Wupatki Pueblo Geological Hazard Assessment | P18AS00314

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00314

The Wupatki Pueblo Geological Hazard Assessment is a National Park Service (Department of the Interior) discretionary grant opportunity designed to support a cooperative project that uses earth-science methods to protect a major cultural resource at Wupatki National Monument. The project centers on Wupatki Pueblo, a roughly 100-room archaeological structure built between AD 1125 and 1250. Because much of the pueblo sits on a narrow bedrock ridge surrounded by rockfall boulders, the site is naturally vulnerable to gravity-driven movement, shifting foundations, cracking walls, and erosion that can progressively weaken or damage the ruins. A related concern is that rainfall runoff is undermining walls in multiple locations and that the existing drainage system may be outdated, in need of repair, or improperly configured for current conditions. The overarching intent is to provide park managers with clear, science-based guidance so preservation and stabilization work can be prioritized where the risk of future erosion and structural damage is highest.

The grant aligns with the Secretary of the Interior's priorities, particularly the emphasis on using science to identify best practices for managing land and water resources and adapting to environmental change. The planned work applies hydrology (how water moves across and through the site), geomorphology (how landforms and surface processes like erosion develop), and seismology (earthquake-related considerations) to pinpoint where severe erosion or preservation challenges are most likely to occur. The assessment is meant to move beyond general observations by producing detailed, mapped evidence of hazards and their relationship to specific architectural features, rooms, and supporting geology.

In practical terms, the project is laid out as a step-by-step documentation and analysis effort. It begins with systematically recording all architectural features within 50 meters of the pueblo using photographs and mapping. From there, the team will build a high-resolution 3D model of the pueblo and its surrounding landscape (extending about a quarter mile from the structure) using aerial imagery and laser scanning. That model becomes the foundation for field-based geomorphic mapping that documents key hazard indicators and processes, such as bedrock characteristics, landslides and rockfalls, jointing patterns and faults, plus erosion forms including rilling, gullying, sheetwash, and wind-driven (eolian) erosion. This mapping is intended to be captured and managed in a GIS environment (using an iPad in the field) and translated into an erosion risk assessment map showing where erosion versus deposition is occurring relative to the archaeological features. A major emphasis is understanding the bedrock and landform stability beneath the pueblo, since settling or movement at that scale could lead to major impacts like wall collapse.

Another core component is analyzing how water moves through the pueblo at a fine scale. Using the 3D model and aerial imagery for each room, the team will map micro-drainage patterns on room floors and trace water flow both through the existing drainage system and in areas where runoff bypasses or overwhelms that system. The point of this work is to support practical redesign or re-engineering of drainage to reduce ongoing undermining and erosion within and around rooms, improving long-term preservation outcomes.

The expected deliverables include a written report and a set of maps that classify areas of low, moderate, and high vulnerability, giving managers a clear basis for targeting stabilization and maintenance investments. Beyond preservation planning, the project is also designed to generate visitor-facing benefits: the 3D model in particular will be used as interpretive material, displayed in the visitor center and shared on the park website as part of a virtual reality tour. This public education component is framed as a way to help visitors better understand field sciences connected to archaeology and the preservation methods used by the National Park Service.

Administratively, the opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00314, offered as a cooperative agreement under the Natural Resources funding activity (CFDA 15.945). Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The posted award ceiling is $75,000, with one award expected. The opportunity was created June 12, 2018, with an original closing date of June 21, 2018.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Wupatki Pueblo Geological Hazard Assessment" 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 Jun 12, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 21, 2018. (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 $75,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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