Opportunity Information: Apply for P15AS00287
Apply for P15AS00287
- The National Park Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Identifying Factors Responsible for Ranaviral Disease Outbreaks in the Great Smoky Mountains 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 Sep 3, 2015 and posted on Sep 3, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 11, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- The United States Department of the Interior, The National Park Service (NPS), and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is announcing a notice of intent to award this is not a request for applications. This funding opportunity is to provide public notice of NPSs intention to fund the following project activities without full and open competition, under Cooperative Agreement P14AC00882 with the University of Tennessee, a partner under the Southern Appalachian Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, for a project titled Identifying Factors Responsible for Ranaviral Disease Outbreaks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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Opportunity Summary:
This grant notice, titled "Identifying Factors Responsible for Ranaviral Disease Outbreaks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park" (Funding Opportunity Number P15AS00287), is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement focused on understanding and managing ranavirus disease at Gourley Pond in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ranavirus is a serious wildlife pathogen known to cause die-offs in amphibians (and sometimes reptiles and fish), and the opportunity is framed as urgent because of the need to understand why outbreaks are occurring, what they are doing to the local amphibian community, and how likely it is that the virus could be carried from this pond to other locations within the park.
The project’s goals are laid out in three connected objectives. First, the work aims to identify the factors responsible for the emergence of ranavirus at Gourley Pond. This implies investigating environmental conditions, host dynamics, and possible human-related influences that might be associated with the onset or recurrence of disease events. Second, the project seeks to quantify the effects of ranavirus outbreaks on the amphibian community at Gourley Pond. In practical terms, this means moving beyond simply documenting that disease is present and instead measuring impacts such as changes in population size, survival, and community composition. Third, the work aims to quantify the risk of translocation, meaning the chance that ranavirus could be transported from Gourley Pond to other Great Smoky Mountains National Park sites. This is especially important in a heavily visited park where visitors, equipment, or other vectors could inadvertently spread pathogens between water bodies.
To meet these objectives, the NPS plans to use a combination of field and surveillance methods that fit the disease ecology problem. The notice highlights mark-recapture sampling, which is a standard wildlife population approach where individual animals are captured, uniquely marked, and later recaptured to estimate population size, survival, movement, and other demographic parameters. It also highlights pathogen surveillance, indicating systematic testing or monitoring for ranavirus presence in hosts and/or the environment to understand infection prevalence and patterns over time. Finally, the project includes estimating public visitation at Gourley Pond, which points to assessing human use as a potential driver of exposure risk, disturbance, or pathogen transport, and to help evaluate how people might contribute to movement of the virus to new sites.
Administratively, this opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, under the environment activity category, with CFDA numbers 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System). There is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed. However, this notice is explicitly not a request for applications. Instead, it functions as a public notice of intent to award without full and open competition under an existing cooperative agreement (P14AC00882) with the University of Tennessee, which is identified as a partner under the Southern Appalachian Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. In other words, the NPS is announcing that it plans to support this work through a noncompetitive arrangement with a specific partner rather than soliciting proposals broadly.
Key dates show it was posted on September 3, 2015, with an original and current closing date of September 11, 2015, and an archive date of September 30, 2015. The financial fields in the listing show zeros for estimated total funding and award ceiling/floor, which often occurs in notices of intent or postings where the primary purpose is transparency about a planned award rather than competing applicants for a set funding amount. A contact is provided for access issues or questions about the announcement: Brian Straka (865-436-1217, BrianStraka@nps.gov).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the title of this grant notice?
The notice is titled "Identifying Factors Responsible for Ranaviral Disease Outbreaks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park."
2) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this notice?
The Funding Opportunity Number is P15AS00287.
3) Which agency is behind this opportunity?
The opportunity is issued by the National Park Service (NPS).
4) What type of funding is this (competitive or discretionary)?
The notice is categorized as discretionary funding.
5) What funding instrument is being used?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement.
6) What is the project focused on?
The project focuses on understanding and managing ranavirus disease at Gourley Pond in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including why outbreaks are occurring, what impacts they have on amphibians, and how likely the virus is to spread to other sites in the park.
7) What is ranavirus and why is it important in this notice?
Ranavirus is described as a serious wildlife pathogen known to cause die-offs in amphibians (and sometimes reptiles and fish). The notice frames the work as urgent due to outbreak concerns and the risk of spread to other locations.
8) Where will the work take place?
The work is centered on Gourley Pond in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
9) What are the main objectives of the project?
The project includes three connected objectives: (1) identify factors responsible for the emergence of ranavirus at Gourley Pond, (2) quantify the effects of ranavirus outbreaks on the amphibian community at Gourley Pond, and (3) quantify the risk of translocation of ranavirus from Gourley Pond to other sites in the park.
10) What does "identify factors responsible for the emergence of ranavirus" mean in the context of this notice?
Based on the notice, it means investigating potential drivers associated with the onset or recurrence of disease events, including environmental conditions, host dynamics, and possible human-related influences.
11) What does "quantify the effects on the amphibian community" involve?
The notice indicates this goes beyond confirming disease presence and includes measuring impacts such as changes in population size, survival, and community composition at Gourley Pond.
12) What does "quantify the risk of translocation" refer to?
It refers to estimating the likelihood that ranavirus could be transported from Gourley Pond to other Great Smoky Mountains National Park sites, including the possibility of spread via visitors, equipment, or other vectors.
13) Why is translocation risk highlighted as a concern?
The notice emphasizes this because the park is heavily visited, and movement of people and gear between water bodies could inadvertently spread pathogens.
14) What methods does the notice say will be used to meet the objectives?
The notice highlights a combination of field and surveillance methods, including mark-recapture sampling, pathogen surveillance, and estimating public visitation at Gourley Pond.
15) What is mark-recapture sampling (as referenced in the notice)?
The notice describes mark-recapture as a standard wildlife population approach where individual animals are captured, uniquely marked, and later recaptured to estimate population size, survival, movement, and other demographic parameters.
16) What does pathogen surveillance mean in this project?
In the context of this notice, pathogen surveillance refers to systematic testing or monitoring for ranavirus presence in hosts and/or the environment to understand infection prevalence and patterns over time.
17) Why does the project include estimating public visitation at Gourley Pond?
The notice points to public visitation as a potential factor in exposure risk, disturbance, or pathogen transport. Visitation estimates can help evaluate how people might contribute to moving the virus to new sites.
18) What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The notice lists the activity category as environment.
19) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The notice lists CFDA 15.945, described as "Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System."
20) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement listed.
21) Is this notice a request for applications (RFA) open to the public?
No. The notice explicitly states it is not a request for applications.
22) If it is not an open solicitation, what is the purpose of the notice?
The notice functions as a public notice of intent to award without full and open competition, describing the government’s plan to support the work through a noncompetitive arrangement rather than soliciting proposals broadly.
23) Who is the intended partner for the cooperative agreement mentioned in the notice?
The notice identifies the University of Tennessee as the partner.
24) What existing agreement is referenced for this planned award?
The notice references an existing cooperative agreement number P14AC00882.
25) What collaborative framework is mentioned for this partnership?
The notice states the University of Tennessee is identified as a partner under the Southern Appalachian Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
26) What are the key dates listed in the notice?
Posted date: September 3, 2015. Original closing date: September 11, 2015. Current closing date: September 11, 2015. Archive date: September 30, 2015.
27) Why do the funding fields show zero dollars in the listing?
The notice indicates that zeros for estimated total funding and award ceiling/floor can occur in notices of intent or postings where the primary purpose is transparency about a planned award rather than competing applicants for a set funding amount.
28) Who can be contacted for access issues or questions about the announcement?
The notice provides the following contact: Brian Straka, phone 865-436-1217, email BrianStraka@nps.gov.
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