Opportunity Information: Apply for P15AS00993
Apply for P15AS00993
- The National Park Service in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Detection and avoidance of whales by cruise ships in Glacier Bay National Park" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945 Cooperative Research and Training Programs Resources of the National Park System.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 16, 2015 and posted on Jun 16, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 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 $300,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 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 a notice of intent to award to the University of Montana. Please see the NOI attachment for further details.
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Opportunity Summary:
This opportunity is a National Park Service (NPS) notice of intent to make a non-competitive award for a research project focused on reducing conflicts between large cruise ships and humpback whales in Glacier Bay National Park. It is not an open solicitation and is explicitly not a request for applications. Instead, it serves as public notice that NPS plans to fund a specific set of activities with the University of Montana under Funding Opportunity Number P15AS00993. The planned award is $300,000 over a three-year period, with no cost-share requirement, using a task agreement/cooperative agreement approach under statutory authority 54 USC 101702 and CFDA 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System). The named point of contact is Erica Cordeiro.
At a practical level, the project is meant to build on an existing working relationship between NPS and the University of Montana to better understand how whales are detected from cruise ships and how effective avoidance actions are once whales are observed. The underlying management problem is balancing two core NPS responsibilities that can sometimes pull in different directions: protecting marine wildlife (including humpback whales) while also allowing for visitor access and enjoyment through concession operations like cruise ship visits. A major emphasis is on using applied science to identify "mitigating factors" and to quantify uncertainties that affect real-world decision-making, especially the uncertainty tied to what observers can reliably detect from ships and how whale behavior and ship operations interact.
The University of Montana's role is centered on staffing and executing the research. The university is expected to recruit and support a Master of Science student who will collect field data in Glacier Bay and develop a multi-chapter thesis, with chapters addressing different parts of the detection-and-avoidance problem. Early work includes producing a detailed study plan and conducting a pilot effort to refine field methods. The plan includes travel to Juneau and Glacier Bay (noted for July 2015 or another mutually agreed date) to coordinate objectives and test protocols during a series of cruises. During this pilot phase, the student and the NPS principal investigator would spend time aboard cruise ships (including Holland America vessels mentioned in the announcement) to practice and standardize procedures for observing whale behavior, recording data, and managing data archives.
Once methods are refined, the project shifts into broader implementation. The university and the NPS principal investigator coordinate cruise schedules for systematic observations and surveys (a key summer field season is referenced for 2016). The university is responsible for implementing mutually agreed protocols for data collection, entry, quality control, and long-term archiving, with protocols revisited in meetings (including fall 2015) and updated as needed. The university also takes on equipment care during field seasons and works with NPS to sort out practical logistics like housing options for the student while in Alaska. A strong data-management expectation is built into the agreement: at the end of each summer, the university must deliver both raw and processed datasets to NPS, including any GIS components (ArcGIS-related files), database files (such as Access), and analysis products like finalized R scripts, all accompanied by metadata and checked for accuracy.
A major technical deliverable is the development of statistical modeling and analytical tools to address the core uncertainties in whale detection and avoidance. The announcement highlights two kinds of uncertainty that the analyses are expected to clarify: observation uncertainty (limits and variability in what observers can see and record) and process uncertainty (natural variability in whale behavior and the operational context that affects outcomes). The exact management questions and modeling approach are intended to be developed jointly by NPS and the University of Montana and then formalized in the study plan. Reporting requirements include an end-of-year report summarizing field effort, findings, and results, plus a structured wrap-up period of up to 60 days after the final deliverable deadline to close out remaining tasks.
The NPS role is framed as active involvement rather than simply providing funds. In addition to financial assistance, NPS commits to supplying key field equipment (GPS units, binoculars, batteries, a personal flotation device, voice-activated recorders, and waterproof storage) and to organizing logistics for training and ship access, including coordinating with interpretation and concessions staff to ensure required requests and security waivers are in place for the student to board cruise ships with the NPS principal investigator. NPS also supports the research by providing prior years' data relevant to the project and by participating directly in graduate supervision: NPS staff are expected to serve on the student's graduate committee and travel to the University of Montana at least once per academic year for committee meetings focused on protocols, progress, and analysis.
The expected end products go beyond internal reports. The announcement anticipates that the work will lead to formal scientific outputs, specifically two manuscripts tied to components of whale detection, to be submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Authorship is explicitly collaborative, with the university working with NPS (and referenced collaborators) as co-authors where appropriate, and both parties committing to acknowledging each other in publications and presentations derived from the agreement.
Finally, the award is justified as a single-source (non-competitive) action under Department of the Interior policy (505 DM 2), citing "Unique Qualifications" as the rationale for why competition is not practicable. In other words, NPS is documenting that the University of Montana is viewed as uniquely positioned to carry out this work based on demonstrable factors like specialized expertise and the established working relationship that the project is intended to extend. The public posting includes administrative details such as the posting date (June 16, 2015), closing date for the notice (June 25, 2015), and archive date (July 25, 2015), but the key point is that eligibility is effectively limited because this is a notice of intent to award to a specific recipient rather than a call for new applicants.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is this an open grant competition where organizations can apply?
No. This is a National Park Service (NPS) notice of intent to make a non-competitive (single-source) award. It is explicitly not a request for applications and not an open solicitation.
What is the purpose of the notice?
The notice serves as public notice that NPS plans to fund a specific set of research activities with the University of Montana, rather than inviting new proposals from other applicants.
Who is the intended recipient of the award?
The intended recipient is the University of Montana.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this action?
The Funding Opportunity Number is P15AS00993.
Which federal agency is issuing the notice?
The notice is issued by the National Park Service (NPS).
What is the project focused on?
The research focuses on reducing conflicts between large cruise ships and humpback whales in Glacier Bay National Park by improving understanding of whale detection from ships and the effectiveness of avoidance actions once whales are observed.
Where will the research take place?
The fieldwork is centered on Glacier Bay National Park, with travel and coordination activities noted for Juneau and Glacier Bay in Alaska.
Why is this research needed from a management perspective?
The underlying management issue is balancing NPS responsibilities that can be in tension: protecting marine wildlife (including humpback whales) while also allowing visitor access and enjoyment through concession operations such as cruise ship visits.
How much funding is planned, and over what period?
The planned award amount is $300,000 over a three-year period.
Is there a cost-share or matching requirement?
No. The notice specifies there is no cost-share requirement.
What type of award instrument will be used?
The notice describes a task agreement/cooperative agreement approach, emphasizing active NPS involvement rather than a hands-off grant.
What legal/statutory authority is cited for the award?
The notice cites statutory authority 54 USC 101702.
What CFDA program is associated with the funding?
The notice lists CFDA 15.945, Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System.
Why is the award non-competitive (single-source)?
NPS justifies the single-source approach under Department of the Interior policy (505 DM 2) using a "Unique Qualifications" rationale, stating the University of Montana is uniquely positioned based on specialized expertise and an established working relationship.
Who is the point of contact listed in the notice?
The named point of contact is Erica Cordeiro.
What is the practical research question the project is trying to answer?
At a practical level, the project aims to determine how reliably whales are detected from cruise ships and how effective avoidance actions are after whales are observed, including the uncertainties that influence real-world operational decisions.
What kinds of uncertainty does the project aim to quantify?
The notice highlights two categories: observation uncertainty (limits and variability in what observers can detect and record) and process uncertainty (natural variability in whale behavior and operational context that affects outcomes).
What are the University of Montana's main responsibilities?
The University of Montana is expected to staff and execute the research, including recruiting and supporting a Master of Science student, conducting field data collection in Glacier Bay, producing a multi-chapter thesis, and implementing agreed protocols for data collection, quality control, and archiving.
Is a graduate student specifically part of the work plan?
Yes. The university is expected to recruit and support a Master of Science student who will collect field data and develop a multi-chapter thesis addressing different parts of the detection-and-avoidance problem.
What is expected during the early/pilot phase of the project?
Early work includes producing a detailed study plan and conducting a pilot effort to refine field methods. The notice mentions travel to Juneau and Glacier Bay (noted for July 2015 or another mutually agreed date) to coordinate objectives and test protocols during a series of cruises.
Will the research involve time aboard cruise ships?
Yes. During the pilot phase, the student and the NPS principal investigator are expected to spend time aboard cruise ships (including Holland America vessels mentioned) to practice and standardize procedures for observing whale behavior, recording data, and managing data archives.
When is broader implementation of fieldwork expected to occur?
After methods are refined, the project shifts into broader implementation, with a key summer field season referenced for 2016.
How will cruise schedules and observations be coordinated?
The notice indicates that the university and the NPS principal investigator will coordinate cruise schedules for systematic observations and surveys.
What data-management deliverables are required?
At the end of each summer, the university must deliver both raw and processed datasets to NPS, including GIS components (ArcGIS-related files), database files (such as Access), and analysis products like finalized R scripts. All deliverables must include metadata and be checked for accuracy.
What analytical or modeling outputs are expected?
A major technical deliverable is the development of statistical modeling and analytical tools to address uncertainty in whale detection and avoidance. The specific management questions and modeling approach are to be developed jointly and formalized in the study plan.
What reports are required?
The notice calls for an end-of-year report summarizing field effort, findings, and results, plus a structured wrap-up period of up to 60 days after the final deliverable deadline to close out remaining tasks.
What support and involvement will NPS provide beyond funding?
NPS describes an active role, including supplying field equipment (GPS units, binoculars, batteries, a personal flotation device, voice-activated recorders, and waterproof storage), organizing logistics for training and ship access, coordinating needed requests and security waivers, providing prior years' relevant data, and participating in graduate supervision.
Will NPS be involved in supervising the graduate student?
Yes. NPS staff are expected to serve on the student's graduate committee and travel to the University of Montana at least once per academic year for committee meetings addressing protocols, progress, and analysis.
Are publications expected as part of the project?
Yes. The notice anticipates two manuscripts on components of whale detection to be submitted to peer-reviewed journals.
How is authorship and acknowledgment handled for publications?
Authorship is described as collaborative, with the university working with NPS (and referenced collaborators) as co-authors where appropriate, and both parties committing to acknowledging each other in publications and presentations derived from the agreement.
Does the posting include key administrative dates?
Yes. The notice includes a posting date of June 16, 2015, a closing date for the notice of June 25, 2015, and an archive date of July 25, 2015.
Does the closing date mean proposals will be accepted until then?
No. The notice states it is not a request for applications. The dates are administrative for the public notice, not a competitive application window.
What is the intended outcome of the project for Glacier Bay operations?
The intended outcome is applied, management-relevant science that helps NPS understand detection limits and avoidance effectiveness, quantify uncertainty, and better inform decisions that reduce conflicts between cruise ships and humpback whales while supporting visitor access through concession operations.
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