140L3726Q0136_-_RFQ_Package.pdf

FY26 BC-GS RESTORATION CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY, BUREAU OF

LAND MANAGEMENT, PRINEVILLE DISTRICT OFFICE, CROOK COUNTY,

OREGON

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with part 12. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Offers are being requested and a separate written solicitation will not be issued.

Solicitation Number 140L3726Q0136 is issued as a Request for Quotes (RFQ).

This acquisition is set-aside for small business concerns. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at www.acquisition.gov.

This solicitation is set aside for small business. NAICS 541620 Environmental Consulting Services. The small business size standard is $19.0 million. Product Service Code B503 – Special Studies/Analysis – Archeological/Paleontological. The Purchase Order will be issued as a firm, fixed-price agreement with a single lump sum payment.

Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Boise District Office, Ada County, Idaho has a requirement to perform a Cultural Resource Survey on selected sites administered on BLM lands within the boundaries of the Prineville District in the State of Oregon. The project area totals 2,669 acres with work to be performed from October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027. The project area is located west and southwest of Dayville, Oregon, on the south side of US Highway 26 (US 26) in Grant County.

Item No.

Description Quantity Unit of Measure

Unit Price Total Price

00010 Base Item 1 survey units, Cultural Resources Inventory with Site Evaluations

2,669 Acres (AC)

(SEE ATTACHMENT 140L3726Q0136 – RFQ PACKAGE FOR COMPLETE STATEMENT

OF WORK, MAPS, WAGE DETERMINATIONS, AND CLAUSES / PROVISIONS.)

In accordance with the procedures in FAR Part 12, RFQ 140L3726Q0136 is available for viewing through electronic commerce via Bureau of Land Management's website at https://sam.gov.

All responsible* contractor will submit a quote to the Contracting Officer Audrey Whetham electronically audrey_whetham@ios.doi.gov no later than Friday, August 7, 2026, 3:00 pm

MDT.

*Note: Any contractor to submit an acceptable quote or awarded a government contract must be registered and active in the System for Award Management (SAM). Contractors must register at www.sam.gov.

mailto:audrey_whetham@ios.doi.gov http://www.sam.gov/

• Contractors must submit their Unique Entity ID (UEI) and CAGE code with their quote.

UEI ______________________

CAGE ____________________

For further information about this requirement, offerors should contact Audrey Whetham at audrey_whetham@ios.doi.gov.

FY26 BC-GS RESTORATION CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 1 of 23

STATEMENT OF WORK

CULTURAL RESOURCE INVESTIGATIONS BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT

1.0 GENERAL

Background. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Prineville District is responsible for cultural resource stewardship consistent with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976; the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended); the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979; the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990; and numerous other cultural resource management laws, regulations and policies. To support management decisions and legal compliance, BLM routinely:

• Performs background research and field inventories to identify cultural resources.

• Evaluates cultural resources for their historic significance and eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

• Implements measures to preserve, protect and resolve adverse effects on cultural sites that may result from agency actions and natural events.

• Monitors and documents change in the condition of cultural resources.

• Reports results of investigations and evaluations in technical reports, site records, photographs, maps, and other supporting documents.

• Collects and manages Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data.

• Enters data in ORCHID (Oregon Cultural Heritage Resource Information Dataset) for undertakings, investigations, cultural resources, and isolated finds in the state of Oregon.

BLM requires assistance from Contractors to perform cultural resource management tasks in a timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner that permits the agency to respond to emergency situations, complete routine land management actions in support of the BLM mission, and complete analyses for land management planning efforts.

Cultural Resources on BLM Lands. Cultural resources on BLM lands are characteristic of the northwestern Great Basin and Columbia Plateau. Site types include, but are not limited to, lithic scatters, stacked rock features, task-specific sites, rock shelters, rock art sites, as well as historic era buildings/structures, homesteads, refuse scatters, and roads. Site types on record within adjacent areas include historic wooden structures such as cabins and corrals, historic canals and ditches, historic refuse scatters, a pack trail, and isolated lithic scatters. Projectile points may include all the major types found in the Great Basin from roughly 14,000 B.P. to the contact period but will likely include points from roughly the last 5,000 years B.P., while historic sites would typically date from the late 1800s to the early 1900s within the survey unit.

Location of Work. The location of work is on BLM-administered lands within the boundaries of the Prineville District in the state of Oregon. Base Item 1 survey units are located west and southwest of Dayville, Oregon, on the south side of US Highway 26 (US 26) in Grant County

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 2 of 23

(See Attachment I).

Project Scope, Access, and Mobilization Needs. BLM is proposing to cut conifer trees, primarily western junipers (Juniperus occidentalis) and ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa), within the Base Item 1 survey unit on BLM-administered lands (See Attachment I) to improve rangeland health and forage quality for mule deer and elk, as well as to reduce wildfire risk.

Manual treatments would be completed by a person on foot with various hand tools and/or chainsaws to include hand thinning and pruning to remove ladder fuels and add spacing to canopy overstory. Removal of ladder fuels may include smaller diameter trees as well as branches of larger trees. Once trees are felled, hand thinned woody material is either piled or lopped and scattered, where appropriate, to minimize erosion at specific locations identified by BLM staff. Lop and scatter areas would be identified by BLM staff and focused in Riparian Management Area buffers where slopes are over 30 percent, aspect is south/southwest, and 50% bare ground would be left after removing juniper. Scattered wood material is cast over a broader area to redistribute the fuels as surface fuels rather than ladder and understory fuels. Felled vegetation that exceeds fuel loading objectives may be piled and will be burned once the material has dried out and weather conditions are favorable. To provide additional fire protection, flat areas directly adjacent to the Battle Creek Road would be mowed/masticated and not be lopped and scattered. Juniper trees across the project area will be cut regardless of size unless it exhibits old growth characteristics. All other conifers will be thinned up to 6 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH). To provide thermal and hiding cover for mule deer, approximately 1- to 3-acre patches of conifer stands will be left standing across the landscape. These patches will be identified by BLM and concentrated on the eastern slopes and in areas that provide coverage to mule deer while reducing hazardous fuels.

Any trees with cultural markings or culturally associated with cultural resource sites would be retained. Conifer trees would be cut down within most cultural sites, then removed by hand at a later time if jackpot burning needs to occur near or around those cultural site locations. If cultural sites with vulnerable features or significant artifacts that would be adversely affected by tree falling, then those sites would be avoided completely by tree falling activities or BLM cultural resource specialists will design the tree falling treatments to occur in or around those locations in consultation with the SHPO in accordance with the Oregon BLM-Oregon SHPO Protocol (See Attachment II). Examples of vulnerable sites or features might include, but are not limited to, cabins, above ground features, stacked rock features, hearths, village sites, housepits, and precontact lithic scatters. When machine piling is prescribed later by a BLM fuels specialist, then machine piling would be designed to avoid cultural resource sites and only take place in areas previously covered by adequate surveys and those areas surveyed through this contract.

Following manual thinning, the burning of hand piles or jackpot fuels would be used to reduce fuel loading and dispose of excess activity slash on site. Air quality guidelines would follow Oregon Department of Forestry requirements. Pile and jackpot burning would be implemented across the project area to eliminate the piles and slash accumulations. Burning would remove light ground level fuels and increase fire control opportunities within the fuel break in the event of a wildfire incident. Piles would be constructed in natural openings and landings. Piles would be burned according to a prescribed burn plan written by a qualified burn

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 3 of 23 boss. Pile burning typically has a larger window for implementation than broadcast burning due to the arrangement of fuels and weather conditions. In addition to pile burning, jackpot burning, a modified form of broadcast slash burning in which the greater accumulations of slash are burned, is confined to these areas where it would be applied. Pile and jackpot burning would occur during the fall and winter. Piles would be located at a minimum of 15 meters away from ephemeral draws, streams, and springs. Burning would only be done in previous and adequately surveyed areas, as well as in the survey unit in this contract. If any additional areas were to be similarly burned outside of the survey unit and the adequately and previously surveyed unit, then they would require additional survey or BLM consultation with SHPO at that time. However, this is not expected at present.

BLM will consult with affected Tribes about the Area of Potential Effects (APE) and survey methodology defined in this contract for Base Item 1 survey units. The Contractor will not consult or report directly with the SHPO regarding this undertaking, instead BLM will retain all its legal responsibilities per 36 CFR 800 and the Oregon BLM-Oregon SHPO Protocol (See Attachment II). In addition, BLM will consult with any affected Tribes that may have knowledge of traditional cultural properties or potentially eligible historic properties and sites of religious and cultural significance to them. The result of tribal consultation will be conveyed to the Contractor and inserted in the final inventory report by the Contractor.

• Scope. The survey unit totals approximately 2,669 acres in size and falls upon BLM managed lands accessible by unimproved dirt roads and some improved dirt and gravel roads. Unimproved roads are typically two-track roads with vegetation growing in the middle of them, which may be hazardous during extremely dry and hot weather conditions, thereby increasing the likelihood of wildfire ignition or vehicular fire. The project falls upon varied terrain including large hills with steep slopes and ridges with some buttes, table lands, canyons, basins, springs, and ephemeral/relic stream drainages.

Vegetation largely consists of conifer woodlands (juniper and ponderosa pine) with varying levels of maturity and sagebrush steppe environments with encroaching and dispersed junipers with forbs, shrubs, and bunchgrasses. Ground surface or mineral soil visibility in these areas is generally fair to very good, ranging from 30 to 80% per average square meter.

• Mobilization Needs and Timing. With a total area of approximately 2,669 acres, the Contractor must mobilize qualified crews and supervisory personnel to expeditiously conduct background research and fieldwork and complete all reporting within the performance period for Base Item 1. Completion of cultural resource inventory and evaluation is time sensitive and necessary prior to implementing public land management actions.

• Access. The Contractor is responsible for determining access routes with approval from the COR. The survey units are best accessed by a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle like a SUV or truck. The survey unit shall be accessed across federal land and/or on roads over which BLM has legal access rights (See Attachment VIII). Legal access is restricted for Survey Unit 1. Per signed agreement between BLM and the landowner, the Contractor must coordinate directly with the landowner for access to Survey Unit 1 on BLM land

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 4 of 23 through their private property. Refer to Attachment VIII for the private road location from South Fork Road, a maintained county road. For Survey Unit 2, direct-driving access to the survey unit will be from Battle Creek Road (Road 6206-00). Once inside each survey unit area, there may be unimproved two-track dirt roads crossing BLM lands that can be used when accessible within the survey unit. If the Contractor requests additional access across private property where there is no legal access, BLM may make that request of the private landowner, but such access in not guaranteed, nor should it be considered or treated as a viable option. When required, the Contractor will provide access notification to landowners and comply with all conditions as agreed to by BLM and the landowners Further access instruction via private lands will be made available to the Contractor when needed.

Most survey areas are easier to access in late spring to early fall when conditions are drier, however dry road conditions may occur earlier in or later into the season depending on local precipitation. Use of unimproved two-track dirt roads during wet months should be minimized to avoid environmental damage when necessary. Vehicles shall not operate on off-system roads without prior written approval of the Contracting Officer (CO) or their designated representative.

During fire season (late summer and early fall), conditions are dry and motorized travel may be restricted. Routine Contractor coordination with the COR regarding fire season safety and restrictions shall occur as necessary based on Oregon Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPL). According to recent history, July and August are typically the most hazardous times of the year with regards to natural and human-caused wildfire ignitions.

However, recent fire seasons have gone well into September and even October.

Contractors must observe travel restrictions and can obtain information about travel restrictions from the COR using communication coordination protocols defined in this contract.

Regardless of season or conditions, no vehicle shall bypass any officially blocked road (barriers, posted signs, rock/log/dirt, etc.) without approval of the CO or their designated representative.

DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS

Artifact – any portable object that shows evidence of human manufacture, modification, or use.

BLM – Bureau of Land Management

Contracting Officer (CO) – a person with the authority to enter, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings. The term includes certain authorized representatives of the contracting officer acting within the limits of their authority as delegated by the contracting officer.

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 5 of 23

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) – a person, including a contracting officer’s technical representative (COTR), designated and authorized in writing by the contracting officer to perform specific technical or administrative functions.

Cultural Resource – nonrenewable remains of human activity, occupation, or endeavor, found in districts, buildings, structures, objects, sites, artifacts, ruins, works of art, architecture, and natural features. These resources consist of (l) physical remains, (2) areas where significant human events occurred (even though evidence of the event no longer remains), and/or (3) the environment immediately surrounding the resource. Cultural resources, including both precontact and historic remains, represent a part of the continuum of events from the earliest evidence of humans to the present day. Cultural resources also include those non-tangible values associated with traditional land uses involving socio-economic and religious activities of American Indian tribal groups.

Cultural Resource Field Inventory (survey) - a continuous surface survey of an entire target area (survey unit) (except for subareas determined unlikely to contain discoverable cultural resources or areas in need of intuitive survey (see definition)), aimed at locating and recording all cultural resources that have surface and exposed-profile indications, by walking parallel transects spaced no more than 30 meters apart until the area has been thoroughly examined.

Cultural Resource Professional - An individual who, through training and experience, is competent to assess and evaluate cultural resources. This individual is a recognized archaeologist, historian, historical architect or anthropologist who meets the Secretary of Interior’s Standards and Guidelines. All types of cultural resource investigations, including field inventories, can only be supervised by persons, organizations, and institutions whose training and experience enable them to obtain a Federal Antiquities Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) Permit, as prescribed in 43 CFR 7.8.

Cultural Site - a definite location of human activity, occupation, or use identifiable through a cultural resource survey. On BLM administered lands in Oregon, a site consists of at least ten associated artifacts within ten square meters or a single feature.

Datum - A fixed reference point established within or near a cultural site. Datums facilitate measurement during site mapping and excavation, and aid future site relocation.

For site’s undergoing only a surface recording, a datum may be virtual, documented by NAD 83 UTM coordinates and located on the site’s boundary (edge) or center.

Alternatively, physical fixed reference points like a rebar stake or metal tag (if approved by the COR) or a conspicuous and immovable tree or boulder within or just outside the site may be used as well.

Diagnostic Artifact – an artifact indicative of a particular time period or cultural group that is often used for relative dating. Examples of diagnostic artifacts include but are not limited to classifiable, Great Basin projectile point types; channel flakes or biface overshot flakes potentially attributable to the Clovis Tradition; cans, including vent-hole, hole-and-cap, and hole-in-cap cans (See Attachment III.); ceramic vessel makers’ marks; glass

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 6 of 23 vessel makers’ marks; embossed can labels; preserved lithographic or other can labels;

“solarized”, “amethyst” or “sun colored amethyst” glass; etc.

Evaluation - the application of the National Register of Historic Places eligibility criteria at 36 CFR 60.4, including supporting rationale for eligibility recommendations.

Evaluation may also include assessment of potential project effects specific to the characteristics of a cultural resource that qualifies it for the National Register of Historic Places (see 36 CFR 800.5). For BLM land management planning purposes, this term may refer to the analytical assessment of a cultural resource for determining public and scientific use potential.

Feature - any non-portable object that shows evidence of human manufacture, modification or use.

Geographic Information System (GIS) – a system for managing the capture, storage, manipulation, and analysis of geospatial data.

Global Positioning System (GPS) – a radio receiver that collects geospatial data by analyzing satellite signals.

Historic District – a district derives its importance from being a unified entity, even though it is often composed of a wide variety of resources. The identity of a district results from the interrelationship of its resources, which can convey a visual sense of the overall historic environment or be an arrangement of historically or functionally related properties. For example, a district can reflect one principal activity, such as an area that includes industrial, residential, or commercial buildings, sites, structures, or objects. A district can also be a grouping of archaeological sites related primarily by their common components; these types of districts often will not visually represent a specific historic environment.

Intuitive Survey – this type of survey should be used in areas with equal to or greater than 25% slope if encountered in the contract survey unit and includes the safe survey of rimrock, terraces, bedrock cracks and chasms, caves, rock shelters, and rimrock overhangs in search of precontact sites including but not limited to rock art, habitation sites, hunting blinds, and burials.

Isolated Find – in the state of Oregon, an isolated find (IF) is a location of human activity consisting of fewer than ten associated artifacts within ten square meters.

Mineral soil - exposed ground surface areas (or vertical exposures) devoid of vegetation.

National Register of Historic Places - the official list, established by the Historic Preservation Act of 1966, of the Nation's cultural resources worthy of preservation. The Register lists archeological, historical, and architectural properties (i.e., districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects) nominated for their local, state or national significance by state and/or federal agencies, and private individuals and approved by the National

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 7 of 23

Register staff. The Register is maintained by the National Park Service.

National Register eligible - cultural resources that have been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places because they meet at least one of the four National Register significance and integrity criteria (see Code of Federal Regulations 36 CFR 60.4).

OARRA – the Oregon Archaeological Records Remote Access system is a web-based database containing cultural resource reports and site records for the state of Oregon. The database is maintained by the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, a division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

ORCHID – the Oregon Cultural Heritage Resource Information Dataset (ORCHID) uses the Cultural Resources Management (CRM) theme to support data entry via ArcGIS Pro and mobile data collection using the BLM’s S1 Mobile Mapper application, replacing the Oregon Cultural Resource Information System (OCRIS). The Cultural Resources Management (CRM) theme includes five spatially enabled datasets and two tables pertaining to BLM's management of cultural resources on land managed by the agency including associated geospatial and locational data for undertaking and investigation (inventory/survey) areas, as well as site and isolated find locations. This GIS database/dataset is maintained by and for the internal use of the Oregon/Washington

BLM.

Principle Investigator (PI) – an individual meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Qualification Standards at 36 CFR 61, Appendix A (https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR- 1998-title36-vol1/pdf/CFR-1998-title36-vol1-part61-appA.pdf) and BLM Manual 8150.12.B.2 (https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/mediacenter_blmpolicymanual8150.pdf).

State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) - officials within the state of Oregon authorized by the state at the request of the Secretary of the Interior to act as a liaison for purpose of implementing the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) - a mapping coordinate grid system based upon one of many different mapping projections. The data is displayed in meters easting and northing.

2.0 CONTRACTOR-FURNISHED ITEMS AND STAFFING

Contractor shall furnish all necessary management, labor, supervision, equipment, materials, supplies, transportation, and other incidental services necessary to perform cultural resource field inventory, identification, monitoring, mapping, and reporting for the survey unit.

Property. The Contractor shall furnish the following equipment in sufficient quantities to fulfill work requirements by deadlines established in the contract:

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1998-title36-vol1/pdf/CFR-1998-title36-vol1-part61-appA.pdf https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1998-title36-vol1/pdf/CFR-1998-title36-vol1-part61-appA.pdf https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/mediacenter_blmpolicymanual8150.pdf

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 8 of 23

• Compasses with azimuth and declination set to + 14 degrees east to approximate true north for all contract survey and documentation work.

• GPS units and software capable of collecting/producing Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates with an accuracy of +/- 5 meters. See the GPS/GIS Data Collection and Reporting Standards 5.0 subsection for additional information.

• Hand lenses with minimum magnification of 10X.

• Metric/English unit rulers.

• Metric/English unit tape measures.

• Metric/English unit scale bars/north arrows.

• Digital cameras with a minimum resolution of 6 megapixels.

• Pin flags for temporarily marking artifact locations, features or site boundaries during and for survey purposes only.

• Two shovels and at least one bladder bag full of water per vehicle for Contractor safety, in the event of a Contractor caused vehicle or wildfire when driving or parking over dry and hazardous vegetation during the months of June, July, August, and September.

Staffing. Key personnel include a Principal Investigator (Project Director), Crew Chief/Field Director and Project Manager. The Contractor shall designate a Project Manager to be the point of contact with the Government for all work under the contract. A Principal Investigator and Crew Chief shall be designated for all work under the contract as well, and these individuals will also be in communication and coordination with the COR as necessary. A single individual may serve as both the Project Manager and Principal Investigator. The Contractor shall hold a current Federal Permit for Archaeological Investigations authorizing them to conduct archaeological inventories within the state of Oregon. The Government reserves the right to review the qualifications of these individuals and to approve their selection.

The Principal Investigator shall meet qualification requirements at 36 CFR 61, Appendix A (https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1998-title36-vol1/pdf/CFR-1998-title36-vol1-part61-appA.pdf) and BLM Manual 8150.12.B.2 (https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/mediacenter_blmpolicymanual8150.pdf). Staff must be qualified to access the Oregon Archaeological Records Remote Access (OARRA) (http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/ARCH/Pages/index.aspx).

The Contractor agrees that assigned key personnel shall not be removed, replaced or reassigned to another project without the written concurrence of the Contracting Officer (CO). All replacement of Key Personnel shall meet the stated minimum qualification requirements.

3.0 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED ITEMS

The Government shall furnish or make available to the Contractor the following materials, supplies, property or services in electronic and/or paper format as appropriate:

• Maps necessary to locate cultural sites (for example, District road maps and copies of

USGS 7.5-minute topographic maps).

• Project background information including previous cultural resource survey https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1998-title36-vol1/pdf/CFR-1998-title36-vol1-part61-appA.pdf https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-1998-title36-vol1/pdf/CFR-1998-title36-vol1-part61-appA.pdf https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/mediacenter_blmpolicymanual8150.pdf http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/ARCH/Pages/index.aspx

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 9 of 23 documentation, site and isolated find (IF) documentation, and other pertinent government records. Access to such documents may be limited to in-office use.

• GIS data that includes previously surveyed areas and previously recorded cultural resource site locations within the survey unit.

• Access to a blank ORCHID geodatabase (.gdb) ArcGIS Pro/ArcMap file and associated user guides.

• Keys to locked gates.

The Contractor shall be liable for all loss or damage of Government-furnished property until completion and final acceptance of work required under this contract. The Contractor shall return upon completion of the work any property or data related to the contract.

4.0 TASKS

The Contractor shall perform cultural resource field inventory (survey), as well as data collection and reporting according to the standards within this contract. In addition, cultural resource field inventory, documentation and reporting shall be sufficient to satisfy Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/upload/standards-guidelines-archeology-historic-preservation.pdf), requirements of Oregon BLM/SHPO Protocol (See Attachment II), and requirements of the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/ARCH/Pages/index.aspx).

Base Item Services. This contract contains one Base Item.

Base Items.

Performance Period: October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027

Item No.

Description Quantity Unit of Measure

Unit Price Total Price

00010 Base Item 1 survey units, Cultural Resources Inventory with Site Evaluations

2,669 Acres (AC)

For a map of the Base Item 1 survey units, see Attachment VII.

Pre-work Conferences. A pre-work conference will be held after the award and prior to work starting to ensure a clear understanding of the scope of the contract, the sequence of work, submission times for draft and final reports, documentation requirements, inspection and payment schedules. Furthermore, the Crew Chief/Field Director will conduct a pre-work conference with the COR, and COTR or project inspector (PI), if the COTR or PI is available, at the BLM Prineville District office immediately prior to conducting field survey to ensure the Contractor has a clear understanding of the contract’s Cultural Resource Field Inventory Methods and standards, as well as the types, character, densities, research importance and https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/upload/standards-guidelines-archeology-historic-preservation.pdf https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/upload/standards-guidelines-archeology-historic-preservation.pdf http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/ARCH/Pages/index.aspx

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 10 of 23 integrity of cultural resource site types known and expected within the survey unit. In addition, that meeting will also be used to ensure that the Crew Chief/Field Director is aware of any current survey unit access or safety issues, as well as fire or other restrictions.

Coordination. Coordination includes working with the COR to determine appropriate fieldwork start dates and fieldwork schedules, so that the COR, PI or COTR may properly inspect fieldwork and complete pre-fieldwork coordination tasks. Similarly, coordination adhering to the schedule defined in the 4.0 Tasks section of this contract within the Draft and Final Reports subsection, so that the COR, Project Inspector (PI) or COTR may properly inspect fieldwork and complete pre-fieldwork coordination tasks. The crew chief/field director shall coordinate with the COR at least two weeks prior to visiting the BLM office for any government-furnished items.

The crew chief/field director shall coordinate with the COR at least two weeks prior to initiating fieldwork. In addition, the crew chief/field director shall coordinate with the COR as fieldwork continues in order to avoid hazardous fire conditions or starting a human-caused wildfire. Lastly the Contractor shall coordinate with the COR at least 3 weeks ahead of time to discuss any nonfederal road access needs per the 1.0 General section of this contract within the Access subsection.

Background Research and Records Review. The Contractor shall conduct background research and review existing records, including Bureau of Land Management Land Status and Cadastral Survey Records for Townships overlapping the survey unit: Master Title Plats, Historical Indices, and Survey Plats (General Land Office Cadastral Surveys) (https://www.blm.gov/or/landrecords/survey/ySrvy1.php); BLM Prineville District’s A Cultural Resource Overview for the 1990s (relevant portions of Chapters 3 and 4 that overlap with the survey unit); the “Northern Paiute” chapters of The Handbook of North American Indians:

Volume 11 Great Basin, and any other pertinent records. The records reviewed shall identify all records pertinent to informing the identification of cultural sites (archaeological, historic, and traditional cultural, as appropriate) in each survey unit, including site type, density, and location.

The scope of review shall also be commensurate with the size and location of the survey units and the potential effects of the Federal action (undertaking) and shall be determined in consultation with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The review may include locations adjacent to the survey unit if appropriate. The Contractor is expected to possess a thorough knowledge of major cultural resource projects and data syntheses relevant to understanding the types, character, densities, research importance and integrity of cultural resource site types known and expected within the survey unit.

Potential information sources include GIS data, site records, gray literature (including records documenting previous cultural resource management efforts in the survey unit), BLM documents, records available on the OARRA databases, records housed at the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, academic studies, publications, ethnographic information, photographs, historic maps, General Land Office (GLO) cadastral surveys and patent information, historical records, and any other appropriate material. Patent and GLO information can be found online at https://glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx.

Cultural Resource Field Inventory Methods. The Contractor shall conduct cultural resource field inventory (survey) in the Base Item 1 survey unit as defined by the BLM Prineville District https://www.blm.gov/or/landrecords/survey/ySrvy1.php https://glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 11 of 23

(See Attachments I and VII). All cultural resources encountered will be documented according to the following standards.

• Cultural Resource Surface Survey. Field crews will conduct continuous pedestrian surface surveys of the defined survey unit to locate all cultural resources (at least 50 years of age or older) with surface and/or exposed profile manifestations. Survey will be accomplished by walking parallel transects spaced at no more than 30-meter intervals until the entire area has been examined. According to preliminary analysis by BLM, over 60% of the survey units contain 25% or greater slope. The Contractor shall do its own detailed slope analysis of the Base Unit 1 survey area. When areas of 25% or more slopes are encountered within the survey unit, these areas are not required to be intensively surveyed. However, it is necessary for the Contractor to walk through these areas to reach survey unit areas with less than 25% slope. In addition, the Contractor will conduct intuitive survey in all areas of 25% slope or greater, when it is safe to do so, that may contain caves, rock shelters, rock overhangs, rock art, talus slope features, rimrock overhangs, fluvial or wave-cut terraces, bedrock cracks and chasms, and other suitable geomorphic features typically likely to contain cultural resources. The Contractor will determine when and where to conduct intuitive survey, when intuitive survey is not hazardous and would encounter the geomorphic features above. Transects for all surveys may be compass-oriented, contour-oriented, or meander depending on the terrain and the dimensions of the survey unit. At least one crew member or the Field Director/Crew Chief will document all their survey transect lines when surveying parallel to other members of their crew and/or during individual led surveys within the survey unit. All survey transect lines will be documented with GPS units according to the contract’s GPS/GIS Data Collection and Reporting Standards 5.0 subsection. Documented GPS/GIS survey transect lines will be used for inspection purposes per the contract’s Cultural Resource Reporting standards.

The Contractor shall survey for sites by closely examining mineral soil exposures such as back dirt piles from animal burrows, tree tip ups, anthills exceeding one foot in diameter, and other subsurface mineral soil/sediment exposures.

Artifacts shall not be collected.

Changes in the survey methods above due to environmental conditions shall be discussed with and approved by the COR in advance, unless changes are made due to hazardous conditions. Survey methods that diverge from those described in the contract must be described in draft and final reports, depicted on maps, and be preapproved by the COR.

• Site Monitoring/Visit/Update Assessment Methods. The Contractor shall be required to monitor and document the condition of previously recorded sites and isolated finds if located in the survey unit. According to current ORCHID GIS and SHPO OARRA data, only one (1) cultural site and two (2) isolated finds intersect the survey unit. However, the Contractor would conduct additional independent review which may result in a slight increase to known cultural resources in the survey unit. The purpose of monitoring is to improve the content of outdated site records (or in this case, isolated find records as well)

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 12 of 23 and to document changes in site or isolated find conditions resulting from natural weathering, wildfires, and other human-caused impacts. Requirements for conducting site monitoring and condition assessments are:

o Relocating and revisiting all previously recorded sites and isolated finds within the survey unit.

o Review the previously recorded site boundary/isolated find location for accuracy and record a new site boundary/isolated find location if that site boundary/isolated find location is inaccurate or too small according to the GPS/GIS Data Collection and Reporting Standards subsection within the 5.0 Data Collection and Reporting Standards section of this contract.

o Comparing site/isolated find descriptions and conditions documented in existing site records with the site’s/isolated find’s current characteristics and condition.

o Updating site records, including the site description, location, observed artifact list, and current impacts to reflect the site’s current characteristics and condition consistent with the Cultural Resource Documentation subsection of this contract listed below. If site characteristics and/or condition are unchanged, indicate that in the updated site record as well.

o Note any mitigation or avoidance measures needed to protect the site from adverse effects of the proposed project for subsequent insertion into the report.

o Updating and documenting isolated finds on site forms when after monitoring an isolated find it is found to meet the definition of a cultural site as defined in 1.0 Definitions and Acronyms.

Cultural Resource Documentation. Documentation of cultural resources must conform to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Archaeology and Historic Preservation. At a minimum, cultural resource isolated finds and sites identified during field inventory shall be documented consistent with the following requirements:

• Survey. All recorded survey transect lines will be documented with a GPS unit and delivered to BLM according to the GPS/GIS Data Collection and Reporting Standards

5.0 subsection of this contract. In addition, surveys will also be documented on USGS -minute topographic maps according to SHPO standards in all draft and final reports.

• Isolated Finds. In the state of Oregon, isolated finds are a location of human activity consisting of fewer than ten associated artifacts within ten square meters. However, a single historic artifact that is fragmented into numerous pieces shall not be recorded as multiple artifacts and subsequently a site, but as a single artifact in fragments. In addition, if a single feature is located it should be recorded as a site and not an isolated find unless it is a single, blazed or notched tree. Each isolated find record shall be recorded on a digital SHPO or BLM isolated find form in a digital PDF format combined with photos and a USGS 7.5-minute, 1:24,000 scale topographic maps as described below. Isolated Find records shall be documented according to State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) standards and on SHPO/BLM forms, when possible, given the encountered artifact type and include the following information:

o Artifact type/function and number of each

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 13 of 23 o Material types o Reduction stages for lithic material o Detailed descriptions and Photographs of all precontact temporally/cultural/functionally diagnostic artifacts to include:

Photographs (with metric scale) (See Attachment IV.); photographs shall be clear, focused, centered, and close-up to artifacts, so that the artifact fills most of the photograph. Photographs will be added to isolated find (IF) forms.

To scale, outline drawings of projectile points and suspected projectile points with the basal (proximal) end oriented to the bottom of the drawing and the tip (distal end) oriented to the top of the drawing with two dashes marking the location of projectile point fractures in the apparent direction of the absent portion of the fractured artifact (See Attachment V.)

Artifact dimensions (maximum length, width, and thickness using millimeters; measurements of neck width measurements in millimeters must also be taken for all projectile points with measurable neck widths)

Groundstone working element dimensions, including groundstone depressions, etc.

Description of diagnostic features (projectile point type/shape, groundstone type, etc.)

Projectile points shall be typed according to up-to-date regional (i.e.

Columbia Plateau or Great Basin) or local typologies given projectile point metric data and morphological characteristics and known date ranges also provided for each type.

Other chronologically diagnostic artifacts like overshot flakes, crescents or trade beads, etc. will be used to assess chronology as well given their known temporal contexts as generally listed in books like Oregon Archaeology (Aikens, Connolly, & Jenkins, 2011).

Other pertinent information o Detailed descriptions of the following historic temporally diagnostic, cylindrical artifacts, including vent-hole, hole-and-cap, and hole-in-cap cans:

Can height and circular diameter measurements in inches and 1/16 inches for one measurable vent-hole can per type/size category (See Attachment

III.)

Can height and circular diameter measurements in inches and 1/16 inches, as well as circular cap diameter measurements in inches and 1/16 inches for one measurable hole-and-cap can and/or hole-in-cap can per type/size category (See Attachment III.)

o Detailed descriptions of historic temporally/cultural/functionally diagnostic artifacts to include:

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 14 of 23

Clear and legible photographs (with English unit scale) of glass or ceramic makers’ marks (See Attachment IV.); embossed can labels and preserved lithographic or other can labels.

Description of diagnostic features (makers’ marks, glass closures, ceramic material and vessel types, can openings/closures, etc.)

The following books and guides shall be used to date historic artifacts unless comparable or superior references are available and used: Bottle Makers and their Marks (Toulouse 1972); the Encyclopedia of Marks 1780-1980 on American, English, and European Earthenware, Ironstone, and Stoneware (Kowalsky and Kowalsky 1999); and the Historic Glass Bottle Identification & Information Website (https://secure-sha.org/bottle/).

The following 2007 guide shall be used to date other artifacts when necessary to date a site or feature, unless comparable or superior references are available and used: the AOA Historic Artifact Identification Workshop Packet.

Isolated finds shall be documented with a minimum of one GPS coordinate. The point shall be taken at the estimated visible center (centroid) of the isolated find if multiple artifacts are present. Isolated find locations shall also be documented on a USGS 7.5-minute, 1:24,000 scale topographic (location) maps for each isolated find. All isolated find documentation must be included in individual, draft and final isolated find records for each isolated find.

• Cultural Resource Sites. A cultural resource site is a defined location of human activity, occupation, or use identifiable through a cultural resource survey. On BLM administered lands in Oregon, a site consists of at least ten associated artifacts within ten square meters, or a single feature. Cultural resource documentation shall at a minimum include the following:

o The Contractor shall establish a virtual or physical datum at each newly recorded cultural resource site and at previously documented sites undergoing monitoring/updates if a datum is not already established. No permanent datums shall be placed and left on sites.

o All sites shall be documented with GPS technology according to standards in the GPS/GIS Data Collection and Reporting Standards 5.0 subsection of this contract. Site boundary data must be collected as a polygon. Other site features, diagnostic artifacts, loci (artifact concentrations), etc. may be documented as point, line, or polygon data as appropriate. Linear sites shall be documented as a polygon, with associated features and artifacts documented as point or polygon data. When the Contractor deems necessary, a linear site may be initially recorded as a line during survey but shall be buffered later with GIS software into a site polygon for final reporting.

o Each site record shall include a minimum of one individual, BLM Oregon cultural resource site form in a digital PDF format combined with the following into a single PDF document: a scanned hand-drawn or digital sketch map; a USGS 7.5-minute, 1:24,000 scale topographic (location) map; and site, artifact and/or feature https://secure-sha.org/bottle/

BLM PRINEVILLE DISTRICT Page 15 of 23 photographs. Blank BLM site forms shall be provided to the Contractor prior to inventory for site documentation. Site records shall include, at a minimum:

Individual cultural resource site records which will be completed and submitted for each cultural resource site and previously recorded site within the survey unit.

A description of the site location, including directions to the site.

Directions must include road names and/or numbers, mileage distances, and cardinal directions. Directions must also include the direction and mileage distances that must be walked to get to a site once the vehicle is parked. Directions shall be sufficient for someone to navigate from the BLM Prineville District office to the site without prior knowledge of the area.

Site records shall include descriptions of environmental features;

geomorphic landform features within and just outside site boundaries capable or incapable of preserving stratified sites; vegetation; soil types;

natural resources and features potentially linked to site location such as Spring root grounds, river features conducive towards salmon fishing, berry harvest locations, obsidian or other lithic sources, river fords, etc.

Sketch maps of sites showing site boundaries; site datums; site features;

artifact concentrations (loci); individual diagnostic artifacts/features;

notable ecological, geographic features, or human-made features (roads, trails, drainages); a legend; a north arrow; BLM site number; and a notation of whether the sketch map is to scale or not. Sketch maps must be produced with GIS data or as hand-drawn sketch maps. In addition, any hand-drawn sketch maps must be created with a compass declination set to + 14 degrees east to approximate true north and be legible. Hand-drawn sketch maps must then be scanned, and both scanned or digital sketch maps must be combined with draft and final site records.

Summary descriptions of artifact and/or feature types/functions, density, reduction stage for chipped stone material, and composition material (obsidian, cryptocrystalline silicate, charcoal, faunal remains, botanical materials, volcanic tephra, fire affected or cracked rock, etc.)

− Feature descriptions must also include the maximum length, width, height, and/or depth of each feature in English unit measurements for historic sites and in Metric unit measurements for precontact sites. In addition, length and width measurements must also describe linear length and width per their compass azimuth or cardinal directions. In addition, the surficial and/or 3-dimensional shape of feature shall be generally described.

Detailed descriptions of all precontact temporally/cultural/functionally diagnostic artifacts to include:

− Photographs (with metric scale) (See Attachment IV.);

photographs shall be clear, focused, centered, and close-up to artifacts, so that the artifact fills the majority of the photograph.

− To scale, outline drawings of projectile points and suspected projectile points with the basal…