Effects of Infanticide Risk on Brown Bear Resource Selection in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This notice describes the National Park Service (NPS) intent to make a non-competitive, continuation award for a research project titled "Effects of Infanticide Risk on Brown Bear Resource Selection in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska" (Funding Opportunity Number P16AS00505). It is not a call for new applications; instead, it serves as public notice that NPS plans to fund ongoing work through a cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System/CESU). The anticipated federal funding amount is $85,075 with no cost share requirement, structured as a three-year continuation with an anticipated performance window from August 30, 2015 through December 30, 2018. Mississippi State University (MSU) is the identified recipient, with Jerrold Belant listed as the principal investigator/program manager, and Erica Cordeiro as the NPS point of contact. The award is made under the statutory authority at 54 USC 100703, which supports Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs) as partnerships with universities and agencies to conduct multidisciplinary research and produce integrated information products relevant to the National Park System and surrounding regions.

The underlying management need is tied to the unique ecological and social importance of brown bears in and around Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (LACL) and the broader Bristol Bay region. LACL was established in part to protect fish and wildlife habitat, and Bristol Bay is internationally known for its large sockeye salmon runs. Brown bears are a key ecological link in this system because they transport marine-derived nutrients from salmon into terrestrial environments, shaping broader ecosystem processes. Because the area is so productive, bear densities can be among the highest in the world, and the predictable concentrations of bears at major food resources make bear viewing a cornerstone visitor activity in the park. At the same time, sport and subsistence hunting for brown bears is described as economically and culturally significant for visitors and local residents. NPS also notes external pressures: proposed resource development projects outside park boundaries have raised concern about impacts to bears and other wildlife, but there is a lack of basic local data on bear demographics, movement patterns, and ecology in LACL. Without that baseline information, NPS has limited ability to evaluate potential development impacts or to anticipate how changes in habitat quality or prey availability could alter bear movements and interactions with people.

The research focus is on understanding how brown bears select resources across the landscape and how denning behavior may be shaped by the risk of infanticide, especially for females with dependent young. The project is designed to use radio-collared bear location data and landscape information to quantify seasonal and annual space use, then link those movement patterns to variations in habitat features and seasonal food availability. A central theme is that high-density bear populations and concentrated resources can influence bear behavior in ways that matter for management, including how females may attempt to reduce the risk of male-caused infanticide by choosing den sites and timing den entry and emergence in ways that minimize encounters with adult males.

The joint objectives lay out a fairly specific set of analyses. First, the team will estimate seasonal and annual space use for radio-collared bears, which typically means calculating home ranges and identifying how intensively different areas are used across seasons. Second, they will characterize landscape heterogeneity and seasonal resource availability, effectively building an environmental context for the movement data using GIS layers and resource mapping. Third, they will evaluate how temporal and spatial variation in resources influences bear space use, which is the core "resource selection" component and is intended to separate the roles of where resources are located versus when they become available. The final three objectives concentrate on denning ecology with an emphasis on infanticide risk: identifying den-site selection patterns, testing whether male and female dens (especially dens of females with cubs) are spatially segregated, and examining whether males and females differ in den entrance and emergence dates in a way that could reduce contact rates and potential cub mortality.

Roles are divided in a way that fits the cooperative agreement model, with substantial participation by both MSU and NPS. MSU is responsible for using animal location data to quantify home range size and patterns of area use relative to landscape heterogeneity and changing resources. MSU will also lead den-site analyses, including evaluating whether females with dependent young select den sites that reduce infanticide risk, and whether differences in den timing could function as a behavioral strategy to avoid males. Deliverables include a final project report and peer-reviewed publications; the notice references drafting multiple manuscripts (two in one section and three in another), along with a final report formatted for the NPS Natural Resources Technical Report series. The text also mentions incorporating animal location data from GAAR to broaden the spatial assessment, and it highlights additional analytic angles such as whether den entry/emergence timing relates to energetic costs, what den-site attributes provide thermal cover while minimizing risk, and whether bears that use salmon have higher fat percentages (a body composition outcome linked to diet and fitness).

NPS involvement is described as "substantial," which is important because it distinguishes a cooperative agreement from a more hands-off grant. NPS staff will participate in study design, logistics, data and model analyses, and preparation of reports and publications. NPS will provide key inputs such as bear location datasets and GIS layers describing landscape features within LACL, enabling the spatial ecology and resource selection modeling. NPS also commits to the applied side of the project by supporting and organizing opportunities to share findings with other bear management agencies, park staff, local subsistence users, and the general public, tying research outputs directly to on-the-ground decision-making around bear viewing management, hunting considerations, and assessment of potential external development impacts.

The non-competitive nature of the award is justified as a continuation within the CESU framework. The notice explains that competing the award is not considered practicable because the work is a continuation of an existing effort under a master cooperative agreement (P12AC51051) with Mississippi State University, which participates in the Gulf Coast CESU. CESU partners are competed at the time they are inducted into the CESU network, so follow-on projects can be awarded within that partnership structure without re-opening competition each time. While the announcement lists single-source justification criteria (including "unique qualifications" and "continuation"), the narrative rationale emphasizes the continuation aspect and the existing CESU relationship as the basis for proceeding without full and open competition.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted, management-driven research continuation intended to fill a major information gap about brown bear ecology in Lake Clark. By linking movement and habitat use to seasonal resources and by examining den-site selection and den timing through the lens of infanticide risk, the project aims to produce practical insights that can help NPS anticipate how bears may respond to environmental change, guide visitor and hunting management, and strengthen the park's ability to evaluate and communicate potential risks from development activities occurring outside the park boundary.

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Education, Environment, Natural Resources

Next opportunity: Notice of Intent: Improve access to NPS Archives

Previous opportunity: Program Expansion Supplement: Technical Assistance to Provide High-Quality Voluntary Medical Male

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for P16AS00505

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (P16AS00505) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "P16AS00505", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.