Opportunity Information: Apply for L16AS00087
Apply for L16AS00087
- The DOI-BLM in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-MT, Archaeological and Paleontological Studies and Curation Support" 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 Apr 15, 2016 and posted on Apr 15, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 14, 2016. (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 $1,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 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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Opportunity Summary:
The BLM-MT, Archaeological and Paleontological Studies and Curation Support opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L16AS00087) is a Bureau of Land Management, Montana State Office funding program designed to strengthen research, protection, and long-term care of archaeological and especially paleontological resources found on or connected to BLM-managed public lands. Offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement under DOI-BLM (CFDA 15.224), it is intended to back real-world field studies as well as the less visible but essential museum and repository work that turns collected specimens into usable scientific and educational assets. The opportunity emphasizes that Montana and nearby areas contain globally important fossil-bearing formations and localities, and that BLM lands have been central to major, long-running scientific projects that continue to produce significant discoveries.
A major focus is supporting active research and collection efforts in high-value areas. The notice highlights the Crooked Creek region along the Montana and Wyoming border, noted for striking landscapes, ecological diversity, a wild horse preserve, and geologic outcrops that preserve rare Early Cretaceous fossils. This area has a long research history dating back to the 1960s, with work by institutions such as Yale and other universities, and more recently renewed attention from Adelphi University-led teams. The grant frames support for this type of work as a way to recover unique fossil resources, deepen knowledge of dinosaur-era environments and vertebrate evolution, and improve educational access by ensuring specimens and data are properly documented and made more useful to researchers and the public.
The opportunity also points to the Hell Creek Formation and the multi-decade Hell Creek Project as another centerpiece. Hell Creek is internationally recognized for fossils from the time immediately before, during, and after the mass extinction event that ended the age of non-avian dinosaurs. The project began at the Museum of the Rockies and later transitioned to coordination by University of Washington and the Burke Museum. Because much of the fieldwork occurs on BLM-managed lands, the BLM sees value in continued support for annual collecting and associated data gathering. In addition to research, the notice explicitly connects the science to public-facing education through programs like the University of Washingtons Discoveries in Geosciences (DIG) schools, which train teachers on public lands so they can bring authentic science experiences back to their classrooms, multiplying the long-term educational impact.
A substantial portion of the grant rationale is about curation capacity and the reality that major discoveries create major stewardship responsibilities. The Museum of the Rockies (MOR), part of Montana State University, is described as the states largest natural science museum and a primary repository for fossils collected from state-managed lands, with a particularly significant role as an approved repository for BLM and other federal-agency collections. Over decades of collecting, MORs holdings of public-trust material have outpaced available space and staffing capacity, leaving many potentially important specimens in off-site, temporary storage. BLM support is presented as a way to help expand collection space and improve the ability to house, manage, and provide access to fossils for research, education, and public benefit.
The Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is presented as another long-term BLM partner, operating under an existing Memorandum of Understanding with the BLM Montana State Office for museum collection management. Funding support here is aimed at the practical, labor-intensive work of preparing, cataloging, curating, and storing BLM-related fossil collections already housed at CMC. A key example is the Mothers Day Site bone-bed collection, amassed over a decade and containing well over 2,000 bones from long-necked dinosaurs. The notice stresses that these materials provide important insights into paleoenvironments and dinosaur life history, but also that many specimens require specialized, oversized storage and that a large amount of collected material still needs cleaning and preparation before it can be fully studied or exhibited. The grant is positioned as a way to share the stewardship burden currently being carried largely by the partner museum.
Across these examples, the stated objectives are consistent and concrete: (1) collect and protect significant fossils of dinosaurs, other animals, and plants; (2) clean, stabilize, prepare, and curate specimens using professional standards and curatorial-grade storage systems, including responsible oversight of student and volunteer participation; (3) record specimen metadata and related information in museum database systems, making records accessible to qualified researchers and the public while safeguarding sensitive location or resource information in line with federal laws and regulations; (4) support educational programming such as DIG schools that strengthen teachers ability to teach science using authentic field and collections experience; and (5) publish results for both technical and general audiences while creating additional public learning opportunities tied to resources on public lands.
The public benefit case is built around stewardship, access, and lasting scientific value. The BLM argues that studying, documenting, publishing, and properly curating fossils expands understanding of prehistoric life, evolution, and environmental change, and that this knowledge strengthens current and future conservation and land-management decisions. When specimens are stabilized, cataloged, and stored correctly, they become a durable public asset that can be used by researchers, students, museums, and the general public for decades. The opportunity also emphasizes that investments in basic museum infrastructure translate into better accessibility, improved exhibit potential, and stronger outreach, while hands-on training for participants, students, and volunteers builds skills and helps connect communities to the science and heritage held in public trust.
Administratively, the opportunity is listed as unrestricted in eligibility (open to any entity type, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full notice). It was posted April 15, 2016, with a closing date of June 14, 2016. The award ceiling is listed as 1,000, with an expectation of four awards. The activity category is Natural Resources, and the instrument type is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the federal agency in coordinating or collaborating on project execution, especially relevant here given permitting, collections standards, repository requirements, and the management of resources from federal lands.
FAQs: BLM-MT Archaeological and Paleontological Studies and Curation Support (L16AS00087)
What is the BLM-MT Archaeological and Paleontological Studies and Curation Support opportunity?
It is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Montana State Office funding opportunity intended to strengthen research, protection, and long-term care of archaeological resources and especially paleontological resources associated with BLM-managed public lands. The program supports both field-based studies/collecting and the museum and repository work needed to make specimens scientifically and educationally useful over the long term.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this program?
The Funding Opportunity Number is L16AS00087.
Which federal agency and office are offering this funding?
The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (DOI-BLM), specifically the BLM Montana State Office (BLM-MT).
What type of award is being offered?
The instrument type is a cooperative agreement. This typically means there is substantial federal involvement in coordinating or collaborating on the project, which aligns with work that may require permitting, compliance with collections and repository standards, and careful management of resources from federal lands.
Is this opportunity a discretionary program?
Yes. It is described as a discretionary cooperative agreement under DOI-BLM.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The notice lists CFDA 15.224.
What kinds of activities does this opportunity fund?
Based on the notice, the program is intended to fund activities such as: field studies and collecting in significant areas; cleaning, stabilizing, and preparing specimens; professional curation and storage using curatorial-grade systems; cataloging and recording specimen information in museum databases; supporting education programs connected to public lands; and publishing results for technical and general audiences.
What is the main purpose of supporting both fieldwork and curation?
The opportunity emphasizes that collecting specimens is only part of the public benefit. The long-term value comes from preparing, documenting, stabilizing, storing, and making specimens and data accessible so they become durable scientific and educational assets held in the public trust.
Why does the notice emphasize Montana and nearby areas?
The notice states that Montana and surrounding regions include globally important fossil-bearing formations and localities, and that BLM-managed lands have played a central role in major, long-running scientific projects that continue to yield significant discoveries.
Which high-value research areas are specifically highlighted?
The notice specifically highlights the Crooked Creek region (along the Montana-Wyoming border) and the Hell Creek Formation as key areas where continued research and collecting are valuable.
Why is the Crooked Creek region important in this opportunity?
The Crooked Creek region is described as having notable landscapes, ecological diversity, a wild horse preserve, and geologic outcrops that preserve rare Early Cretaceous fossils. The notice points to a long research history dating to the 1960s and describes renewed attention from an Adelphi University-led team.
What kinds of scientific outcomes does the grant associate with Crooked Creek work?
The notice frames support for work like Crooked Creek as a way to recover unique fossil resources, increase understanding of dinosaur-era environments and vertebrate evolution, and improve educational access by ensuring specimens and data are properly documented and made useful to researchers and the public.
Why is the Hell Creek Formation a major focus?
Hell Creek is described as internationally recognized for fossils from immediately before, during, and after the mass extinction event that ended the age of non-avian dinosaurs. The notice supports continued annual collecting and data gathering tied to long-running research efforts on BLM-managed lands.
What is the Hell Creek Project, as referenced in the notice?
The notice describes the multi-decade Hell Creek Project as beginning at the Museum of the Rockies and later transitioning to coordination by the University of Washington and the Burke Museum.
How does the opportunity connect research to education and public benefit?
The notice explicitly links scientific work to public-facing education, including programs such as the University of Washington's Discoveries in Geosciences (DIG) schools, which train teachers on public lands and help them bring authentic science experiences back to classrooms.
What role does the Museum of the Rockies (MOR) play in this opportunity?
The Museum of the Rockies, part of Montana State University, is described as Montana's largest natural science museum and a primary repository for fossils collected from state-managed lands, with a significant role as an approved repository for BLM and other federal-agency collections.
Why does the notice discuss curation capacity constraints at MOR?
The notice states that decades of collecting have caused MOR holdings of public-trust material to outpace available space and staffing, leaving many potentially important specimens in off-site, temporary storage. BLM support is presented as a way to help expand collection space and improve long-term housing, management, and access.
What role does the Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) play in this opportunity?
CMC is described as a long-term BLM partner operating under an existing Memorandum of Understanding with the BLM Montana State Office for museum collection management. Funding is aimed at preparing, cataloging, curating, and storing BLM-related fossil collections housed at CMC.
What is the Mothers Day Site collection mentioned in the notice?
The notice references the Mothers Day Site bone-bed collection as an example of BLM-related fossils housed at CMC. It is described as having been amassed over a decade and containing well over 2,000 bones from long-necked dinosaurs.
Why does the Mothers Day Site collection require special curation support?
The notice emphasizes that many specimens need cleaning and preparation before they can be fully studied or exhibited, and that specialized, oversized storage is needed for many items. The grant is positioned as a way to share the stewardship workload currently carried largely by the partner museum.
What are the stated objectives of the opportunity?
The notice lists consistent objectives across examples, including: (1) collect and protect significant fossils of dinosaurs, other animals, and plants; (2) clean, stabilize, prepare, and curate specimens using professional standards and curatorial-grade storage systems, including responsible oversight of student and volunteer participation; (3) record specimen metadata in museum database systems and make records accessible while safeguarding sensitive information consistent with federal laws and regulations; (4) support educational programming such as DIG schools; and (5) publish results for technical and general audiences and create additional public learning opportunities tied to public-land resources.
Does the opportunity cover archaeological resources as well as paleontological resources?
Yes. The title and description include archaeological and paleontological studies and curation support, with an emphasis in the notice on paleontological resources.
What does the notice say about specimen documentation and databases?
It emphasizes recording specimen metadata and related information in museum database systems, making records accessible to qualified researchers and the public, and safeguarding sensitive location or resource information in alignment with federal laws and regulations.
How does the notice address the involvement of students and volunteers?
The objectives include responsible oversight of student and volunteer participation, particularly in cleaning, stabilization, preparation, and curation tasks that must follow professional standards.
What is meant by improving public access in this context?
As described in the notice, public access is improved when fossils and associated data are properly prepared, cataloged, and stored. This supports research use, education, exhibit potential, and broader outreach, while maintaining required protections for sensitive information.
What kinds of publications or outputs are expected?
The notice states an intent to publish results for both technical and general audiences, and to create additional public learning opportunities tied to public land resources.
What is the activity category for this funding opportunity?
The activity category is listed as Natural Resources.
Who is eligible to apply?
The opportunity is listed as unrestricted in eligibility, meaning it is open to any entity type, subject to any additional eligibility language that may be included in the full notice.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted on April 15, 2016, and the closing date was June 14, 2016.
What is the award ceiling and expected number of awards?
The award ceiling is listed as 1,000, and the notice indicates an expectation of four awards.
Why does BLM describe museum infrastructure as part of the public benefit?
The notice argues that investments in curation space, staffing capacity, and curatorial-grade systems improve accessibility, strengthen exhibit potential, and support outreach. Properly curated fossils are positioned as long-lived public assets usable by researchers, students, museums, and the general public for decades.
How does this work support land management and conservation decisions?
The notice states that studying, documenting, publishing, and curating fossils expands understanding of prehistoric life, evolution, and environmental change, and that this knowledge strengthens current and future conservation and land-management decisions.
Why does the cooperative agreement format matter for field collecting on public lands?
The notice notes that substantial agency involvement is relevant due to permitting, collections standards, repository requirements, and management responsibilities associated with resources from federal lands.
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