A04_SOW_(Attachment_1).docx

SCOPE OF WORK

ARCHAEOLOGICAL OVERVIEW AND ASSESSMENT

THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK, BILLINGS AND MCKENZIE COUNTIES, NORTH DAKOTA

AND

WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK, CUSTER COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Reference Numbers:

PMIS Number 113349A

PERFORMANCE PERIOD: The work of this task agreement shall be completed within 18 months from the date of contract award.

CONFIDENTIALITY: Information developed under this contract will include the locations of sensitive archeological properties; this data shall be shared with project proponents as required but will otherwise be kept in strict confidence.

PROJECT IDENTIFICATION: The work of this project shall consist of the services described below for the referenced project. In all related documents, the project shall be referred to as “Archeological Overview and Assessment, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, and Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota.

INTRODUCTION

The National Park Service (NPS) is contracting an Archeological Overview and Assessment (AOA) each for Theodore Roosevelt National Park (THRO) in Billings and McKenzie Counties, North Dakota, and Wind Cave National Park (WICA), Custer County, South Dakota. The project involves conducting a thorough investigation of existing records, documents, and reports, a description and evaluation of known and potential archeological resources, and consensus-driven recommendations for protection, management, and research for each of the park’s management units (see Appendix 1). The Contractor must prepare draft and final versions of the AOA report and updated GIS maps of known sites, previously surveyed areas, and areas of potential archaeological sensitivity. The report will meet the criteria for an archeological overview and assessment as identified in NPS directive 28, which describes an AOA as follows:

This report describes and assesses the known and potential archeological resources in a park area. The overview reviews and summarizes existing archeological data; the assessment evaluates the data. The report assesses past work and helps determine the need for and design of future studies. It is undertaken in a park or regional geographical framework and may be a part of multi-agency planning efforts. (NPS-28 1997:25)

BACKGROUND

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park comprises 70,447 acres of land in three separate units: the South Unit, the North Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit, in Billings and McKenzie counties in North Dakota. The Park was established in 1947 as Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park (South Unit and Elkhorn Ranch Unit), to honor the memory of Theodore Roosevelt. The North Unit was added in 1948. In 1978 Congress redesignated the area as Theodore Roosevelt National Park and established the 29,920-acre Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness within the park’s North Unit and South Unit (NPS 2014).

This national park preserves a landscape—the North Dakota Badlands (also referred to as the Little Missouri River Badlands)—that had a profound effect on Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt first came to the North Dakota Badlands in September 1883 to hunt one of the few remaining bison. While in the area, Roosevelt bought into a partnership at the Maltese Cross Ranch, and thus entered the cattle business. Roosevelt returned to New York after the hunting trip, but a few months later, on February 14, 1884, he experienced great personal tragedy when his wife and mother died on the same day. Theodore Roosevelt was seized by intense grief and he thereupon decided to return to the Badlands to lead “the strenuous life” of a cattle rancher. He sought repose, solitude, and mental rejuvenation, and found all three during his time living at the Elkhorn Ranch, which is now the most historically significant portion of the park (NPS 2014).

Archeological evidence indicates the landscape had been used and occupied by Native American peoples for millennia. Early Euro-American fur traders were followed by settlers, homesteaders, and ranchers.

Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park protects one of the world’s longest and most complex caves along with 33,971 acres of mixed grass prairie, ponderosa pine forest, and associated wildlife. The cave is well known for its outstanding display of boxwork, an unusual cave formation composed of thin calcite fins resembling honeycombs. The park’s mixed-grass prairie is part of a shrinking national native grassland resource and is home to native wildlife such as bison, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets. The park is located in the Black Hills and has a complex and changing history of human occupation extending back centuries to pre-contact periods. The park is particularly significant to some Great Plains tribes who consider Wind Cave the place where their ancestors emerged from the earth, and where the bison, which they depended on for sustenance, also emerged. Many archeological sites exist within the park, including one of the oldest archeological rock shelter sites in the Black Hills, dating back nearly 7,000 years. The park also contains a large village site associated with a buffalo jump and another possible buffalo trap site, as well as multiple sites with large concentrations of stone circles.

In addition to the pre-contact period there is some evidence for contact-period Native American sites, as well as early homesteading, farming, and ranching occupations. Other historic components include sites related to the Euro-American discovery of the cave in 1881 and subsequent development of the cave for tours, and development of the park in the early 1900s.

Although a comprehensive archaeological overview and assessment has not been completed for either park, many archaeological and cultural resource projects have. These projects include: 1) numerous 106 cultural resource investigations and archaeological monitoring efforts related to park operations, maintenance, and construction, 2) large scale archeological resource inventories and evaluations, 3) cultural landscape reports, and 4) ongoing research by NPS staff, volunteers, and outside scholars. Archaeological information from these projects will be synthesized into one coherent format for each park that can easily be used for future planning and resource preservation.

PURPOSE AND ANTICIPATED BENEFITS

The purpose of this project is to begin to collect the specific data concerning the spatial, historical, and cultural context of archeological resources in Theodore Roosevelt and Wind Cave National Parks. In addition, the AOA will identify and prioritize areas where future research is needed and how best to manage all known sites.

Due to changes in priorities, survey methods, property acquisitions, and the focus on different thematic issues across the parks the data regarding the nature, location and condition of specific resources needs to be reassessed at the parks. Historical and cultural context for park management units will be developed for use in interpretation and evaluation of known and potential archeological sites. Utilizing previous research, environmental factors and prior disturbance, areas of potential archaeological sensitivity will be identified to aid in management decisions and guide future research. Archeological sensitivity must be determined in active consultation with the NPS and stakeholders (THPOs and SHPO).

From this project, the parks will acquire a concise set of baseline documentation for their archeological resources. The project will help update the parks’ cultural resource GIS data and add to the larger understanding of archaeological sites within their boundaries. The work will provide a foundation for effective and sustainable protection, preservation, interpretation, and management of the parks’ archeological resources.

PROPOSED METHODS

1) Communication is important in insuring that the AOA project is successful. A start-up meeting will be held through a conference call to review each item of the Scope of Work and any issues relevant to its successful execution. An on-site visit to the parks would also be very helpful in gaining a grasp of the parks, their resources, and landscapes that can inform the overview. The contractor may also be invited to a tribal consultation meeting or meet with tribal partners during the site visit. Meetings or conference calls will also be utilized for updates on project progress and to discuss draft submittals.

2) Given the unique geographic features, levels of preservation, previous research, and park management goals, the three separate units of THRO will be covered in individual chapters. The Introductory, Natural Setting, and discussion of the Native American and Historic period regional summaries can be reported in the context of the entire park. A separate report will be prepared for THRO and for WICA.

3) Detailed historical research will be a part of the work required to produce the AOA. The research will help develop a framework of significance for known and potentially preserved archeological resources establishing the appropriate cultural contexts as defined by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. Sources of information will include but are not limited to previous surveys, historic resource studies, cultural landscape reports, LiDAR images, historic maps, and town and county histories. This information can be found on-line, at local libraries, the state SHPOs, The South Dakota State Archaeological Research Center, the Midwest Archeological Center, and at THRO and WICA. NPS documents may also be found on-line at the Integrated Resource Management Applications website at https://irma.nps.gov/Portal/. The contractor should document, based on historical research, the Native American Peoples affiliated with the parks’ landholdings. This information may be contained in Historic Research Studies, Ethnographic Overviews and Assessments, or Cultural Affiliation Studies available for the parks. A digital copy of all maps and pertinent historical documents located during the research that are not available at MWAC or the parks will be a project deliverable. In addition to the historical maps, maps documenting utilities or other disturbances should be located and reviewed to assess site integrity. Utility and development maps can be accessed at the Technical Information Center and searched through eTIC https://etic2.nps.gov/

4) Accessing key sources on history, previous archeological surveys and documented archeology sites for review will be a part of the project. These sources include archeological studies as well as some primary sources such as field notes and artifact collections; periodic access to the offices of the North Dakota and South Dakota SHPO will be required for this project. Once collected, past archeological and geophysics site reports, field notes, and park archeology compliance files should be evaluated. These resources should also be utilized to evaluate the potential levels of significance and sub-surface integrity of potentially significant archeological sites.

5) Locating archeological collections from the parks and determining if they are housed to NPS standards will also be a part of the work for the AOA. A trip to the repositories may be necessary to assess the curation standards. Most collections for these parks are likely stored either at MWAC or at the parks.

6) The AOA will also include GIS maps that identify known sites, existing archaeological resources, areas that have been previously investigated archaeologically, and sensitivity for prehistoric and historic resources. Archeological base maps are currently maintained at the Midwest Archeological Center for both parks and are considered in good condition, however, some survey coverage may be missing, and some sites may not be included. The geodatabase for each park will be provided to the contractor and any updates will follow the same format including completion of all the feature level metadata.

7) In addition to the geodatabase, MWAC maintains attribute information for 355 archeological sites at THRO and 345 archeological sites at WICA, in the NPS Cultural Resource Inventory System (CRIS). These records are considered in good condition, however, there may be some missing information. Read-only access to these records will be provided by MWAC.

8) At the park and management unit level recommendations for future research should be developed and prioritized. Thematic areas, short comings in the existing data, and ways to improve the CRIS records should also be identified.

9) The results of the research, data collection and data synthesis will ultimately be submitted in the report.

REPORT CONTENT

The report must contain the following components:

i) Table of Contents

ii) List of Figures

iii) List of Tables

iv) List of Appendices

v) Abstract will be no more than a two-paragraph summary of the research methods and principal findings

vi) Acknowledgements

1) Introduction. This chapter must summarize the project objectives and describe the project personnel and the project area. It should include a summary of the research methods and principal findings.

2) Natural Setting. This chapter must summarize the geology, hydrology, flora and fauna in the vicinity of the park. The discussion should be diachronic in nature and should document the evolution of the site from the last glaciation to the present. The chapter must be original in authorship and should reference current primary and secondary source materials.

3) Cultural History This chapter will discuss both the pre-contact and historic periods relevant to the area from the Paleoindian Period to ca. 50 years before present. This chapter must summarize the broad historical trends and key events in local history pertinent to the park.

4) Management Units (3 for THRO, 1 for WICA)

a) Each management unit chapter should include a summary of the natural setting, pre- and post-contact Native American, and historic periods unique to that area of the park.

b) Evaluation of Previous Archeological Work and Collections. Each management unit chapter must list, describe, and provide a brief evaluation of each previous archeological project conducted within the specific units at THRO. Critical evaluations will be made concerning survey methods, excavation strategy, results, reporting, cataloging and storage of artifacts, and implementation of any report recommendations within the unit.

c) Documented Disturbances. The chapter will discuss construction and environmental disturbances that can be documented either through plans, textual citations, photographs, or interviews, which have affected the integrity of archaeological deposits at the park. Extensive map and construction documentation research will be required to assimilate the necessary information. Interviews with park staff may also be needed.

d) Known and Potential Archeological Resources. This chapter will identify known and potential archaeological resources based on the collection of maps, photographs, textual information, and archaeological survey and excavation. The chapter should include known and potential archaeological resources for both the historic and pre-contact periods. Overlay maps should be developed (historic maps produced to digitally overlay a current base map) to illustrate the evolution of the park unit and its cultural resources. The results of the documented disturbances should be brought to bear on the identification of archaeological resources. This chapter should contain information pertinent to the CRIS database and should briefly describe all CRIS sites and sub-sites.

e) Recommendations. Each management unit chapter must summarize those sites that have the highest research and /or public significance for each of the periods and contexts. This chapter must include a list of important research questions for each unit that the archeological resources of the park can address. Recommendations should be made for additional documentary research, geophysical survey and subsurface testing, and prioritized by site. This chapter must include management recommendations for individual and groups of sites and identify potential threats to them. Recommendations should also be made for scholarly and public educational initiatives and activities. This chapter must be prepared in active consultation with the NPS and stakeholders (THPOs and SHPO).

5) Park Recommendations. This chapter should summarize the management unit chapters and address broader park wide research questions and management recommendations.

6) Figures. Figures must include key historical and archeological site maps. Known and potential archeological site locations must be identified on an approved GIS base map showing present-day topography and buildings. GIS-generated maps must conform to NPS standards. The Contractor and NPS must concur on the list of figures.

7) References must follow the American Antiquity format which is available for viewing online on the Society for American Archaeology web site. Cartographic sources will be listed separately.

A draft chapter for a management unit must be delivered between 6 and 11 months after startup. Comments will be provided 30 days after submission. A draft report will be submitted for review within 16 months after startup. The final report will be based on the comments received on the draft report.

GIS LAYER PREPARATION

Several GIS layers will be created from the documents gathered during research and all layers will be compatible with ArcMap 10 or greater. These GIS layers will include georectified scans of selected historic maps, and aerial photographs not already maintained at MWAC or the parks. Additional GIS layers will include known archaeological resources, structures and roads, previous cultural resource study areas, and a base map. Base maps including this information are currently maintained at MWAC and are in good condition but additions my be required. The MWAC geodatabase and base map will be provided to the contractor.

DELIVERABLES

Deliverables for the project will include:

· an electronic draft of a management unit chapter in Word format

· an electronic copy of the draft report in Word format

· 15 hard copies of the final report, including 1 unbound copy on acid-free archival paper

· a complete electronic version of the final document in 508 compliant Adobe pdf format

· digital copies of all maps and pertinent historical documents discovered during the project research for which the park or MWAC does not have copies

· updated GIS geodatabase of archeological site and survey information

All digital data and GIS information will be delivered on a flash or external drive.

PROJECT SCHEDULE

Following the award of the contract, NPS Staff will schedule a kick-off meeting within thirty (30) working days to finalize the project schedule and work plan.

Day 1: Project Start-up Meeting

0-6 Months: Site visit and perform preliminary research, review and begin collection of site data, previous reports, and artifact collection status. Submit outline for trial management unit. Call at end of 6 months to discuss outline, progress, and schedule.

6-11 Months: Continue research and submit draft chapter for trial management unit.

12 Months: Meeting/Call to discuss progress and get input on a draft management unit chapter.

16 Months: Submit draft report.

16-17 Months: NPS review of draft report. Meeting/call at end of month to discuss comments on deliverables and finalizing report.

17-18- Months: Contractor completes report using earlier draft and NPS comments. Submit final report.

18 Months: Final invoice and project close out.

APPENDIX 1

AREA MAPS

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Wind Cave National Park image1.png image2.png