A04_Muddy_Creek_Streams_SOW_FY24.pdf

U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

HIGH DESERT DISTRICT

RAWLINS FIELD OFFICE, WYOMING

Muddy Creek Restoration Landscape Stream Restoration Projects, Class III Cultural Resources Inventory

STATEMENT OF WORK

I. Introduction and Background

The contractor shall conduct a Class III cultural resource inventory in anticipation of stream restoration work within the Muddy Creek watershed approximately 15 miles south of Rawlins and 5 miles north of Baggs in south central Carbon County, Wyoming (see attached project maps and provided shapefiles). The Muddy Creek Restoration Landscape Stream Restoration Projects would be accomplished using a variety of techniques: low-tech restoration techniques (e.g., Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs and Zeedyk Structures), placement of spawning gravel using UTV’s and small powered equipment, and channel reconstruction using heavy equipment.

The project areas are adjacent to Muddy Creek, Littlefield Creek, and portions of major tributary drainages from the headwaters of Muddy Creek itself downstream to the Muddy Creek bridge crossing on BLM road 3306.

Project Area:

The contractor shall conduct a Class III Cultural Resources Inventory of approximately 1,018 acres 200-feet on each side of the stream on the headwaters of Muddy Creek and Littlefield Creek (See Map). The inventory areas are irregular in shape, follow the streams, and are not marked on the ground; shapefiles will be provided to the contractor by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as part of this solicitation package and/or upon contract award. Per the Wyoming State Protocol, a Class III inventory level of inventory is required for the Muddy Creek Stream Restoration Project due to the potential for surface disturbing activities. All sites and isolates located within the project area will be recorded and evaluated (including appropriate site testing) to make recommendations of site eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and recommendations of project effect.

II. Project Location and Scope

Treatment Unit Location Acres

Muddy Creek T.16N.,R.89W., Sec. 2,3,4,5 T.17N.,R.89W., Sec. 20,29,32,33

Littlefield Creek T.17N.,R.88W., Sec.30,31 T.17N.,R.89W., Sec 9,10,11,17,13,14,23,24,25

The Muddy Creek stream restoration project area is located in the headwaters of the Muddy

Creek watershed from 22 to 29 miles south of Rawlins, Carbon County, Wyoming. Access to the project areas can be gained by traveling south from Rawlins on State Highway 71/Carbon County Road 401 (Sage Creek Road), or north from Baggs/south from Creston Junction on Wyoming Highway 789. Several Carbon County and BLM Roads access the project areas from these main travel routes (see attached maps.) Various unimproved (two-track) roads cross and border the project areas from the County and BLM Roads. The use of a high clearance, 4WD vehicle is required to access the project areas. Access to some portions of the project areas may be more suitable to the use of UTVs and/or ATVs at the contractor’s discretion. All vehicular traffic shall be confined to existing roads and two-tracks.

Elevations of the project areas range from 6,400 to 8,100 feet. The project areas range from steep and fairly rugged canyons, benches, and drainages dominated by mixed mountain shrubs including serviceberry, antelope bitterbrush, mountain big sagebrush, and mountain mahogany and ridgelines and drainages dominated by Wyoming and mountain big sagebrush.

III. Statement of Work

For the Muddy Creek Stream Restoration Project, the contractor shall conduct a Class III cultural resource inventory of the project area (1,018acres). The contractor shall submit proposed field methods for conducting effective Class III level cultural resource inventory to the Rawlins Field Office archaeologist who will serve as the agency Point of Contact (POC); the POC must approve of the proposed Class III inventory field methods prior to the contractor commencing fieldwork.

Work shall include background files and records searches, Class III inventory, site and isolate identification and recordation, site evaluation (including site testing as appropriate), recommendations of eligibility for the NRHP, and recommendations of effect, including recommendations for avoidance, minimization, and/or mitigation of impacts to any historic properties, all following Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office’s (SHPO) WyoTrack web-application workflow. Modern graffiti (less than 50 years old) and resources meeting the definition of a Non-Site according to Appendix D of the Wyoming BLM/SHPO State Protocol will be briefly described in the report and plotted with a GPS point on the project map(s).

Evaluation of NRHP eligibility under Criterion D shall be coordinated with the BLM prior to any subsurface testing or excavation; coordination shall be conducted via the POC. All subsurface testing shall follow the guidelines described in the Bureau of Land Management Field Guide for Evaluative Testing of Archaeological Sites. The contractor shall not perform any subsurface testing or excavation inside of stone features (e.g., stone circles, effigies, cairns, eagle traps, medicine wheels, etc.)

The contractor shall adhere to Class III inventory and reporting standards as defined by the Wyoming SHPO Format, Guidelines, and Standards for Class II and III Reports, as well as the Photographic, Archival, and Digital Submission Standards for Reports and Cultural Property Forms which are both found in Appendix J of the Wyoming BLM/SHPO State Protocol. The contractor shall complete Wyoming Cultural Property Forms (WYCPF) and/or Isolated Resource Forms (WYIRF) generated through WyoTrack for all cultural resources identified during inventory. As applicable, WYCPFs and WYIRFs for any previously recorded sites and resources found within the project area shall be updated. Collection of archaeological resources will not occur on BLM Wyoming lands without approval from the POC. Artifacts located during shovel testing shall be re-buried in the backfill of the shovel test. Any archaeological samples (e.g., charcoal, obsidian, wood, etc.) collected by the contractor shall be processed and the test results incorporated into the draft and final reports as appropriate.

All cultural resources, including those previously left Unevaluated, found within the direct area of potential effects (APE) must be evaluated for NRHP eligibility under all four criteria and discussed with respect to the seven aspects of integrity. This must include a reasonable rationale and justification under NRHP criteria (36CFR60.4).

For those resources identified within the direct and indirect APEs, the contractor shall provide a discussion of the effect of the proposed action on each resource, regardless of resource eligibility. Effects discussion should include direct and indirect effects, as applicable. For historic properties where setting is identified as a contributing aspect of integrity, the visual effects of the undertaking on the historic property shall be assessed utilizing the processes outlined in Appendix C of the Wyoming BLM/SHPO State Protocol.

The contractor shall provide recommended treatment measures for avoiding or minimizing potential adverse effects to eligible properties that may result from implementation of the undertaking. Describe any methods of treatment which could mitigate direct and/or indirect adverse effects on NRHP eligible properties.

The contractor is required to have a current Wyoming BLM Cultural Resource Use Permit (CRUP) and shall follow all Standard Permit Conditions. The contractor is required to obtain a State of Wyoming, Office of Lands and Investments Temporary Use Permit to Conduct Archaeological Investigations on Wyoming State Trust Lands and must follow the permit stipulations outlined therein for lands administered by the State of Wyoming. The contractor shall also adhere to Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation.

IV. Government Supplied Property

The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, travel costs, and other items and incidental services necessary to complete the project. Map and GIS shapefiles of the area subject to inventory are supplied with this solicitation.

V. Funding/Schedule

The work schedule and partial payment shall be divided into the following timetable:

Muddy Creek/Littlefield Creek

Completion of Background Research and Field Work

10/31/2024 30%

Muddy Creek/Littlefield Creek

Draft Reports Submission 11/30/24 35%

Muddy Creek/Littlefield Creek

Final Reports Submission 12/31/24 35%

VI. Deliverables

The contractor shall prepare a Class III inventory report, including Wyoming Cultural Property Forms and Wyoming Isolated Resource Forms (generated through WyoTrack), following the standards set forth in the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office Format, Guidelines, and Standards for Class II and III Reports (Wyoming BLM/SHPO State Protocol, Appendix J). The contractor shall enter the project – fieldwork request, literature review, investigation, and sites/isolates – into WyoTrack. The Class III report shall include proper photographic documentation and maps produced with spatial data generated from GPS data collected in the field. All spatial data should meet the WYCRO spatial data standard (see WyoTrack Data User Manual for details).

One (1) hard-copy unbound version of the draft report and associated WYCPF and WYIRF forms shall be submitted to the BLM for initial review and comment within 45 days of the completion of fieldwork. In addition, the report and associated forms shall be submitted to the BLM via WyoTrack. The BLM shall be allowed 30 calendar days for review. The contractor shall make any revisions and prepare the final report in accordance with BLM comments/edits.

Upon completion of each of the Priority units, the contractor shall submit to the BLM one (1) hard-copy unbound version of the final report and associated WYCPFs and WYIRFs with color maps and photographs. The final reports, WYCPFs and WYIRFs, associated GIS information, and associated photographs and maps shall be submitted in electronic format via WyoTrack as supporting documents to the investigation. All other project documentation, including original field data files and GIS shapefiles, all photographs, field notes, and any other files, documents, or data produced as part of this project can be submitted in electronic format via WyoTrack. If files are too large to upload via WyoTrack, the contractor may submit data to BLM via thumb drive.

Wyotrack files must follow the formats outlined in the WyoTrack User Manual and the WyoTrack GIS Data User Manual available under the WyoTrack-Getting Started tab.

The contractor shall deposit all federal artifacts, processed samples and collections, as applicable, as well as all pertinent original records, data, photographs, and other documents, resulting from work conducted under this permit, with the UWAR, no later than 60 days after the date the final reports are submitted to the BLM - Rawlins Field Office. When applicable, the permit holder must follow the procedures for curation outlined in the UWAR Guidelines and Standards 2021. Not later than 180 days after the final reports are submitted, the contractor shall provide the BLM State Office with a catalog of all materials deposited with the curatorial facility, including the facility’s accession and/or catalog numbers, the name of the item(s), the name of the project, and the applicable BLM Field Office. Failure to comply with this time frame may result in the suspension, revocation or non-renewal of this permit.

VII. Other Requirements

Notifications:

The contractor shall notify the BLM at least two weeks (14 calendar days) before commencing fieldwork by email and/or phone call to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and the agency POC. Additionally, at least 10 calendar days prior to beginning any fieldwork, the contractor shall use the SHPO’s automated WyoTrack web-application to submit fieldwork authorization requests to BLM - Rawlins Field Office. The contractor may begin fieldwork immediately upon BLM approval of the fieldwork authorization request in WyoTrack.

The contractor shall also notify BLM POC when fieldwork for each Priority area is completed by email and/or phone call; notification shall communicate a brief synthesis of preliminary findings. An email notification shall also be sent to the COR and POC when the final reports are digitally submitted and the hard-copy reports are physically mailed to the BLM.

The contractor must notify the POC, by telephone and in writing, immediately upon the discovery of human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony (as defined in 43 CFR 10.2) and must immediately stop any activities connected with such discovery and make a reasonable effort to protect the discovered remains or objects.

Confidentiality: To protect site information from unauthorized disclosure, all site location and content information must be kept in strictest confidence. The contractor shall make the information available only to the COR and POC and must take whatever internal measures are necessary to ensure that confidential material is protected. All Wyoming CRUP Standard Permit Conditions and processes delineated in the Wyoming BLM/SHPO State Protocol and supporting appendices shall be followed. Failure to comply with the Wyoming BLM/SHPO State Protocol and the Wyoming CRUP Standard Permit Conditions may result in the termination of this contract and/or the revocation of the contractor’s CRUP.

VIII. Point of Contact

TBD

Rawlins Field Office 1300 3rd St.

Rawlins, Wyoming 82301

IX. Evaluation and Award Criteria

This Request For Quote will be awarded to the Offeror whose quote demonstrates Best Value with Trade-offs using the following factors which will be determined through a process of evaluating each quote against the evaluation criteria described below.

Respondents shall supply a written proposal, list of key personnel (which defines the individuals’ involvement in all phases of work) and qualifications (e.g. resume), statement of availability to perform the work, and a list of references. Respondents will then be evaluated on the specific evaluation criteria listed below. Respondents will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Quality of the Proposal

A. Does the offeror's proposed methods, techniques, procedures, and criteria fulfill stated project objectives, and does respondent proposal demonstrate an understanding of those methods, techniques, procedures, and criteria stated in the solicitation?

B. Is there a clear description of how the work will be managed and coordinated with the

BLM?

2. Respondent Qualifications and Experience

A. Does the respondent and key personnel specifically assigned to the project have experience in, and a current permit for, Wyoming?

B. Is there a clear, demonstrable, indication of which phase of work the assigned personnel shall be involved and how?

C. Are the reference checks supportive of the respondent’s technical abilities and ability to work within original budgets?

3. Availability and Capacity to Perform

A. Given the current and projected workload of the respondent, will the respondent have sufficient time available to devote to the project?

B. Will the respondent be able to meet or exceed the timeframes described?

Adjectival Rating Description

Outstanding

Proposal meets requirements and indicates exceptional capabilities and understanding of the requirements. Strengths far outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is very low.

Good Proposal meets requirements and indicates good capabilities and understanding of the requirements. Proposal contains strengths which outweigh any weaknesses. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

Acceptable

Proposal meets requirements and indicates adequate capabilities and understanding of the requirements. Strengths and weaknesses are offsetting or will have little or no impact on contract performance. Risk of unsuccessful performance is no worse than moderate.

Marginal

Proposal does not clearly meet requirements and has not demonstrated adequate capabilities and understanding of the requirements. The proposal has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by strengths. Risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

Unacceptable Proposal does not meet requirements and contains one or more deficiencies. Proposal is unawardable.

Order of Importance:

Technical factors, when combined, are considered:

☒ Significantly more important than price ☐ Approximately equal to price ☐ Significantly less important than price