Opportunity Information: Apply for FWSR2 NWRS FY08 FIRE FORAGE SANWR
Apply for FWSR2 NWRS FY08 FIRE FORAGE SANWR
- The Migratory Birds in the environment natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NWRS Special Project Support Prescribed Fire and Bighorn Sheep Forage San Andres NWR" and is now available to receive applicants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 22, 2008 and posted on Aug 22, 2008.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 31, 2008. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $31,920.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $31,920.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The NWRS Special Project Support Prescribed Fire and Bighorn Sheep Forage San Andres NWR opportunity is a FY 2008 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Region 2 project centered on San Andres National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. The refuge is managed primarily to support the state-endangered desert bighorn sheep, a high-priority species across the US Southwest and northern Mexico. For years, the refuge experienced both natural and human-caused fires, but since 1999 the refuge has leaned into prescribed burning as an intentional habitat management tool. The basic management idea behind the fire program is that carefully planned burns can curb the spread of woody plants and encourage the grasses and herbaceous vegetation that desert bighorn sheep and other native ungulates rely on for forage.
The grant is rooted in a larger ecological problem affecting the San Andres Mountains, which are considered a priority recovery area for desert bighorn sheep. Over roughly the last century, Chihuahuan Desert grasslands in this landscape have been altered by a combination of overgrazing, long-term fire suppression, and climate influences. As a result, coniferous woodland species have expanded into former grasslands, and some shrub communities have advanced into later successional stages. These changes can reduce the availability and quality of forage and may also alter habitat structure in ways that are less favorable to bighorn sheep. Historically, wildfires were largely suppressed, but the refuge shifted toward prescribed fire after 1999 because managers wanted a proactive way to restore or maintain open grassland conditions and improve foraging opportunities.
A central theme of the project is that while prescribed fire is being used to improve habitat, land managers need clear, measured evidence of whether it actually delivers the benefits they are aiming for, and under what conditions. The project is designed to evaluate if prescribed burning improves forage conditions in a way that could support a healthy, productive, and self-sustaining bighorn sheep population. It also recognizes that burn outcomes are not all the same: factors like fire intensity and behavior matter, which is why the project explicitly looks at differences between "hot" and "cold" fire types and how those differences translate into vegetation response and habitat value.
The stated objectives are practical and management-oriented. First, the work will quantify how much vegetation changes after fire and where those changes occur across the refuge, emphasizing both amount and spatial distribution rather than isolated plots. Second, it will examine how vegetation response varies depending on the type or intensity of fire (hot versus cold), which speaks directly to burn prescriptions and the conditions under which managers choose to ignite. Third, the project will interpret vegetation changes in terms of habitat quality for refuge ungulates, connecting plant response to the on-the-ground reality of what bighorn sheep are likely to use. Fourth, using ongoing habitat association work for desert bighorn sheep, the project will estimate how much habitat is effectively "gained" through prescribed fire and how that gain compares to the total habitat available to the species, helping managers understand the scale of benefits relative to the broader landscape.
The expected deliverable value is decision support for future habitat restoration and fire planning. The refuge and neighboring land managers intend to use the findings to adjust bighorn sheep habitat restoration efforts, especially how prescribed burning is designed and implemented. The data are also expected to help refine burn planning details such as timing, intensity, and duration, which are the levers managers can realistically control. Another important point is transferability: the refuge expects the results to be useful beyond San Andres NWR, particularly in other Chihuahuan Desert areas that support desert bighorn sheep, making the project relevant to a broader regional restoration and fire-management context.
Administratively, this notice is not a typical open competition with a full solicitation package. It is a notice of intent to make a single source award under Department of the Interior guidance (505 DM 2.14). USFWS planned to issue one cooperative agreement totaling $31,920, and the intended recipient is the University of New Mexico (UNM). The single source justification is based on UNM's existing expertise and related research history, including prior work in the northern San Andres Mountains and Oscura areas on woodland fire history, and complementary ongoing pinon-juniper woodland studies at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. USFWS also frames the award as beneficial for building and supporting UNM biological programs while leveraging USFWS technical and biological expertise, creating a cooperative relationship that includes shared knowledge, potential exchanges, and consolidation of resources in the public interest.
Key opportunity details reflect that structure: it is a discretionary program using a cooperative agreement instrument, categorized under Environment and Natural Resources, with an expected award count of one and no cost sharing or matching requirement. The funding opportunity number is FWSR2 NWRS FY08 FIRE FORAGE SANWR. The posting date was August 22, 2008, with an original and current closing date of August 31, 2008, and an archive date of September 30, 2008. The estimated total funding, as well as the floor and ceiling, are all listed as $31,920, which aligns with the single source intent. Although eligibility is listed broadly as "unrestricted," the text makes clear the agency's intent to proceed with UNM as the single source partner rather than run a standard open competition. The listed contact for access issues or questions is Grant Harris, Habitat Conservation Goals Coordinator, at 505-248-6817 and GrantHarris@fws.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "NWRS Special Project Support Prescribed Fire and Bighorn Sheep Forage San Andres NWR" opportunity?
This is a FY 2008 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Region 2 project focused on San Andres National Wildlife Refuge (San Andres NWR) in New Mexico. The project centers on prescribed fire as a habitat management tool and is designed to evaluate how prescribed burning affects vegetation and forage conditions for desert bighorn sheep and other native ungulates.
Which agency is offering the award?
The award is offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Region 2.
Where will the project take place?
The work is centered on San Andres National Wildlife Refuge in the San Andres Mountains of New Mexico.
What species is this project primarily meant to benefit?
The refuge is managed primarily to support the state-endangered desert bighorn sheep. The San Andres Mountains are considered a priority recovery area for the species.
Why is prescribed fire a focus at San Andres NWR?
For many years the refuge experienced both natural and human-caused fires. Since 1999, managers have leaned into prescribed burning as a deliberate habitat management approach intended to curb the spread of woody plants and encourage grasses and herbaceous vegetation that desert bighorn sheep and other native ungulates rely on for forage.
What ecological problem is the project trying to address?
Over roughly the last century, Chihuahuan Desert grasslands in this landscape have been altered by a combination of overgrazing, long-term fire suppression, and climate influences. These pressures have contributed to coniferous woodland expansion into former grasslands and advancement of some shrub communities into later successional stages. Those shifts can reduce forage availability and quality and may also create habitat structure that is less favorable to desert bighorn sheep.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The project is designed to produce measured evidence about whether prescribed burning improves forage conditions in ways that could support a healthy, productive, and self-sustaining desert bighorn sheep population. It also aims to clarify under what conditions prescribed fire is most beneficial.
What does the project mean by differences between "hot" and "cold" fires?
The project explicitly considers that burn outcomes can differ depending on fire intensity and behavior. It evaluates differences between "hot" and "cold" fire types and how those differences translate into vegetation response and habitat value for refuge ungulates.
What are the stated objectives of the project?
The stated objectives are management-oriented and include: (1) quantifying the amount and spatial distribution of vegetation change after fire across the refuge; (2) examining how vegetation response varies by fire type or intensity (hot vs. cold); (3) interpreting vegetation changes in terms of habitat quality for refuge ungulates; and (4) estimating how much bighorn sheep habitat is effectively "gained" through prescribed fire, and how that gain compares to the total habitat available.
Is the project focused only on vegetation plots or broader landscape patterns?
It emphasizes both the amount and the spatial distribution of vegetation changes across the refuge, rather than relying only on isolated plot-level observations.
How will vegetation changes be connected to bighorn sheep habitat needs?
The project will interpret vegetation response in terms of habitat quality for refuge ungulates and, using ongoing habitat association work for desert bighorn sheep, will estimate how much effective habitat is gained through prescribed fire relative to total available habitat.
What is the expected value or use of the project deliverables?
The deliverable value is decision support for future habitat restoration and fire planning. The refuge and neighboring land managers intend to use the findings to adjust bighorn sheep habitat restoration efforts and refine burn planning details such as timing, intensity, and duration.
Are the results intended to be useful beyond San Andres NWR?
Yes. The refuge expects the results to be transferable to other Chihuahuan Desert areas that support desert bighorn sheep, making the work relevant to broader regional restoration and fire-management needs.
What type of funding instrument is planned for this opportunity?
The notice indicates a cooperative agreement instrument.
Is this a discretionary grant program?
Yes. It is described as a discretionary program using a cooperative agreement.
What is the program category for this opportunity?
The opportunity is categorized under Environment and Natural Resources.
Is this an open competitive funding opportunity?
No. This notice is described as a notice of intent to make a single source award under Department of the Interior guidance (505 DM 2.14), rather than a typical open competition with a full solicitation package.
How many awards does USFWS expect to make?
The expected award count is one.
What is the expected funding amount?
The estimated total funding is $31,920. The funding floor and ceiling are also listed as $31,920, consistent with a single planned cooperative agreement.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Who is the intended recipient of the single source award?
The intended recipient is the University of New Mexico (UNM).
Why is the award intended as a single source to the University of New Mexico?
The single source justification is based on UNM's existing expertise and related research history, including prior work in the northern San Andres Mountains and Oscura areas on woodland fire history, and complementary ongoing pinon-juniper woodland studies at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. USFWS also describes the cooperative relationship as one that leverages USFWS technical and biological expertise while supporting UNM biological programs, including shared knowledge and consolidation of resources in the public interest.
If eligibility is listed as "unrestricted," can other organizations apply?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "unrestricted," but the notice text states USFWS's intent to proceed with a single source cooperative agreement to UNM rather than run a standard open competition.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is FWSR2 NWRS FY08 FIRE FORAGE SANWR.
What are the key dates (posting, closing, archive) listed for this opportunity?
The posting date is August 22, 2008. The original and current closing date is August 31, 2008. The archive date is September 30, 2008.
Who can be contacted with questions or access issues?
The listed contact is Grant Harris, Habitat Conservation Goals Coordinator. Phone: 505-248-6817. Email: GrantHarris@fws.gov.
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