BLM (Arizona), Arizona Fossil Recovery and Curation, Arizona State Office | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the title of this grant opportunity?

The opportunity is titled "BLM (Arizona), Arizona Fossil Recovery and Curation, Arizona State Office."

What is the Funding Opportunity Number?

The Funding Opportunity Number is L16AS00002.

Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?

This is a U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (DOI-BLM) opportunity, associated with the BLM Arizona State Office (AZSO).

What type of funding instrument is described?

The opportunity is described as a cooperative agreement.

What is the main purpose of the project?

The project is focused on protecting, documenting, and responsibly managing paleontological resources on BLM-managed public lands across Arizona. It emphasizes professional fossil recovery, long-term curation, and producing usable information for land-management decisions and public benefit through research and education.

How is the project categorized (program area/discipline)?

It is positioned as a science and technology or research and development effort under CFDA 15.224.

Where will the work take place?

The work is tied to BLM-managed public lands across Arizona and supports the BLM Arizona State Office paleontology program statewide.

What kinds of field activities are expected under this agreement?

Field-based activities include monitoring known paleontological areas, conducting inventories, and recovering paleontological materials from public lands, in coordination with BLM paleontology program coordinators and Field Office managers throughout the state.

Is the project only about collecting fossils?

No. While fossil recovery is included, the opportunity emphasizes systematic documentation of contextual information (such as location information and other site details) so discoveries can be understood scientifically and managed responsibly.

What happens to the information gathered in the field?

The information is meant to be formally documented and submitted back to BLM to support planning, resource management, long-range decision-making, and project-specific reviews where fossil resources might be affected.

What does "curation" mean in this grant?

Curation refers to the long-term care and stewardship of recovered fossils as heritage assets. Fossils collected under the project are expected to be placed in an approved repository where they can be preserved and used appropriately for research and educational programming.

What facility requirements are highlighted for curation?

The recipient is expected to maintain a secure facility capable of preserving the collections over time. The description highlights the need for proper equipment and storage infrastructure, including secure cabinetry and a secure, monitored collections facility, along with strong documentation, tracking procedures, and professional collections management practices.

Is an approved repository required?

Yes. Fossils collected under the project are to be placed in an approved repository for long-term preservation and appropriate use.

What kinds of data management deliverables are expected?

A key deliverable is maintaining a collections and locality database that documents fossil localities across Arizona and the specimens housed in the curated collection. The database is expected to continue being updated.

Why is GIS mentioned, and what does it imply for deliverables?

The data are intended to be imported into a GIS format so BLM can directly use it for resource management decisions, broader planning efforts, and site-specific projects. This implies the project should produce management-ready data products, not just internal scientific records.

How does this grant support BLM decision-making?

By providing formally documented field and collections information (including locality/context data and a maintained database usable in GIS), the project supports planning, long-range decision-making, and project-specific reviews where fossil resources might be affected.

Is public outreach part of the project?

Yes. Outreach is described as a meaningful component of the project, supporting public benefit through education and engagement while reinforcing conservation and stewardship.

What are examples of outreach activities mentioned in the opportunity?

Examples include teacher workshops, scientific publications, natural history films, and educational opportunities geared toward families and children. Outreach may draw on fossils already held in museum collections and/or involve field trips and educational experiences tied to public lands.

How many awards were anticipated?

The opportunity anticipated a single award.

What was the award ceiling?

The award ceiling was $150,000.

When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on November 16, 2015.

What was the closing date?

The closing date was January 14, 2016.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning it was open to a wide range of applicant types (subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may have been included in the full announcement).

Who is the recipient expected to work with during the project?

The recipient’s paleontologists and other qualified professional staff are expected to work with BLM paleontology program coordinators and Field Office managers throughout Arizona.

What kinds of professional capabilities are implied for the recipient?

The description implies the recipient should be able to provide paleontologists and other qualified professional staff, carry out systematic documentation of contextual data, maintain professional collections management practices, operate a secure collections facility, and manage/maintain a collections and locality database suitable for GIS use.

What is the overall scope of work described by this opportunity?

The scope combines fieldwork (monitoring, inventories, recovery), documentation (context and locality information), curation (long-term stewardship in an approved repository with secure storage and professional practices), data management (maintained databases and GIS-ready outputs), and outreach (education and public/scientific engagement).