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Bird Bridge Strike Study (Funding Opportunity Number P14AS00019) - FAQs

What is the Bird Bridge Strike Study Request for Information (P14AS00019)?

It was a discretionary National Park Service (NPS) funding opportunity developed in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to address a research gap on bird collisions with bridges. The focus was on understanding whether bridge size, structural design, and lighting influence bird strike mortality, especially where bridges span rivers and intersect migratory flyways.

Which agency administered the opportunity?

The administering agency was the National Park Service (NPS), with the opportunity developed in partnership with MnDOT.

What problem or research gap was this opportunity trying to address?

The opportunity targeted the relative lack of accessible, comparable research on bird collisions and fatalities associated with bridges. While there is substantial research on bird collisions with buildings, power lines, and wind turbines, similar information for bridges was described as scarce or difficult to locate.

Why are bridges a concern for bird collisions?

The notice emphasized that many bridges cross waterways that birds use for resting, nesting, and feeding. When these waterways align with migratory flyways, bridges and their lighting may affect bird behavior and navigation, particularly during migration and at night, potentially influencing collision risk.

What was the central purpose of the funded work?

The central purpose was to investigate how bridge size, structural design, and lighting may influence bird strike mortality, with particular attention to bridges spanning rivers and intersecting migratory flyways.

What real-world project helped motivate this research?

The project was motivated by a bridge replacement on the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minnesota. The new bridge design described in the announcement provided a practical context for studying how design and illumination choices might relate to bird collision risk.

What bridge design features were highlighted in the announcement?

The announcement described a new bridge design as a free-standing arch with a trapezoidal cross section that narrows from the crown to the springline and avoids overhead structural elements.

What lighting approach was described, and why did it matter for the study?

A key lighting feature described was two lines of lights tracing the bottoms of the parallel arches end-to-end and directed downward to limit sky glow and reduce light pollution compared with deck-mounted floodlighting. The announcement also described illumination of the upper and vertical inside faces of the main-span piers below the deck to create a visual focal point for people viewing the bridge from the shoreline or river. Because lighting can influence bird behavior and navigation, the study sought to understand whether these illumination choices have measurable relationships to collision risk.

What were the main deliverables expected from the award?

The award was intended to support two main deliverables: (1) a thorough review of existing literature and any ongoing or completed research related to bird-bridge collisions, including potentially transferable findings from other infrastructure research; and (2) development of a study design capable of determining bridge design impacts on bird mortality.

What topics were expected to be covered in the literature review?

The literature review was expected to cover existing and ongoing or completed efforts related to bird-bridge collisions and include relevant findings that might transfer from studies of other infrastructure. Examples mentioned included what is known about lighting wavelength, intensity, and directionality, and how birds respond to large structures near water.

What did the solicitation require the study design to test?

The study design was expected to be capable of testing correlations between collision events and bridge characteristics, including structure size, bridge type (design), and lighting configuration.

What biological questions did the notice emphasize including in the study design?

The notice emphasized incorporating questions such as whether certain species are more susceptible to bridge strikes and whether birds incur increased energetic costs when maneuvering around bridge structures. Examples of these costs included altered flight paths, avoidance behavior, or repeated circling that could increase energy expenditure.

What funding instrument was used for this opportunity?

The opportunity was offered as a cooperative agreement.

What CFDA program was associated with the opportunity?

The cooperative agreement fell under CFDA 15.944, Natural Resource Stewardship.

What activity categories did this opportunity fall under?

The solicitation fell under broad activity categories including education, environment, natural resources, science and technology, and other research and development.

How many awards were anticipated?

The solicitation anticipated a single award.

What was the total estimated funding amount?

The estimated total funding amount was $100,000.

What were the award ceiling and award floor?

Both the award ceiling and award floor were set at $100,000.

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching was required.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants were limited to institutions of higher education, including private institutions of higher education and public/state-controlled institutions of higher education.

Why were eligible applicants limited to higher education institutions?

The eligibility limitation reflected the research-oriented nature of the work and the expectation of rigorous study planning and synthesis.

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

It was posted on April 2, 2014, and the application closing date was April 15, 2014.

When was the opportunity archived?

The opportunity was archived on May 15, 2014.

Is this a current or historical opportunity?

Based on the dates provided (posted and closed in April 2014 and archived in May 2014), this was a time-limited 2014 opportunity.

Who was the listed contact for access issues and grants management questions?

The contact listed was Katie Schroeder, Grants Management Officer. The phone number provided was 402-661-1640.

What broader goal did the opportunity aim to achieve beyond a single project?

The opportunity sought to jump-start a research area with minimal prior documentation by pairing a targeted literature assessment with a well-structured study plan that could be used to evaluate how bridge architecture and lighting choices may reduce or increase collision risks for birds along important river migration corridors.