Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOI 16 CESU 2720
Apply for NPS NOI 16 CESU 2720
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "A Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program for Upper Laguna Madre, Padre Island National Seashore" 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 Sep 05, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 12, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "A Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program for Upper Laguna Madre, Padre Island National Seashore" is a National Park Service (NPS) Notice of Intent to make a single, non-competitive award through the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). In practical terms, this is not an open, head-to-head competition where multiple applicants submit full proposals to be ranked. Instead, it signals the NPS plan to issue a Task Agreement under an existing CESU Master Cooperative Agreement (P12AC51051), using the Department of the Interior authority described in 505 Departmental Manual 2.12C. The overall focus is environmental monitoring and applied science that supports stewardship of National Park resources, specifically submerged aquatic habitat within Padre Island National Seashore in Texas.
The public-purpose goal of the project is long-term monitoring of seagrasses in the Upper Laguna Madre, a shallow, hypersaline lagoon system adjacent to Padre Island. Seagrass meadows are highlighted as foundational estuarine habitat because they help keep coastal systems functioning: they provide food for grazing organisms, create shelter and structure that juvenile fish and other aquatic wildlife rely on, and contribute oxygen to the water column through photosynthesis. By establishing or continuing a sustained monitoring program, the project aims to build consistent, comparable data over time that can reveal changes in seagrass distribution, health, and associated environmental conditions. That type of dataset is essential for detecting trends, identifying stressors, and evaluating how factors like water quality, storms, coastal development impacts, boating disturbance, and broader climate-driven changes may be influencing submerged vegetation.
From the NPS perspective, the main value of the award is the management utility of the information produced. The notice emphasizes that data gathered will improve the park's understanding of its submerged natural resources and strengthen public understanding as well. That typically means the monitoring results can feed directly into resource management decisions, reporting and communication products, and long-range planning for conservation within the National Seashore. Long-term monitoring is especially important in seagrass systems because conditions can fluctuate seasonally and year-to-year, so single surveys often miss the bigger story; repeated measurements across time are what allow managers to distinguish normal variability from real decline or recovery.
Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, which usually implies substantial involvement or collaboration by the federal agency during the project. It is listed under the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and tied to CFDA (now generally referred to as assistance listings) number 15.945, which corresponds to NPS assistance programs. The listing indicates an expected number of awards of one, reinforcing that this NOI is meant to formalize an intended partner award rather than solicit a pool of competing applications. The posted award ceiling is shown as 0, which often appears in NOI postings when the specific funding amount is determined in the task agreement or described in an attachment rather than in the summary fields.
Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with additional clarification indicated as being in the full announcement text. For CESU-based awards, eligibility frequently depends on whether an organization is a participating CESU partner or otherwise meets the terms of the master agreement, so the practical applicant pool is usually constrained by that framework. Timing-wise, the notice shows a creation date of September 5, 2016, and an original closing date of September 12, 2016, reflecting a short administrative window typical of non-competitive intent notices where the primary purpose is transparency about the planned award rather than running a full competitive cycle.
Overall, this opportunity is best understood as an NPS action to continue or initiate a structured, science-based seagrass monitoring effort in the Upper Laguna Madre portion of Padre Island National Seashore, implemented through a CESU cooperative agreement mechanism. The intended outcome is a credible, long-term dataset that supports conservation and management of seagrass ecosystems and improves how the park communicates the status and importance of its underwater natural resources to the public.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "A Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program for Upper Laguna Madre, Padre Island National Seashore."
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
This is a Department of the Interior opportunity administered by the National Park Service (NPS).
What kind of announcement is this (is it a normal competitive grant)?
This posting is a Notice of Intent (NOI) to make a single, non-competitive award. It is not an open, head-to-head competition where multiple applicants submit proposals to be ranked against each other.
How many awards does NPS expect to make?
The notice indicates an expected number of awards of one, consistent with an NOI for a planned single award.
What funding mechanism will be used?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial federal involvement or collaboration during the project.
What is the program vehicle or framework for the award?
NPS plans to issue the award as a Task Agreement under an existing Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Master Cooperative Agreement (P12AC51051).
What authority is cited for making this award?
The notice references Department of the Interior authority described in 505 Departmental Manual 2.12C.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The purpose is to support long-term monitoring of seagrasses in the Upper Laguna Madre, adjacent to Padre Island National Seashore in Texas, producing consistent and comparable data over time.
Where will the monitoring take place?
The project focuses on the Upper Laguna Madre, a shallow, hypersaline lagoon system adjacent to Padre Island National Seashore in Texas.
Why is seagrass monitoring important in this area?
Seagrass meadows are described as foundational estuarine habitat: they provide food for grazing organisms, create structure and shelter used by juvenile fish and other aquatic wildlife, and contribute oxygen to the water through photosynthesis. Long-term monitoring helps reveal changes in distribution and health over time.
What kinds of changes or stressors is the monitoring intended to help detect?
The notice explains that long-term data can help detect trends, identify stressors, and evaluate influences such as water quality, storms, coastal development impacts, boating disturbance, and broader climate-driven changes on submerged vegetation.
What outcomes does NPS expect from the work?
The intended outcome is a credible long-term dataset that improves NPS understanding of submerged natural resources and supports conservation and management of seagrass ecosystems within the National Seashore.
How will the results be used by the National Park Service?
The notice emphasizes management utility: the data are expected to feed into resource management decisions, reporting and communication products, and long-range conservation planning. It also notes a goal of strengthening public understanding of these submerged resources.
Why does the notice emphasize "long-term" monitoring rather than a one-time survey?
The notice explains that seagrass conditions can fluctuate seasonally and from year to year. Repeated measurements over time are needed to distinguish normal variability from true decline or recovery.
Is this opportunity categorized as discretionary funding?
Yes. The notice describes the opportunity as discretionary funding.
What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number associated with this opportunity?
The notice lists CFDA (Assistance Listing) number 15.945, associated with National Park Service assistance programs.
What does the posted award ceiling of "0" mean?
The notice shows an award ceiling of 0. As described in the posting summary, that often appears in NOI entries when the funding amount is determined in the task agreement or provided in an attachment rather than in the summary fields.
Who is eligible to receive this award?
Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with additional clarification indicated as being in the full announcement text. The notice also explains that CESU-based awards commonly depend on whether an organization is a participating CESU partner or otherwise meets the terms of the master agreement, which can limit the practical applicant pool.
Is this opportunity open for multiple organizations to apply and compete?
The notice frames this as a non-competitive intent to make a single award through the CESU mechanism, indicating it is not structured as an open competition among multiple applicants.
What are the key dates listed for this Notice of Intent?
The notice shows a creation date of September 5, 2016, and an original closing date of September 12, 2016.
Why is the closing window so short?
The notice notes that short administrative windows are typical of non-competitive intent notices, since the primary purpose is transparency about a planned award rather than running a full competitive cycle.
What type of work does this opportunity support?
The focus is environmental monitoring and applied science that supports stewardship of National Park resources, specifically submerged aquatic habitat (seagrass) within Padre Island National Seashore.
What is the public-purpose goal stated in the notice?
The public-purpose goal is to establish or continue a sustained seagrass monitoring program that produces consistent, comparable information over time to support resource stewardship and public understanding.
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