A 200-foot stretch of gravel road cut into Katmai National Park and Preserve 10 years ago has been removed This will allow the site to be restored to its natural state and the archaeological finds to be protected.

The small stretch of road near Lake Brooks was built inadvertently and without proper consultation with regional indigenous tribes and organizations, the National Park Service said, covering over portions of two underground sod dwellings known as ciqluaqs in Alutiiq culture and barabaras in Russian.

The stretch of road was originally intended to shorten an existing access road and prevent vehicles from getting too close to a historic cabin that has been hit by buses a few times, but it was never used, says Katmai’s director, Mark Sturm. The problems it caused became apparent shortly after construction in the summer of 2014, he says.

“It was not appropriate for us to do that, and certainly not to do it without our due diligence,” said Sturm, who was not in Katmai at the time. The construction of the stretch of road “upset a lot of people,” he said.

“Our biggest mistake was carrying out the work without proper consultation and without proper monument preservation,” he said.

The removal, which was completed last week, required some delicate work, including some hand digging around the two Barbara sites, Sturm said. It was also the subject of an agreement between several indigenous organizations and the park, and a tribal representative oversaw the work, the park said.

Beyond that stretch of road, the park has reformed its practices to ensure proper consultation with tribes and avoid similar problems in the future, Sturm said. “We have everything under control,” he said. “We’re in the process of doing that.”

Known for its salmon-eating bears, lakes and volcanic landscapes, Katmai National Park and Preserve, which covers 4 million acres, hosts an annual online event called Fat Bear Week, where people from around the world vote for the bears that have most successfully gained weight to prepare for hibernation.

Katmai has been part of the U.S. National Park System for over a century. It was designated a national park in 1918 and later expanded several times until it was given its current form in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.