A04_Twin_Creek_Rock_Art_Class_II_-_SOW_Final.pdf

U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

WIND RIVER/BIGHORN BASIN DISTRICT

LANDER FIELD OFFICE, WYOMING

Cultural Resources Inventory (Class II) and Re-recording of Rock Art Sites in the Lower

Twin Creek Sub-watershed, FY2026

STATEMENT OF WORK

I. Introduction and Background

The purpose of this project is to conduct a Class II inventory (probabilistic field survey) to identify and record previously unidentified rock art sites and to re-record 18 known rock art sites within the Lower Twin Creek sub-watershed, which, on Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) Lander Field Office (LFO) managed surface largely falls within the

Twin Creek Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and encompasses the

Johnny Behind the Rocks Special Recreation Management Area (JBR SRMA).

The objective is to assess the number, type(s), and traits of rock art sites present within this high-use area of the LFO, which will in turn assist in future predictive model creation, land use planning decision-making, tribal consultation, and individual project review. The JBR SRMA will be excluded from inventory, but rock art previously recorded within it should be re-recorded and discussed in the report. Sites previously recorded in areas of surface management other than BLM (e.g., State or private) should be discussed in the report but not inventoried or re-recorded.

The contractor shall develop a Class II inventory strategy that identifies specific areas totaling 325 acres within the Lower Twin Creek sub-watershed. The goal of the inventory strategy should be to identify previously unidentified rock art on BLM-managed surface. The inventory strategy shall be subject to BLM review and approval.

The contractor will also perform a full site re-recording for 18 previously identified rock art sites in the Lower Twin Creek sub-watershed. Inventory strategy and fieldwork should meet the definitions and requirements of probabilistic field survey from the WY

SHPO-BLM Protocol (“Protocol”) and BLM Handbook 8110. Upon completion of the fieldwork, a report shall be submitted that discusses the findings of the fieldwork and makes recommendations of site eligibilities for both new and updated sites.

For the purposes of this project, “rock art” refers to any petroglyph and/or pictograph created on any type of rock surface, regardless of bedrock and surface geology or the landform type the feature is on (e.g., boulder, cliff, outcrop), whose approximate or precise age predates the arrival of Euro-American settlers in the area and whose style and/or approximated or precise age indicate a Native American cultural affiliation. In instances where style, age, or other qualities of a rock art feature cannot yield a definitive cultural affiliation, the resource should be treated as if it meets the definition discussed here, and the lack of definitive affiliation should be discussed in its site form and the report.

II. Project Location and Scope

The geographic area for this project is the boundary of the Lower Twin Creek sub-watershed. The boundaries of the sub-watershed encompass the following legal locations:

Township 32 North, Range 99 West: sections 24, 25

Township 32 North, Range 98 West: sections 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36

Township 32 North, Range 97 West: sections 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33

Township 31 North, Range 99 West: sections 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 36

Township 31 North, Range 98 West: sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Township 31 North, Range 97 West: sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 29

Township 30 North, Range 99 West: section 1

Township 30 North, Range 98 West: sections 4, 5, 6

The Lander Field Office (LFO) is located in west-central Wyoming. The Twin Creek sub-watershed is located in Fremont County, whose western edge is approximately 10.25 miles southeast of the town of Lander. The elevation within the sub-watershed is variable, ranging from approximately 5,400 feet above sea level (asl) to 7,100 feet asl. The sub-watershed totals 33,300 acres.

The sub-watershed encompasses lands whose surface ownership may be Bureau of Land

Management – Lander Field Office (BLM LFO), State (may include Office of State

Lands & Investments [OSLI], Wyoming Game & Fish [WGF], or other entities), or private. Although literature reviews should include sites recorded on all surface ownership statuses, and such sites should also be discussed in the inventory strategy and report, inventory and site re-recording efforts will only occur on BLM LFO surface.

Access to sites and inventory areas will be variable, but will include a mix of paved, improved, and two-track/unimproved roads. Use of a 4WD, high clearance vehicle is required to access many areas, and in some instances, the use of a UTV or an ATV may be more suitable. The contractor will need to use georeferenced access maps, county roads and land data map servers, and other mapping technologies to identify which travel routes are viable and accessible; the contractor will be responsible for obtaining private landowner permission to cross properties on existing roads, if absolutely necessary.

Terrain within the sub-watershed is variable, ranging from sagebrush dominated basins and drainages to steep cliff bands. Additionally, while encounters are rare, the project area may have habitats suitable for mountain lions, wolves, black bears, and/or grizzly bears. The contractor should follow best practices (such as those recommended by the

Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee: https://igbconline.org/be-bear-aware/) for hiking and working in predator habitat. Broadly, the contractor is responsible for identifying appropriate inventory strategies per the conditions that will ensure the safety of all fieldgoing personnel.

III. Statement of Work

The contractor shall first conduct a literature review (background research) of known rock art sites in and near the project area. Additionally, relevant peer-reviewed literature should be consulted. The contractor shall utilize findings from these text resources in tandem with geospatial data about known rock art sites within the project area to develop a sampling strategy that identifies areas most likely to contain rock art. Factors to consider may include, but should not be limited to: bedrock geology, soils and surface geology, slope, aspect, proximity to perennial water sources, wildlife behaviors

(migratory corridor, critical winter range, parturition area), and vegetation types. The contractor will then develop a geospatial data package (vector or raster formats acceptable) and verbal description of the sampling strategy, to be shared with the agency archaeologist for review (see Deliverables section for more detail).

Upon agency review and approval of the sampling strategy, the contractor shall conduct a

Class II (probabilistic field survey) inventory of 325 acres of BLM LFO managed surface within the Lower Twin Creek sub-watershed, based on the areas identified in their strategy as being the most likely to contain rock art. Pedestrian survey in the targeted areas should only identify new rock art sites; additional new sites not containing rock art may be noted in field notes or GPS data, but should not be recorded nor discussed in the report. Pedestrian survey and new site recording methodologies must meet the requirements of the Protocol, standard Wyoming BLM CRUP permit stipulations, and/or BLM Manual 8110. When recording new sites (as well as re-recording previously identified sites), the site form should reflect all features and artifacts associated with the site, not just the rock art features. Field methods for site recording must include, at a minimum, written descriptions and photographs following WY SHPO standards, but the contractor may also consider additional noninvasive recordation methods such as hand drawn illustrations and photogrammetric models of rock art panels.

Field methods should keep direct physical contact with rock art panels to an absolute minimum; therefore, rubbings, chalkings, making casts, and other similar methods are not permitted for this project.

In addition to the pedestrian survey and any resultant new rock art site recordings, 18 previously identified rock art sites must be updated as full re-recordings. (For clarity on the differences between re-recordings and other types of updates to known sites’ records, https://igbconline.org/be-bear-aware/) including what materials are necessary to submit for a re-recording, the contractor should contact personnel at WY SHPO or refer to the WyoTrack User Manual). The

Smithsonian numbers for the sites to be re-recorded are listed below, as well as the level of recordation required.

48FR93: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR104: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR2359: site update

48FR2458: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR2493: site update

48FR2494: site update

48FR2495: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR2675: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR3400: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR3644: site update

48FR3651: site update

48FR3744: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR3746: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR3751: site update

48FR3788: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR3789: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR3901: full re-record; eligibility evaluation

48FR7019: site update

Upon completion of fieldwork, the contractor will prepare a Class II report (in accordance with applicable portions of the 2012 Wyoming State Historic Preservation

Office Format, Guidelines, and Standards for Class II and III Reports), which shall discuss the following: the development and deployment of an inventory/sampling strategy, newly identified rock art sites and their eligibility recommendations, previously identified and re-recorded rock art sites and their eligibility recommendations, and the resultant applicability of the strategy (i.e., whether the strategy was successfully used as-is, or whether inclusion or exclusion of certain factors might improve its utility). The contractor is also invited to discuss longer term or larger scale management actions for the area, such as whether the designation of a rock art district in the project area might be appropriate, although this is not a requirement.

IV. Government Supplied Property

The BLM LFO will provide GIS shapefiles of the areas subject to inventory and site recordation efforts. This will include the boundary of the JBR SRMA, and upon request can also include Surface Management (Ownership) status shapefiles.

Additionally, if needed, the contractor may access BLM LFO’s cultural resources program paper records, such as site forms or reports which are not otherwise available through file searches conducted via WyoTrack, in-person. Timing of onsite visits to the

BLM LFO for this purpose should align with the target dates of Phase I as noted in the

Proposed Funding Schedule below.

All government supplied data and files (and all data generated by the contractor) shall be maintained in a manner consistent with the Wyoming Permit for Archaeological

Investigations (PAI) Conditions (see attached).

V. Proposed Funding Schedule

Work schedule and partial payment shall be divided into four phases:

Phase I – Background Research and Inventory Strategy Development: 45 days from award; 15% partial payment

Phase II – Fieldwork (Inventory and Site Re-Recordings): 120 days from award; 35% partial payment

Phase III – Draft Deliverables (Report, New and Updated Site Forms, GIS/GPS

Shapefiles and Maps) Submission: 150 days from award; 25% partial payment

Phase IV – Final Deliverables Submission: 180 days from award; 25% partial payment

VI. Deliverables

The contractor will first submit a draft of all files relevant to the development of the inventory strategy. These files should include a Word .doc or PDF version of a written description of the proposed workflow, and any relevant GIS shapefiles (raster or vector).

Other additional filetypes should be discussed with the BLM LFO’s point of contact before submission. Citations of any relevant peer-reviewed research or “gray literature”

(i.e., federal agency reports) used to develop the strategy should be included as a “Works

Cited” document, either standalone or incorporated into the written description. The

BLM will then have up to 7 calendar days to review the inventory strategy proposal and either request revisions or accept as-is. Upon acceptance, the contractor shall submit final versions of the strategy documentation to the BLM as digital format documents only. Due to complexities of large file-sharing, either WyoTrack or a USB thumb drive (or external hard drive) may be used.

After the acceptance of the final inventory strategy and prior to the start of fieldwork, the contractor must submit a fieldwork authorization to the BLM through WyoTrack. Upon acceptance of the fieldwork authorization, this request and approval is automatically incorporated into the project through WyoTrack, and fieldwork may begin immediately.

The contractor shall submit one (1) Class II inventory report for the project. The report shall include all Wyoming Cultural Property Forms (WCPFs) for newly identified rock art sites and previously identified, re-recorded/updated rock art sites. The report shall be prepared in a manner consistent with the requirements and standards described in the

Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office – Format, Guidelines, and Standards for

Class II and III Reports. Reports and WCPFs must also include photographic documentation and maps produced with relevant GIS information as described in this document. Draft and final versions of the report and companion WCPFs should be submitted through WyoTrack.

The contractor will first submit an electronic version of the draft report and WCPFs to the

BLM. The BLM will be allowed up to 15 calendar days for review and to provide revisions. The contractor will then make the requested revisions and submit the updated draft report and WCPFs to the BLM for a final review and approval.

The final report, companion WCPFs, supplemental documents (e.g. photo sheets, additional maps), and shapefiles shall be submitted through WyoTrack for BLM review and approval. BLM LFO personnel will work with WYSHPO to ensure the report and

WCPFs are properly incorporated into statewide data. Upon acceptance of final reports and WCPFs, the contractor shall also send one unbound, complete, full-color copy of the report and WCPFs to the BLM. Additionally, a USB drive or external hard drive shall be mailed to the BLM, containing all GIS information (must include field GPS data and final shapefiles), photographs taken during the project, field notes, and research notes.

Notifications: The contractor shall notify the BLM at least 7 calendar days before commencing fieldwork. Notification shall be both via a Fieldwork Authorization Request in the WyoTrack system submitted to the BLM Lander Field Office, and via an email to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

The contractor shall also notify BLM when fieldwork is completed by email and/or phone call to the COR. Notification shall communicate brief synthesis of preliminary findings. Email notifications shall also be sent when the final report is mailed to the

BLM.

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 must take whatever internal measures are necessary to ensure that confidential material is protected. All BLM and Wyoming Permit for Archaeological Investigation (PAI) Stipulations shall be followed.

VII. Evaluation and Award Criteria

Respondents shall supply a written proposal, including specific proposed methodologies for the

Twin Creek Rock Art Class II project, a list of key personnel that discusses the nature of each individual’s involvement in all phases of the work and demonstrates their qualifications

(resumes), a statement of availability to perform the work, and a list of references. Respondents will then be evaluated on the specific evaluation criteria listed below:

1. Quality of the Proposal

A. Technical Approach: The extent to which the respondents’ proposed methods, techniques, procedures, and criteria demonstrate an understanding of the project objectives and requirements and provide a sound approach to accomplishing the work described in the solicitation.

B. Project Management and Coordination: The extent to which the proposal provides a clear and effective plan for managing the project and coordinating activities with BLM

Wyoming.

2. Respondent Qualifications and Experience

A. Qualifications of the Respondent and Key Personnel: The qualifications and relevant experience of the respondent and key personnel, including possession of a current BLM Wyoming Permit for Archaeological Investigation and experience conducting comparable cultural resource investigations.

B. Relevant Experience: The respondent’s demonstrated experience successfully conducting cultural resource inventories and related archaeological investigations in

Wyoming.

C. Past Performance: The respondent’s demonstrated past performance, including technical competence, successful project delivery, adherence to project budgets and schedules, and the quality of references provided.

3. Availability and Capacity to Perform

A. Staffing and Organizational Capacity: The extent to which the respondent demonstrates sufficient staffing, organizational capacity, and available resources to successfully complete the project within the required timeframe.

B. Schedule: The extent to which the respondent's proposed schedule demonstrates the ability to meet or exceed the project milestones and completion dates identified in the solicitation.

4. Bid Price

Order of Importance

Technical factors, when combined, are considered:

☒ Significantly more important than price

☐ Approximately equal to price

☐ Significantly less important than price