Opportunity Information: Apply for F11PS00560
Apply for F11PS00560
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2011 Spatial and seasonal sub surface entry of marine and/or estuarine water into coastal freshwater ecosystems, Selawik NWR, Northwest Alaska" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.608 Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 4, 2011 and posted on Apr 4, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 18, 2011. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $43,124.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- 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).
- Applicants may be other Federal agencies, State agencies, local governments, Native American Organizations, Interstate, Intrastate, public nonprofit institution/organization, other public institution/organization, private nonprofit/organization, or any other organization subject to the jurisidiction of the United States with interests which support the mission of the Service on a cost recoverable basis.
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Opportunity Summary:
This 2011 grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F11PS00560) is a US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Region 7 notice describing the intent to issue a single, non-competitive Cooperative Agreement to Michigan Technological University (MTU) in Houghton, Michigan. It is explicitly not a request for proposals, and the government did not plan to accept competing applications. The award was expected to be made about 15 days after the notice date. The total estimated funding was $43,124, there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement listed, and the activity falls under CFDA 15.608 (Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance). Although the general eligibility language mentions a wide range of potential applicant types, this specific action was set up as a single-source award.
The core purpose of the agreement was to support MTU in studying how climate change may be influencing coastal and freshwater ecosystems connected to the Selawik River drainage in northwest Alaska, while also building baseline water-quality information that had been largely missing for the area. In practical terms, the project focused on field sampling during the 2011 spring and summer seasons, carried out jointly by MTU and staff at the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The sampling footprint included sites within refuge boundaries as well as nearby waters, including Selawik Lake, recognizing that the freshwater system is connected to coastal and estuarine processes.
The work plan centered on four main objectives that collectively tie hydrology, water chemistry, and ecosystem productivity to observed and expected climate-driven changes. First, the project aimed to quantify when and how brackish or saltwater intrudes into the lower Selawik River across seasons, and to model the hydrologic connections that could explain that movement, including possible subsurface pathways. Second, it sought to evaluate how thawing permafrost and changes in water flow may be altering primary production by measuring a suite of organic and inorganic water-chemistry variables, since permafrost thaw can mobilize nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, and other constituents that reshape aquatic food webs. Third, the study intended to generate more comprehensive water-quality and ecosystem condition data by examining primary production indicators and phytoplankton biomass, linking chemical conditions to biological response. Fourth, it targeted the timing and magnitude of water loss from low-elevation ponds and lakes, an issue tied to warming, altered precipitation, changing runoff patterns, and potentially drainage changes associated with permafrost degradation.
The background section frames the study as a response to a broad set of stressors affecting Arctic and high-latitude freshwater ecosystems. It highlights climate warming impacts such as shifts in snow and ice duration, changes in precipitation patterns (notably reduced winter precipitation), and resulting changes in flooding frequency and magnitude. It also notes altered evaporation-to-precipitation balances and changing watershed hydrology that can modify how much freshwater reaches lakes and coastal waters and what that freshwater contains. Beyond climate, the notice points to interacting stressors such as increased ultraviolet exposure linked to stratospheric ozone depletion (especially important in clear Arctic lakes), long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants, and land-use changes that can have outsized effects in relatively simple, sensitive ecosystems. A key theme is that these factors can interact in ways that create feedback loops, for example: lower water levels exposing organic-rich sediments that decompose and release trace gases, or reduced snow and ice cover increasing absorption of solar energy and reinforcing regional warming.
A major justification for the project is the gap between qualitative understanding of the Selawik watershed and the lack of quantitative measurements needed to track ecosystem responses. The notice emphasizes that the study was designed to examine linked processes that could indicate the direction of change, while also acknowledging limitations: given the short duration and limited historical baseline data, the project would more likely reveal correlations among variables than definitively prove cause-and-effect relationships. In other words, the agreement was positioned as both a baseline-building effort and an initial diagnostic look at mechanisms that could be driving observed changes.
The reason given for awarding the agreement as a single-source action was MTU's unique qualifications and readiness to perform the work. The announcement cites the institution's long-term, ongoing research on a nearby watershed in northwest Alaska, making this effort a logical expansion of existing work rather than a stand-alone, newly initiated project. It also notes that the principal investigator, identified as a senior USGS scientist and terrestrial ecologist, was contributing time and expertise without charging the project, and that MTU could bring additional cost-sharing capacity through the university. Practical capabilities also factored into the justification, including ownership of specialized sampling equipment, along with appropriate technical expertise and laboratory and field staffing to execute the field campaign and analyze samples.
Administratively, the opportunity was posted April 4, 2011, with an original and current closing date of April 18, 2011, and an archive date of May 18, 2011. A contact was provided for access issues: Tina Spengler, Contract Specialist, USFWS Region 7 (phone 907-786-3669). Overall, the notice describes a targeted, field-based cooperative research effort intended to improve understanding of saltwater intrusion dynamics, permafrost-related chemical changes, biological productivity indicators, and shrinking surface waters in and around Selawik NWR, while filling foundational data gaps needed for future monitoring and management decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this grant opportunity?
This is a 2011 US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Region 7 notice of intent to issue a single, non-competitive Cooperative Agreement under Funding Opportunity Number F11PS00560. It describes a planned award to support a specific research project related to aquatic ecosystems connected to the Selawik River drainage in northwest Alaska.
Is this a request for proposals (RFP) or an open competition?
No. The notice explicitly states it is not a request for proposals, and the government did not plan to accept competing applications. It was set up as a single-source (single, non-competitive) action.
Who was the intended recipient of the award?
The intended recipient was Michigan Technological University (MTU) in Houghton, Michigan.
What type of award was planned?
The notice describes the planned award as a Cooperative Agreement.
Which agency issued the notice?
The notice was issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Region 7.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed in the notice is F11PS00560.
What CFDA program does this fall under?
The activity falls under CFDA 15.608, titled Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance.
How much funding was expected?
The total estimated funding amount was $43,124.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No cost-sharing or matching requirement was listed in the notice.
If general eligibility language mentions many applicant types, could others apply?
Although the notice includes general eligibility language that mentions a wide range of potential applicant types, this specific action was described as a single-source award to MTU and was not intended to accept competing applications.
When was the award expected to be made?
The award was expected to be made about 15 days after the notice date, according to the announcement.
When was this opportunity posted, and what were the closing and archive dates?
The notice was posted on April 4, 2011. The original and current closing date was April 18, 2011. The archive date was May 18, 2011.
What is the main purpose of the cooperative agreement?
The core purpose was to support MTU in studying how climate change may be influencing coastal and freshwater ecosystems connected to the Selawik River drainage in northwest Alaska, while building baseline water-quality information that had largely been missing for the area.
Where would the work take place?
The work focused on the Selawik River drainage area in northwest Alaska, including sites within the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and nearby waters such as Selawik Lake, recognizing connections between freshwater, coastal, and estuarine processes.
What timeframe did the field work focus on?
The project focused on field sampling during the 2011 spring and summer seasons.
Who would conduct the field sampling?
Field sampling was planned to be carried out jointly by Michigan Technological University (MTU) and staff at the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).
What were the main research objectives?
The work plan centered on four main objectives linking hydrology, water chemistry, and ecosystem productivity to climate-driven changes: (1) quantify when and how brackish or saltwater intrudes into the lower Selawik River across seasons and model hydrologic connections (including possible subsurface pathways), (2) evaluate how thawing permafrost and changes in water flow may be altering primary production by measuring organic and inorganic water-chemistry variables, (3) expand water-quality and ecosystem condition data by examining primary production indicators and phytoplankton biomass to link chemical conditions to biological response, and (4) assess the timing and magnitude of water loss from low-elevation ponds and lakes.
What does the project mean by "saltwater intrusion" in this setting?
In this study context, saltwater intrusion refers to the movement of brackish or saltwater into the lower Selawik River, which the project aimed to quantify across seasons and explain using hydrologic modeling, potentially including subsurface connections.
Why was permafrost thaw important to the study?
The notice explains that thawing permafrost can mobilize nutrients, dissolved organic carbon, and other constituents, potentially changing water chemistry and reshaping aquatic food webs and primary production. The project planned to measure a suite of organic and inorganic water-chemistry variables to evaluate these effects.
What kinds of ecosystem indicators were included?
The plan included examining primary production indicators and phytoplankton biomass, with the intent to connect chemical conditions to biological responses and generate more comprehensive water-quality and ecosystem condition information.
Why focus on water loss from low-elevation ponds and lakes?
The notice ties water loss from low-elevation ponds and lakes to warming, altered precipitation, changing runoff patterns, and potentially drainage changes associated with permafrost degradation. The project targeted the timing and magnitude of these losses.
What broader environmental stressors did the notice highlight?
The background section highlights climate warming impacts (such as shifts in snow and ice duration, reduced winter precipitation, and changing flooding frequency and magnitude), changes in evaporation-to-precipitation balance and watershed hydrology, increased ultraviolet exposure linked to stratospheric ozone depletion, long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants, and land-use changes. It also emphasizes that these factors can interact and create feedback loops.
What kinds of feedback loops were mentioned?
Examples given include lower water levels exposing organic-rich sediments that decompose and release trace gases, and reduced snow and ice cover increasing absorption of solar energy, reinforcing regional warming.
Why did the notice emphasize baseline data collection?
A key justification was the gap between qualitative understanding of the Selawik watershed and the lack of quantitative measurements needed to track ecosystem responses. The effort was positioned as baseline-building and an initial diagnostic look at mechanisms driving change.
Did the notice claim the project would prove cause-and-effect relationships?
No. The notice acknowledges limitations due to the short duration and limited historical baseline data, stating the project would more likely reveal correlations among variables than definitively prove cause-and-effect relationships.
Why was this planned as a single-source award to MTU?
The notice cites MTU's unique qualifications and readiness, including long-term, ongoing research on a nearby watershed in northwest Alaska (making the effort a logical expansion), access to specialized sampling equipment, and the technical expertise plus laboratory and field staffing to execute the field campaign and analyze samples. It also mentions the principal investigator (identified as a senior USGS scientist and terrestrial ecologist) contributing time and expertise without charging the project, and that MTU could bring additional cost-sharing capacity through the university.
Who was listed as the contact for access issues?
The notice provided a contact for access issues: Tina Spengler, Contract Specialist, USFWS Region 7, phone 907-786-3669.
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