Archeological Survey in the Chignik and Meshik Rivers Region

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This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service (NPS), intention to fund the following project with University of Alaska Fairbanks under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) program. CESUs are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. The project intended award is $70,441. This is a continuation of an existing agreement, number P10AC00021 ending on April 21, 2014. STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Agreements Concerning Cooperative Research and Training on NPS Resources (16 U.S.C. § 1a-2(j)): The Secretary may enter into 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, and pursuant to such agreements, to accept from and make available to the cooperator such 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. STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN: This is the final year of a project that started in 2010 under agreement number P10AC00021. The objective of this agreement is to conduct archeological survey and cultural resource inventory to establish the prehistory of the Chignik-Meshik Rivers region. Together with an emerging record of volcanism and environmental change, archaeological data will help to illustrate a comprehensive picture of human activity in the central Alaska Peninsula with emphasis on the Aniakchak National Monument and preserve (ANIA). This agreement is specific to Year four (4), and follows a research design developed by UAMN in Year one (1), and modified by recommendations from the Year one (1) field-report, the Year two (2) field report, and the Year three (3) field report. This modification provides for the project completion by summarizing three years of field research, providing complete analysis of collections and all cultural resource data, reporting and presentation to stake-holders including public and professional audiences. The partner, in cooperation with the National Park Service will: 1. Identify, hire, or maintain appropriate staff for Year four of the project. 2. Create artifact plates in a publication quality format. 3. Finalize curation agreements with landowners and assign catalog numbers. 4. Prepare a final monograph report including the following sections: Introduction, Environmental/Geologic Setting, Culture History/Previous Research, Survey and Testing Methodology, Survey and Testing Results, Lithic Analysis Results, Regional Geomorphology/Volcanism/Tephra Identification, Radiocarbon Analysis and Settlement Patterns, Conclusions and Future Research, Various Appendices. 5. Oversee (together with NPS) the completion of layout and design. 6. Summarize project findings for a brochure or a small booklet intended for the general public. 7. Conduct final post-field data-management (Alaska Heritage Resource Survey [AHRS] cards, NPS Archaeological Sites Management Information System [ASMIS] records, Geographic Information Systems [GIS]-based site maps and geodatabase components, photo-logs, artifact- catalogs, and field-notes). 8. Provide NPS with copies of all Alaska Heritage Resource Survey [AHRS] cards, NPS Archaeological Sites Management Information System [ASMIS] records, Geographic Information Systems [GIS]-based site maps and geodatabase components, photos, photo-logs, and artifact- catalogs. Provide NPS with original field notes. 9. Provide NPS with copies of all Alaska Heritage Resource Survey [AHRS] cards, NPS Archaeological Sites Management Information System [ASMIS] records, Geographic Information Systems [GIS]-based site maps and geodatabase components, photos, photo-logs, and artifact- catalogs. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT -Substantial Involvement : 1. Manage other aspects of the project (e.g. interagency agreements with US Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]; external contracts for services including printing the final monograph report, and the final brochure/booklet etc.). 2. Participate in village Council, Corporation, and school meetings. 3. Review and approve the final report and brochure/booklet prior to printing. 4. Act as liaison between UAMN and other Federal, State, or Private landowners. SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION: Department of the Interior Policy (505 DM 2) requires a written justification which explains why competition is not practicable for each single-source award. The National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria: Continuation -The activity to be funded is necessary to the satisfactory completion of, or is a continuation of an activity presently being funded, and for which competition would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity. Technical contact information: Agreement Technical Representative: Dale Vinson. Dale_venson@nos.gov, 907-644-3632, National Park Service, Alaska Region, End of FOA

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