Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOI YOSE 11 UW32
Apply for NPS NOI YOSE 11 UW32
- The National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Changing soil characteristics of Tuolumne Meadows Increased vulnerability and implications for meadow restoration" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.944 Natural Resource Stewardship.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 10, 2011 and posted on Mar 10, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 17, 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 $203,875.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $203,875.00 in funding.
- 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).
- This is Notice of Intent of a single source task agreement award to University of Wisconsin, Madison Wisconsin under the Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. The justification for this single source award is based on both continuation and unique qualifications. The activity to be funded is a continuation of an activity previously funded. The PI will continue to work on questions raised from previous projects in Yosemite. The PIs previous work found that mountain meadows physically, hydrologically, chemically, and biologically link the terrestrial and aquatic environments, playing a critical role in attenuation of flood peaks (i.e. less downstream flooding), purification/filtration of water, habitat preservation and chemical/nutrient cycling. These tight couplings exist because of the exchange of water, nutrients, and energy between the streams flowing through the meadows and the interconnected meadow aquifers. For example, native wet meadow vegetation such as sedges (Carex spp.) and rushes (Juncus spp.) require significant soil moisture throughout the growing season. Because extended dry periods typically occur during the summer in California, water stored in the meadow sediments from the spring snowmelt, as well as water exchanged from the stream to the meadow sediments, is required to support the lush meadow vegetation. Therefore, The PI is uniquely qualified to do this research to answer the questions that Yosemite Resource Managers need to make appropriate decisions on how best to restore Tuolumne Meadows.
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Opportunity Summary:
This grant opportunity from the National Park Service focuses on understanding and reversing the degradation of Tuolumne Meadows, a high-elevation (subalpine) meadow and riparian system in Yosemite National Park. The core problem is that the meadow is already in a weakened ecological state and is likely to become even more vulnerable as the climate warms. Managers know the meadow is degraded, but the exact mechanisms driving the decline are not fully pinned down, which makes it risky to jump straight to large-scale restoration actions without a stronger, process-based understanding of what is happening in the soil, vegetation, and hydrology.
The opportunity highlights several visible symptoms of decline. Along the riverbanks, willow recruitment appears to be low, which has contributed to shrinking willow cover. Since willows help stabilize banks, their decline is tied to increased bank erosion and channel widening, changes that can further alter water movement through the meadow. The description also points to a major historical driver: extremely heavy livestock grazing in the late 1800s damaged plant communities so severely that many areas still lack key perennial wet-meadow plants such as sedges (Carex species) and rushes (Juncus species). These plants are important because they help build and maintain organic-rich meadow soils. Where these perennials are missing, large patches of bare ground persist, which can accelerate drying, reduce soil development, and make the system more prone to erosion and further vegetation loss. Another active threat is conifer encroachment, especially in drier zones, around headcuts, and in bare-soil areas, which could gradually convert an open meadow into a more forested landscape and fundamentally change habitat, water storage, and meadow function.
A central idea behind the proposed work is that soils are not just a backdrop for vegetation but a controlling factor in whether meadow plants can persist and whether restoration is likely to succeed. Prior research in Tuolumne Meadows (referenced as ongoing work in recent years) has shown that soil thickness, the way soils retain moisture, and the processes that form and maintain meadow soils strongly influence how sensitive meadow vegetation is to changes in hydrology. In practical terms, if soils have thinned, lost organic matter, or no longer store spring snowmelt effectively, the meadow may dry earlier in summer, pushing the plant community away from wet-meadow species and making recovery harder. Because meadow plants, groundwater, and streamflows are tightly linked, a shift in soils and water storage can cascade into channel instability, reduced late-season moisture, and poorer conditions for the very species that help hold the meadow together.
The project aims to develop a process-based understanding of the interactions between vegetation condition and soil formation and maintenance. The grant description makes it clear that managers need more than a snapshot of conditions; they need to identify the processes that inhibit recovery (for example, feedback loops involving bare ground, reduced soil moisture storage, and erosion) and the processes that encourage recovery (such as rebuilding organic soils, improving moisture retention, and supporting the return of sedges, rushes, and willows). With that understanding, the work is intended to inform and compare different restoration scenarios for Tuolumne Meadows, with lessons that can be applied more broadly to meadow systems throughout the Sierra Nevada. The larger management relevance is emphasized by the role mountain meadows play in linking terrestrial and aquatic systems, including buffering floods, filtering and purifying water, supporting habitat, and cycling nutrients. These functions depend heavily on exchanges among streams, meadow aquifers, and meadow sediments, and on the ability of meadow soils to store and slowly release water after snowmelt.
Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement under the Natural Resources activity category (CFDA 15.944, Natural Resource Stewardship). The National Park Service expected to make a single award with total funding up to $203,875, and there was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted March 10, 2011, and closed March 17, 2011, with an archive date of April 16, 2011. It was issued as a Notice of Intent for a single-source task agreement award to the University of Wisconsin-Madison through the Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. The single-source justification was based on continuation of previously funded work and the principal investigator’s unique qualifications, specifically prior Yosemite-focused research showing how meadow hydrology, sediment water storage, and vegetation requirements interact, and why those interactions matter for restoration decisions at Tuolumne Meadows.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this grant opportunity about?
This National Park Service grant opportunity focuses on understanding and reversing the degradation of Tuolumne Meadows, a high-elevation (subalpine) meadow and riparian system in Yosemite National Park. The intent is to build a process-based understanding of what is driving ecological decline so managers can make better-informed restoration decisions.
Why is Tuolumne Meadows considered degraded?
The opportunity describes Tuolumne Meadows as already being in a weakened ecological state. Visible symptoms include low willow recruitment and shrinking willow cover, increased bank erosion and channel widening, large patches of persistent bare ground, and conifer encroachment in areas that are trending drier or more disturbed.
Why not move straight to large-scale restoration?
The description emphasizes that, while managers know the meadow is degraded, the exact mechanisms driving the decline are not fully pinned down. Jumping directly to large-scale restoration without understanding the underlying processes is described as risky because actions may not address the real limiting factors in soils, vegetation, and hydrology.
What role does climate warming play in this opportunity?
The opportunity notes that Tuolumne Meadows is likely to become even more vulnerable as the climate warms. Warming conditions can increase stress on a system that already appears to have reduced resilience, especially where soils and hydrology no longer support sustained late-season moisture.
What are the main visible symptoms of decline mentioned?
The opportunity highlights several symptoms: low willow recruitment and shrinking willow cover along riverbanks; increased bank erosion and channel widening associated with reduced bank stabilization; large bare-ground patches where key perennial wet-meadow plants are missing; and conifer encroachment, particularly in drier zones and disturbed areas such as around headcuts and bare soil.
Why are willows important to meadow and riverbank health?
Willows help stabilize riverbanks. The grant description links shrinking willow cover and low recruitment to increased bank erosion and channel widening. Those channel changes can, in turn, alter how water moves through the meadow, potentially reinforcing degradation.
What historical factor is identified as a major driver of current conditions?
Extremely heavy livestock grazing in the late 1800s is identified as a major historical driver. The opportunity states that grazing damaged plant communities so severely that many areas still lack key perennial wet-meadow plants.
Which plant groups are specifically noted as missing in some areas?
The description specifically mentions perennial wet-meadow plants such as sedges (Carex species) and rushes (Juncus species) as being absent from many areas, with long-lasting consequences for soil development and meadow function.
Why do sedges and rushes matter for restoration and meadow stability?
According to the opportunity, sedges and rushes are important because they help build and maintain organic-rich meadow soils. Where these perennials are missing, bare ground can persist, which may accelerate drying, reduce soil development, and increase vulnerability to erosion and further vegetation loss.
What is the significance of persistent bare ground patches?
Large patches of bare ground are described as a problem because they can accelerate drying, reduce soil development, and make the system more prone to erosion and additional vegetation loss. The opportunity frames bare ground as part of potentially self-reinforcing feedbacks that inhibit recovery.
What is conifer encroachment and why is it a concern here?
Conifer encroachment refers to trees expanding into meadow areas. The opportunity describes it as an active threat, especially in drier zones, around headcuts, and in bare-soil areas. Over time, this could convert an open meadow into a more forested landscape and fundamentally change habitat, water storage, and overall meadow function.
Why does the opportunity place so much emphasis on soils?
The central idea is that soils are not just a backdrop for vegetation; they can control whether meadow plants persist and whether restoration is likely to succeed. The opportunity points to prior work indicating that soil thickness, moisture retention, and soil-forming processes strongly influence how sensitive meadow vegetation is to changes in hydrology.
How can soil changes affect summer drying and plant communities?
The description explains that if soils have thinned, lost organic matter, or no longer store spring snowmelt effectively, the meadow may dry earlier in summer. Earlier drying can shift the plant community away from wet-meadow species and make recovery harder.
How are meadow plants, groundwater, and streamflows connected in this project?
The opportunity emphasizes tight linkages among meadow plants, groundwater, and streamflows. A shift in soils and water storage can cascade into channel instability, reduced late-season moisture, and poorer conditions for species that help stabilize and sustain meadow structure (including willows, sedges, and rushes).
What does "process-based understanding" mean in the context of this opportunity?
In this context, process-based understanding means identifying the mechanisms and feedbacks that drive degradation or recovery, not just documenting current conditions. The opportunity stresses understanding interactions between vegetation condition and soil formation/maintenance, including the processes that inhibit recovery and those that encourage it.
What kinds of inhibiting processes or feedback loops are mentioned?
The description gives examples such as feedback loops involving bare ground, reduced soil moisture storage, and erosion. These loops can keep the meadow in a degraded state by making it harder for soil and vegetation to rebuild.
What kinds of recovery-supporting processes are mentioned?
Examples provided include rebuilding organic soils, improving moisture retention, and supporting the return of sedges, rushes, and willows. These processes are framed as encouraging recovery by strengthening soil-water-vegetation relationships.
How will the work be used by managers?
The opportunity states that managers need more than a snapshot; they need to identify the processes shaping decline and recovery. The work is intended to inform and compare different restoration scenarios for Tuolumne Meadows, helping managers decide what actions are most likely to succeed.
Is the intent limited to Tuolumne Meadows, or broader than that?
While the project is centered on Tuolumne Meadows, the opportunity notes that lessons learned are intended to be applicable more broadly to meadow systems throughout the Sierra Nevada.
Why are mountain meadows considered important in the management context described?
The opportunity emphasizes that mountain meadows link terrestrial and aquatic systems. Functions mentioned include buffering floods, filtering and purifying water, supporting habitat, and cycling nutrients. These functions depend on exchanges among streams, meadow aquifers, and meadow sediments, and on meadow soils storing and slowly releasing water after snowmelt.
What funding mechanism is used for this opportunity?
Administratively, the opportunity is described as discretionary funding using a cooperative agreement under the Natural Resources activity category.
What is the CFDA number and program label provided?
The opportunity lists CFDA 15.944 and identifies it as Natural Resource Stewardship.
How many awards were expected?
The National Park Service expected to make a single award.
What was the total funding amount available?
Total funding was listed as up to $203,875.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted on March 10, 2011 and closed on March 17, 2011.
When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date listed is April 16, 2011.
What does "Notice of Intent" mean for this posting?
Based on the description provided, the posting was issued as a Notice of Intent for a single-source task agreement award, indicating the agency planned to fund a specific recipient rather than run a broad open competition.
Who was the intended recipient?
The Notice of Intent was for a single-source task agreement award to the University of Wisconsin-Madison through the Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
Why was it issued as a single-source opportunity?
The single-source justification described in the opportunity was based on continuation of previously funded work and the principal investigator's unique qualifications, including prior Yosemite-focused research on how meadow hydrology, sediment water storage, and vegetation requirements interact and why those interactions matter for restoration decisions at Tuolumne Meadows.
What prior research experience is cited as relevant?
The opportunity references ongoing work in recent years at Tuolumne Meadows and highlights Yosemite-focused research demonstrating links among meadow hydrology, sediment water storage, and vegetation requirements, and the implications of those linkages for restoration planning.
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