Vanished Villages

Post Date

August 31st 2010

Application Due Date

September 7th 2010

Funding Opportunity Number

J979110K038

CFDA Number(s)

Funding Instrument Type(s)

Cooperative Agreement

Funding Activity Categories

Humanities

Number of Awards

1

Eligibility Categories

Other

This is a CESU agreement and is single sourced to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Museum.

Funding

• Estimated Total Funding:

  $120000

• Award Range:

  $60000 - $120000

Grant Description

ABSTRACT Funding Announcement: J979110K038 Project Title: CESU – Vanished Villages Recipient: University of Alaska Fairbanks Principle Investigator: Scott Shirar Total Anticipated Award Amount: $120,000 Cost Share: N/A New Award Or Continuation: New CESU award Anticipated Length of Agreement: 3 Years Anticipated Period of Performance: September 10, 2010 – September 30, 2013 Award Instrument: Cooperative Agreement/CESU Statutory Authority: 16 U.S.C. Section 1g: The National Park Service may in fiscal year 1997 and thereafter enter into cooperative agreements that involve the transfer of National Park Service appropriated funds to State, local and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations for the public purpose of carrying out National Park Service programs pursuant to section 6305 of title 31 to carry out public purposes of National Park Service programs. CFDA# and 0.00 Not Elsewhere Classified - CESU Title: Title: Vanished Villages BACKGROUND: Vanished Villages: Archeological Evaluation of Prehistoric Lakeside Settlements The purpose of this project is to build on existing survey and inventory documentation to systematically document significant Late Prehistoric age (and earlier) village sites located along Brooks Range lakeshores within NOAT and GAAR. These sites are significant because they contain rare types of features that demonstrate a prolonged human presence in an area marked largely by temporary encampments of mobile peoples. Sites targeted in Phase I include Burial, Desperation, Feniak, and Kikitaliorak Lakes located in the northern reaches of Noatak National Preserve. The project will build on existing survey and inventory level documentation to systematically record the lakeside archeological sites and cultural landscapes. Following data mining efforts and an initial field evaluation in 2010, a team comprised of UAF and NPS archeologists will work with an NPS cultural landscape specialist in documenting features at sites along the shores of Burial, Desperation, Feniak and Kikitaliorak Lakes in 2011. They will compile and synthesize existing information; map the settlements and associated features at a landscape level; obtain radiocarbon samples and conduct site condition assessments. The results of the study will be synthesized in a report that can be used for Cultural Landscape Inventory reporting and National Register evaluations and nominations. Other products include: updated Archeological Sites Management Information System (ASMIS) records and site condition assessments, GIS layers, and information suitable for public interpretation of the resources. Findings from this research will be of use in backcountry planning efforts at NOAT and may be used to establish cyclic condition monitoring programs for sites in the vicinity of the lakes included in the study. 1) 505 DM 2 Single Source - Only one responsible source will satisfy agency requirements. • UAF Museum of the North (UAMN) Archeology Department staff have previously conducted field and archival research on archeological sites in northwest Alaska, focusing primarily on the prehistory of the region. Rasic and Shirar have completed PhD and MA degrees, respectively, based on archeological field research at prehistoric sites in northwest Alaska. The UAMN is the only accredited Cultural and Natural History Museum in Alaska and is the primary repository for archeological collections in the state. UAMN provides unique knowledge and experience working in Northwest Alaska, with historic and prehistoric sites, Alaskan culture, and paleo-environmental reconstructions. The Archeology Department at UAMN will also be able to undertake XRF chemical source analysis and lab space for the artifacts collected in the course of the field research. UAMN staff are familiar with the NPS museum accessioning and cataloging protocols and procedures, having successfully cataloged thousands of artifacts from archeological contexts from northwest Alaskan NPS units. 2) Nature and description of the deliverable required to meet the agency’s needs: By September 30, 2010  gather and synthesize existing electronic and archival datasets  evaluate sites and assess research needs  label features on existing maps  obtain high accuracy GPS coordinates for as many features as possible, and for any existing rebar datums located during reconnaissance efforts  photo-document features to the degree possible given the short time at each site  scan interiors of pits with a metal detector  obtain floor soil probes for radiocarbon sampling from a selection of features at each lakeside site (The NPS will provide funds for several C14 dates in 2010) By December 30, 2010  determine which lakeside sites are to be included in the final plan  develop a research plan for the systematic mapping, coring and documentation of lakeside sites By September 30, 2011  map previously unmapped features  obtain high accuracy GPS coordinates for all features within the study areas  produce site maps for each study area  photo-document features  obtain additional soil probes as necessary By September 30, 2012  summarize findings in final report which should include recommendations for future management 3) Criteria for justifying award without competition. In order for an assistance award to be made without competition, the award must satisfy one or more of the following criteria. Please explain which criterion specifically addresses the proposed agreement. • Unique Qualifications - The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability, if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications; As stated above, the UAMN staff archeologists have previously conducted field and archival research on archeological sites in northwest Alaska, focusing primarily on the prehistory of the region. Rasic and Shirar have completed PhD and MA degrees, respectively, based on archeological field research at prehistoric sites in northwest Alaska. The UAMN is the only accredited Cultural and Natural History Museum in Alaska and is the primary repository for archeological collections in the state. UAMN provides unique knowledge and experience working in Northwest Alaska, with historic and prehistoric sites, Alaskan culture, and paleo-environmental reconstructions. The Archeology Department at UAMN will also be able to undertake XRF chemical source analysis and lab space for the artifacts collected in the course of the field research. Their staff have experience conducting archaeological site condition assessments and updating database records in the ASMIS system, as well as cataloging museum collections to meet data standards required by the NPS museum collections database system (ICMS) (Museum staff recently participated in formal ICMS training) They have experience successfully carrying out remote field projects in Alaska meeting NPS safety standards (training such as B3, bear safety & shotgun certification), NPS backcountry protocols and Leave-No-Trace principles. 4) A description of the market research that was conducted and the results, or a statement of the reason a market research was not conducted: Market research was not conducted as in this case the proposed project is in an early phase of development, with field testing and ground truthing being the focus of initial research. UAFM staff have previous experience working on prehistoric sites within Noatak and bring much needed expertise on such sites in northwest Alaska to the FY10 efforts at establishing a viable study plan for future phases of this research and documentation effort. 5) Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition: 16 U.S.C. ¤1a-2(j) authorizes the National Park Service to enter into cooperative agreements with public or private educational institutions, states, and their political subdivisions for the purpose of developing adequate, coordinated, cooperative research and training programs concerning the resources of the National Park System. Pursuant to such agreements, the cooperator may accept from or make available to the National Park Service technical and support staff, financial assistance for mutually agreed upon research projects, supplies and equipment, facilities, and administrative services relating to cooperative research units as the Secretary deems appropriate. 16 U.S.C. ¤1g authorizes the NPS to enter into cooperative agreements that involve the transfer of NPS appropriated funds to state, local and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations for the public purpose of carrying out National Park Service programs. 16 U.S.C. ¤5933 authorizes and directs the Secretary to inter into cooperative agreements with colleges and universities, including but not limited to land grant schools, in partnership with other federal and state agencies, to establish cooperative study units to conduct multi-disciplinary research and to develop integrated information 6) A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers for competition before any potential future agreement award: National Park Service Point of Contact: Erica_Cordeiro@nps.gov

Contact Information

• Agency

  Department of the Interior

• Office:

  National Park Service

• Agency Contact:

  Erica Cordeiro
  Contract Specialist
  Phone 907-644-3303

• Agency Mailing Address:

  Work

• Agency Email Address:

  Erica_Cordeiro@nps.gov