B09_Amendment_0002_Questions_and_Answers_0002.docx

140P5123Q0019, Amendment 0002 Questions and Answers

1. Please clarify expectations for obtaining right-of-entry onto private properties during the windshield surveys.

Answer: A reasonable effort should be made to survey property that is not readily visible from public roads

2. If obtaining right-of-entry is desired, will NPS assist with mailings and follow-up efforts, or will that be the responsibility of the consultant?

Answer: NPS can provide an introductory letter to consultants and respond via telephone/email to owner questions/concerns

3. Can NPS provide examples of context studies that illustrate the page length, breadth, and depth expected for this effort?

Answer: No comparable study is available

4. Can NPS clarify the period(s) of significance to be covered within the historic context?

o Should the context include pre-settlement history?

o Should the context include post-bellum history?

o Should the context include twentieth-century history, including civil rights history and/or social and environmental justice issues?

o What is the anticipated ratio of focus among the different periods of significance?

Answer: The purpose of this study is to identify areas of significance and their associated periods of significance that may meet NHL criteria. NPS anticipates that resources association with plantation agriculture/plantation-based enslavement present the strongest arguments for significance.

5. Which of the following best describes the vision for each theme/period of significance within the historic context statement:

o Concise – 2 to 4 pages, relying on secondary source materials, with limited graphics at the end of each theme/period of significance;

o Moderate – 5 to 9 pages, using some primary source material, with moderate graphics at the end of each theme/period of significance; or o Intensive – 10 to 15 pages, using thorough primary source research, with rich graphics embedded throughout each theme/period of significance?

Answer: NPS expects the level of effort to meet the definition of "Thorough Investigation" as defined in NPS 28: "For historical studies this means research in selected published and documentary sources of known or presumed relevance that are readily accessible without extensive travel and that promise expeditious extraction of relevant data, interviewing all knowledgeable persons who are readily available, and presenting findings in no greater detail than required by the task directive". NPS Office of Policy: NPS-28, Cultural Resource Management (Chapter 2).

Areas of significance that do not present a strong argument for National Significance and that are significant at a state or local level need not be addressed other than to briefly discuss that they were considered and did not rise to National significance. If it appears that a case can be made for National Significance the consultant should present the argument as best able within the constraints of a "thorough investigation." Care should be taken to notate areas for further investigation.

6. Please clarify the timeframe for NPS review of deliverables. Section V.B states that drafts will be reviewed within 60 days, but the Schedule of Deliverables states that NPS needs only 45 days to comment.

Answer: Apologies for the inconsistency, NPS plans to respond within 45 days.