Notice of Intent: National Register Nomination for the Atsinna and North Atsinna Pueblos | P17AS00088

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00088

This Notice of Intent grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00088) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement under the Department of the Interior focused on cultural and natural resource stewardship at El Morro National Monument. The core goal is to support a project that will formally evaluate whether two major fourteenth-century archeological sites within the monument, the Atsinna Pueblo and the North Atsinna Pueblo, meet the criteria for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and then to prepare and complete a National Register nomination package for those sites if they are found eligible. In practical terms, the work centers on documenting the sites' historical importance, scientific research value, integrity, and significance within the broader context of the monument and regional history, and translating that documentation into the standardized nomination format required for National Register review.

The opportunity is grounded in the long-standing recognition that El Morro contains nationally important cultural resources. El Morro National Monument was originally protected through a Presidential Proclamation under the Antiquities Act of 1906, reflecting an early federal commitment to preserving archeological and historic resources. That recognition was reinforced in 1966 with the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), after which El Morro was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, despite decades of acknowledged significance, only one specific resource within the monument, Inscription Rock, has received an individual National Register listing. The National Park Service notes that individual listings can provide additional protection for archeological resources and create stronger opportunities for interpretation, meaning the park can more clearly and effectively explain to visitors why these places matter and how they connect to broader histories.

The project described by this notice is therefore both a preservation and public-history effort. By pursuing National Register eligibility determinations and nomination documents for Atsinna and North Atsinna, the work would strengthen the formal recognition of these pueblos as distinct significant resources, not just as part of a larger listed monument. This typically involves assembling and analyzing existing research and source materials, evaluating the sites against National Register criteria, defining and justifying boundaries, assessing integrity, and preparing the narrative statements of significance that explain what the sites represent historically and archeologically. The intended outcome is a completed nomination ready for the National Register process, which can lead to clearer management priorities and better interpretive programming.

In terms of administrative details, the funding mechanism is a discretionary cooperative agreement, which generally indicates substantial involvement and collaboration with the National Park Service during the project rather than a hands-off grant. The activity category is listed as natural resources, but the substance of the work is cultural resource evaluation and historic preservation documentation. Eligible applicants are limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, signaling that the National Park Service expected a university-based team with relevant expertise in archeology, historic preservation, and National Register documentation to carry out the work. The award ceiling is $66,252, with one expected award, indicating a single, defined project of relatively focused scope. The opportunity was created on February 21, 2017, with an original closing date of March 2, 2017, reflecting a short application window typical of some cooperative-agreement announcements tied to specific park needs and timelines.

Overall, the grant is aimed at moving Atsinna and North Atsinna from recognized-but-not-individually-listed resources to formally evaluated and nominated historic properties, strengthening their standing within federal preservation frameworks. The National Park Service frames this as a way to enhance protection for sensitive archeological resources while also improving the park's ability to interpret these pueblos for the public in a more detailed and compelling way.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent: National Register Nomination for the Atsinna and North Atsinna Pueblos" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 21, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 02, 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 $66,252.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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