Opportunity Information: Apply for P14AS00151
Apply for P14AS00151
- The National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Outdoor Lighting Assessment Protocols" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.944 Natural Resource Stewardship.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 23, 2014 and posted on Jun 23, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Notification of Intent to Award. No applications will be accepted.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $29,628.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $29,628.00 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), working in cooperation with the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), announced a cooperative agreement opportunity focused on creating practical, field-ready protocols for inventorying and assessing outdoor lighting. The core purpose is to develop standardized methods that parks and their partners can use to document existing lighting, evaluate its impacts, and identify where changes would most effectively improve sustainability and protect night skies. The work is framed as a natural resources stewardship effort, with an emphasis on producing protocols that are credible, testable, and easy to apply in real-world park settings.
The project’s main deliverable is a set of outdoor lighting inventory protocols that are developed, tested, verified, and then shared for broader adoption. After initial development and review, the protocols are expected to be piloted and refined in at least one additional NPS unit on the Colorado Plateau. This field-testing component is important because it ensures the procedures are not just theoretical; they must hold up under the conditions parks actually face, including varied infrastructure, staffing constraints, and different lighting types and configurations. The opportunity also calls for developing strategies that make the protocols usable at scale, meaning they should work not only for professional staff but also for park partners and trained volunteers who may help conduct lighting assessments.
A major motivation behind the inventory approach is that parks cannot manage what they have not measured. By creating a repeatable inventory process, parks can better align lighting decisions with sustainability goals, target the highest-impact retrofit or demonstration projects, and then track outcomes over time. In other words, the protocols are meant to support both planning and accountability: identifying problem areas (such as overly bright or poorly shielded fixtures), prioritizing upgrades, and measuring whether retrofits actually reduce wasted light, improve energy performance, and protect resources like dark skies and wildlife habitat.
The announcement also notes that protocol development may be paired with actual outdoor lighting upgrades. That pairing serves two purposes: it can accelerate progress toward sustainability targets by moving from assessment to action, and it provides a practical test bed for the protocols by applying them before and after improvements. The work is also intended to complement ongoing joint efforts between IDA and NPS related to Dark Sky Places designation, meaning the inventory methods could support documentation and management practices that help parks pursue or maintain dark-sky recognition.
While the project is grounded in NPS needs, the expected products are described as broadly applicable beyond a single park unit. The protocols are intended to be useful across other public lands and in situations where nearby communities or businesses are concerned about how their lighting affects adjacent environmentally sensitive areas. That broader applicability suggests the final methods should be adaptable, clearly documented, and transferable to a wide range of land management contexts.
From an administrative standpoint, this was a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the National Park Service under a cooperative agreement instrument, within the Natural Resources activity category (CFDA 15.944 Natural Resource Stewardship). The estimated total funding was $29,628, with an award ceiling of $29,628 and no cost-sharing or matching requirement. One award was expected, and eligible applicants were limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The posting date and creation date were both June 23, 2014, and the opportunity was archived on July 4, 2014. Importantly, the notice indicated “Notification of Intent to Award†and explicitly stated that no applications would be accepted, meaning it functioned as a public notice rather than an open competition. For announcement access issues, the listed contact was John Bechtold at NPS (303-969-2492, JohnBechtold@nps.gov), and the general listing referenced Grants.gov for additional information.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this National Park Service (NPS) opportunity about?
This cooperative agreement opportunity focuses on developing practical, field-ready protocols for inventorying and assessing outdoor lighting. The goal is to create standardized methods that parks and partners can use to document existing lighting, evaluate impacts, and identify the most effective changes to improve sustainability and protect night skies.
Who is involved in this effort?
The National Park Service (NPS) is working in cooperation with the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) on this project.
What is the main purpose of creating outdoor lighting inventory protocols?
The protocols are intended to help parks measure and document what lighting they have, assess how it affects resources (including night skies and wildlife habitat), and prioritize where upgrades or changes will have the biggest impact. The underlying idea is that parks cannot manage what they have not measured.
What is the primary deliverable under this cooperative agreement?
The primary deliverable is a set of outdoor lighting inventory protocols that are developed, tested, verified, and then shared so they can be adopted more broadly.
What characteristics should the protocols have?
The protocols are expected to be credible, testable, and easy to apply in real-world park settings. They should be practical and field-ready rather than purely theoretical.
Will the protocols be tested in real park conditions?
Yes. After initial development and review, the protocols are expected to be piloted and refined in at least one additional NPS unit on the Colorado Plateau. This field-testing is meant to ensure the procedures work under real conditions, including varied infrastructure, staffing constraints, and different lighting types and configurations.
Why is field testing on the Colorado Plateau specifically mentioned?
The notice states that at least one additional NPS unit on the Colorado Plateau is expected to be used for piloting and refining the protocols, emphasizing the importance of testing them in actual park settings.
Are the protocols meant only for professional park staff to use?
No. The opportunity calls for strategies to make the protocols usable at scale, including use by park partners and trained volunteers who may assist with lighting assessments.
How will the protocols support sustainability goals?
By establishing a repeatable inventory process, parks can better align lighting decisions with sustainability goals, target the highest-impact retrofit or demonstration projects, and track outcomes over time.
What kinds of lighting issues might the protocols help identify?
The notice gives examples such as overly bright or poorly shielded fixtures. More broadly, the protocols are intended to help identify problem areas and prioritize upgrades.
How do these protocols relate to accountability and tracking results?
The protocols are intended to support planning and accountability by helping parks document baseline conditions, prioritize improvements, and measure whether retrofits reduce wasted light, improve energy performance, and protect resources like dark skies and wildlife habitat.
Could the project include actual outdoor lighting upgrades?
Yes. The announcement notes that protocol development may be paired with actual outdoor lighting upgrades. This can speed progress toward sustainability targets and also provide a test bed for applying the protocols before and after improvements.
How does this work connect to Dark Sky Places designation?
The work is intended to complement ongoing joint efforts between IDA and NPS related to Dark Sky Places designation. The inventory methods could support documentation and management practices that help parks pursue or maintain dark-sky recognition.
Are the final protocols intended to be used beyond a single park?
Yes. While grounded in NPS needs, the expected products are described as broadly applicable beyond a single park unit, including use across other public lands and in contexts where nearby communities or businesses are concerned about lighting impacts on adjacent environmentally sensitive areas.
What is the funding instrument for this opportunity?
This was issued as a discretionary funding opportunity under a cooperative agreement instrument by the National Park Service.
What activity category and CFDA program does this fall under?
The activity category is Natural Resources. The CFDA program is listed as 15.944 Natural Resource Stewardship.
How much funding was available?
The estimated total funding was $29,628, and the award ceiling was also $29,628.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice stated there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
How many awards were expected?
One award was expected.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants were limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
When was this opportunity posted and when was it archived?
The posting date and creation date were both June 23, 2014. The opportunity was archived on July 4, 2014.
Was this an open competition accepting applications?
No. The notice indicated a "Notification of Intent to Award" and explicitly stated that no applications would be accepted. It functioned as a public notice rather than an open competitive opportunity.
Where was additional information referenced?
The general listing referenced Grants.gov for additional information.
Who was the contact for announcement access issues?
The listed contact was John Bechtold at NPS. Phone: 303-969-2492. Email: JohnBechtold@nps.gov.
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