Opportunity Information: Apply for P16AS00127
Apply for P16AS00127
- The DOI-NPS in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent: Bird & Butterfly community response to large-scale invasive plant removal and native plant reestablishment in desert riparian habitat" 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 Apr 26, 2016 and posted on Apr 26, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 05, 2016. (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 $50,000.00 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, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
This funding opportunity (P16AS00127) is a Notice of Intent from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (DOI-NPS), focused on understanding how wildlife responds when large-scale invasive plants are removed and native vegetation is restored along desert river corridors. The work is centered on the Rio Grande within Big Bend National Park (BIBE), where invasive saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) and giant cane (Arundo donax) have spread extensively. These invasive species are known to reshape riparian habitats by changing vegetation structure and composition, influencing river channel behavior, altering soil chemistry, and ultimately reducing habitat quality for many aquatic and terrestrial species. Because the Rio Grande corridor in BIBE is a major ribbon of life in an arid landscape, changes to this habitat can ripple through the broader ecosystem.
Big Bend National Park is already implementing invasive plant control and restoration at a scale described as historic for the area, affecting large stretches of riparian habitat. The park is using multiple treatment methods, including large-scale prescribed fire, manual removal efforts, and biological control through the northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata). The grant-supported project is meant to evaluate what these management actions actually do for wildlife on the ground, with a specific emphasis on bird and butterfly communities. In practical terms, the project is designed to document whether treated areas begin to function more like healthy native riparian habitat and whether key wildlife groups increase in diversity, abundance, or use of the restored corridor.
The biological targets are two groups that are both ecologically meaningful and useful for measuring restoration success. Birds are a major focus because the Rio Grande riparian zone supports a diverse community throughout the year, including migratory stopover use and summer breeding. A particularly important species mentioned is the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), which is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and depends on riparian vegetation in the region. The project explicitly includes censusing the local population of this threatened bird, which helps tie the research to compliance and recovery-related priorities. Butterflies are the second major focus because they are widely considered strong indicators of habitat condition and plant community change, and many butterfly species are expected to use the BIBE riparian corridor. The opportunity also highlights Monarch butterflies, which migrate through the region and have been the subject of conservation concern (including a petition for listing in the U.S. and a threatened listing status in Mexico, as described in the notice). By tracking butterflies alongside birds, the project can capture responses across different parts of the food web and different life-history strategies.
Methodologically, the work is framed as a structured monitoring and comparison study across treated and untreated locations. Fieldwork is planned around standard wildlife survey approaches: bird point counts and butterfly line-transect surveys. Surveys are to be conducted during spring migration and during the summer breeding season, spanning the 2016 and 2017 field seasons. Just as importantly, the study is expected to coordinate with monitoring protocols the National Park Service already has in place for vegetation and river channel conditions at multiple sites along the Rio Grande. That means the wildlife response data will be linked to measured habitat and geomorphic conditions, strengthening the ability to interpret whether changes in birds and butterflies are associated with native plant reestablishment, reduced invasive cover, or other habitat shifts driven by the treatments.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary award using a Cooperative Agreement, indicating the NPS anticipates substantial involvement or collaboration during the project rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant. The activity category is Natural Resources, and the CFDA number listed is 15.945. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, with additional eligibility potentially allowed under the notice’s “Others” category as clarified in the full eligibility text. The opportunity anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $50,000. The notice was posted April 26, 2016, created April 26, 2016, and had a closing date of May 5, 2016. Overall, the project is essentially a targeted, short-term monitoring effort tied directly to a major invasive species removal and riparian restoration program, aiming to produce defensible evidence about ecological outcomes for birds (including a federally threatened species) and butterflies (including high-profile migratory species) in a desert river ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Funding Opportunity P16AS00127
1) What is funding opportunity P16AS00127 about?
P16AS00127 is a Notice of Intent from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (DOI-NPS). It focuses on evaluating how wildlife responds when large-scale invasive plants are removed and native vegetation is restored along desert river corridors, specifically along the Rio Grande within Big Bend National Park (BIBE).
2) Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), National Park Service (NPS).
3) What is the main conservation problem the project addresses?
The project addresses widespread invasion of the Rio Grande riparian corridor by saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) and giant cane (Arundo donax). These invasive plants can alter vegetation structure and composition, influence river channel behavior, change soil chemistry, and reduce habitat quality for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. Because the Rio Grande corridor is a key "ribbon of life" in an arid landscape, these changes can have broader ecosystem impacts.
4) Where will the work take place?
The work is centered on the Rio Grande within Big Bend National Park (BIBE).
5) What management actions are being evaluated?
The project evaluates outcomes from Big Bend National Park's large-scale invasive plant control and restoration actions. Treatment methods mentioned include prescribed fire, manual removal, and biological control using the northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda carinulata).
6) What is the project trying to find out?
The project is intended to document whether treated areas begin to function more like healthy native riparian habitat and whether key wildlife groups show measurable improvements, such as increased diversity, abundance, or corridor use after treatment and restoration actions.
7) Which wildlife groups are the focus of the monitoring?
The opportunity emphasizes two biological targets: bird communities and butterfly communities. These groups are highlighted as ecologically meaningful and useful for measuring restoration success.
8) Why are birds a key focus of this project?
Birds are a major focus because the Rio Grande riparian zone supports a diverse community year-round, including migratory stopover use and summer breeding. The project also explicitly includes censusing the local population of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), which is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and depends on riparian vegetation in the region.
9) Why are butterflies included in the study?
Butterflies are widely viewed as strong indicators of habitat condition and changes in plant communities. Many butterfly species are expected to use the BIBE riparian corridor, so tracking butterflies alongside birds helps capture ecological responses across different parts of the food web and different life-history strategies.
10) Does the opportunity mention any high-profile butterfly species?
Yes. The opportunity specifically highlights Monarch butterflies, noting their migration through the region and conservation concern, including a petition for listing in the U.S. and a threatened listing status in Mexico (as described in the notice).
11) What survey methods are planned for birds and butterflies?
The fieldwork is framed around standard wildlife survey approaches: bird point counts and butterfly line-transect surveys. The study is structured to compare treated and untreated locations.
12) When are surveys expected to occur?
Surveys are planned during spring migration and during the summer breeding season, spanning the 2016 and 2017 field seasons.
13) How will the project connect wildlife results to habitat conditions?
The study is expected to coordinate with National Park Service monitoring protocols already in place for vegetation and river channel conditions at multiple sites along the Rio Grande. This links wildlife response data with measured habitat and geomorphic conditions, helping interpret whether changes in birds and butterflies track native plant reestablishment, reduced invasive cover, or other habitat shifts related to the treatments.
14) What type of award mechanism is planned?
This is a discretionary award using a Cooperative Agreement, which indicates the National Park Service anticipates substantial involvement or collaboration during the project rather than a hands-off grant.
15) What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category listed is Natural Resources.
16) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 15.945.
17) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The notice also indicates additional eligibility may be allowed under an "Others" category as clarified in the full eligibility text.
18) How many awards are anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
19) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $50,000.
20) What are the key dates for this notice?
The notice was posted on April 26, 2016, created on April 26, 2016, and had a closing date of May 5, 2016.
21) Is this project primarily research, monitoring, or on-the-ground restoration?
Based on the notice description, the grant-supported work is primarily a targeted, short-term monitoring and evaluation effort tied to an ongoing invasive species removal and riparian restoration program. The goal is to produce defensible evidence about ecological outcomes for birds (including a federally threatened species) and butterflies in a desert river ecosystem.
22) What makes this restoration effort notable at Big Bend National Park?
The notice describes the park's invasive plant control and restoration actions as being implemented at a scale that is historic for the area, affecting large stretches of riparian habitat along the Rio Grande.
23) Why compare treated and untreated sites?
The project is framed as a structured monitoring and comparison study across treated and untreated locations to help determine whether observed changes in birds and butterflies are associated with the invasive plant removal and restoration treatments.
24) How does the threatened Yellow-billed Cuckoo relate to the project goals?
The project explicitly includes censusing the local population of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act). This connects the work to compliance and recovery-related priorities while evaluating whether riparian habitat improvements benefit a species closely tied to that habitat.
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