and Data Needs

After completion of the general management plan for Effigy Mounds National Monument 

(2013), other more detailed plans were identified as planning and data needs before 

specific actions could be implemented. Additional studies and plans include, but are not 

limited to, the following:

· Cultural Landscape Report for the Entire Monument. A cultural landscape 

report is needed to update the cultural landscape inventory, to determine whether 

an ethnographic landscape exists at Effigy Mounds National Monument, determine 

the boundary of such a landscape, and to identify resources. This data need is a 

priority for the monument.

· Resource Stewardship Strategy. A resource stewardship strategy would expand 

upon the desired natural and cultural resource conditions from the general 

management plan, describe the current condition of the resources, and identify 

the difference between current and desired conditions. The plan would define 

comprehensive strategies to achieve and maintain the desired resource conditions 

and specific associated monitoring indicators and targets. The resource stewardship 

strategy would guide the preparation of future implementation plans such as 

a vegetation management plan, cultural resource management plan, nonnative 

species control plan, or a fire management plan.

· Public Access / Trail Development Plan Primarily Focusing on the Heritage 

Addition. Using the guidance provided in the general management plan, this 

plan would focus on the Heritage Addition, but would also address new trail 

connections from the visitor center to the Heritage Addition and the South unit trail 

system (Yellow River Bridge to South unit trails).

· Site Development Plan for the Sny Magill Unit. Future management of the 

Sny Magill unit requires a site development plan to analyze and decide the 

following: appropriate designs and locations for a visitor contact facility on adjacent 

property should such property be acquired, the alignment and design of an access 

trail from the visitor contact station to the mounds, alternative surfaces and 

locations of a trail to facilitate access to and interpretation of the mounds without 

causing adverse impacts, appropriate staffing levels to provide adequate visitor 

services, and protect resources.

· Finalize the Long-range Interpretation Plan. The finalized long-range 

interpretation plan would include placement information for new trail interpretive 

and directional signs.

· Long-term Mound Maintenance Plan. The long-term mound maintenance plan 

would guide the future care and treatment of vegetation on or near the mounds.
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Part 3: Preparers, Consultants, 

and Meeting Attendees

NOTE: This foundation was developed at the beginning of the GMP development process. 

The preparers, consultants, and meeting attendees listed here were contributors during 

the development of the foundation. Some contributors did not participate through the 

completion of the General Management Plan and other contributors were added as the 

plan progressed.

Effigy Mounds National Monument

Kenneth Block, Former Chief Ranger

Phyllis Ewing, Former Superintendent

Sharon Greener, Administrative Assistant

James Nepstad, Superintendent

Rodney Rovang, Natural Resources Manager

Jessica Salesman, Biological Science Technician

Thomas Sinclair, Chief of Maintenance

Friday Wiles, Administrative Officer

NPS Midwest Regional Office

Michael Evans, Ethnographer/Acting Superintendent

Ruth Heikkinen, Planning and Compliance Division Chief 

Anne Vawser, Cultural Resource Specialist

Sandra Washington, Former Chief of Planning; Assistant Regional 

Director for Planning, Construction, Communications, and Legislation
Effigy Mounds National Monument

13

NPS Denver Service Center – Planning

Nell Blodgett, GIS Lead

Kerri Cahill, Visitor Use Management Team Lead

Craig Cellar, Former Project Manager / Former Cultural Resource 

Specialist (now retired)

Jim Corbett, Visual Information Services Supervisor

Jan Harris, Chief, Planning Branch Three (now retired)

Glenda Heronema, Former Visual Information Specialist (now retired)

Wanda Gray Lafferty, Editor

Ángel López, Visual Information Specialist

June McMillen, Writer/Editor (now retired)

Cynthia Nelson, Chief, Planning Branch

Leslie Peterson, Cultural Resource Specialist

Ericka Pilcher, Visitor Use Resource Specialist

Kate Randall, Project Manager / Landscape Architect

Matthew Safford, Natural Resource Specialist / Former Project Manager

Brenda Todd, Cultural Resource Specialist / Project Manager

Other Collaborators

Patt Murphy, Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska

Don Weeks, NPS Water Resources Division
227 

APPENDIX A: LEGISLATION SUMMARY 

Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa — 

- Presidential Proclamation No. 2860, Oct. 25, 1949, 64th Statutes at Large, 81st Congress, 

2d Session, 64 part 2:A371 

- Public Law 87-44, May 27, 1961, 75 Stat. 88 

- Public Law 106–323, Oct. 19, 2000, 114 Stat. 1289 

Presidential Proclamation 2860 established Effigy Mounds National Monument because of “... 

earth mounds in the northeastern part of the State of Iowa known as the Effigy Mounds are of 

great scientific interest because of the variety of their forms, which include animal effigy, bird 

effigy, conical, and linear types, illustrative of a significant phase of the mound-building culture of 

the prehistoric American Indians.” 

The proclamation also included this statement: “Warning is hereby expressly given to all 

unauthorized persons not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of this 

monument and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof.” 

Public Law 87-44 added 272 acres of land to the monument, “. . . for the purposes of preserving 

certain prehistoric Indian mounds and protecting existing wildlife and other natural values . . .” 

Public Law 106-323 allowed for additional lands (Ferguson/Kistler Tract and the Riverfront 

Tract) to be purchased from willing sellers and adjusted the monument boundary to include these 

lands. The Ferguson/Kistler Tract is now called the Heritage Addition.

Appendix A: 

Legislation Summary

227 

Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa — 

- Presidential Proclamation No. 2860, Oct. 25, 1949, 64th Statutes at Large, 81st Congress, 

2d Session, 64 part 2:A371 

- Public Law 87-44, May 27, 1961, 75 Stat. 88 

- Public Law 106–323, Oct. 19, 2000, 114 Stat. 1289 

Presidential Proclamation 2860 established Effigy Mounds National Monument because of “... 

earth mounds in the northeastern part of the State of Iowa known as the Effigy Mounds are of 

great scientific interest because of the variety of their forms, which include animal effigy, bird 

effigy, conical, and linear types, illustrative of a significant phase of the mound-building culture of 

the prehistoric American Indians.” 

The proclamation also included this statement: “Warning is hereby expressly given to all 

unauthorized persons not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of this 

monument and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof.” 

Public Law 87-44 added 272 acres of land to the monument, “. . . for the purposes of preserving 

certain prehistoric Indian mounds and protecting existing wildlife and other natural values . . .” 

Public Law 106-323 allowed for additional lands (Ferguson/Kistler Tract and the Riverfront 

Tract) to be purchased from willing sellers and adjusted the monument boundary to include these 

lands. The Ferguson/Kistler Tract is now called the Heritage Addition.

227 

Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa — 

- Presidential Proclamation No. 2860, Oct. 25, 1949, 64th Statutes at Large, 81st Congress, 

2d Session, 64 part 2:A371 

- Public Law 87-44, May 27, 1961, 75 Stat. 88 

- Public Law 106–323, Oct. 19, 2000, 114 Stat. 1289 

Presidential Proclamation 2860 established Effigy Mounds National Monument because of “... 

earth mounds in the northeastern part of the State of Iowa known as the Effigy Mounds are of 

great scientific interest because of the variety of their forms, which include animal effigy, bird 

effigy, conical, and linear types, illustrative of a significant phase of the mound-building culture of 

the prehistoric American Indians.” 

The proclamation also included this statement: “Warning is hereby expressly given to all 

unauthorized persons not to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of this 

monument and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof.” 

Public Law 87-44 added 272 acres of land to the monument, “. . . for the purposes of preserving 

certain prehistoric Indian mounds and protecting existing wildlife and other natural values . . .” 

Public Law 106-323 allowed for additional lands (Ferguson/Kistler Tract and the Riverfront 

Tract) to be purchased from willing sellers and adjusted the monument boundary to include these 

lands. The Ferguson/Kistler Tract is now called the Heritage Addition.

Foundation Document

14
Establishment

Appendix B:

Enabling Legislation and Legislative Act for 

Effigy Mounds National Monument

Effigy Mounds National Monument

15
Boundary change

Foundation Document

16
Midwest Region Foundation Document Recommendation

Effigy Mounds National Monument

February 2014

This Foundation Document was prepared as part of a collaborative effort to develop a General Management 

Plan/ Environmental Impact Statement for Effigy Mounds National Monument. The Record of Decision, signed 

May 29, 2013, for that EIS can be found here: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/efmofingmp. The signatures below 

provide separate approval of the foundation document.

RECOMMENDED

Superintendent, Effigy Mounds National Monument Date

RECOMMENDED

Planning Division Chief, Midwest Regional Office Date

RECOMMENDED

Associate Regional Director, MWRO Planning, Communication and Legislation Date

APPROVED

Regional Director, Midwest Region Date

As the nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally 

owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering sound use of our land and water resources; protecting 

our fish, wildlife, and biological diversity; preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and 

historic places; and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The department assesses our energy 

and mineral resources and works to ensure that their development is in the best interests of all our people by encouraging 

stewardship and citizen participation in their care. The department also has a major responsibility for American Indian 

reservation communities and for people who live in island territories under U.S. administration.

EFMO 394/122341

March 2014
Foundation Document • Effigy Mounds National Monument

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR