A04_40664549_SOW.docx

Copper River Basin/EARMP Region Alaska Fire Control Service Facilities Historic Context

1.0 Background

The General Land Office, which was the forerunner of the Bureau of Land Management, provided the Copper River Basin with wildland fire protection, transferred lands from the federal government to the State of Alaska, native corporations, native allotees and other private citizens, as well as managing federal public lands from the mid 1940’s through 1976 when the Federal Land Policy and Management Act was passed. The Alaska Fire Control Service (AFCS), often referred to as the “Fire Guard,” was created as part of the General Land Office, the precursor of BLM, in 1939 (Muhn and Stuart 1988:45,284; Robinson 1988:46). This organization had the fire responsibilities for the entire territory of Alaska with ten permanent staff member, temporary fire guards, and later with Civilian Conservation Corps members. World War II reduced budgets for the agency but conversely the large wartime military presence required additional fire protection for all their bases and facilities. The Alaska Fire Guard’s presence in the Copper River Basin began in the mid 1940’s when their temporary station was placed in Gakona (Whitewood 1967:4). Later stations were built in Cantwell, Glennallen, Lake Louise, and Slana.

1.1 Glennallen BLM Compound

During the early history of the Fire Guard in the Copper River Basin, they had the wildland fire suppression responsibilities for the entire basin, while also having few personnel, very little equipment and only temporary facilities. Subsequent years have developed the small Fire Guard station in Glennallen into a much larger land management facility. The 51 acre parcel that is now occupied by the Glennallen Field Office was withdrawn for BLM use by Executive Order 9085 in 1950. However, no facilities existed at this location until the early 1950’s when the Alaska Fire Guard Station was moved, first from Gakona and a second time from the Glennallen “Y” (Whitewood 1967). Reportedly, the first BLM Alaska Fire Service personnel at this location, Fred Rungee and Judge Henderson, worked from temporary facilities in 1953 or 1954 (Fred Rungee Personal Communication February 2, 2006;Lee Adler Personal Communication June 3, 2005). The first permanent structure constructed at this location was the “Gulkana Room” or “Gulkana Building,” which was started in 1953 by Judge Henderson and completed by Judge and Fred Rungee on May 3rd, 1955. The Gulkana Building was originally constructed as a residence and office for the first BLM employee in the area, Judge Henderson and his wife.

Another structure, now referred to as the “DM House” or District Manager’s House was added in the mid 1960’s, see Figure 1 in Appendix. However, at the time that building was constructed to house seasonal fire fighters, while the Gulkana Building remained a dispatch office and residence. During the early 1970’s the Glennallen Field Office assumed more land management responsibilities and a total of nine permanent staff members, including a lands and realty specialist, a wildlife biologist, and a recreation specialist were given office space in the Gulkana Building (Larry Kajdan Personal Communication November 18, 2005). In fact, this building was used as the main administrative office and fire dispatch office until buildings from the Lake Louise Fire Station were sectioned and moved onto the property by flatbed trailer in 1975, see Figure 2 in Appendix.

Three structures were moved onto the property from the old Lake Louise Fire Station in 1975 including: what is now referred to as the “Old Admin Building” on the compound’s southeast quarter; the “Recreation Cache” on the compound’s west side; and the “Fuel Shed” at the southwest arm of the compound nearest the Glenn Highway. These are all constructed of ¼ round and uniformly cut logs at least 8 inches in diameter. Figure 1. displays the “Recreation Cache and the “Fuels Cache” being reassembled. When other buildings were added to the compound in the early 1960’s to mid 1970’s and larger seasonal fire crews were housed in Glennallen, the Gulkana Building was used more as an office and less as a residence. Three additional frame structures were added in the late 1980’s to early 1990’s on the compound’s east and west sides for additional office, storage or garage space.

2.0 Work Objectives

Under this Contract the contractor shall prepare a Historic Context for Alaska Fire Control Service (AFCS) facilities and structures which continue to be managed by the BLM, including the Glennallen Field Office site, the Slime Creek (Cantwell) Administrative Cabin, see Figure 3., as well as the previously occupied Lake Louise Fire Station. The development of the Historic Context will follow National Park Service Preservation Planning Guidelines located at: https://www.nps.gov/articles/sec_stds_planning_glines.htm as well as the NPS White_paper_on_historic_context_508_200904 (1).

The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, equipment, supervision, transportation, supplies, and incidentals, except those indicated as government furnished, necessary for completion of the contract in accordance with the contract and the delivery instructions provided herein.

2.1 Pre-Work Meeting

The Contractor shall meet with the BLM project manager and other representatives in a web meeting within 30 calendar days of contract award.

The purpose of the meeting is to make introductions (BLM project manager/Contracting Officers Representative, other BLM participants in the process, and the contractor’s team members), clarify objectives, agree on a project management schedule for completing the work, gain agreement on appropriate techniques required to conduct the Historic Context.

2.2 Records Check

A. The contractor shall perform a records check and literature review to locate previous cultural resource documents or records relating to the subject facilities and buildings.

B. The contractor shall examine documents housed at the Glennallen Field Office, approximately a 2 inch binder, related to the cultural resources within the study area. These documents will be scanned and electronically transmitted to the contractor. Fieldwork and field visits to any of the AFCS sites is optional and not a requirement of this contract.

C. The contractor shall obtain historic aerial imagery relating to the AFCS facilities and structures in Glennallen and Slime Creek (Cantwell) as well as the former station at Lake Louise.

D. Contractor shall make a best effort to review readily available historical maps, photographs (including aerial photography), land ownership records, journals, diaries, and similar historical records for the purpose of enhancing the Historical Context. The extent of this effort can be determined at the pre-work meeting.

2.3 Reporting

Along with the basic reporting requirements that a Historic Context should entail (the standards referenced in 2.0 above) the following specific objectives are to be met:

Objective 1 – Develop an electronic, 508 compliant Historic Context for the AFCS in Alaska and specifically for facilities within the Copper River Basin and the BLM’s Glennallen Field Office.

Objective 2 – Identify and discuss: Historic Background; Theme; Property Types; Preservation Goals and Priorities; Appendices; Footnotes and Bibliography; as well as Maps, Photos and Illustrations.

Objective 3 – Identify, describe, and evaluate per the National Register of Historic Places the known cultural resources owned by the federal government within the study area.

Objective 4 – Detail and organize the results of the previous 3 objectives in a single deliverable report, with appendices in an electronic format suitable for distribution to the public online.

3.0 Deliverables

The Contractor will provide the following deliverables:

1. Arrange the pre-work meeting, and provide to the COR and project manager accurate minutes of the meeting within one week of the meeting,

2. Every two weeks after the pre-work meeting provide a status report of effort done and an opinion regarding project schedule (e.g. on schedule, one week behind, one week ahead, etc.).

3. One (1) copy of the draft Historic Context in both Word and PDF format on CD,

4. One (1) copy of the 508 compliant, final Historic Context in both Word and PDF format on CD,

5. Return all federal property to the project manager prior to submittal of the final invoice.

4.0 Government Provided Resources

1. The BLM will provide appropriate staff to attend the pre-work meeting,

2. The BLM will scan and provide the electronic records mentioned in 2.2 above,

3. The BLM will provide a project manager, a COR, and any other staff who may assist with the successful completion of this Task Order

5.0 Work Schedule

1. Pre-work meeting shall occur within 30 calendar days from the date of award.

2. Records checks may ensue once the pre-work meeting has been completed.

3. Records check 2.2.A, B, and C must be completed 90 days after the pre-work meeting.

4. Draft Historic Context shall be submitted within 150 calendar days from pre-work meeting.

5. BLM shall submit comments and corrections within 60 calendar days of receipt of the draft report after a 30 day SHPO comment period. BLM comments and corrections may be sent by email, standard delivery methods, or in person, and acknowledgement from the BLM and contractor shall be made that receipt of comments has been made.

6. Final deliverables including Historic Context and Appendices are due 90 calendar days from the receipt of BLM comments. The final deliverables shall incorporate changes requested by BLM and shall provide written responses to comments provided by agency archaeologists.

7. Total allotted time for this project from the date of award to the final deliverables is estimated to be 330 days.

6.0 Payment Schedule

Payment Schedule: 30% upon confirmation of records checks (2.2.A-C) completion; 30% upon receipt of draft report and LA forms deliverables; and 40% upon acceptance of all final deliverables and confirmation that all federal property has been returned.

REFERENCES CITED

Muhn, James and Hanson R. Stuart 1988 Opportunity and Challenge: The Story of BLM. U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C.

Phillips, Water T.

1984 Roadhouses of the Richardson Highway The First Quarter Century 1898 to 1923. Alaska Historical Commission, Alaska.

Robinson, Roger R.

1988 The Alaskan Fire Control Service, In Opportunity and Challenge: The Story of BLM. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., Pp. 46.

Whitewood, Sam 1967 A History of Early Glennallen, Alaska. Copper River Current. Vol. 6., Pp. 2-4.

7.0 Appendix Photos

Figure 1. Glennallen Field Office Compound, DM House

Figure 2. Glennallen Field Office Compound, Old Admin Building or Lake Louise Fire Station

Figure 3. BLM Slime Creek or Cantwell Administrative Site, Cantwell AFCS Station image1.JPG image2.JPG image3.jpeg