BLM-(MT)- Crow Tribe Ecoregional Ethnographic Assessment

Background: Five years ago, the BLM and Northern Cheyenne Tribe started an Ecoregional Ethnographic Assessment (EEA) project covering two ecoregions in Montana. The BLM would like to expand this project to cover most of the ecoregions in Montana. The BLM is seeking a partner who will have a close working relationship with the Tribal Elders, who hold and share their Traditional Cultural Knowledge for the Tribe. The recipient will use the template developed by the Northern Cheyenne for their EEA project. The BLM is interested in gaining more information from the Crow Tribe to use in management decisions for land use, enhancement and protection. The recipient will provide appropriate information to the BLM for use in planning, restoration, recovery of habitats for plant and animal species and possibly interpretation for the public. Objectives: To initiate a process to identify, document, evaluate, and map places of traditional religious or cultural significance to the Crow Tribe. In addition, the recipient will identify culturally important plant and animal species and their appropriate conservation elements; and assess the potential effects of identified change agents upon identified conservation elements.Public Benefit: This project will provide valuable information and will assist land managers to preserve and protect cultural and natural resources for the benefit of the general public, tribes and BLM. The ethnographic information on plants and the subsequent impacts, combined with scientific information, provide important insight to what is occurring on the landscape. The evidence provides a more holistic glimpse into the past, present and will help in developing a plan for the future.