Opportunity Information: Apply for P15AS00214
Apply for P15AS00214
- The National Park Service in the community development education employment, labor and training environment information and statistics natural resources regional development science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Collaborative Biological Research and Education" 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 Jul 15, 2015 and posted on Jul 15, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 29, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $140,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $140,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The "Collaborative Biological Research and Education" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P15AS00214) is a National Park Service (NPS) notice of intent to award, meaning it is not an open call for applications. Instead, it serves as public notice that NPS plans to make a single award, without full and open competition, to the California Academy of Sciences under a new cooperative agreement. The anticipated federal funding amount is $140,000 with no cost share required, and the expected period of performance is five years from the date of award. The statutory authority cited is 54 USC 101702(a) (cooperative agreements), and it is associated with CFDA 15.944, Natural Resource Stewardship. The NPS point of contact listed is June Zastrow.
At its core, the project is meant to strengthen science-based stewardship across NPS lands by pairing park management needs with the Academy's scientific and technology capabilities. NPS highlights ongoing gaps in technical expertise and information technology systems that limit how quickly and effectively parks can inventory biodiversity, manage ecological datasets, and translate research into decisions. The agreement is designed to support research and project management activities that help parks understand what species are present, how distributions are changing, and what ecological trends mean for management and policy. Examples emphasized in the announcement include tracking non-native species, documenting threatened and endangered species occurrences, studying phenology (seasonal timing of life cycle events), and detecting shifts in species distributions related to climate change. A major theme is expanding public-facing science and education, including citizen science participation, in line with NPS priorities to modernize its digital presence and broaden community-based engagement.
A central justification for selecting the California Academy of Sciences is its role as the developer and maintainer of iNaturalist, a widely used online and mobile biodiversity observation platform. NPS expects that integrating NPS data with existing Academy datasets and tools will improve the value of an already established research, education, and data storage portal used by universities, agencies, and the public. The partnership is framed as a way to scale up biodiversity research and education by leveraging iNaturalist's large user community and its crowdsourced identification and curation model, while also providing safeguards for sensitive species locations (for example, tools that can obscure exact coordinates for threatened species). The announcement also points to iNaturalist's ability to visualize and analyze observations within protected area boundaries using GIS capabilities, and to export research-grade data to major scientific repositories such as GBIF.
Because this is a cooperative agreement, NPS anticipates substantial federal involvement rather than simply providing funds. The Academy's responsibilities include helping administer and recruit participants (students, organizations, agencies, and individuals), developing and submitting research project application packages for work of mutual interest, hiring and supervising scientific and technical staff as needed, maintaining iNaturalist functionality across web and mobile apps, and delivering agreed-upon outputs such as progress reports, final reports and/or peer-reviewed publications, and research datasets with metadata. The Academy also agrees to collaborate with NPS staff to provide data and information tools to students working in natural resource research, monitoring, and restoration, and to acknowledge NPS in publications and presentations tied to the agreement.
NPS responsibilities are described as hands-on and operational. NPS will collaborate in implementing the project, review and respond to submitted plans and documents within set timelines, provide training related to environmental and NPS values, assist with data collection and analysis, and supply project guidance and relevant NPS datasets for Academy use. NPS will also outline park research and management needs through planning documents and direct coordination, review Academy-submitted research packages for potential support depending on funding availability and alignment with needs, and then initiate specific work through detailed Task Agreements issued under the umbrella cooperative agreement. NPS will facilitate access to park natural resources for appropriate research and education activities, help secure required permits (including NPS-issued permits such as collecting or research permits), and provide peer review of draft technical products when required.
The award is explicitly justified as a single-source action under the Department of the Interior policy criteria of "Unique Qualifications." NPS argues that the Academy is uniquely positioned due to its standing as a major natural history museum with one of the world's largest biodiversity specimen collections, its demonstrated experience deploying iNaturalist for large-scale biodiversity events and collaborations, the size and activity of its existing user community, and the platform's broad taxonomic and geographic scope. Additional unique features cited include open-source software and licensing practices that promote public access, mobile availability on iOS and Android, established collaborations with other national and international partners, and the platform's proven pipeline for generating research-grade biodiversity records that can be incorporated into widely used scientific databases.
In practical terms, the announcement describes a long-term, structured partnership where NPS and the California Academy of Sciences jointly plan and carry out biodiversity research, monitoring, and education activities that directly support park management needs while also expanding public engagement through modern digital tools. The work is expected to be implemented through multiple task agreements over the five-year period, with shared responsibilities from both organizations across planning, fieldwork, data management, and publication or dissemination of results.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Collaborative Biological Research and Education" opportunity?
It is a National Park Service (NPS) notice of intent to award a new cooperative agreement focused on biodiversity research, monitoring, data management, and public-facing science and education activities that support science-based stewardship across NPS lands.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this notice?
The Funding Opportunity Number is P15AS00214.
Is this an open call for applications?
No. This is a notice of intent to award, meaning it is not an open solicitation and is not competing applications under full and open competition.
Who does NPS intend to award this cooperative agreement to?
NPS intends to make a single award to the California Academy of Sciences.
Why is the award planned as a single-source action?
The notice states the award is justified under Department of the Interior policy criteria for "Unique Qualifications." The justification emphasizes the California Academy of Sciences' capabilities and resources, including its role developing and maintaining iNaturalist and its broader scientific collections and experience.
What type of agreement is expected?
The planned instrument is a cooperative agreement, which is described as involving substantial federal involvement by NPS rather than a hands-off funding arrangement.
What is the statutory authority cited for this cooperative agreement?
The notice cites 54 USC 101702(a) as the statutory authority for cooperative agreements.
What CFDA program is this associated with?
This opportunity is associated with CFDA 15.944, Natural Resource Stewardship.
How much federal funding is anticipated?
The anticipated federal funding amount is $140,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost share is required according to the notice.
What is the expected period of performance?
The expected period of performance is five years from the date of award.
Who is the NPS point of contact listed for this opportunity?
The NPS point of contact listed is June Zastrow.
What is the core purpose of the project?
The project is intended to strengthen science-based stewardship across NPS lands by pairing NPS park management needs with the California Academy of Sciences' scientific and technology capabilities.
What gaps or needs does NPS say this agreement is meant to address?
NPS describes ongoing gaps in technical expertise and information technology systems that affect how quickly and effectively parks can inventory biodiversity, manage ecological datasets, and translate research into management decisions.
What kinds of research and stewardship questions will the work support?
The notice describes work that helps parks understand what species are present, how species distributions are changing, and what ecological trends mean for management and policy.
What examples of research or monitoring topics are highlighted?
Examples emphasized include tracking non-native species, documenting threatened and endangered species occurrences, studying phenology (seasonal timing of life cycle events), and detecting shifts in species distributions related to climate change.
How does education and public engagement fit into the project?
A major theme is expanding public-facing science and education, including citizen science participation, aligned with NPS priorities to modernize its digital presence and broaden community-based engagement.
What is iNaturalist and why is it central to this partnership?
iNaturalist is an online and mobile biodiversity observation platform developed and maintained by the California Academy of Sciences. The notice presents iNaturalist as central because it can help integrate NPS data with existing datasets and tools, expanding an established portal used by universities, agencies, and the public.
How is iNaturalist expected to support NPS parks specifically?
The notice describes iNaturalist as supporting biodiversity research and education through a large user community and a crowdsourced identification and curation model, with tools to visualize and analyze observations within protected area boundaries and capabilities to export research-grade data to repositories such as GBIF.
Does the notice mention protections for sensitive species location data?
Yes. It notes safeguards for sensitive species locations, including tools that can obscure exact coordinates for threatened species.
What does "substantial federal involvement" mean in this notice?
In the context of this cooperative agreement, NPS anticipates being actively involved in implementing the project, reviewing plans and documents, providing guidance and training, assisting with data collection and analysis, and coordinating work through task agreements.
What responsibilities are described for the California Academy of Sciences?
The notice states the Academy will help administer and recruit participants (students, organizations, agencies, and individuals), develop and submit research project application packages for work of mutual interest, hire and supervise scientific and technical staff as needed, maintain iNaturalist functionality across web and mobile apps, and deliver agreed-upon outputs such as progress reports, final reports and/or peer-reviewed publications, and research datasets with metadata.
What responsibilities are described for NPS?
NPS responsibilities include collaborating in implementation, reviewing and responding to plans and documents within set timelines, providing training related to environmental and NPS values, assisting with data collection and analysis, supplying relevant NPS datasets for Academy use, outlining park research and management needs through planning and coordination, and issuing Task Agreements to initiate specific work under the cooperative agreement.
How will specific projects be initiated and managed over the five-year period?
The notice explains that work will be implemented through multiple Task Agreements issued under the umbrella cooperative agreement, and that NPS will review Academy-submitted research packages for potential support depending on funding availability and alignment with park needs.
What kinds of deliverables or outputs are mentioned?
Deliverables mentioned include progress reports, final reports and/or peer-reviewed publications, and research datasets with metadata.
Will the Academy collaborate with NPS to support students?
Yes. The notice states the Academy will collaborate with NPS staff to provide data and information tools to students working in natural resource research, monitoring, and restoration.
Are there any publication or attribution requirements noted?
Yes. The notice states the Academy agrees to acknowledge NPS in publications and presentations tied to the agreement.
Will research and education activities take place within NPS units and require access or permissions?
The notice indicates NPS will facilitate access to park natural resources for appropriate research and education activities and help secure required permits, including NPS-issued permits such as collecting or research permits.
Will NPS provide peer review of technical products?
Yes. The notice states NPS will provide peer review of draft technical products when required.
What makes the California Academy of Sciences "uniquely qualified" according to the notice?
The notice cites the Academy's status as a major natural history museum with one of the world's largest biodiversity specimen collections, its experience deploying iNaturalist for large-scale biodiversity events and collaborations, the size and activity of its user community, and iNaturalist's broad taxonomic and geographic scope.
What platform features are highlighted as part of the unique qualifications?
Highlighted features include open-source software and licensing practices that promote public access, mobile availability on iOS and Android, established national and international partnerships, GIS-based visualization and analysis within protected area boundaries, and an established pipeline for producing research-grade biodiversity records that can be incorporated into major scientific databases.
How does the notice describe the overall structure of the partnership?
It is described as a long-term, structured collaboration where NPS and the California Academy of Sciences jointly plan and carry out biodiversity research, monitoring, and education activities, with shared responsibilities across planning, fieldwork, data management, and publication or dissemination of results over the five-year period.
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