Oasis of Mara Traditional Cultural Property Study Phase 3: Report Writing | P18AS00449

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00449

The Oasis of Mara Traditional Cultural Property Study Phase 3: Report Writing is a National Park Service (Department of the Interior) cooperative agreement action focused on producing a final Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) Report for the Oasis of Mara and Queen Mountain area within and near Joshua Tree National Park. The core purpose of the report is practical and long-term: to give park managers clear, tribally informed documentation they can use to guide development, protection, and day-to-day management decisions affecting the Oasis of Mara for roughly the next 20 to 30 years. The report is intended to spell out what makes the place culturally important to the Native American communities who recognize it as a TCP, and to identify specific features and characteristics that should be preserved, maintained, or restored.

The opportunity is rooted in the National Register of Historic Places framework, which allows not only buildings or archeological sites, but also landscapes and natural features, to be recognized as historic properties. Within that system, a Traditional Cultural Property is a place that holds ongoing significance to a living community because of its connection to traditional beliefs, cultural history, and ceremonial practice. In this case, the Oasis of Mara (identified in the text as Maarra) and Queen Mountain are described as deeply significant in the cultural origins and oral traditions of the Chemehuevi, Serrano, and Cahuilla peoples. The announcement emphasizes that these locations are linked in cosmological understandings and appear prominently in origin stories, clan histories, and migration narratives. It also notes that they continue to be meaningful today for living communities and Native American religious practitioners, including as places where ceremonial activities are carried out according to traditional rules.

Phase 3 is specifically the report-writing and synthesis stage of a multi-phase effort that began in 2012 when Joshua Tree National Park started identifying potential TCPs and mapping out the documentation needed to support formal TCP documentation and possible nomination to the National Register. Tribal communities supported this work and committed to participating, including providing oral traditions and cultural knowledge through identified elders and cultural resource advisors. Earlier phases (1 and 2 under a Master Cooperative Agreement) compiled the foundational information; Phase 3 is about pulling that material together into a coherent, standards-compliant deliverable.

The main work product is a TCP report that meets National Park Service cultural resource guidance (notably NPS-28) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation guidance on Traditional Cultural Properties. To accomplish this, the recipient is expected to employ a Principal Investigator who will synthesize all existing documentation from the earlier phases, conduct limited follow-up communication with stakeholders as needed for clarification, and prepare a draft report. That draft is then circulated for review to participating tribal communities and the NPS, after which the Principal Investigator incorporates and resolves comments and edits into a final report. The recipient submits the final version to NPS for final review, and once accepted, distributes the report to all participating tribal communities.

Administratively, this listing is not a competitive open call for applications. It is labeled as a Notice of Intent to Award, issued to provide public notice that the National Park Service will fund the work under an existing cooperative agreement with SMBMI. The funding opportunity number is P18AS00449, the instrument type is a cooperative agreement, and the activity category is natural resources. The listed eligible applicant type is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (other than an institution of higher education), and the stated award ceiling is $71,250. The notice indicates no expected awards in the sense of a competitive selection, consistent with the intent-to-award format.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Oasis of Mara Traditional Cultural Property Study Phase 3: Report Writing" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.946.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 19, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD. This is NOT a request for application. This funding announcement is to provide public notice that the National Park Service will fund the following project under an existing Cooperative Agreement with SMBMI. (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 $71,250.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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