BLM-NM Rockshelter Site and Artifact Preservation, Protection and Study | L17AS00119

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00119

The BLM-NM Rockshelter Site and Artifact Preservation, Protection and Study grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L17AS00119) is a discretionary Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement intended to support hands-on archaeological documentation, preservation, and research on public lands managed by the Rio Puerco Field Office (RPFO) in New Mexico. Administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, the project sits within the Natural Resources funding activity area (CFDA 15.224) and is structured as a partnership in which BLM and an external recipient work collaboratively to produce concrete cultural resource data and management-ready results.

The core focus of the planned work is a recently discovered dry rockshelter site in Sandoval County, New Mexico. Because the shelter is dry, it has the potential to preserve perishable artifacts, making it especially significant from an archaeological and cultural resources perspective. The opportunity highlights that this rockshelter is the only site of its kind currently known on public land within the RPFO area, which raises both its scientific value and the urgency of careful documentation and protection. The project is framed as proactive documentation and information gathering, meaning the emphasis is on recording and studying the site in a controlled, professional way before natural processes, visitation, or other impacts can degrade the information it contains.

Fieldwork activities are expected to include detailed mapping and intensive recording of site features and artifacts within the rockshelter. The description indicates that artifacts observed at the site have been identified as dating to the Late Archaic/Basketmaker II period (approximately 2000 BC to AD 500), with the possibility that additional materials in the shelter may date to the Ancestral Pueblo period. This suggests the site could contain evidence spanning multiple cultural periods, and that careful documentation may help clarify occupational history, site use, and regional patterns of technology and lifeways across time.

In addition to new field documentation, the project includes analysis of existing collections already gathered by BLM archaeologists when the site was first reported. Those initial collections reportedly include unique artifacts, and the grant-supported work would involve a more detailed assessment of that material. The deliverables are not limited to raw data collection; a major goal is to generate archaeological data and then summarize and synthesize the findings into a final report. The emphasis on producing a professional-quality report reflects standard archaeological practice, where field observations and artifact analyses must be integrated into a coherent interpretation that can support both research and resource management decisions.

A notable element of the opportunity is its educational and training component. RPFO has funding specifically to support in-field educational experiences in archaeological method and theory at this rockshelter. In practical terms, that means the cooperative agreement is designed not only to protect and document an important cultural resource, but also to provide participants with applied experience in professional archaeology, including systematic recording methods, artifact documentation, analytical approaches, and the production of a formal written report that meets agency standards.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was open to unrestricted eligible applicants, meaning it was broadly available to a wide range of entity types as allowed by the funding notice (subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement). BLM anticipated making a single award with an award ceiling of $100,000. The opportunity was posted on May 23, 2017, with an original closing date of July 24, 2017, indicating it was a time-limited competition intended to select one partner to carry out the work in coordination with BLM.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-NM Rockshelter Site and Artifact Preservation, Protection and Study" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.224.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 23, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 24, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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