Opportunity Information: Apply for P16AS00272
Apply for P16AS00272
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the environment, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Development of a statistical adaptive monitoring framework for sea otters in Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve" 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 Jun 20, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 30, 2016 This is a notice of intent to award a continuation CESU task agreement to Colorado State University.. (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 $200,000.00 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 National Park Service (NPS) issued this notice to inform the public of its intent to fund, without competition, a continuation project titled "Development of a statistical adaptive monitoring framework for sea otters in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve." It is not a call for proposals and not an opportunity for new applicants to apply. Instead, it is a single-source continuation award under an existing Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) arrangement, with Colorado State University (CSU) identified as the recipient. The total anticipated award amount is $200,000 with no cost share requirement, using a CESU Task Agreement as the award instrument. The project operates under statutory authority 54 USC 101702(a) and 54 USC 101702(b) and is tied to CFDA 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Programs). The agreement is structured over roughly four years, with an anticipated period of performance spanning September 9, 2015 through July 1, 2018.
The work described in this notice emphasizes Phase II of a two-phase effort. Phase I, which was already included in the original agreement budget, focused on building and testing a spatio-temporal model for sea otter distribution and abundance using photographic survey methods. This announcement explains that the task agreement is being modified to add an additional $80,000 specifically to support Phase II, which concentrates on refining, field-testing, and formally documenting monitoring methods so they can be used reliably for long-term management and science in Glacier Bay.
Phase II has four main technical objectives aimed at turning earlier modeling work into an operational monitoring program. First, the project will refine and optimize the spatio-temporal model developed in Phase I (noted as being under review at the time) so it can be applied as a practical, long-term monitoring tool for tracking sea otter abundance and spatial distribution in the park using photographic approaches. Second, the team will run a pilot study using a preliminary adaptive sampling design paired with photographic methods, with the purpose of evaluating how well the approach performs in real conditions and whether it produces dependable estimates. Third, NPS, CSU, and collaborators will prepare a peer-reviewed scientific manuscript documenting the model, the sampling design, the photographic survey approach, and the optimization steps used to make the monitoring framework efficient and statistically defensible. Fourth, the partners will produce a formal sea otter monitoring protocol for Glacier Bay that follows established guidance for ecological monitoring protocols (citing Oakley et al., 2003) and aligns with NPS Inventory and Monitoring Division standards.
A central motivation for creating the protocol is to make sea otter monitoring a durable, institutionalized activity within the park, framed as tracking a "Vital Sign" of the Glacier Bay ecosystem. The abundance and distribution estimates produced through this framework are intended to become baseline information for understanding broader ecosystem change associated with sea otter colonization, including both bottom-up responses (changes in prey and habitat dynamics) and top-down effects (predation-driven shifts in community structure).
CSU's role is described as technical and deliverable-focused, particularly around translating the statistical and survey-design work into usable guidance for long-term implementation. CSU will assist NPS staff and collaborators, including Dr. Jamie Womble and the Southeast Alaska Network (SEAN) Data Manager Bill Johnson, by contributing sections of the monitoring protocol narrative and providing detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs). Those SOPs are expected to include practical implementation materials such as R code for survey design and analysis, making the framework repeatable and easier for NPS monitoring staff to maintain over time.
NPS involvement is laid out through milestone-oriented collaboration. The schedule calls for NPS, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and CSU to work together to publish the adaptive monitoring design in the scientific literature, with work spanning roughly November 2016 through June 2017. In parallel, NPS and CSU are expected to develop a draft protocol narrative and SOPs for the final design between November 2016 and December 2017. The final milestone is submission of the draft sea otter monitoring protocol narrative and SOPs for peer review within the NPS Natural Resource Report (NRR) series, targeted for December 2017.
The notice also documents why the award is being made without open competition. Under Department of the Interior single-source policy (505 DM 2), agencies must justify why competition is not practicable. While several acceptable criteria are listed (such as unsolicited proposals, unique qualifications, legislative intent, or emergencies), the specific justification used here is "continuation." NPS states that the award is a continuation of work under an existing CESU master agreement (referenced as Master Agreement P14AC00749), and that competing the next phase would risk disrupting continuity or completion of the ongoing effort. In other words, this funding is meant to carry forward and finish an existing, multi-stage scientific and monitoring development project rather than initiate a new one through a competitive process.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is this notice a competitive grant opportunity?
No. The notice states it is not a call for proposals and not an opportunity for new applicants to apply. It is an intent to fund, without competition, a continuation project under an existing agreement.
Can new organizations or researchers apply for this funding?
No. The notice describes a single-source continuation award with Colorado State University (CSU) identified as the recipient. It is not open to new applicants.
Who is the intended recipient of the award?
Colorado State University (CSU) is identified as the recipient under an existing Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) arrangement.
What is the project title?
Development of a statistical adaptive monitoring framework for sea otters in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
Which agency is issuing the notice?
The National Park Service (NPS) issued the notice.
What is the purpose of the funding described in the notice?
The funding supports a continuation effort focused on Phase II work: refining, field-testing, and formally documenting monitoring methods so they can be used reliably for long-term sea otter monitoring and management in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
What is the anticipated total award amount?
The notice lists a total anticipated award amount of $200,000.
Is there a cost share or matching requirement?
No. The notice explicitly states there is no cost share requirement.
What award instrument will be used?
The notice indicates the award instrument is a CESU Task Agreement.
What is the CFDA number associated with this work?
The notice ties the effort to CFDA 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Programs).
What statutory authority is cited for the project?
The notice cites 54 USC 101702(a) and 54 USC 101702(b) as the statutory authority.
What is the anticipated period of performance?
The notice states an anticipated period of performance spanning September 9, 2015 through July 1, 2018, structured over roughly four years.
How does Phase II relate to Phase I?
Phase I (already included in the original agreement budget) focused on building and testing a spatio-temporal model for sea otter distribution and abundance using photographic survey methods. Phase II builds on that foundation by optimizing the model, testing an adaptive sampling approach in the field, and producing formal documentation so the methods can be implemented as an operational, long-term monitoring program.
How much additional funding is being added for Phase II?
The notice explains that the task agreement is being modified to add an additional $80,000 specifically to support Phase II.
What are the main technical objectives of Phase II?
Phase II lists four main objectives: (1) refine and optimize the spatio-temporal model so it works as a practical long-term monitoring tool using photographic approaches; (2) run a pilot study using a preliminary adaptive sampling design paired with photographic methods to evaluate real-world performance and estimate reliability; (3) prepare a peer-reviewed manuscript documenting the model, sampling design, photographic survey approach, and optimization steps; and (4) produce a formal sea otter monitoring protocol for Glacier Bay that follows established ecological monitoring protocol guidance (citing Oakley et al., 2003) and aligns with NPS Inventory and Monitoring Division standards.
What monitoring methods are emphasized in the project?
The notice emphasizes photographic survey methods paired with a statistical spatio-temporal model and an adaptive sampling design, with optimization and documentation aimed at long-term implementation.
What is meant by an "adaptive monitoring framework" in this context?
Based on the notice, the framework combines a spatio-temporal statistical model with an adaptive sampling design and photographic survey methods, with the goal of making monitoring more efficient and statistically defensible for long-term tracking of sea otter abundance and distribution.
What are the expected deliverables from Phase II?
Deliverables described in the notice include: an optimized spatio-temporal model suitable for long-term monitoring; results from a pilot field study evaluating the adaptive sampling design with photographic methods; a peer-reviewed scientific manuscript describing the methods and optimization; and a formal sea otter monitoring protocol for Glacier Bay, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), submitted for peer review within the NPS Natural Resource Report (NRR) series.
Why is NPS developing a formal monitoring protocol for sea otters in Glacier Bay?
The notice explains the protocol is intended to make sea otter monitoring durable and institutionalized within the park as a tracked "Vital Sign" of the Glacier Bay ecosystem, producing baseline abundance and distribution information to understand broader ecosystem change linked to sea otter colonization.
How will the monitoring results be used by the park?
The notice states that abundance and distribution estimates are intended to serve as baseline information for understanding ecosystem changes associated with sea otter colonization, including bottom-up responses (prey and habitat dynamics) and top-down effects (predation-driven community shifts).
What is CSU expected to do on this project?
CSU is described as providing technical, deliverable-focused support to translate the statistical and survey-design work into usable guidance for long-term implementation. This includes contributing sections of the monitoring protocol narrative and providing detailed SOPs, including practical implementation materials such as R code for survey design and analysis.
Who are the named collaborators on the NPS side?
The notice mentions collaboration with NPS staff and partners, including Dr. Jamie Womble and the Southeast Alaska Network (SEAN) Data Manager Bill Johnson, along with coordination involving the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
What is the publication and documentation plan described in the schedule?
The notice outlines milestone-oriented collaboration: NPS, USGS, and CSU working together to publish the adaptive monitoring design in the scientific literature (roughly November 2016 through June 2017), while NPS and CSU develop a draft protocol narrative and SOPs for the final design (roughly November 2016 through December 2017). The draft protocol narrative and SOPs are targeted for submission for peer review in the NPS Natural Resource Report (NRR) series by December 2017.
Why is this award being made without competition?
The notice states the award is being made as a single-source action under Department of the Interior policy (505 DM 2) using the justification "continuation." NPS explains it is continuing work under an existing CESU master agreement and that competing the next phase could disrupt continuity or completion of the ongoing multi-stage effort.
What existing agreement is this continuation tied to?
The notice references an existing CESU master agreement, identified as Master Agreement P14AC00749.
Does the notice indicate the project is part of a larger, multi-stage effort?
Yes. The notice describes a two-phase effort, where Phase I developed and tested the core spatio-temporal model and Phase II is focused on refinement, field testing, publication, and protocol development to support long-term operations.
Is this notice intended to solicit feedback or proposals from the public?
The notice is framed as a public notification of intent to fund a specific continuation project without competition. It does not present itself as a solicitation for proposals or an invitation for new applicants.
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