Permafrost and Carbon Cycling Monitoring at the 8-Mile Lake Permafrost Observatory and permafrost index site in Denali National Park and decadal data analysis. | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This notice describes the National Park Service (NPS) intent to make a non-competitive, single-source cooperative agreement award for continued permafrost and carbon cycling monitoring at the 8-Mile Lake Permafrost Observatory and a related permafrost index site in Denali National Park and Preserve, with an added emphasis on analyzing and reporting on roughly a decade of existing measurements. It is explicitly not a call for new applications; instead, it serves as a public transparency notice that NPS plans to fund a specific partner to keep an ongoing monitoring effort running without interruption. The project sits within the NPS Central Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network effort to track permafrost as a key "vital sign" for park ecosystems and infrastructure.

The planned recipient is Northern Arizona University (NAU), Department of Biological Sciences, led by Principal Investigator Dr. Edward Schuur, who has a long-running research track record at the 8-Mile Lake site and across Alaska. The anticipated federal funding amount is $60,000, with no cost share required, and the award is characterized as a continuation of prior work rather than a brand-new start. The proposed period of performance runs from September 15, 2016 through September 14, 2021. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (rather than a standard grant), which signals that NPS expects to be substantially involved in day-to-day technical and logistical aspects of the work. The statutory authority cited is 54 U.S.C. 100703 (Cooperative Study Units), and the opportunity is associated with CFDA 15.945. The agency point of contact listed for NPS is David Shirokauer.

The underlying motivation for the project is the increasing impact of permafrost degradation and thaw on Denali's natural and managed resources. The notice specifically links thawing permafrost to changes in wildlife habitat, hydrology, fire regimes, and built infrastructure such as roads. In practical terms, permafrost change can alter soil stability, surface and subsurface water movement, and the timing and intensity of ecological processes, which is why NPS is treating continued monitoring as essential rather than optional. This project also builds on earlier protocol development work, including a draft permafrost monitoring protocol plan, and continues collecting core metrics that NPS and NAU previously agreed were most important for long-term tracking at the Eight Mile Lake research site.

The joint objectives are straightforward but substantial in scope: first, to keep the existing monitoring program at Eight Mile Lake operating continuously; second, to maintain and strengthen the collaboration that supports a consistent long-term dataset; and third, to conduct a decadal-scale analysis of the dataset already collected, integrating those long-term records with information from a newly collected set of soil samples from the 8-Mile Lake Permafrost Observatory. In other words, the award is not only about keeping instruments running and field measurements going, but also about turning years of accumulated observations into synthesized analyses and reporting that can inform park management and scientific understanding of permafrost-carbon feedbacks.

NAU's role is centered on research execution and training. The university is expected to hire and support a graduate research assistant and provide academic supervision that contributes to an advanced degree. Dr. Schuur and the NAU team will direct study design, implement fieldwork to meet the monitoring goals, manage both the ongoing data stream and soil sample collections, and complete the analyses needed to interpret trends across the past decade. NAU will also coordinate closely with NPS to ensure the work aligns with park priorities and established protocols, which is especially important for long-term monitoring where consistency in methods and metadata can be as critical as the measurements themselves.

NPS, in turn, is not just a funder but an active partner, which is why the vehicle is a cooperative agreement. The notice states NPS will assign staff time to the project, including a physical science technician with expertise in soil science methods, meteorological measurements, and data management, indicating that the park and network staff will be directly involved in how data are collected, handled, and curated. NPS will provide required training such as bear safety, offer local lab space for processing, and may provide local housing if available. NPS also plans to assist with recruiting and hiring the graduate student, provide mentoring and field oversight, contribute to study design and implementation decisions, and review project products. This level of involvement suggests the outputs are intended to feed directly into NPS monitoring needs and decision-making, not only academic publication.

A key administrative element is the single-source justification for awarding without full and open competition. Under Department of the Interior policy (505 DM 2), agencies must document why competition is not practicable, and NPS cites two allowable criteria: continuation and unique qualifications. The continuation rationale is that the activity is an extension of an ongoing, currently funded effort, and introducing a new recipient through competition would risk disrupting continuity, which is especially problematic for long-term environmental monitoring where breaks in methods, staffing, or data stewardship can compromise trend detection. The unique qualifications rationale is that Dr. Schuur and NAU are viewed as uniquely capable due to extensive experience conducting permafrost science with a carbon cycling focus at the 8-Mile Lake Permafrost Observatory and other Alaskan sites, and because the Denali science team has worked continuously with Dr. Schuur since 2008. The notice frames the existing partnership as both productive and efficient, implying that maintaining institutional knowledge and site-specific expertise is central to the value of the award.

In short, this opportunity is a formal notice that NPS intends to continue funding a specific, long-standing university partner to sustain permafrost and carbon cycling monitoring in Denali, protect the integrity of an established long-term dataset, and produce a decade-scale analysis that combines continuous observations with newly collected soil samples. It is structured as a collaborative, hands-on agreement with substantial NPS participation, and it is justified as a continuation award to a uniquely qualified team rather than an open competition for new applicants.

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Education

Next opportunity: National Register Evaluation of Critical Wilderness Sites

Previous opportunity: Heartland I&M Network Resource Management Intern - NOTICE OF INTENT

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for NPS DOIP16AC01521

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (NPS DOIP16AC01521) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "NPS DOIP16AC01521", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.