BLM Utah PFO Nine Mile Canyon Community Engagement Project

Background: As part of the BLM⿿s Respect and Protect public awareness campaign and the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act, the BLM-Price Field Office (PFO) is proposing the professional excavation, stabilization and curation of recovered cultural material and interpretation of a Fremont village feature located at our Hands on the Lands (HOLS) site in Nine Mile Canyon (NMC) while actively engaging members of the community to learn about cultural resources in the area. The Nine Mile Canyon (NMC) area is rich in culture, wildlife and scenic beauty. The internationally renowned prehistoric sites within the canyon are well known. Visitors from around the world stop at NMC to view the breathtaking historic and prehistoric resources located here. Visitors also enjoy viewing wildlife along with the attractive cliffs and rugged scenery of the West Tavaputs Plateau in east-central Utah. The NMC area lies at an elevation between approximately 4,600 and 8,200 feet in the rugged canyon country of the West Tavaputs Plateau. Draining the West Tavaputs Plateau, upper tributaries start at 10,000 feet, and then reach Nine Mile Creek which flows from west to east into the Green River, reaching the Green at 4,614 feet. Two major tributaries flow into Nine Mile Creek from the northwest--Minnie Maud and Argyle Creeks. Smaller ephemeral streams, such as Cottonwood and Dry Canyon Creeks, drain into it from the Tavaputs Plateau to the south. As a result of the NMC Special Recreation Management Area plan a long-term monitoring program will be established for the Nine Mile Canyon area in coordination with the Price Field Office. The monitoring program will include the visitation of a representative sample of cultural resource values within the designated ACEC to establish baseline information on the current condition of cultural resource values. Once the baseline condition assessment information has been compiled, the ACEC will be monitored on an annual basis to identify any potential adverse impacts that might occur and identify trends in resource condition and/or deterioration, and to determine whether any actions taking place in the area are causing detrimental changes to the cultural values deemed relevant and important. Any changes will be reported to the Field Manager. Through consultation with interested stake holder groups and Tribes, the BLM seeks to plan for recreation activities associated with the development of the NMC Special Recreation Management Area Plan. In doing so, the BLM PFO will provide positive recreation experiences and outcomes socially and economically for Utah communities. Objectives: The Price Field Office is looking to support partner lead efforts for the professional excavation, stabilization and curation of recovered cultural material and interpretation of a Fremont village feature located at our Hands on the Lands (HOLS) site in Nine Mile Canyon (NMC) while providing an experience that will reach out to communities and stakeholders and develop plans and concepts that make the most of Utah⿿s public land treasures to: ⿢ Incorporate Tribal, and community youth as it relates to a Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) experience, ⿢ Provide a heritage tourism experience for visitors to the canyon, ⿢ Assist the BLM with the development of an interpretive recreation experience located in NMC, ⿢ Capitalize on its recreation brand of America⿿s ⿿Backyard to Backcountry⿝ treasure, consistently coordinating with community and regional landscape-level representatives when planning and managing recreation settings, services, and facilities. ⿢ The strategic focus for accomplishing this includes the following elements: ⿢ To preserve and protect significant cultural resources and ensure that they are available for appropriate uses by present and future generations (FLPMA Sections 103(c), 201(a) and 202(c); National Historic Preservation Act [NHPA] Section 110(a); Archaeological Resources Protection Act [ARPA] Section 12 (a). ⿢ Proactively engage with community networks of service providers. ⿢ Plan to achieve specific and desired benefits to the community. ⿢ Capitalize on and protect the BLM⿿s ⿿Backyard to Backcountry⿝ recreation brand. ⿢ Create collaborative recreation management plans. ⿢ Give Priority to those recreation opportunities that promise the most significant social and economic benefits, that are within the productive capacity of the community⿿s delivery systems, and that best fit the character/setting of place-based recreation Public Benefit: Development of public land management strategies that are responsive with local communities who wish to pro-actively optimize their public lands and create long term economic drivers, a detailed analysis of recreation opportunities and how they fit with conservation and resource extraction is needed. Examples abound of places where strong communication and a commitment to partnerships have led to public land management strategies that benefit local communities, facilitate greater well- being and economic benefits for communities, their residents and public land visitors. Youth volunteers and others will be invited to assist professional archaeologists in the excavation of the ⿿Cottonwood Complex-Fremont Village Site⿝ 42CB446. Specifically, youth participants from the Uintah/Ouray and from Carbon County would be invited to participate as volunteers for the excavation and for the stabilization of a Fremont pit house complex.