Opportunity Information: Apply for P13AS00107
Apply for P13AS00107
- The National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Monitoring Acoustical Environments and Noise, and Studying Their Significance to Wildlife" 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 27, 2013 and posted on Jun 27, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 8, 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 $600,551.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $600,551.00 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) grant opportunity titled "Monitoring Acoustical Environments and Noise, and Studying Their Significance to Wildlife" is a discretionary funding action intended to support ongoing research and development on how human-caused noise affects natural soundscapes and wildlife in U.S. national parks. Importantly, the notice is not a call for new applications. Instead, it serves as a public notice that NPS planned to make a single cooperative agreement award without full and open competition, continuing an established partnership with Colorado State University (CSU). The project is rooted in the growing recognition that noise is a widespread form of pollution in protected natural areas, with monitoring across 22 park units indicating that noise can be audible roughly one quarter of the time at a typical site, and that some wilderness locations can experience extremely high levels of noise audibility (exceeding 50 on an hourly basis, as reported in the notice). The overarching purpose is to strengthen the science and tools needed to understand noise exposure, measure it more effectively, and translate findings into practical management priorities and mitigation strategies for protected lands.
At the core of the project is a combined research, monitoring, and capacity-building agenda. The work aims to develop and test improved methods for monitoring acoustical environments and analyzing acoustic datasets, which implies both field-deployable instrumentation and better analytical approaches for interpreting large volumes of sound data. A second major focus is stimulating observational and experimental research to address fundamental questions about how chronic noise influences wildlife behavior and ecology. The announcement highlights that existing scientific literature already links noise to changes in behavior, fitness, distribution, and community structure, and it also notes that noise can indirectly affect plant communities through its influence on wildlife. Even with that established baseline, NPS emphasizes the need for more detailed, decision-relevant understanding that helps managers determine where noise management is most urgent and what mitigation approaches are likely to be effective and efficient.
The project is also designed to expand the scientific basis used to evaluate potential impacts of noise exposure on wildlife, while building strong collaboration between researchers and resource managers. One explicit goal is to promote collaborative conservation working groups where academic experts and natural resource managers can jointly interpret findings and provide credible scientific input to decision makers dealing with anthropogenic disturbance and associated noise. Alongside these applied management outcomes, the effort includes a strong workforce development and education component. It is intended to support the career development of research associates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers by deepening their skills in acoustical monitoring and auditory perception, while also increasing research opportunities for undergraduates through participation in active projects. Expected outputs include peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, and the notice also mentions a broader intent to stimulate interdisciplinary research and education at CSU, including the development and use of innovative instrumentation and possible hosting of scientific workshops or conferences centered on the importance of sound to wildlife.
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which signals that NPS expects to be actively involved rather than simply providing funds with minimal oversight. CSU, as the recipient, would collaboratively undertake the work and coordinate closely with an NPS technical expert to define tasks, build schedules, recruit and manage research staff (including research associates and student employees), and oversee graduate student education and research. CSU would also convene monthly meetings with the NPS technical expert and research associates to review ongoing work, assess progress, and plan next steps, and it would be responsible for presenting results at conferences and translating research outcomes into peer-reviewed manuscripts. On the NPS side, substantial involvement is outlined as a condition for success: NPS would co-develop the task plan and schedule, provide regular consultation opportunities, supply acoustical data as needed for algorithm development and analysis, join recurring meetings, participate in data analysis and manuscript drafting when appropriate, and provide scientific review of draft papers.
NPS justified making this a non-competitive, single-source action on two grounds described in the notice: continuation and unique qualifications. Under the continuation rationale, NPS points to CSU being a successful partner since 2008 and argues that bringing in a new partner would impose major costs in retraining and in migrating existing intellectual property and established workflows, outweighing potential benefits of competition. Under unique qualifications, NPS stresses that geographic proximity matters because frequent in-person interaction is important between CSU personnel and NPS Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division staff located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The notice also notes CSU's status as the only Carnegie "Doctoral/Research Very High Research Activity (RU/VH)" institution in Northern Colorado, and it references an earlier search of publication records across multiple Colorado institutions to identify appropriate partners.
Administratively, the opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number P13AS00107, with one expected award and an estimated total funding amount of $600,551 (with the same figure listed as the award ceiling). There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Eligible applicants are public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, though the notice makes clear that this specific action was intended as a non-competitive award. The listed program connections include CFDA 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Programs) and Resources of the National Park System. Statutory authorities cited for the cooperative approach include 16 U.S.C. 1a-2(j), which authorizes cooperative research and training agreements related to National Park System resources, and 16 U.S.C. 5933, which supports cooperative study units and multidisciplinary research partnerships with colleges and universities. The posting date was June 27, 2013, with an original and current closing date of July 8, 2013, and an archive date of July 9, 2013, reflecting that this notice functioned primarily as a transparency step rather than an open solicitation. Contact information in the notice points to a contract specialist for access issues related to the full announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the title of this NPS grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Monitoring Acoustical Environments and Noise, and Studying Their Significance to Wildlife."
2) What is the main purpose of this opportunity?
The purpose is to support ongoing research, monitoring, and tool development focused on understanding how human-caused noise affects natural soundscapes and wildlife in U.S. national parks. The effort is intended to strengthen the science and practical tools needed to measure noise exposure, interpret large acoustic datasets, and translate findings into management priorities and mitigation strategies for protected lands.
3) Is this a call for new applications?
No. The notice is explicitly not a call for new applications. It functions as a public notice that the National Park Service (NPS) planned to make a single cooperative agreement award without full and open competition.
4) How many awards were expected under this notice?
One award was expected.
5) What funding instrument is being used?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, indicating substantial NPS involvement in the project rather than a hands-off grant relationship.
6) Who was the intended recipient of the award?
The notice indicates NPS planned to continue an established partnership by making a single, non-competitive cooperative agreement award to Colorado State University (CSU).
7) Why did NPS justify making a non-competitive, single-source award?
NPS cited two reasons in the notice:
- Continuation: CSU had been a successful partner since 2008, and NPS stated that switching partners would create major costs for retraining and migrating existing intellectual property and workflows.
- Unique qualifications: The notice emphasizes the importance of geographic proximity for frequent in-person collaboration with NPS Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division staff in Fort Collins, Colorado, and notes CSU's research status and prior review of publication records across Colorado institutions to identify appropriate partners.
8) What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is P13AS00107.
9) How much funding was estimated for this award?
The estimated total funding amount was $600,551. The notice also lists $600,551 as the award ceiling.
10) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
11) Who is listed as eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are listed as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. However, the notice also makes clear this specific action was intended as a non-competitive award rather than an open solicitation.
12) What kinds of activities and work does the project cover?
Based on the notice, the project combines research, monitoring, and capacity-building, including:
- Developing and testing improved methods for monitoring acoustical environments and analyzing acoustic datasets (including field-deployable instrumentation and analytical approaches).
- Stimulating observational and experimental research on how chronic noise affects wildlife behavior and ecology.
- Expanding the scientific basis for evaluating potential wildlife impacts from noise exposure.
- Building collaboration structures (such as collaborative conservation working groups) that connect researchers and resource managers.
- Workforce development and education for research associates, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduates.
13) What problem is this project trying to address in national parks?
The notice frames noise as a widespread form of pollution in protected natural areas. It references monitoring across 22 park units indicating that noise can be audible roughly one quarter of the time at a typical site, and that some wilderness locations can experience extremely high levels of noise audibility (reported as exceeding 50 on an hourly basis in the notice).
14) What does the notice say about known wildlife impacts from noise?
The notice states that existing scientific literature already links noise to changes in behavior, fitness, distribution, and community structure. It also notes noise can indirectly affect plant communities through its influence on wildlife.
15) What outcomes is NPS looking for beyond basic research findings?
NPS emphasizes the need for decision-relevant understanding that helps park managers determine where noise management is most urgent and what mitigation approaches are likely to be effective and efficient. The work is meant to translate scientific findings into practical management priorities and mitigation strategies.
16) What role would CSU play under the cooperative agreement?
CSU would collaboratively undertake the work and coordinate closely with an NPS technical expert. Responsibilities described in the notice include defining tasks, building schedules, recruiting and managing research staff (including research associates and student employees), overseeing graduate student education and research, convening monthly meetings with NPS and project personnel, presenting results at conferences, and translating research outcomes into peer-reviewed manuscripts.
17) What role would NPS play (substantial involvement)?
The notice describes NPS involvement as a condition for success, including co-developing the task plan and schedule, providing regular consultation, supplying acoustical data as needed for algorithm development and analysis, joining recurring meetings, participating in data analysis and manuscript drafting when appropriate, and providing scientific review of draft papers.
18) Are there planned collaboration or working group components?
Yes. The notice explicitly mentions promoting collaborative conservation working groups where academic experts and natural resource managers can interpret findings together and provide credible scientific input to decision makers addressing anthropogenic disturbance and associated noise.
19) What education and workforce development elements are included?
The notice highlights workforce development and education as a strong component. It is intended to support career development for research associates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers (including skills in acoustical monitoring and auditory perception), and to increase research opportunities for undergraduates through participation in active projects.
20) What types of deliverables or outputs are expected?
Expected outputs include peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. The notice also references stimulating interdisciplinary research and education at CSU, including development and use of innovative instrumentation and possible hosting of scientific workshops or conferences focused on the importance of sound to wildlife.
21) Which program connections or CFDA listings are referenced?
The notice references CFDA 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Programs) and also cites "Resources of the National Park System" as a program connection.
22) What statutory authorities are cited for using a cooperative agreement?
The notice cites 16 U.S.C. 1a-2(j), which authorizes cooperative research and training agreements related to National Park System resources, and 16 U.S.C. 5933, which supports cooperative study units and multidisciplinary research partnerships with colleges and universities.
23) What were the key dates (posting, closing, archive)?
The posting date was June 27, 2013. The original and current closing date was July 8, 2013. The archive date was July 9, 2013. The notice indicates these dates reflect a transparency step rather than an open solicitation.
24) Who is the contact mentioned in the notice and what are they for?
The notice points to a contract specialist as the contact for access issues related to the full announcement.
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