SOW_-_OMDP_Paleo_Inventory_Phase_III_and_IV_230712_v2.pdf

Bureau of Land Management

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument Paleontological Resource Inventory: Scope of Work

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Scope of Work: Paleontological Resource Inventory

Phase III and Phase IV Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument July 12, 2023

SECTION 1 – Scope This Scope of Work (SOW) sets forth the contract performance requirements for conducting a pedestrian paleontological resource inventory for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces District Office

(LCDO) within the Organ Mountains Unit of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument

(OMDPNM), including collecting and curating scientifically important paleontological specimens. The

Contractor shall perform the pedestrian paleontological resource inventory work in accordance with this

SOW and to the following guidance documents:

• BLM Paleontological Resource Management Manual 8270

• BLM General Procedural Guidance for Paleontological Resource Management H-8270-1

• BLM IM 2009-011 Assessment and Mitigation of Potential Impacts to Paleontological Resources

• BLM IM 2022-009 Implementing the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009 (PRPA)

• FGDC-STD-001-1998 Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Standard "Content Standard for

Digital Geospatial Metadata" (see www.FGDC.gov for guidance)

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1989 (ADA) and section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

(see www.section508.gov for guidance)

Herein referred to as the “applicable documents”. The Contractor shall note and bring to the BLM’s attention of any conflict or contradiction in the guidance provided within the applicable documents. The

BLM will provide clarification.

SECTION 2 – Background The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009 (PRPA) mandates the Secretary of the Interior to

“manage and protect paleontological resources on Federal land using scientific principles and expertise,” and to “develop appropriate plans for inventory, monitoring, and the scientific and educational use of paleontological resources, in accordance with applicable agency laws, regulations, and policies.”

Furthermore, paleontological resources are called out in Presidential Proclamation 9131 that established

OMDPNM as an important object, resource, and value.

The BLM uses the Potential Fossil Yield Classification (PFYC) system as a predictive model to determine what areas require assessment of paleontological resources in order to plan for multiple uses of public lands. In the PFYC system, geologic units are assigned a class based on the relative abundance of http://www.fgdc.gov/ http://www.section508.gov/

2 | P a g e scientifically important paleontological resources and their sensitivity to adverse impacts. This classification is applied to the geologic formation, member, or other mapped unit (USDI BLM 2022). The classes are defined as follows:

• Class 1 – Very Low: Geologic units that are not likely to contain recognizable paleontological resources. These units are typically Precambrian in age, igneous (excluding ash-fall and volcaniclastic rocks), and metamorphic. Note that caves within these units may trap and preserve fossil material.

• Class 2 – Low: Geologic units that are not likely to contain paleontological resources. These units are typically recent aeolian deposits, less than 10,000 years old, or exhibit significant physical and chemical changes. Furthermore, field surveys may have confirmed that scientifically important paleontological resources are not present or vary rare.

• Class 3 – Moderate: Sedimentary geologic units where fossil content varies in scientific importance, abundance, and predictable occurrence. These units are typically marine in origin, or paleontological resources occur intermittently but in low abundance, or scientifically important paleontological resources are known but widely scattered.

• Class 4 – High: Geologic units that are known to contain a high occurrence of paleontological resources. These units typically have documented scientifically important paleontological resources, but resources may vary in occurrence and predictability. Also, rare or uncommon fossils, including nonvertebrates (such as soft body preservation or unusual plant fossils), may be present.

• Class 5 – Very High: Highly fossiliferous geologic units that consistently and predictably produce scientifically important (i.e., significant) paleontological resources. These units have documented scientifically important paleontological resources that occur consistently.

• Class U – Unknown: Geologic units that cannot receive an informed PFYC assignment. These units may exhibit features or preservational conditions that suggest scientifically important paleontological resources could be present, but little information about the actual paleontological resources of the unit or area is known. The geologic units may be poorly studied, or scientific literature does not reveal the nature of the paleontological resources.

• Class W – Water: Includes any surface area that is mapped as water.

• Class I – Ice: Includes any area that is mapped as ice or snow.

PFYC assignments are updated as new information comes available and should be considered a living document. The current PFYC map of New Mexico has not been updated to the newest class definitions released in 2016 or 2022. Additionally, most of LCDO is mapped at 1:500,000 scale, which often does not record small geologic units that may have a higher PFYC rating.

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SECTION 3 – Project Specific Background OMDPNM was established by presidential proclamation 9131 on May 21, 2014. Totaling 469,529 acres and located in south-central New Mexico, OMDPNM is divided into four units: Organ Mountains, Doña

Ana Mountains, Sierra de las Uvas and Robledo Mountains, and Potrillo Mountains (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, with surface ownership

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Phase III Background The ubiquitous geologic unit in central New Mexico is the Santa Fe Group. The Santa Fe Group includes geologic formations deposited by the ancestral Rio Grande and basin-fill deposits along the Rio Grande corridor during the Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs (5.333-0.0117 Ma). Hundreds of paleontological localities have been recorded in this Group throughout the Rio Grande Valley and is rated PFYC 5 (very high). In Central Southern New Mexico, the Group is largely represented by the Camp Rice Formation

(figure 2). This Formation extends from the area surrounding Hatch, NM, down both east and west sides of the Rio Grande Valley, and south into Texas (Seager, et al., 1982; 1987). The Organ Mountains Unit of

OMDPNM contains the most spatially extensive exposures of the formation out of the four Monument units.

Figure 2: West Rio Grande Valley exposures of the Camp Rice Formation near La Union, NM, facing NE to Organ Mountains.

Geologic mapping typically divides the formation into informal members, or facies (Seager, et al., 1982;

1987). Near the mountains are the fanglomerate and piedmont slope facies, deposited by the immediate erosion of the mountains into alluvial fans. In the valley center is the fluvial facies, deposited largely by rivers and on floodplains. Between the fluvial and piedmont slope facies is a transitional facies, which exhibits distal piedmont slopes, alluvial flats, and aeolian environments. Of these, the fluvial facies has a well-documented history of producing scientifically important Plio-Pleistocene fossils (Morgan and Harris, 2015), many of these on BLM-administered lands. In recent years, an increasing number of scientifically important localities have been recorded on the eastern side of Las Cruces.

Prior to 2019, only limited paleontological surveys occurred where the Camp Rice Formation is exposed in OMDPNM. These limited surveys have observed numerous root casts and isolated vertebrate bone fragments. Based on the approximate known limits of the fluvial deposits of Camp Rice Formation as mapped by Seager, et al. (1987) on BLM administered lands within OMDPNM., there are potentially

20,000 acres of inventory areas in the Organ Mountains Unit.

In late 2019, OMDPNM contracted its first paleontological inventory (Phase I) to begin the task of fully documenting the Camp Rice Formation and associated paleontological resources in its boundary. The

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Organ Mountains Unit and totaled 8,500 acres. While only two scientifically important vertebrate specimens where collected, several locations of vertebrate bone fragments points to potential future discoveries. Additionally, plant and invertebrate ichnofossils where recorded.

In 2022, OMDPNM contracted Phase II of paleontological inventory. This consisted of 1120 acres northwest and adjacent to Phase I. In total, 32 fossil localities were recorded within the Project area.

Twelve of the 32 localities contained fragmentary remains of petrified wood (derived from gravels), while two localities produced trace fossils, including burrows and root casts. Nineteen localities contained fossil vertebrate remains. Two fossils were tentatively identified as equid remains (a caudal vertebra and a heavily weathered tooth), one remain was diagnosed as Megalonyx leptostomus (proximal femur), one artiodactyl fossil was identified as Cervidae (mandible fragment with articulated teeth), and one remain was identified as Camelidae (distal humerus) (El Adli, et al., 2023).

Both inventory Phase I and II included measuring stratigraphic data to aid in future correlation of the Camp

Rice Formation exposures. See Figure 3 for an example.

Figure 3: Portion of stratigraphic section measured and reported for Phase II (El adli, et al., 2023)

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This SOW, in part, continues the inventory for paleontological resources within the Organ Mountains Unit of OMDPNM in the exposures of the Camp Rice Formation east of the Rio Grande as OMDPNM Paleo

Inventory Phase III (Figure 6, 7). Phase III consists of 970 acres between the I-10 Vado and Mesquite exits

(Figure 4). Scientifically important fossils have been recorded north and south of the Phase III inventory area as recently as July 2023 (Figure 5).

Figure 4: Landscape typical in the Phase III inventory Area.

Figure 5: Distal tibia recovered from edge of gravel pit, north of the Phase III inventory Area.

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Figure 6: Southern portion of the Organ Mountains Unit of OMDPNM, showing land ownership, locations of nearby towns, and location of paleontological resource inventory phases.

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Figure 7: OMDPNM Paleontological Resource Phase III Inventory area, with geology mapped by Seager et al (1987)

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Phase IV Background The Robledo Mountains, northwest of Las Cruces (Figure 1) is home to Prehistoric Trackways National

Monument (PTNM). PTNM was designated by Congress in 2009 “in order to conserve, protect, and enhance the unique and nationally important paleontological, scientific, educational, scenic, and recreational resources and values...” of the lower Permian rocks and fossils. Seager et al., (2008) mapped these as the Hueco Formation with four informal members (lower, middle, Abo Tongue, and upper).

However, most of the research has followed Lucas et al., (1995; 1998) who elevated the Hueco to group status and named the formations (i.e., Shalem Colony, Community Pit, Robledo Mountains, and Apache

Dam Formations). There is some disagreement on how the informal members of Seager et al (2008) and

Lucas et al (1995; 1998) correlate.

Paleontological resources are abundant within the Robledo Mountains Formation, including marine invertebrates, invertebrate trace fossils, vertebrate trace fossils, and plants (Kues, 1995; Minter and

Braddy, 2009; DiMichele et al., 2015; Lerner and Lucas, 2015; Lucas et al., 2013; 2015; Voigt and Lucas, 2015; Voigt et al., 2013a; 2013b).

Voigt and Lucas (2015) performed a conservative reanalysis on the 775 tetrapod footprint specimens from the Robledo Mountains Formation within the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

(NMMNHS) collections and concluded that eight tetrapod (four-legged vertebrates) ichnogenera (trace fossils) are represented. Approximately 90% of the identifiable specimens belong to three ichnotaxa

(Batrachichnus, Dromopus, and Dimetropus), with all other specimens being uncommon or rare. See Table

1 for a list of known vertebrate trace fossils from the Robledo Mountains Formation.

Table 1 Vertebrate Trace Fossils present in the Robledo Mountains Formation

Type Trace Fossil Possible Trackmakers

Vertebrate Batrachichnus salamandroides temnospondyl amphibians (i.e., small, semiaquatic tetrapod)

Vertebrate Dromopus lacertoides Araeoscelids (extinct diapsid reptiles)

Vertebrate Dimetropus leisnerianus “Pelycosaur”-grade synapsids (e.g., Dimetrodon, Edaphosaurus)

Vertebrate Matthewichnus caudifer microsaur lepospondyl amphibians

Vertebrate Hyloidichnus bifurcatus Captorhinomorphs (primitive reptiles)

Vertebrate Amphisauropus kablikae Seymouriamorphs (reptile-like amphibians)

Vertebrate Notalacerta missouriensis basal non-diapsid eureptiles (i.e., primitive “true reptiles”)

Vertebrate Robledopus macdonaldi basal non-diapsid eureptiles (i.e., primitive “true reptiles”)

Vertebrate Undichna non-tetrapod vertebrate fin scratches

Vertebrate -- “lungfish aestivation burrow”

Vertebrate Lunichnium rotterodium Tetrapod swimming traces

Vertebrate Characichnos Tetrapod swimming traces

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In addition to vertebrate trackways, the Robledo Mountains Formation is host to numerous invertebrate trackways, dominated by arthropods (Minter and Braddy, 2009). Table 2 lists the known invertebrate trace fossils found in the red beds of the Robledo Mountains Formation. In the uppermost red beds of the

Robledo Mountains Formation, Lerner and Lucas (2015) described the Selenichnites ichnoassociation.

While most of the Robledo Mountains Formation ichnofossils do not show any marine or tidal influence, their interpretation of this ichnoassemblage was that it represents a nearshore marine setting or tidal flat.

It is not known if this unique depositional environment occurs elsewhere in the Robledo Mountains

Formation.

Table 2: Invertebrate Trace Fossils Found in Robledo Mountains Formation

Type Trace Fossil Possible Trackmakers

Invertebrate Dendroidichnites Myriapods (centipedes and millipedes)

Invertebrate Diplichnites Myriapods (centipedes and millipedes)

Invertebrate Diplopodichnus Myriapods (centipedes and millipedes)

Invertebrate Lithographus Pterygote (winged) insects

Invertebrate Tonganoxichnus Apterygote (wingless) insects

Invertebrate Stiaria Apterygote (wingless) insects

Invertebrate Octopodichnus Arachnids (spiders and scorpions)

Invertebrate Alacranichnus braddyi Scorpion resting trace

Invertebrate Palmichnium Eurypterids (sea scorpions)

Invertebrate Lockeia invertebrate resting trace

Invertebrate Rotterodichnium invertebrate resting trace

Invertebrate Selenichnites invertebrate resting trace

Invertebrate Striatichnium arthropod grazing trace

Invertebrate Stiallia arthropod grazing trace

Invertebrate Treptichnus Non-arthropod grazing trace

Invertebrate Augerinoichnus horizontal and coiling worm burrow

Invertebrate Spirorhaphe azteca Undetermined, but 1st occurrence in tidal environment (vs usual deep sea)

Selenichnites Ichnoassociation

Selenichnites rossendalensis horseshoe crabs resting, feeding, or digging

Selenichnites Ichnoassociation

Kouphichnium horseshoe crabs walking

Selenichnites Ichnoassociation

Helminthopsis hieroglyphica Worm burrows (Roundworms, ribbon worms, or segmented worms)

Selenichnites Ichnoassociation

Cochlichnus anguineus Worm burrows (Roundworms, ribbon worms, or segmented worms)

Selenichnites Ichnoassociation

Hydrozoan / Scratch circles “Jellyfish” soft body impressions

It must be noted that most of the trace fossils reported from the Selenichnites ichnoassociation are extremely rare in the rest of the Robledo Mountains Formation; they are only found in the Project Area and an adjacent locality. Of particular note are the “scratch circles/jellyfish impressions” that Lerner and

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Lucas (2015) noted on loose rock blocks from the Project Area. At least some of these circular structures are confirmed hydrozoans (jellyfish) (S. Lucas, personal communication, 3/22/2023). Jellyfish and other soft bodied animals are not typically preserved in the fossil record because they lack easily preserved hard parts (e.g., shells). This results in the jellyfish fossil being a very rare occurrence in a scarce uniquely preserved paleoenvironment within the Robledo Mountains Formation.

Plant fossils from the reds beds of the Robledo Mountains Formation are dominated by branches of walchian conifer trees, which are commonly found (Lucas et al., 1995; DiMichele et al., 2015). However, the Voigt Excavation (NMMNH L-8220) located just outside the eastern edge of PTNM recorded some of the first non-trace plant fossils for the Robledo Mountains Formation. Specimens were identified as

Taeniopteris (possible fern or cycad), Samaropsis (winged seeds), leafy shoots of two different conifer species, an undetermined seed-bearing plant, and numerous roots (Voigt et al., 2013a). Other plant fossils found in the red beds include Supaia thinnfeldioides, Gigantopteridium sp and callipterid peltasperms (all extinct, fern-like seed plants) (DiMichele et al., 2015).

Marine fossils of the Robledo Mountains Formation are currently the best studied of all the Permian marine sediments in the Robledo Mountains. Kues (1995) documented over 70 taxa but notes that further study is still warranted and that his list is likely incomplete. Kues’ study documented two genera of

Porifera (Sponges), rare corals, several genera of bryozoans (moss animals), at least 19 species of brachiopods, at least 16 species of bivalves (clams), at least 18 species of gastropods (snails), an uncommon amount of poorly preserved scaphopods (tusk shells), at least five genera of nautiloids and at least two genera of ammonoids (generally coiled shelled squid-like animals), common unarticulated echinoid spines and interambulacral plates (sea urchins), isolated columnals and stem sections of crinoids

(sea lilies), and one occurrence of a partial trilobite.

PTNM does not cover all of the lower Permian exposures in the Robledo Mountains, however. The remaining outcrops (Figure 8) fall within OMDPNM and have not had the extensive inventory as those in

PTNM. Phase IV of the OMDPNM paleontological resource inventory (Figure 9) will cover some of these outcrops (Figure 10 and 11).

Figure 8: Outcrop of Robledo Mountains Formation on edge of old quarry in southern Phase IV inventory Area, facing west.

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Figure 9: Location of Phase IV inventory south of PTNM, showing land ownership

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Figure 10: Location of Phase IV inventory west of PTNM, showing geology at 1:24,000 as mapped by Seager et al. (2008)

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Figure 11: Location of Phase IV inventory west of PTNM, showing geology at 1:24,000 as mapped by Seager et al. (2008)

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SECTION 4 – Tasks and Deliverables This section describes five (5) tasks and multiple deliverables. The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, equipment, supervision, transportation, supplies, and incidentals to perform all work necessary for completion of the paleontological resource inventory in accordance with this SOW. The Contractor is fully responsible for coordination with the BLM and meeting the required project milestones and completion date. Furthermore, The Contractor must hold a BLM New Mexico Paleontological Resources Use Permit

(survey with limited collection) and a valid curatorial agreement with an approved Department of the

Interior (DOI) repository. The Contractor must include a research design or inventory strategy and list of key personal.

For all tasks and deliverables, the following shall apply:

• Data collection, data entry, calculations, geoprocessing, photo editing, document writing and editing shall be accurate and free of errors.

• All supporting documentation and data, raw data, and interim data are to be retained in the project file and accurately referenced.

For all geospatial tasks and deliverables, the following shall also apply:

• Geospatial data shall be in North American Datum (NAD) 1983 UTM Zone 13N.

• Accuracy of geospatial data points shall be one (1) meter or less.

• The Contractor shall provide complete geospatial paleontological resource inventory data in a file geodatabase format that complies with the applicable documents and that is compatible with

ESRI ArcGIS Pro 2.9 or better.

• Geospatial deliverables must comply with applicable Agency standards and Federal geographic information standards, particularly those determined by the FGDC as supporting the National

Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

• The paleontological resource inventory metadata created by the Contractor and delivered to BLM shall be compliant with the FGDC Standard "Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata", FGDC-STD-001-1998. The metadata must be thorough and include concise information about who created the data, the data’s content, when the data was collected/published, where geographically the data applies, why the data was created, how it was produced, and how it has been processed. The metadata must include a verifiable accuracy statement.

COST PROPOSAL

The BLM requests a cost proposal breakdown per task necessary prior to selection. This will include Labor

Hours, Labor Dollars, Expense Dollars, and an Overall Total Cost.

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TASK 1 – Initial Project Management Meeting and Project Management The Contractor will schedule and hold an initial Project Management Meeting within 7 calendar days of receiving the Notice to Proceed (NTP). The Meeting may be conducted via video conference call

(e.g., Teams, Zoom). The Contractor shall submit a draft work plan and preliminary schedule at the initial project meeting. The draft work plan will illustrate the tasks and methods to be used to complete the project within the period of performance. The draft work plan will also include a detailed schedule illustrating anticipated completion times for each task (schedule does not need to include processes internal to the Contractor).

The purpose of the meeting is to:

• Provide introductions between key Contractor personnel and BLM staff;

• preview the project;

• discuss overall expectations;

• review and discuss the draft work plan;

• identify and coordinate the exchange of initial datasets;

• review the anticipated sequence of the work and time-frames;

• establish communication protocols; and

• provide project clarification as needed.

The BLM and Contractor will discuss the draft work plan and any other outstanding topics. The

Contractor will modify the draft work plan and schedule, if needed, as a result of the meeting, and provide BLM the opportunity to review all changes before finalizing the schedule and work plan. The

BLM will provide all changes to the draft work plan and schedule to the Contractor within five (5) business days of the Initial Project Management Meeting. Based on BLM’s review, the Contractor will finalize the work plan and schedule and provide it to the BLM within five (5) business days of receiving the BLM’s changes to the draft work plan after the Initial Project Management Meeting. The BLM will notify the Contractor of approval of the work plan within five (5) business days of receiving the final work plan.

The Contractor will coordinate one (1) project management conference call every week. If the

Contractor or BLM feels that a specific call is not needed during certain phases of this project, it may be cancelled if both BLM and the Contractor agree. During some stages of the contract, there could be more frequent calls, and in some stages, fewer calls. The Contractor will provide notes from the weekly conference call to all participants, and other interested parties, as identified by BLM. The

Contractor will be responsible for creating agendas and capture notes from project conference calls and distributing them, creating and maintaining a project schedule with key milestones.

The project details will be provided by the BLM. The Contractor, in consultation with BLM, will provide timely notification to all participating parties if significant delays to the project schedule arise as part of the data collection and/or analysis process.

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TASK 2—Confirmation and updating known localities in Inventory Areas The Phase III inventory area has not been treated to previous recorded pedestrian inventory and therefore contains no known fossil localities. The Phase IV inventory area, however, does contain a handful of previously recorded localities.

1. Working with NMMNH curation staff, confirm the location (e.g., spatial, vertical, and stratigraphic) of previously recorded fossil localities, including field notes and photos (if any).

2. Update the locality forms with new data/photos taken during the field inventory.

TASK 3—Field Inventory and Mapping

Task 3.1—Geologic Mapping The best available geologic map that covers the Phase III inventory area is 1:125,000 (Seager et al., 1987), while the 1:24,000 geologic map that covers the Phase IV inventory area (Seager et al., 2008) is in need of updates and refinement.

1. Map geologic units and features encountered at a scale between 1:12,000 and 1:6,000.

Include internal contacts between lithologic changes, key beds (e.g., ash layers, prominent fossil layers), strike and dip measurements, structural elements (faults, folds, etc.), and unit descriptions.

2. Measure a geologic stratigraphic section for both inventory area Phases. Recorded fossil localities will reference these stratigraphic sections. Descriptions of individual units in these stratigraphic sections shall follow the guidance listed in the applicable documents.

3. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) Geologic Map Schema (GeMS) will be used for the final geodatabase deliverable.

TASK 3.2—Field Inventory for Paleontological Resources The field inventory methods will follow the guidelines listed in the applicable documents and listed below. All paleontological resources observed, recorded, and collected on Public Lands are Federal property.

1. Perform a pedestrian paleontological inventory of the Phase III inventory area (~970 acres) and Phase IV inventory area (~672 acres). As the areas to be inventoried are largely vegetation free, transects (spaced every 15 meters) shall be utilized for complete pedestrian coverage.

Workers should deviate from transects where concentrations of fossils are observed to fully document the occurrences.

2. An emailed status report to the Technical Manager is requested at the end of each week. This shall include a summary of the areas surveyed, GIS tracklogs of all field crew, number of localities identified, fossils collected, fossils that require excavation, and any issues or problems encountered.

3. Record all paleontological sites on BLM Locality forms, or equivalent, as listed in applicable documents. Document all fossil types, including macro and micro vertebrate and invertebrate sites, plants, and trace fossils. For each locality describe potential natural and anthropogenic threats.

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4. The inventory will identify and record the presence of all paleontological resources discovered, including both diagnostic and non-diagnostic vertebrate, invertebrate, plant, and trace fossils. Areas with multiple instances of non-diagnostic fossil material, such as bone scrap and float, or plant rhizoliths, may be lumped into a single locality. List number of pieces observed and extent of spatial distribution in these cases.

5. Known fossil localities within the inventory area shall be revisited and assessed for locality condition, to include collection of addition fossil material if needed.

6. Exposed paleontological resources judged to be of scientific importance should be collected as long as they can be safely recovered under the limited surface disturbance criterion (less than one (1) meter square disturbance). If more extensive excavation is required, recommendation for future excavation shall be noted in the locality report and final recommendations. Trace fossils, if discovered, should be recorded but not collected unless it is warranted and agreed upon by the Technical Manager. Take special note of microfossils that can aid in biostratigraphic dating of the rock units.

7. All paleontological resources recorded will be documented with digital photographs. The photos shall clearly indicate the locality so it can easily be identified at a later date. This includes an overall photo of the locality that includes the horizon (and ideally a visually distinctive landmark), and not taken into the sun. Photos of all specimens (including samples of non-diagnostic fossil material and rhizoliths) will be full frame, with scale bar, and either be in full shadow or full sun with no shadows or glare. A photo log will be created that follows the guidance listed in the applicable documents. Each photo point will be named with a unique identifier.

TASK 4—Paleontological Resource Inventory Report and Geologic Map Upon completion of the pedestrian inventory, the Contractor will prepare a final report of the findings. This report shall follow guidelines listed in the applicable documents, and will not contain confidential information, such as locality forms, coordinates, maps, and overview photos, such that it may be distributed to the Public. Additionally, the Contractor will prepare a non-public confidential appendix that will contain paleontological resource locality forms, maps, and associated photos. The

Report must be Section 508 compliant. The report should include the scientific importance and recommendations for management of all localities. The recommendations should include a monitoring schedule and a rationale for the monitoring schedule for each locality.

The Contractor will perform a geologic map review of the inventory areas and a literature review of the inventory area, following the guidelines in the applicable documents.

The Contractor will conduct a paleontological records search that follows the guidelines of the applicable documents to identify museums and/or repositories that hold paleontological resources from the inventory area, including a one (1) mile buffer surrounding the inventory area. The New

Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque, New Mexico is the current locality data steward for BLM New Mexico, and the LCDO can provide the Contractor with up-to-date locality information for the area. Additional collections/localities may exist at University of Texas El Paso in

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Texas, and the New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Obtain specimen and locality records for fossils recovered in the inventory area from non-NMMNHS localities. Specimen and locality data will include information on recorded localities collected from non-federal and federal lands.

TASK 5—Curation of Collections All collected paleontological material will be delivered to the DOI approved repository identified on the Contractor’s BLM New Mexico Paleontological Resources Use Permit (survey with limited collection) and with which the Contractor has a valid curatorial agreement. The Contractors will notify the BLM in writing when delivery has been made, including an itemized list of the material. This material will be accessioned and curated into the collections by the museum. All paleontological resources collected on Public Lands retain Federal ownership after accessioning and curation.

Deliverables The Contractor shall assemble the paleontological resource inventory process and results into a suite of deliverables including a final report sufficient for public release, a confidential appendix containing sensitive locality information, and a project geodatabase.

Draft documents shall be supplied to the BLM as electronic Microsoft Word files (.docx). The BLM will review all draft documents within 20 business days of receipt unless otherwise agreed upon by BLM and Contractor, or listed below. The Contractor, upon receipt of BLM’s revision comments, will generally have 10 business days to respond (unless otherwise specified) with the necessary written revisions.

Final versions of document deliverables will include a bound paper and electronic copy. All documents, supporting records, and publications will be verified true and correct Portable Document

Format (PDF) and MS Word copies on a USB flash drive and are to be provided to the BLM. Documents are to be of high quality and in color as determined necessary by the BLM and be made ADA/section

508 compliant. All final reports shall be provided as bookmarked PDF documents with Table of

Contents, annotations, and hyperlinks. Listed below is the list of deliverables by task:

Task 1—Work Plan

• Draft work plan will be presented and delivered to the BLM at Initial Project Planning Meeting within five (5) business days of the NTP.

• Final work plan will be delivered to BLM within five (5) business days of receipt of BLM changes to draft work plan.

Task 2—Confirmation and updating known localities in Inventory Areas

• Updated locality forms would be included in confidential appendix of the inventory report.

Task 3—Field Inventory and Mapping

• Weekly status reports emailed to BLM Technical Manager, which shall include a summary of the areas surveyed, GIS tracklogs of all field crew, number of localities identified, fossils collected, fossils that require excavation, and any issues or problems encountered.

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• Draft Report and supporting files o Draft of paleontological inventory report o Draft versions of the composite geologic stratigraphic. Descriptions of individual units in these stratigraphic sections shall follow the guidance listed in the applicable documents.

o Draft of Confidential Appendix of locality forms and maps o Draft GPS-Derived feature classes

▪ Point data for localities

▪ Point data for photos

▪ Polygons of actual areas inventoried

▪ Lines of tracklogs o Draft GeMS File Geodatabase

• Final (508 Compliant) Report and supporting files o Paleontological Resource Inventory Report (sans any confidential information)

▪ One (1) pdf copy o Confidential Appendix

▪ One (1) pdf copy o Composite geologic stratigraphic section.

o File Geodatabase

▪ Point feature class data for localities, attributed with field number, fossil ID, and scientific importance

▪ Point feature class data for photos, attributed with photo point ID, number of photos, and photo facing

▪ Polygon feature class of actual areas inventoried

▪ Line feature class of tracklogs o GeMS File Geodatabase of Geologic Map o Photos

▪ All photos, organized into folders by photo/fossil point unique identifier

Task 4—Collections Delivery

• Written notification of delivery of all collected paleontological material to be accessioned and curated at the DOI approved repository listed on Contractor’s BLM New Mexico

Paleontological Resources Use Permit (survey with limited collection)

• Itemized list of delivered paleontological material

SECTION 5 – Schedule

Task 1—Initial Project Management Meeting and Work Plan

1. Initial Project Management Meeting shall occur within five (5) business days from the NTP.

Contractor presents draft Work Plan.

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2. BLM will review the draft work plan within five (5) business days of Initial Project Management

Meeting

3. Contractor reviews and implements BLM edits to draft work plan and delivers final work plan to

BLM within five (5) business days of receiving BLM edits.

4. BLM will approve the final work plan within five (5) business days of receiving the final version from the Contractor.

Task 2—Confirmation and updating known localities in Inventory Areas

1. The Contractor will have 280 calendar days (~200 business days) to complete the field component of the pedestrian paleontological resource inventory and geologic mapping after acceptance of final work plan by the BLM. Ideally this would occur prior to beginning the field work in the area of the localities.

Task 3—Field Inventory and Mapping

1. The Contractor will have 280 calendar days (~200 business days) to complete the field component of the pedestrian paleontological resource inventory and geologic mapping after acceptance of final work plan by the BLM.

2. Note: If Task 1 takes less than the planned 20 business days, then the Contractor may use the remaining days for Task 3.

Task 4—Paleontological Resource Inventory Report and Geologic Map

1. The Contractor will deliver draft deliverables to the BLM within 40 business days of the completion of the field component of the contract.

2. The BLM will have 10 business days from the delivery of the draft deliverables to review and return edits to the Contractor.

3. The Contractor will have five (5) business days to review and implement BLM edits, then return a second draft of the deliverables to the BLM for further review.

4. The BLM will have five (5) business days from the delivery of the second draft deliverables to review and return edits to the Contractor.

5. The Contractor will have five (5) business days to review and implement BLM edits, and deliver final report deliverables to BLM.

Task 5—Collections Delivery

1. The Contractor will deliver collected paleontological materials to the DOI approved repository within 40 business days of the completion of the field component of the pedestrian paleontological resource inventory and geologic mapping.

5. The Contractor shall complete accession of delivered material within five (5) business days of the delivery to the DOI approved repository.

6. Final curation of material is the duty of the DOI approved repository

7. The Contractor shall notify the BLM in writing of the completed accession and deliver itemized list of material accessioned within one (1) day of task completion.

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SECTION 6 – Government Furnished Materials and Services Government furnished materials will include:

• BLM Paleontological Resource Management Manual 8270

• BLM General Procedural Guidance for Paleontological Resource Management H-8270-1

• BLM IM 2009-011 Assessment and Mitigation of Potential Impacts to Paleontological Resources

• BLM PIM 2022-009 Implementing the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009 (PRPA)

• FGDC-STD-001-1998 Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Standard "Content Standard for

Digital Geospatial Metadata"

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1989 (ADA) and section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

(see www.section508.gov for guidance)

• Previous paleontological resource survey reports and geospatial data within the inventory areas

• BLM Paleontological resource locality data for the applicable geologic units within one (one) mile of the reference area and inventory areas

• GIS files of relevant geologic maps of the inventory areas and reference area

• GeMS file Geodatabase for the geologic map deliverable

• If necessary, keys to government padlocks to access parcels for inventory.

SECTION 7 – Communication and Acceptance of Deliverables Deliver all interim and draft paleontological resource inventory deliverables to the Technical Manager for inspection. Allot the BLM no less than two weeks to complete their review unless otherwise approved within the project schedule or by the Technical Manager. The Contractor may post deliverables that are too large to send via email to their FTP site or other mutually agreeable secure file sharing systems. The

Contractor shall verify the BLM policy and limitations on using various file sharing options in advance of employing such a system.

Contacts:

Contracting Officer (CO) New Mexico State Office 301 Dinosaur Trail Santa Fe, NM 87508

Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) BLM Las Cruces District Office 1800 Marquess Street Las Cruces, NM 88005

Project Manager

1800 Marquess Street Las Cruces, NM 88005 http://www.section508.gov/ mailto:gleitermann@blm.gov mailto:mweisenberger@blm.gov

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Technical Manager

FINAL ACCEPTANCE

To be made by the CO and COR:

Contracting Officer (CO)

Contracting Officer's Representative (COR)

DELIVERABLES

If not otherwise stated in the task order, the following requirements apply to all deliverables submitted:

Deliverables shall be addressed to the BLM Project Manager as follows:

Bureau of Land Management

Las Cruces District Office

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SECTION 9 – References DiMichele, W.A., Chaney, D.S., Falcon-Lang, H., Kerp, H., Looy, C.V., Lucas, S.G., Krainer, K., and Voigt, S., 2015. A compositionally unique voltzian conifer-callipterid flora from a carbonate-filled channel, lower

Permian, Robledo Mountains, New Mexico, and its broader significance. New Mexico Museum of Natural

History and Science Bulletin 65:123-128.

El Adli, J., J. Corrie, and C. Richards. 2023. Paleontological Resources Inventory Report of the Organ

Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Prepared for Bureau of Land Management, Las Cruces

District Office, Las Cruces, New Mexico. April 2023.

Kelley, Shari and Matheny, J.P., 1983, Geology of Anthony quadrangle, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Geologic Map 54, 1:24,000.

Kues, B.S. 1995. Marine Fauna of the Early Permian (Wolfcampian) Robledo Mountains Member, Hueco

Formation, Southern Robledo Mountains, New Mexico p63–90 in Lucas, S.G., and Heckert, A.B., Eds, 1995.

Early Permian footprints and facies: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin v6, 301p

LeMone, D.V., R.D. Simpson, K. W. Klement. 1975. Wolfcampian upper Hueco Formation of the Robledo

Mountains, Doña Ana County, New Mexico. New Mexico Geological Society Guidebook 26:119–121.

Lucas, S.G., O. J. Anderson, A. B. Heckert, and A. P. Hunt. 1995. Geology of early Permian tracksites, Robledo Mountains, south-central New Mexico: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

Bulletin 6:13–32.

Lucas, S.G., Heckert, A.B., Estep, J.W. and Cook, C.W., 1998, Stratigraphy of the Lower Permian Hueco

Group in the Robledo Mountains, Doña Ana County, New Mexico: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 12, p. 43–54.

Lucas, S.G., A.B. Heckert, J. W. Estep, A. P. Hunt, and O. J. Anderson. 1998. Stratigraphy, paleontology and depositional environments of the Lower Permian Robledo Mountains Formation of the Hueco Group, Robledo Mountains, New Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 12:29–

41.

Lucas, S.G., Krainer, Karl, and Kues, B.S., 2002, Stratigraphy and correlation of the Lower Permian Hueco

Group in the southern San Andres Mountains, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, pp. 223–240, IN Geology of White Sands, Lueth, Virgil; Giles, Katherine A.; Lucas, Spencer G.; Kues, Barry S.; Myers, Robert G.;

Ulmer-Scholle, Dana; [eds.], New Mexico Geological Society 53 rd Annual Fall Field Conference Guidebook, 362 p. https://doi.org/10.56577/FFC-53

Lucas, S.G., K. Krainer, and D. Vachard. 2015. The lower Permian Hueco Group, Robledo Mountains, New

Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 59:43-96.Lucas, S. G., A. J. Lerner, and S. Voigt. 2013. Scorpionid resting trace from the lower Permian of southern New Mexico, U.S.A. Ichnos

20:195–201.

https://doi.org/10.56577/FFC-53

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Lerner, A.J., and Lucas. S.G,. 2015. A Selenichnites ichnoassociation from early Permian tidal flats of the

Prehistoric Trackways National Monument of south-central New Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural

History and Science Bulletin 65:141-152.

Morgan, G.S., and Harris, A.H., 2015. Pliocene and Pleistocene Vertebrates of New Mexico IN Lucas, S.G., and Sullivan, R.M., Eds. 2015. “Fossil Vertebrates in New Mexico” New Mexico Museum of Natural

History and Science Bulletin 68, 438p.

Minter, N. J., and S. J. Braddy. 2009. Ichnology of an early Permian intertidal flat: the Robledo Mountains

Formation of southern New Mexico, U.S.A. The Paleontological Association Special Papers in

Paleontology. 82:1–107.

Seager, W.R., Kottlowski, F.E., and Hawley, J.W., 2008, Geologic map of the Robledo Mountains and vicinity, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Open-

File Report 509, 1:24,000

Seager, W.R., Hawley, J.R., Kottlowski, F.E., and Kelley, S.A., 1987, Geology of east half of Las Cruces and northeast El Paso 1 x 2 sheet, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Geologic

Map 57, scale 1:125,000

Seager, W.R., Hawley, J.R., Kottlowski, F.E., and Kelley, S.A., 1987, Geology of east half of Las Cruces and northeast El Paso 1 x 2 sheet, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, Geologic

Map 57, scale 1:125,000.

USDI, Bureau of Land Management. 2016. Instruction Memorandum No. 2016-124: Potential Fossil Yield

Classification (PFYC) System for Paleontological Resources on Public Lands. [July 2016].

USDI, Bureau of Land Management. 2022, Permanent Instructional Memorandum 2022-009:

Implementing the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009 (PRPA)

Voigt, S., Lucas, S. G. and Krainer, K., 2013a, Coastal-plain origin of trace fossil bearing red beds in the Early

Permian of southern New Mexico: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 369, p. 323-

334.

Voigt, S., S. G. Lucas, M. Buchwitz, and M. D. Celeskey. 2013b. Robledopus macdonaldi, a new kind of basal eureptile footprint from the Early Permian of New Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and

Science Bulletin 60:445–459.

Voigt, S. and S. G. Lucas. 2015. Permian tetrapod ichnodiversity of the Prehistoric Trackways National

Monument (south-central New Mexico, USA). New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

Bulletin 65:153–167.