Opportunity Information: Apply for P16AS00590
Apply for P16AS00590
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Collection of Physical Environmental Data" 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 Aug 31, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 09, 2016 Applications will not be accepted. This is a notice of intent to award to the Wildlife Conservation Society, a member of the North and West Alaska CESU.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Park Service (NPS), within the Department of the Interior, issued a public notice of its intent to make a non-competitive cooperative agreement award for a project titled "Collection of Physical Environmental Data" (Funding Opportunity Number P16AS00590). This announcement was explicitly not a request for applications. Instead, it served to inform the public that NPS planned to fund a single recipient, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), under a task agreement connected to the North and West Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The anticipated award amount was $146,450 (with an award ceiling of $150,000), with no cost share required, for an expected period of performance from September 30, 2016 through March 15, 2019 (about 2.5 years). The program aligns with CFDA 15.945, National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach, and Education, and is authorized under 54 USC 101702(b) covering cooperative agreements and cooperative research and training programs. The point of contact listed was Tahzay Jones (TahzayJones@nps.gov). The notice also states "Applications will not be accepted," reinforcing that this was a sole-source intent rather than an open competition.
The core purpose of the project was to fill a specific gap in coastal research happening in Alaska national park units. Many ongoing projects in these areas focus on biological ecology, and while they often collect basic physical measurements like temperature and salinity, the announcement emphasizes that additional physical context is necessary to correctly interpret biological patterns. In particular, the project targets the collection of high-resolution elevation and bathymetry information (land elevation and underwater depth). Existing elevation and bathymetric datasets were described as too coarse to explain fine-scale biological distributions, especially in the tidal zone where small changes in elevation can strongly influence inundation frequency, habitat availability, and exposure pathways. One practical application highlighted is oil spill planning and response: knowing exactly where and how often areas are inundated can help evaluate where spill contaminants might spread, where sensitive habitats are located, and what restoration actions are most appropriate.
The work was structured around a set of joint objectives shared by NPS and WCS. First, the partners would decide the appropriate geographic extent for collecting elevation and bathymetric data, including areas above and below the high tide line. Second, they would collect georeferenced elevation/bathymetry measurements in those targeted areas, ensuring the data includes proper metadata so it can be interpreted and reused. Third, they would develop spatial and correlational analyses that combine the new elevation/bathymetry layers with biological study site information, allowing researchers to link species observations and ecological processes to elevation gradients and other physical drivers. Finally, they would report results and ensure data products are captured in usable formats, such as technical reports and geospatial datasets suitable for archiving and future research.
The announcement also lays out how responsibilities would be shared. WCS would help identify where high-resolution elevation and bathymetric data would provide the biggest benefit by bringing awareness of related studies occurring within and near NPS sites. WCS would then work cooperatively with NPS to conduct field collection using methods agreed upon during joint planning, with an emphasis on properly geospatially referencing all measurements and documenting them with metadata. WCS would also participate in deciding and conducting analyses that tie the physical datasets to biological resource studies, and would support final reporting and data delivery in technical and GIS-ready forms. On the NPS side, the agency committed staff support for planning and fieldwork and noted specific technical capabilities and equipment available to the project. NPS personnel were described as trained in RTK (real-time kinematic) surveying operations and in bathymetric collection using Hydrosurveyor ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling) technology. The equipment list included Trimble R8 survey-grade receivers and base stations, and NPS indicated it could support both RTK reference site data collection and Hydrosurveyor-based bathymetry work. NPS also committed to co-developing analyses and ensuring reporting and archiving are completed appropriately.
Finally, the notice explains why this award was intended to be made without competition. Under Department of the Interior single-source policy (505 DM 2), agencies must justify why a competitive process is not practicable. The cited justification here was that this was a CESU task agreement action, which is a common mechanism used by DOI bureaus to partner with specific member institutions for research and technical assistance. The recipient, WCS, was identified as the intended awardee and as a CESU member, and the notice indicates the work was "previously completed" in the source information, suggesting the announcement served as documentation and public transparency for an award action that was already executed or finalized. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted, collaborative data-collection and analysis effort designed to strengthen interpretation of coastal biological research in Alaska NPS units by adding precise elevation and bathymetric context that can be used by scientists, park managers, and spill response and restoration planners.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is this a request for applications (RFA) or an open funding opportunity?
No. The notice was explicitly not a request for applications. It was a public notice of intent by the National Park Service (NPS) to make a non-competitive (sole-source) cooperative agreement award.
Will NPS accept applications for this opportunity?
No. The notice states "Applications will not be accepted," which means there was no open application process.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this notice?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is P16AS00590.
What is the project title?
The project title is "Collection of Physical Environmental Data."
Which agency is issuing the notice?
The notice was issued by the National Park Service (NPS) within the Department of the Interior.
Who was the intended recipient of the award?
The intended single recipient identified in the notice was the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Was this award competitive or non-competitive?
It was intended to be non-competitive (single-source). The notice was issued to inform the public of NPS's intent to fund a single recipient rather than run an open competition.
Why was the award intended to be made without competition?
The notice cites Department of the Interior single-source policy (505 DM 2) and explains that the action was a CESU task agreement, a mechanism commonly used by DOI bureaus to partner with specific member institutions for research and technical assistance. WCS was identified as a CESU member and the intended awardee.
What cooperative agreement mechanism is referenced in the notice?
The award was to be made under a task agreement connected to the North and West Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU).
How much funding was anticipated?
The anticipated award amount was $146,450.
What was the award ceiling?
The award ceiling stated in the notice was $150,000.
Was cost sharing or matching funds required?
No. The notice states that no cost share was required.
What was the expected period of performance?
The expected period of performance was from September 30, 2016 through March 15, 2019 (approximately 2.5 years).
What CFDA program does this align with?
The notice states the program aligns with CFDA 15.945, National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach, and Education.
What is the stated legal authority for the cooperative agreement?
The notice references authorization under 54 USC 101702(b), covering cooperative agreements and cooperative research and training programs.
Who is the point of contact for this notice?
The point of contact listed is Tahzay Jones (TahzayJones@nps.gov).
What problem or gap was the project designed to address?
The project was intended to fill a gap in coastal research in Alaska national park units by adding needed physical environmental context. The notice explains that many existing efforts emphasize biological ecology and may collect basic physical measurements (such as temperature and salinity), but that additional physical context is needed to interpret biological patterns correctly.
What types of data were the main focus of the project?
The main focus was collecting high-resolution elevation and bathymetry information (land elevation and underwater depth).
Why were new elevation and bathymetry data needed?
The notice states existing elevation and bathymetric datasets were too coarse to explain fine-scale biological distributions, especially in the tidal zone where small elevation changes can strongly influence inundation frequency, habitat availability, and exposure pathways.
Which environments or zones were highlighted as especially important?
The tidal zone was highlighted as particularly important because small differences in elevation can change how often areas are inundated and how habitats are exposed.
What practical management application is mentioned in the notice?
Oil spill planning and response. The notice notes that knowing where and how often areas are inundated can help evaluate spill contaminant spread, identify sensitive habitats, and guide restoration actions.
What were the main objectives of the project partners?
The notice describes joint objectives for NPS and WCS that included: (1) deciding the geographic extent for collecting elevation and bathymetric data (above and below the high tide line), (2) collecting georeferenced elevation/bathymetry measurements with proper metadata, (3) developing spatial and correlational analyses that combine physical layers with biological study site information, and (4) reporting results and delivering usable data products such as technical reports and GIS-ready datasets for archiving and future research.
What does "georeferenced" mean in the context of this project (as described in the notice)?
In this notice, georeferenced measurements are elevation and bathymetry data tied to specific locations so they can be mapped and used in spatial analyses, and accompanied by metadata so they can be interpreted and reused.
What deliverables or outputs were expected?
The notice indicates outputs would include reported results and data products in usable formats, specifically technical reports and geospatial datasets suitable for archiving and future research.
How were responsibilities divided between WCS and NPS?
WCS responsibilities included helping identify priority locations where high-resolution elevation/bathymetry would provide the biggest benefit, working cooperatively with NPS on field collection using jointly agreed methods, ensuring measurements are properly geospatially referenced with metadata, participating in analyses linking physical data to biological studies, and supporting final reporting and data delivery. NPS responsibilities included providing staff support for planning and fieldwork, contributing technical capabilities and equipment, co-developing analyses, and ensuring reporting and archiving were completed appropriately.
What NPS technical capabilities and equipment were mentioned?
NPS personnel were described as trained in RTK (real-time kinematic) surveying operations and bathymetric collection using Hydrosurveyor ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling) technology. Equipment mentioned included Trimble R8 survey-grade receivers and base stations, and support for RTK reference site data collection and Hydrosurveyor-based bathymetry work.
What kinds of analyses were planned using the collected data?
The notice describes developing spatial and correlational analyses combining new elevation/bathymetry layers with biological study site information so researchers can link species observations and ecological processes to elevation gradients and other physical drivers.
What geographic scope was planned for data collection?
The notice states the partners would decide the appropriate geographic extent, including areas above and below the high tide line. It does not provide a specific map or named locations in the text provided.
Does the notice indicate whether the work was already completed?
Yes. The notice indicates the work was "previously completed" in the source information, suggesting the announcement functioned as documentation and public transparency for an award action that was already executed or finalized.
What is the overall goal of the project in plain terms?
To strengthen interpretation of coastal biological research in Alaska NPS units by adding precise elevation and bathymetry context that scientists, park managers, and spill response and restoration planners can use.
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