Project Title: BLM-Utah, Cerberus Collection Interpretive Plan Partnership

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The Bureau of Land Managements Cerberus Collection includes approximately 40,000 prehistoric southwestern archaeological resources forfeited to the U.S. Government as the result of Operation: Cerberus Action. Cerberus Action was a joint undercover investigation by the FBI and BLM that in 2009 successfully prosecuted 21 individuals for violations of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and numerous other statutes related to theft of property from federal and tribal lands. The Cerberus Collection is the U.S. government�s largest single collection of museum property originating from the illegal looting and black market sale of archaeological resources. Because of the unusual circumstances by which the Cerberus Collection came under the care of the BLM, most materials in the collection do not have any supporting documentation regarding their in situ provenience or provenance. This lack of context regarding how these materials fit into the archaeological record is expected to limit much of the collection�s research potential, and will therefore likely reduce the total number of objects that are ultimately identified for long-term accessioning in a DOI-approved repository. However, the collection still includes thousands of exhibit- and educational-quality materials that maintain a powerful story about respecting Native American�s rich and ancient cultural heritage that can still be found on public lands today. The goal of this project is to establish a partnership that will assist the BLM Utah State Office to develop an interpretive plan for Cerberus Collection materials that have been identified for public access, including interpretative and educational uses. Objectives: Through the competitive partnership development process on Grants.gov, the BLM Utah State Office would enter into a partnership with an eligible entity to develop the Cerberus Collection Interpretive Plan. In collaboration with interested tribes, government agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders, the partner would develop an interpretive plan that will establish an interpretive theme and sub-themes related to how the collection can consistently inform the public about the ethical and scientific and cultural consequences of looting archaeological resources.

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