A04_SOW_Cultural_Class_III_Musselshell_Trail_Inventory_2023.pdf

United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management

North Central Montana District – Lewistown Field Office 2023 Musselshell Trail

CLASS III CULTURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY

STATEMENT OF WORK

I. Introduction and Background:

The Bureau of Land Management’s Lewistown Field Office (LFO) is proposing a Class III Inventory of approximately 10,762 acres of public lands in Fergus County as part of an effort to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Specifically, the inventory area lies within T 21N, Ranges 25 and 26E (see attached maps).

II. Project Location:

The project area is in Fergus County in Central Montana, within the administrative boundary of the LFO. The inventory parcels are limited to parcels of public land within the proposed Fuels Treatment units (see attached maps). Road access to the identified survey areas is gained as follows:

From Lewistown MT, follow Highway 191 North for 50 miles. Turn right off Highway 191 onto Wilder Trail. Follow Wilder Trail for 12.5 miles where you will come to the intersection of Wilder Trail and Musselshell Trail. At the intersection of Wilder Trail and Musselshell Trail, the unit will be to the East and Northeast. Easiest access will be along Musselshell Trail to the East and Wilder Trail to the Northeast from the Wilder Trail and Musselshell Trail intersection.

Specific parcels are identified on the attached maps and GIS data is available.

III. Specific Background:

A Class III intensive field inventory is a professionally conducted, continuous, intensive survey of an entire target area aimed at locating and recording all cultural properties that have surface and exposed profile indications. In general, a Class III survey is accomplished through systematic inspection carried out by walking a series of close-interval parallel transects until the area has been thoroughly examined. Artificial exposure of the subsurface (metal detecting, auger probing or shovel testing) is sometimes a necessary part of Class III surveys and should be included in identification efforts if ground/surface visibility is completely obscured by heavy vegetative cover. The project area is within the Musselshell Breaks; landforms are marked by rocky terrain, deeply incised drainages, steep slopes, and narrow ridges. A thorough examination in these conditions can be challenging. Variation from standard Class III inventory strategies must be defended.

Paleontological localities, if identified, should be noted; complete documentation however is not part of this contract.

IV. Objectives.

A. General Bureau Objective.

1. The overall Bureau objective is to inventory all lands and identify all historic properties within the identified boundary (10,762 acres) of the proposed Fuels treatment unit. The area is known to have been used by indigenous people as well as early explorers, trappers, military, miners, and settlers.

B. Specific Study Objectives.

1. To identify and evaluate, based primarily on surface indications, all cultural resources located on lands identified for inventory within the project area. In general, site evaluations should be conducted using existing guidance from the Montana SHPO, the National Register Criteria (36 CFR 60.4), and the National Park Service National Register Bulletins. This area is known to have been used by members of Montana’s tribes; documentation regarding that use should be part of this inventory and analysis. Homesteading, historic farming and ranching as well as rural communities and transportation systems will also be evaluated, recognizing that some roads may be historic, associated with early exploration, mining, and agricultural settlement of the area. Historic BLM, military, GLO, and Grazing Service projects may also be presence in the area.

V. Statement of Work.

A. The Contractor shall conduct a site file and literature search with the State Historic Preservation Office in Helena, Montana, and shall contact Josh Chase at the BLM’s Havre office for additional resources. The purpose of this file search is to ensure that the Contractor is familiar with all previous work conducted in the general area of the project. This information will be a necessary component of the inventory report.

B. The Contractor shall perform an on-the-ground search for all cultural resources located on specific tracts of public land in Montana.

C. Formal testing will not be conducted; however, limited shovel testing or metal detecting, at the discretion of the field director, may be performed to establish potential for site deposition, site boundaries, or significance. If historic period architectural structures or remains are located the contractor is expected to conduct a land title examination as part of the site identification and evaluation effort.

D. The Contractor shall employ BLM criteria for minimum site definition; i.e., an archaeological or historical site consists of any feature alone or in association with other features (cairns, stone rings) or five or more artifacts situated in a discrete location within 50 meters of each other and/or artifacts or features located more than 100 meters from each other but in obvious association. Sites may also include locations which contain no physical evidence but are important for their associations with the traditions of a group, ethnic community, or Indian tribe, e.g., National Register Bulletin 38.

E. The Contractor shall:

1. Cover the area to be inventoried on foot by employing standard survey methodology.

Transect intervals will be 30 meters or less. Steep landforms, such as rock faces, talus/scree slopes, and cliffs, should be inspected for the possibility of cultural remains including but not limited to human burials, mines, adits, rock shelters/caves, buffalo kill sites, and rock art. In all cases, coverage must be thorough.

2. Identify from all surface and exposed indications all cultural properties or materials.

The extent of the site should be identified thoroughly, even if it extends beyond the proposed project area. At each site location identify a site datum (electronic datums are acceptable). If physical datums are utilized no datum should be placed within road corridors where it could cause damage or harm to road users.

3. Collect time diagnostic artifacts; e.g., projectile points and ceramics. Include both those found on sites and those occurring in isolation.

4. Locate each cultural property on a United States Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5' quadrangle topographic map.

5. Record all cultural properties on MT State Historic Preservation Office (MT SHPO) suggested site/isolated find forms. Site forms and instructions can be found in BLM's Handbook (H-8110-1). Also, record and/or update previously recorded cultural properties located within project area. If sites extend beyond the identified unit boundaries, they will be delineated and recorded in full as part of this contract. Employ BLM recording standards for Tipi Rings and stone features as specified in the Handbook and, for this procurement, use the requirements identified for the inventory level of recordation, i.e., Section I.A.- I.E. All stone features recorded will also have a plan view recorded of each individual feature located.

6. Take at least two photographs of each cultural property. Noticeable changes in geography dictate that at least one photo of each land type within the tract should be included. Standing historic structures and mining features shall be photographed on all sides to illustrate architectural features. Label all photos and negatives with a description and orientation. A photographic record shall be maintained and included in the final submission.

7. Prepare scale maps of all sites based on the location of the site datum and include topographic contour lines, cultural features, basic site contents, and locations of all collected artifacts. Use of digital maps zoomed in to show the site is not acceptable when the details of the maps are pixelated and no longer identifiable. While it is not necessary to map all artifacts, indicate areas of artifact concentration. When GPS technology is not available (i.e. no satellite coverage) all prehistoric cultural properties or historic material scatters shall be mapped by compass and tape or paced in meters.

All historic period Euro-American standing structures and mining features, e.g., houses, barns, etc., shall be mapped in feet. When utilizing GPS technology, note the type of equipment and level of accuracy employed.

8. The Contractor shall obtain Smithsonian site numbers from the Montana SHPO for all cultural properties not previously assigned such numbers. The BLM will review all site forms for adequacy prior to the submission to the SHPO for site numbers.

F. Collections.

1. Collections shall be labeled and catalogued, using BLM catalog cards, and shall be processed in accordance with Billings Curation Center packaging standards (forms and packaging requirements are available from the Billings Curation Center).

2. All collections belong to the United States Government and will be delivered directly to the Billings Curation Center by the contractor as part of submitting the final deliverables.

G. Methodologies.

1. The Contractor shall determine the methods and techniques necessary for completion of this study using the guidelines identified herein, discuss those methods and techniques in their bids, and conduct the work according to the procedures so specified.

Survey methodology or proposed avoidance of certain areas needs to be addressed in the proposal and inventory report.

H. Specifications and Standards.

1. Inventory guidelines and standards for BLM generated cultural resource investigations can be found in BLM's Guidelines for Identifying Cultural Resources (H- 8110-1). The Handbook is available upon request to the Montana State Office, Billings, Montana. Additional requirements for the recordation of tipi rings and cairns are described in the Handbook.

2. Additional guidance can be found on the Montana State Historic Preservation Office website: http://mhs.mt.gov/shpo/ .

I. Analysis and Report Preparation.

1. Upon completion of the Class III inventory; prepare a professional quality report, addressing the general categories outlined below:

a. Title Sheet. Signed by the Principal Investigator.

b. Abstract. Provide a 250-word or less abstract of the report. The abstract must outline the report contents and refer to specific highlights from the narrative.

c. Table of Contents. Provide a complete inventory of report contents.

d. Introduction. Provide an overview of the project including its purpose. Identify the tracts inventoried for this project, by legal description in table form.

e. Literature Search. Provide a brief but complete discussion on the work that has been conducted in the project area.

f. Environmental and Cultural Setting. Provide a brief but complete overview of the environment in which the survey tracts are located. In addition, discuss the cultural setting, again briefly, including both the prehistoric and historic periods.

g. Inventory Results. Provide a summary description of each cultural property found to include a header containing the Township , Range and Section, NRHP Eligibility, and surface owner in addition to the in depth discussion of each resource in text. Indicate results from preliminary evaluation and any problems connected with the property's recordation. Include photographs of cultural properties located during the inventory (original or digital images). Use graphics and tables as appropriate.

h. Summary and Recommendations. Discuss the results of the inventory in summary form. Include the following:

i. Identify the sites recorded, whether the sites were prehistoric or historic, and what type of site is represented.

j. Evaluate each cultural property for its eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Contractor shall use an appropriate "Context" in which to evaluate cultural properties and shall employ the National Register Criteria in those evaluations.

Contractor shall clearly describe the rationale used to determine site eligibility.

k. References Cited. Include a list of all sources cited in report.

l. Maps and Graphics. Provide appropriate maps, charts, tabulations and graphics necessary to support the report narrative. Maps, graphics, and photos in all copies of reports must show the same degree of detail as the electronic images.

VI. Acceptance.

A. Final acceptance of all items/services to be delivered under this contract shall be the responsibility of the Contracting Officer. The government may withhold final payment pending completion of any necessary rework by the Contractor.

VII. Deliverables (to be submitted to the COR)

A. The Contractor shall submit one draft copy of typed site forms with original photographs to the BLM for review prior to submission to the Montana SHPO for issuance of site numbers. Site form maps should have the location of the cultural property described labeled in black. After review and changes, if any, the Contractor will obtain site numbers.

B. One copy of the draft Class III cultural resource inventory report.

C. Three (3) bound copies of the final Class III cultural resource inventory report. The report shall be typed and printed on 8 ½ " x 11" paper and shall be single-spaced.

D. Three (3) unbound sets of final site forms with Smithsonian site numbers and with original black & white or color photos.

E. One copy of photographic record.

F. One copy of all field notes.

G. All catalog records and associated forms as specified by the Billings Curation Center packaging requirements.

H. Four electronic copies (CD or thumb drive) of the report, site forms, photos, photo log, GIS data and associated metadata. GIS data should contain, at a minimum, shapefiles of unit boundaries, area surveyed, and site boundaries. Confer with the Montana SHPO for their current requirements prior to submission.

VIII. Period of Performance

A. Site file and literature search shall begin no later than 10 calendar days after the order has been issued and completed within 10 calendar days.

B. Contractor shall prepare a table summarizing the results of the inventory to the COR within ten days of completing fieldwork. The table shall contain results of the inventory, i.e., indicate if cultural resources were located and recorded.

C. One copy of the draft Class III inventory report and the draft site forms shall be submitted no later than December 31st, 2023.

D. The COR will review all deliverables and comment on their adequacy within 20 calendar days of submission. All deliverables (including collected artifacts and associated documentation and a completed CRABS form) are due by May 1, 2024.

IX. Payment Schedule

A. Payment shall be tied to completion and acceptance of tasks identified in VIII. Period of Performance per the following: A (10%), B (50%), C (20%), and D (20%).