Opportunity Information: Apply for P13AS00062
Apply for P13AS00062
- The National Park Service in the education environment natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Evaluating the Influence of Nitrogen Deposition Gradients on Plant Diversity" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.954 National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach, and Education.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 28, 2013 and posted on May 28, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 10, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $64,848.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $64,848.00 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:
This notice (Funding Opportunity Number P13AS00062) is a National Park Service (NPS) "Notice of Intent to Award," meaning it is not an open call for applications. Instead, it serves as a public disclosure that NPS planned to make a non-competitive (single-source) cooperative agreement award to The Regents of the University of Colorado (University of Colorado Boulder), with William Bowman serving as the principal investigator/program manager. The anticipated total federal funding was $64,848, with no cost share required, and the work was structured as a task agreement under an existing cooperative agreement (H2370094000) associated with the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The expected period of performance ran from the award date through September 30, 2014, under CFDA 15.954 (National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach, and Education). The NPS point of contact listed was June Zastrow.
The purpose of the project, titled "Evaluating the Influences of Nitrogen Deposition Gradients on Plant Diversity: Filling in the Gaps," was to understand how increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition affects plant diversity in regions where data were limited or missing. Nitrogen deposition, often driven by emissions linked to oil and gas development and agricultural activity, has been associated elsewhere with declines in plant species richness and shifts in community composition. However, NPS noted that the impacts of recent nitrogen increases were largely unknown in the specific target landscapes covered by this effort. By gathering new field data, the project aimed to close major knowledge gaps and improve understanding of biodiversity risks near national park units and other sensitive areas subject to stricter air quality expectations.
The fieldwork was designed around sampling along existing nitrogen deposition gradients in four priority regions: the northern Colorado Plateau, the southern Colorado Plateau, remnant prairies in southern Minnesota and Iowa, and western North Dakota/eastern Montana. These areas were selected because they are near multiple NPS units and have seen recent growth in nitrogen emissions sources. The University of Colorado team committed to selecting at least five sites along each gradient and then establishing plots within sites to measure vegetation composition, abundance, and species richness. In parallel, they would collect soil samples for laboratory analysis, focusing on indicators tied to nutrient status and potential nitrogen-driven stress or acidification, including carbon:nitrogen ratios, extractable nitrogen, base cations, aluminum, and pH. The design also included sampling plant leaf tissue to quantify nitrogen concentration and nutrient stoichiometry (C:N and C:P ratios), and where feasible, collecting lichen tissue to analyze nitrogen concentrations, since lichens can serve as sensitive indicators of atmospheric nitrogen inputs.
A key deliverable was to link measured biological responses (especially plant diversity patterns) with nitrogen deposition rates using a combination of chemical measurements (soil, plant, lichen), deposition monitoring, and statistical/modeling approaches. To strengthen inference and integration with existing efforts, the project was meant to complement NPS Inventory and Monitoring data where possible, with site selection favoring locations that could be paired with or extend ongoing NPS datasets. The work also included direct field measurement components: deploying deposition collectors at each site to obtain on-the-ground nitrogen deposition measurements, rather than relying solely on modeled deposition surfaces.
The project was also explicitly connected to a broader EPA- and USGS-supported synthesis effort (a Powell Center biodiversity and nitrogen synthesis) that was evaluating existing vegetation datasets across estimated nitrogen deposition gradients (roughly 1 to 20 kg N/ha/yr) nationwide. This award supported the "fill in the gaps" portion of that broader initiative by generating new field observations in under-sampled regions. One stated scientific objective was to help validate and refine "critical loads" of nitrogen deposition (thresholds above which harmful ecological effects are expected), referencing recent scientific reviews as the basis for those estimates.
Because sampling could occur within or near several national park units, the university team was responsible for coordinating with NPS staff and obtaining any necessary research permits if sites were chosen within parks such as Dinosaur, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, Effigy Mounds, Theodore Roosevelt, Fort Union, and Knife River. Reporting and publication outputs were part of the planned scope: annual reports describing findings and accomplishments for NPS, a final assessment report due to NPS by March 30, 2014, and one or more peer-reviewed manuscripts prepared in coordination with the Powell Center synthesis collaborators. All publications were required to acknowledge NPS and the Rocky Mountains CESU.
On the NPS side, the agency anticipated "substantial involvement," which is consistent with a cooperative agreement structure rather than a simple grant. NPS responsibilities included providing funding, sharing any existing modeled nitrogen deposition gradient data or maps from the NPS Air Resources Division, facilitating collaboration with park resource management and research staff for logistics and site coordination, providing relevant inventory and monitoring data to contextualize the new field results, participating in periodic coordination calls/meetings, and reviewing interim/final reports and publishable materials. NPS also committed to appropriately recognizing the University of Colorado and other collaborators in products arising from the work.
Finally, the notice explains why the award was made without full and open competition. NPS cited the Department of the Interior single-source justification criterion of "Unique Qualifications," arguing that the proposed recipient was uniquely positioned to carry out the work due to demonstrable expertise and because the effort directly integrated with the ongoing EPA/USGS Powell Center synthesis and its methodological approach. The statutory authorities listed for using a cooperative agreement mechanism included 16 U.S.C. 5933 (Cooperative Study Units), 16 U.S.C. 1a-2(j) (cooperative research and training agreements), and 16 U.S.C. 1g (broad cooperative agreement authority to carry out NPS public-purpose programs).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Funding Opportunity Number P13AS00062?
P13AS00062 is a National Park Service (NPS) Notice of Intent to Award. It is a public notice that NPS planned to make a specific award, rather than a solicitation seeking applications.
Is this an open grant opportunity that organizations can apply to?
No. The notice states it is not an open call for applications. It is a non-competitive (single-source) cooperative agreement intended for a specific recipient.
Who was the intended recipient of this award?
The intended recipient was The Regents of the University of Colorado (University of Colorado Boulder).
Who was listed as the principal investigator/program manager?
William Bowman was listed as the principal investigator/program manager.
What type of federal award mechanism was planned?
The planned mechanism was a cooperative agreement, and the notice also describes NPS anticipating "substantial involvement," which is characteristic of cooperative agreements.
Was the award competitive or single-source?
It was planned as a non-competitive, single-source award.
What justification was given for not using full and open competition?
NPS cited a single-source justification under the Department of the Interior criterion of "Unique Qualifications," stating the recipient was uniquely positioned to carry out the work and to integrate it with an ongoing EPA- and USGS-supported Powell Center synthesis effort.
What was the anticipated total federal funding amount?
The anticipated total federal funding was $64,848.
Was a cost share or match required?
No cost share was required, according to the notice.
What was the expected period of performance?
The expected period of performance was from the award date through September 30, 2014.
Which CFDA program was associated with this notice?
The notice lists CFDA 15.954, National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach, and Education.
Was this work connected to an existing agreement?
Yes. The work was structured as a task agreement under an existing cooperative agreement (H2370094000) associated with the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU).
What was the project title?
The project was titled "Evaluating the Influences of Nitrogen Deposition Gradients on Plant Diversity: Filling in the Gaps."
What problem was the project trying to address?
The project aimed to understand how increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition affects plant diversity in target landscapes where data were limited or missing, and where impacts of recent nitrogen increases were largely unknown.
Why was nitrogen deposition a focus for this effort?
The notice explains that nitrogen deposition, often linked to emissions associated with oil and gas development and agricultural activity, has been associated elsewhere with declines in plant species richness and shifts in community composition. This project sought to evaluate those relationships in under-sampled regions.
What were the priority regions for field sampling?
Fieldwork was designed around existing nitrogen deposition gradients in four priority regions: the northern Colorado Plateau, the southern Colorado Plateau, remnant prairies in southern Minnesota and Iowa, and western North Dakota/eastern Montana.
Why were those regions selected?
The notice states they were selected because they are near multiple NPS units and have experienced recent growth in nitrogen emissions sources.
How many sites were planned along each nitrogen deposition gradient?
The University of Colorado team committed to selecting at least five sites along each gradient.
What kinds of vegetation data were planned to be collected?
Plots were to be established within sites to measure vegetation composition, abundance, and species richness.
What soil measurements were included in the study design?
Soil samples were to be collected for laboratory analysis, including indicators related to nutrient status and possible nitrogen-driven stress or acidification: carbon:nitrogen ratios, extractable nitrogen, base cations, aluminum, and pH.
What plant tissue measurements were included?
The design included sampling plant leaf tissue to quantify nitrogen concentration and nutrient stoichiometry, including C:N and C:P ratios.
Were lichens part of the sampling plan?
Yes, where feasible. The team planned to collect lichen tissue to analyze nitrogen concentrations because lichens can be sensitive indicators of atmospheric nitrogen inputs.
How was nitrogen deposition itself planned to be measured?
The work included deploying deposition collectors at each site to obtain on-the-ground nitrogen deposition measurements, rather than relying only on modeled deposition surfaces.
What was a key scientific deliverable described in the notice?
A key deliverable was linking measured biological responses (especially plant diversity patterns) with nitrogen deposition rates using chemical measurements (soil, plant, lichen), deposition monitoring, and statistical/modeling approaches.
How did the project relate to NPS Inventory and Monitoring efforts?
The project was intended to complement NPS Inventory and Monitoring data where possible, with site selection favoring locations that could be paired with or extend ongoing NPS datasets.
Was this project connected to any broader synthesis initiative?
Yes. It was explicitly connected to an EPA- and USGS-supported Powell Center biodiversity and nitrogen synthesis evaluating existing vegetation datasets across estimated nitrogen deposition gradients nationwide (roughly 1 to 20 kg N/ha/yr). This award supported the "fill in the gaps" portion by generating new field observations in under-sampled regions.
Did the notice mention "critical loads" of nitrogen deposition?
Yes. One stated objective was to help validate and refine "critical loads" (thresholds above which harmful ecological effects are expected), referencing recent scientific reviews as the basis for those estimates.
Could sampling occur inside national park units?
Yes. The notice states sampling could occur within or near several NPS units.
Which park units were mentioned as possible sampling locations?
The notice lists examples of parks where sites might be chosen: Dinosaur, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, Effigy Mounds, Theodore Roosevelt, Fort Union, and Knife River.
Who was responsible for obtaining research permits if needed?
The university team was responsible for coordinating with NPS staff and obtaining any necessary research permits if sites were chosen within parks.
What reporting requirements were described?
The planned outputs included annual reports describing findings and accomplishments for NPS and a final assessment report due to NPS by March 30, 2014.
Were peer-reviewed publications part of the planned scope?
Yes. The scope included preparing one or more peer-reviewed manuscripts in coordination with the Powell Center synthesis collaborators.
Were there acknowledgment requirements for publications?
Yes. All publications were required to acknowledge NPS and the Rocky Mountains CESU.
What level of involvement did NPS anticipate during the project?
NPS anticipated substantial involvement, consistent with a cooperative agreement. The notice describes NPS participating in coordination calls/meetings and reviewing interim/final reports and publishable materials, among other roles.
What support and responsibilities did NPS describe for its role?
NPS responsibilities included providing funding; sharing modeled nitrogen deposition gradient data or maps from the NPS Air Resources Division; facilitating collaboration with park resource management and research staff for logistics and site coordination; providing relevant inventory and monitoring data to contextualize results; participating in periodic coordination calls/meetings; and reviewing interim/final reports and publishable materials.
Did NPS commit to recognizing partners in resulting products?
Yes. NPS stated it would appropriately recognize the University of Colorado and other collaborators in products arising from the work.
Who was the NPS point of contact listed in the notice?
The notice lists June Zastrow as the NPS point of contact.
What statutory authorities were cited for using a cooperative agreement mechanism?
The notice lists 16 U.S.C. 5933 (Cooperative Study Units), 16 U.S.C. 1a-2(j) (cooperative research and training agreements), and 16 U.S.C. 1g (broad cooperative agreement authority to carry out NPS public-purpose programs).
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