Opportunity Information: Apply for FWS R5 MB 12 017
Apply for FWS R5 MB 12 017
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent to Award" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.655 Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation.
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 7, 2012 and posted on Sep 7, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 14, 2012. (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 $31,700.00 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 grant notice is a Notice of Intent to Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for a single cooperative agreement, with no full competitive announcement attached. The Service indicates it plans to make an award to The Dr. William Montevecchi Lab at Memorial University of Newfoundland to carry out satellite tracking research on a diving seabird, the Northern Gannet (Morus bassana), and to provide technical consultation to the broader project team. The main purpose is to generate credible movement and behavior information that can be used to evaluate potential risks to marine birds in offshore areas where wind energy development is being proposed, especially in federal waters off the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast.
The underlying conservation and regulatory driver is offshore wind planning in the mid-Atlantic. Several offshore wind facilities were being proposed at the time of the notice, and there was uncertainty about how turbines could affect birds, including the possibility of collision mortality and changes in flight behavior and movement pathways. USFWS notes its legal responsibilities to protect marine bird populations that use these offshore areas and frames the work as supporting evidence-based decision-making by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the federal partner agency with jurisdiction over wind energy approvals in U.S. federal waters generally 3 to 20 nautical miles from shore. To assess risk in a meaningful way, the agencies need data on where birds travel, when they are present, and how they move through offshore environments during migration and winter.
The Montevecchi Lab is named as the intended partner because of specialized expertise and readiness to execute the work with minimal competition. The notice explains that Dr. William Montevecchi and his lab have decades of marine bird ecology and behavior experience and hold what is described as the most extensive North American dataset on Northern Gannet movement and breeding information. The lab also has demonstrated capability in capturing gannets and deploying tracking devices, including prior use of Platform Terminal Transmitter satellite tags (PTTs) and geolocation loggers for large-scale movement studies, such as work related to understanding impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Because the lab already had plans to capture and tag gannets in Newfoundland in late summer 2012, USFWS considered them uniquely positioned to deliver the project quickly and effectively.
The planned work centers on capturing and tagging a small number of adult Northern Gannets with satellite transmitters and then collecting, mapping, and sharing the resulting location data. Fieldwork is expected primarily in Newfoundland, Canada, during late and post-breeding periods, with tracking emphasis on migration and winter seasons when many North American gannets occur in federal waters off the mid-Atlantic United States. A key location is the Cape St. Mary’s breeding colony in Newfoundland; birds from this colony are specifically noted as known users of mid-Atlantic offshore waters in migration and winter, which makes the colony particularly relevant for understanding exposure to offshore wind development areas.
The notice lays out several specific tasks for the Montevecchi Lab. These include consulting with project collaborators to plan capture and satellite tagging of six adult Northern Gannets in marine waters and bays of Maryland and New Jersey, and then planning and conducting September 2012 fieldwork at Cape St. Mary’s to capture and satellite-tag nine adult gannets using PTTs supplied by the Service. The lab is also expected to contribute to overall study design, collect and map satellite-derived location data for the life of the tags, provide all data to USFWS staff, assist with data analysis on a limited as-needed basis, and help produce an annual report summarizing results with a stated due date of October 31, 2012. In addition, Dr. Montevecchi is described as a consultant for experimental efforts to capture and tag gannets on the wintering grounds at sea, and as a contributor to study design and analysis for gannet-related subprojects.
USFWS describes “substantial involvement” consistent with a cooperative agreement structure rather than a hands-off grant. The Service’s role includes helping design and implement the project, managing funding, coordinating collaboration, and providing logistical oversight across geographies and focal species. USFWS is also responsible for procuring and supplying satellite tracking equipment, managing satellite service accounts, supporting field operations if needed, conducting analysis and presentation of location data, compiling results from the Montevecchi Lab and other collaborators, and overseeing the annual report submitted to BOEM. The Service will also manage funding distribution, plan for possible subsequent field seasons through agreement extensions, and serve as liaison to BOEM, including advising BOEM on how to apply findings in practice.
From a funding and administrative standpoint, this opportunity is identified as discretionary, using a cooperative agreement funding instrument under the environment activity category. It anticipates one award only, with an award ceiling and floor both set at $31,700, meaning the planned award amount is $31,700. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The CFDA program listed is 15.655, Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, which aligns with the intended recipient being a public university laboratory. The opportunity was posted September 7, 2012, with a closing date of September 14, 2012, and archived September 15, 2012.
Overall, the notice describes a targeted, single-recipient cooperative research effort designed to quickly produce satellite tracking data on Northern Gannets that can inform offshore wind risk assessments in the mid-Atlantic. The deliverables are practical and time-bound: capture and tagging in specified places and times, transmission-based movement datasets, mapped locations, limited analytical support, and an annual summary report to support BOEM and USFWS decision-making around marine bird conservation and offshore energy development.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What kind of grant opportunity is this?
This is a Notice of Intent to Award (NOI) from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for a single cooperative agreement. It is not accompanied by a full competitive funding announcement, and it indicates the Service plans to make one award to a specific recipient.
Is this a competitive grant?
No. Based on the notice, this is a targeted, single-recipient action with no full competitive announcement attached. The intent is to award to a named partner due to specialized expertise and readiness to perform the work quickly.
Who is the intended recipient of the award?
The intended recipient is The Dr. William Montevecchi Lab at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The main purpose is to generate credible movement and behavior information for Northern Gannets (Morus bassana) using satellite tracking. The resulting data is intended to support evaluation of potential risks to marine birds in offshore areas where wind energy development is being proposed, especially in federal waters off the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast.
Why is this work needed now (according to the notice)?
The notice ties the work to offshore wind planning in the U.S. mid-Atlantic, where multiple wind facilities were being proposed at the time. USFWS notes uncertainty about turbine effects on birds, including possible collision mortality and changes in flight behavior and movement pathways, and emphasizes the need for data on where birds travel, when they are present, and how they move through offshore environments during migration and winter.
Which bird species is the focus of the tracking research?
The Northern Gannet (Morus bassana), described as a diving seabird.
How will the project collect movement data?
By capturing and tagging a small number of adult Northern Gannets with satellite transmitters (Platform Terminal Transmitter satellite tags, or PTTs), then collecting, mapping, and sharing satellite-derived location data for the life of the tags.
Where will the fieldwork take place?
Fieldwork is expected primarily in Newfoundland, Canada, during late and post-breeding periods. The notice also describes consultation and planning related to capture and tagging in marine waters and bays of Maryland and New Jersey, and mentions experimental efforts to capture and tag gannets on the wintering grounds at sea.
What is the key colony site mentioned, and why does it matter?
The Cape St. Mary’s breeding colony in Newfoundland is a key site. The notice states that birds from this colony are known users of mid-Atlantic offshore waters during migration and winter, making the colony particularly relevant for understanding exposure to offshore wind development areas.
How many gannets are planned to be satellite-tagged under the described tasks?
The notice specifies planning capture and satellite tagging of six adult Northern Gannets in marine waters and bays of Maryland and New Jersey, and planning and conducting September 2012 fieldwork at Cape St. Mary’s to capture and satellite-tag nine adult gannets using PTTs supplied by the Service.
What specific tasks are assigned to the Montevecchi Lab?
The notice describes tasks including: consulting with collaborators to plan capture and tagging; planning and conducting September 2012 fieldwork at Cape St. Mary’s to capture and tag nine adult gannets with USFWS-supplied PTTs; contributing to overall study design; collecting and mapping satellite-derived location data for the life of the tags; providing all data to USFWS staff; assisting with data analysis on a limited, as-needed basis; and helping produce an annual report summarizing results.
What role will USFWS play during the project?
The notice characterizes USFWS involvement as "substantial," consistent with a cooperative agreement. USFWS roles include helping design and implement the project, managing funding, coordinating collaboration, providing logistical oversight, procuring and supplying satellite tracking equipment, managing satellite service accounts, supporting field operations if needed, conducting analysis and presentation of location data, compiling results from the Montevecchi Lab and other collaborators, and overseeing the annual report submitted to BOEM.
Why is this being issued as a cooperative agreement rather than a more hands-off grant?
The notice indicates substantial involvement by USFWS in design, implementation, logistics, equipment procurement, account management, analysis, coordination, and reporting. That level of ongoing participation aligns with a cooperative agreement structure.
What federal agency will use the results for offshore wind decision-making?
The notice identifies the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) as the federal partner agency with jurisdiction over wind energy approvals in U.S. federal waters, and frames the work as supporting evidence-based decision-making by BOEM.
What offshore area is emphasized in the notice?
Federal waters off the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast are emphasized, described generally as 3 to 20 nautical miles from shore in the context of BOEM jurisdiction.
What are the expected deliverables?
Deliverables described in the notice include satellite-based movement datasets, mapped locations, sharing of all location data with USFWS, limited as-needed analytical support, and an annual report summarizing results for submission through USFWS to BOEM.
When is the annual report due?
The notice states an annual report summarizing results is due by October 31, 2012.
What is the expected timing for the main Newfoundland tagging work?
The notice describes September 2012 fieldwork at Cape St. Mary’s to capture and satellite-tag adult gannets.
Who supplies the satellite transmitters (PTTs)?
The notice states the PTTs used for the September 2012 Cape St. Mary’s work are supplied by the Service (USFWS).
What is the total funding amount for this opportunity?
The award ceiling and award floor are both listed as $31,700, meaning the planned award amount is $31,700.
Is there any cost sharing or match requirement?
No. The notice states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
How many awards will be made?
One award is anticipated, and the notice is written as a single-recipient intent to award.
What is the CFDA program number and title listed?
The notice lists CFDA 15.655, Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation.
What type of applicants are eligible (as stated in the notice)?
Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, which the notice indicates aligns with the intended recipient being a public university laboratory.
What activity category is associated with this opportunity?
The notice identifies the activity category as environment.
What are the key dates for posting and closing?
The opportunity was posted on September 7, 2012, with a closing date of September 14, 2012. It was archived on September 15, 2012.
Why was the Montevecchi Lab selected as the intended partner?
The notice cites specialized expertise and readiness to execute quickly with minimal competition. It highlights decades of marine bird ecology and behavior experience, what is described as the most extensive North American dataset on Northern Gannet movement and breeding information, and demonstrated capability capturing gannets and deploying tracking devices (including prior use of PTTs and geolocation loggers), including experience with large-scale movement studies tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The notice also mentions the lab already had plans to capture and tag gannets in Newfoundland in late summer 2012.
Does the project include consultation beyond the tagging work?
Yes. The notice describes Dr. Montevecchi as providing technical consultation to the broader project team, serving as a consultant for experimental efforts to capture and tag gannets on wintering grounds at sea, and contributing to study design and analysis for gannet-related subprojects.
What is the intended conservation and regulatory outcome?
The notice frames the outcome as improved, evidence-based offshore wind risk assessment for marine birds, supporting USFWS responsibilities to protect marine bird populations and helping BOEM apply findings in offshore wind planning and approvals in federal waters.
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