BLM-CO: Site Stewardship Program for Tres Rios Field Office and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument | L17AS00134

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00134

The grant opportunity titled "BLM-CO: Site Stewardship Program for Tres Rios Field Office and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument" is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado initiative focused on protecting cultural and archaeological resources on public lands in southwest Colorado. It is framed around the reality that BLM Colorado manages a vast and highly visited landscape, including 8.3 million acres of public lands and roughly 27 million acres of federal mineral estate, much of it in western Colorado. These lands include a wide range of ecosystems and recreation settings, from alpine tundra to canyon and mesa country, and they support local economies through tourism and related jobs. Within this broader context, BLM highlights that Colorado also contains about one million acres of National Conservation Lands and manages multiple special designations statewide (including conservation areas, wilderness study areas, wilderness areas, national trails, and national monuments), underscoring that resource protection is a major and ongoing management responsibility.

The project area is centered on the Tres Rios Field Office (TRFO), which administers 679,645 acres of public land in southwest Colorado. TRFO also has responsibilities tied to complex mineral and trust landscapes, including more than 300,000 acres of federal mineral estate underlying private lands (split estate) and mineral management connected to about 800,000 acres associated with tribal trust responsibilities. A key focal point within TRFO is Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM), described as an archaeologically significant landscape with one of the densest concentrations of archaeological remains in the United States. The opportunity emphasizes that these cultural resources reflect an exceptionally long human history in the region, described as spanning roughly 13,000 years.

The core problem the funding addresses is increasing damage to archaeological and historic sites due to heavy visitation, poor visitor ethics, vandalism, and looting. BLM notes that these impacts are often linked to preventable issues such as uninformed behavior, limited public understanding and appreciation of Indigenous cultures, inconsistent or infrequent monitoring, and too few opportunities for visitors and residents to learn about the importance and sensitivity of cultural resources. Because many sites are remote and staff time is limited, the agency is looking for a practical way to expand regular on-the-ground awareness and monitoring so that problems can be detected earlier and addressed more effectively.

To respond to these threats, BLM TRFO is seeking a partner to collaboratively establish and implement a site steward program at the field office level, building on and improving any existing stewardship efforts. The program model relies on trained citizen volunteers who adopt an ongoing role in monitoring at-risk cultural sites. Site stewards are expected to visit assigned locations on a regular schedule, assess and document current conditions, and report observations so that land managers can respond quickly to signs of vandalism, looting, erosion, or other degradation. Beyond monitoring, the stewards also serve an educational and community engagement function by helping inform the public about why these places matter and how to visit responsibly.

The partnership concept is not limited to volunteers alone; it is intended to connect and involve a broader network that can include local residents, landowners, businesses, tribal nations, and land management agencies. A major deliverable implied in the notice is the development or refinement of consistent standards for steward training and reporting procedures, meaning the partner would help formalize how volunteers are prepared for the work, what data they collect, how observations are communicated, and how the program maintains quality, safety, and effectiveness. In short, the project is designed to strengthen cultural resource protection through structured citizen stewardship, better information flow to managers, and more proactive public education in the Tres Rios Field Office and the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument area.

Administratively, this opportunity was issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, as a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement (indicating substantial involvement or collaboration with BLM). The funding activity category is Natural Resources under CFDA 15.224. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility language in the full notice). The opportunity anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $150,000. The opportunity was created on June 4, 2017, with an original application closing date of August 4, 2017, under funding opportunity number L17AS00134.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-CO: Site Stewardship Program for Tres Rios Field Office and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument" 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 Jun 04, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 04, 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 $150,000.00 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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