C04d Attachment 3 Heritage Contractor Requirements 1284LM26Q0136.docx

White River National Forest Heritage Resource Requirements for Contractors Intensive Survey All survey areas must be 80% snow-free and reasonably dry.

The project area will be accessed by vehicle and/or by foot. Field personnel will be required to keep all motorized vehicles on existing roads.

At a minimum, the contractor shall perform the following:

1. Prior to conducting fieldwork, the contractor will communicate with the appropriate White River (WR) Heritage point of contact (POC) and discuss any special conditions which may apply to the project.

2. Prior to conducting fieldwork, the contractor will conduct a Class I Literature Review of all the previous survey and site documentation within the proposed project area in the White River National Forest Heritage Files and at the Colorado Office of Archaeological and Historic Preservation (OAHP).

3. Conduct 100 percent intensive Class III pedestrian survey of the project area. The maximum transect survey will not exceed 15 meters. Spacing should be reduced as needed by vegetation and ground cover to ensure complete, intensive survey coverage. Map and compass or GPS shall be used to ensure systematic, even coverage of the survey areas.

4. Each crew must be directly supervised by a crew leader who meets the Section 106 requirements for a crew leader. Survey crews may be no larger than five people.

5. Limited testing – auger, trowel, shovel and/or less than 3 square meters of formal excavation units/per site to determine site eligibility (upon discussion with the Heritage POC).

Contractors will be 100% compliant with the USDA-Forest Service Heritage Manual and the Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Survey Manual.

Site Recording Each site and isolated occurrence discovered will be plotted with a GPS unit and transferred to 1:24,000 scale U.S.G.S. topographic maps and identified with its Smithsonian number and Forest Service site number (FS site numbers will be assigned by the Heritage staff). Original copies of the maps with isolated finds and sites will be provided by the contractor to enable the WR Heritage POC to inspect the results of the survey. A CD or DVD containing the shapefiles for the GPS locations will be provided by the contractor. The Smithsonian number and FS site number will be included in the tabular data for the shapefiles.

All locational data will be provided as GIS shapefiles and on a hard copy of the U.S.G.S. topo map to the Forest Service with the draft site forms.

GPS locations are required at site datum points. The boundaries of sites greater than 0.1 acre in size will also be recorded with a GPS unit.

All GPS data gathered will meet the following accuracy standards:

· GPS standard: NAD83, reported in UTM coordinates

· Locational point/polygon accuracy of 3 meters or less

· Submission of GPS data in two formats: hard copy on 1:24,000 U.S.G.S. topo maps and shapefiles (or feature classes) in a projected coordinate system compatible with ArcGIS on CD

· Attribute data will include Smithsonian numbers

At least two photographs taken from different directions will be submitted for each site. Photographs should show identifying site characteristics and important landmarks for relocating the site. Photographs will be printed on archival quality photo paper. Photographs and negatives will be submitted to the WR Heritage POC upon completion of the project. Photographs will be included with the OAHP site forms and will include provenience information.

Each newly discovered site shall be recorded on the appropriate standard OAHP forms. Information contained on the site form is to be consistent with the instructions as listed on the OAHP web site.

Sites and Isolated finds shall be plotted, described, and assigned a Smithsonian and Forest Service site number.

Previously recorded eligible and unevaluated sites within the survey area will be relocated and re-evaluated on official OAHP Re-evaluation Forms with maps and photographs. If the existing site forms for these sites are older than 10 years, then the sites will be re-recorded on current site forms.

Need data and unevaluated sites, both previously recorded and newly discovered, within the project areas will have limited testing (shovel and trowel) to determine site eligibility. All sites will be evaluated as being eligible or not eligible. No sites will be evaluated as need data or unevaluated.

Historic trails will be documented as such on official OAHP Linear Site Forms. Associated features such as sheep-herder arborglyphs/dendroglyphs along a stock driveway will be recorded as sub-features of the historic trail if appropriate.

Periodic updates to the Heritage POC regarding work summaries including draft maps and shapefiles of the site locations and the field assessment of the sites’ eligibility will be provided to the appropriate Heritage POC.

The contractor shall cease work upon discovering any human remains and associated funerary objects, and shall immediately notify the authorized FS Heritage POC. Work in the vicinity of the discovery may not resume until the authorized officer has given permission.

The contractor will assess the effects of the proposed project. Protection measures (avoidance, hand felling, 50 foot buffer, etc.) will be recommended for sites field determined as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Eligible sites will be flagged with red and black checkered flagging tape at a 50 foot buffer from the site boundary facing outside the site.

The management recommendations for a site will include a thorough analysis of the effects the proposed project will have on the cultural resources identified (if any).

Tribal Consultation: The Forest Service will conduct all government-to-government tribal consultation.

Artifact Collection and Analysis The Contractor shall not collect any artifacts, except for Paleoindian projectile points and exceptional artifacts that are at risk and cannot be reasonably protected in the field. These exceptional artifacts may include exposed fragile perishable materials at risk of being destroyed or extremely significant diagnostics artifacts that are in immediate danger of being looted. All other analysis shall be done in the field.

When collection is necessary, the artifact will be point provenience to a permanent datum established by the contractor and the location of the artifact recorded using the NAD 83 CONUS datum and the appropriate UTM zone (unless otherwise specified), and shown on the site map. Collected artifacts will be photographed in situ prior to removal, and a durable marker left at the collection location. All collected materials shall be analyzed and discussed in the final report. All collections remain the property of the United States Government. The Contractor is responsible for the cost of curation and must have an appropriate curation facility agreement.

Ceramic Analysis: In field analysis of ceramic materials will be done using standard regional published typologies in order to assign cultural affiliation and occupations dates, unless such artifacts are at risk as described previously.

Lithic Analysis: The Contractor should expect to encounter artifacts manufactured from sandstone, quartzite, rhyolite, basalt, obsidian, chert, petrified wood, chalcedony, and other siliceous and igneous materials. The Contractor shall explain the typology used in classifying the lithic artifacts in the final report. Lithic materials may consist of both ground and chipped stone varieties, and should, at a minimum, be assigned to functional and material categories. For example, manos should be identified by material and whether they are “one-hand” or “two-hand” in size and whether they are unifacially or bifacially worked.

Survey Report At a minimum, survey reports shall follow OAHP guidelines. The report shall include a Forest Service project number (assigned by Heritage POC), a project map with the survey area, a separate project map with site locations plotted, a separate project map with the locations of isolated finds plotted, both on 1:24,000 scale U.S.G.S. topographic quadrangles.

All typing and illustrations used in the report must be of suitable quality to provide a clear, legible copy when used on duplicating (Xerox) machine.

The report will include the specific National Forest report/project number in the report title and in all documentation. The Smithsonian site number will be the primary site reference number used in the report. The report will include a table of the cultural sites (both previously recorded and newly discovered). The table will also include Smithsonian number, site type, cultural affiliation, dates, eligibility recommendations, and management recommendations. The FS will also provide a site number specific to their database that will be included on the site forms.

Transmittal of report Electronic copy of the draft report with all forms, photographs, electronic data/files, digital images, maps and geospatial data including shapefiles of the sites, including Forest Service site numbers and Smithsonian site numbers and surveyed areas will be completed and delivered to the Heritage Program POC for review and comment. The Heritage POC will inspect and provide comments upon the draft survey documents to the contractor for finalization.

The Contractor will make changes and submit five paper copies of the final report and one electronic copy of the final report with all forms, photographs, electronic data/files, digital images, maps, along with final geospatial data must be completed and delivered to the Heritage Program POC.

Future use of survey data All field notes, maps, electronic data, photographs or digital images, negatives and artifacts collected or generated are considered property of the United States and will be submitted to the USFS POC with the final inventory report at the conclusion of the project. Per the provisions of the 1979 Archaeological Resources Protection Act as amended, all computer files generated or gathered as a result of this project will be deleted from all non-federal computers used by the contractor or his/her subcontractors immediately following submission of the final report.

During the course of the project, reasonable precautions will be taken to avoid the disclosure of site locations to all but authorized personnel.

Contractor Qualifications The Principle Investigator for the project must hold a valid Forest Service Cultural Resource Use Permit for the applicable National Forest and, if applicable, must have a current curation agreement with an appropriate curation facility.

The Crew Chief of each survey crew must have the following minimum qualifications:

· A graduate degree in anthropology, specializing in archaeology, or equivalent archaeological experience.

· Must be listed as a crew chief on the Principal Investigator’s valid FS Cultural Resources Special Use Permit.

· At least 16 months of professional experience and/or specialized training in archaeological fieldwork, artifact analysis, and administration.

· Demonstrate competence in collecting, handling, analyzing, evaluating, and reporting archaeological data.

· Demonstrate the ability to accurately plot archaeological site locations on topographic maps and to map sites using GPS.

· Demonstrate competence in identifying and describing artifacts including identification of prehistoric ceramics found within Colorado, using published type descriptions.

Each crew member must have the following minimum qualifications:

· At least 24 semester hours of credit in archaeology, anthropology, and/or history courses. Courses must include information on the conduct and theory of archaeological survey and excavation.

· At least 3 months field experience in archaeological survey. Crew members must work under the direct field supervision of a certified crew leader or project supervisor at all times.

Individuals, institutions, group, and agencies performing cultural resource work within the White River National Forest will submit a vitae of all persons to the Heritage Program POC. Information in the vitae will be used to verify the individuals meet the requirements listed above. All individuals proposed to work as a principal investigator, project directors, or in other supervisory capacities must be approved by the Heritage POC before that person may direct archaeological work.

Definitions:

Site Definitions: A cultural resource site is defined as a locus of prehistoric or pre-1950 historic human activity at a level of intensity normally involving evidence of purposeful behavior beyond the level of one or a few (less than 25) accidently deposited artifacts. Minimal site identification criteria include at least one of the following:

(a) One or more features,

(b) One formal tool if associated with other cultural materials or more than one formal tool,

(c) A single type of artifact or material in a density of at least 25 artifacts in a definable area.

These criteria may be modified, where appropriate, based on a professional cultural resource specialist’s judgement, and with prior approval from the WRNF Heritage Specialist. Any deviation from the standard definition should be discussed in the resulting cultural resource report. As a general rule, site designations are reserved in the case of historic remains for those at least 50 years old.

100% Archaeological Pedestrian Survey:

For the purposes of survey, a 100% archaeological pedestrian survey is defined as the systematic intensive inspection of the project area using parallel transects spaced no more than 15 meters apart for areas shown in task orders. Areas to be surveyed may include linear areas (for example, roads or trails), corridors, contiguous blocks, a conglomeration of small blocks within a defined project area (for example cutting units within a timber sale), or any combination of these. Any proposed deviations from this transect interval must be identified and justified in the offeror’s technical proposal.

Sample Archaeological Pedestrian Survey:

For the purposes of this survey, a sample archaeological pedestrian survey is defined as the systematic intensive inspection of the project area using parallel transects spaced no more than 15 meters apart within sample units that comprise a subset of the project area. The sample survey will be designed by the Forest Service Heritage Specialist. Areas to be sampled may include linear areas, corridors, contiguous blocks or any combinations of these. Any proposed deviations from this transect interval or sample design must be identified and justified in the offeror’s technical proposal.

Low Site Density Areas:

An area is considered to be a low site density area if the estimated average number of cultural resources is less than five (5) cultural resources per square mile.

Medium Site Density Areas:

An area is considered to be a medium site density area if the estimated average number of cultural resources is five (5) to ten (10) cultural resources per square mile.

High Site Density Areas:

An area is considered to have a high site density if the estimated average number of cultural resources per acre is ten (10) or more cultural resources per square mile.

Isolated Finds:

Occurrences of artifacts at less than the above shall be classified “Isolated Finds” (IF), including “Scatters” (less than 25 artifacts) or “Isolated Artifacts” (an occurrence of a single item). Isolated occurrence descriptions will, when possible, include associated dates, cultural affiliations, material type, ceramic type, and other information for determining the context of the isolated occurrence. However, a “pot bust” is considered to be a scatter, even if it contains more than 25 sherds. A “Feature” is a construction that due to its recent nature or lack of association is not designated as a “site”. Examples would be a railroad grade, isolated trash dump, abandoned road, non-historic fence line, or a recent camp fire ring. Such features may or may not be recommended for protection from project activities.

Isolated prehistoric features, such a grinding slicks, pecked hand and toe holds, or bedrock mortars, will normally be recorded as sites. Significant cultural manifestations younger than the pre-1950 cut-off date may occur in the project area. In some cases they may be associated with recent Native American activities or other recent historic events. These manifestations should be documented as part of the survey and in some cases, after consultation with the Forest Archaeologist/Heritage Specialist, may be recorded as sites. Recording the content and location of IF’s is generally considered to exhaust the information potential of the find, and they are not usually considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Exclusions:

Certain constructions (modern fence lines, recreational and hunter camps, and modern camp fire rings, logging roads) may be excluded as sites due to their recent nature, lack of association, and minimal scientific importance.

PG. 5