Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIWASOP11ATW0861
Apply for NPS NOIWASOP11ATW0861
- The National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Roadway noise and foraging behavior in bats and birds" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945 Cooperative Research and Training Programs Resources of the National Park System.
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 17, 2011 and posted on Aug 17, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 19, 2011. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $209,653.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $209,653.00 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 funding opportunity from the National Park Service focuses on understanding how roadway noise influences where bats and birds occur and how they behave while feeding. The core idea is to test whether transportation noise changes key ecological outcomes such as foraging behavior, foraging success, population density, and overall community diversity. To do that, the project combines controlled experiments with real-world field observations in two comparable western habitats so the results can speak both to cause-and-effect and to conditions animals actually experience near roads.
The study design has two main components. First, researchers will conduct an experimental playback study on public lands along the Boise Front by broadcasting recorded road noise into habitat that is otherwise relatively undisturbed. This approach lets the team isolate noise as a factor, rather than mixing it with other road-related disturbances. Second, they will run parallel observational work in Grand Teton National Park under comparable transportation noise conditions in similar habitat, allowing them to examine whether patterns seen in the controlled experiment line up with what is observed in a national park landscape where noise levels vary with real traffic and terrain.
To measure animal responses, the project relies on several complementary field methods. Acoustic monitoring will document activity levels for both groups: standard audio recordings will capture bird vocalizations and presence, while ultrasonic detectors will record bat echolocation calls that humans cannot hear. Bird population density will also be assessed using point counts, a common wildlife survey method in which observers record birds detected by sight and sound from fixed locations over standardized time intervals. For direct links to feeding performance and risk behavior, the project will use giving-up prey density trials, which are designed to estimate how much food animals leave behind in a patch. Those trials help infer whether noise increases antipredator vigilance or perceived risk, which can reduce feeding efficiency, especially for gleaning bats and ground-foraging insectivorous birds that depend on detecting prey sounds or subtle movement cues.
Administratively, this notice is not a general open competition. It is a notice of intent to make a non-competitive cooperative agreement award as a task agreement to Boise State University, issued under an existing Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit agreement (No. H8R07060001). The non-competitive approach is cited as consistent with Department of the Interior policy (505 DM 2). The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary program and uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument, aligning it with research and training activities connected to Natural Resources and the Resources of the National Park System.
In terms of funding and timing, the opportunity lists a single expected award with an estimated total funding amount of $209,653, which is also shown as the award ceiling, with no minimum award floor specified. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity was posted on August 17, 2011, with an original and current closing date of August 19, 2011, and an archive date of September 18, 2011. The CFDA listing included is 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System). Eligible applicants are identified broadly as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, though the notice makes clear the intended recipient is Boise State University under the existing CESU arrangement.
For access issues or questions about the announcement, the listed contact is Robert Dobson, Contract Specialist with the National Park Service, reachable by phone at 303-987-6988.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the focus of this National Park Service funding opportunity?
This opportunity supports research on how roadway (transportation) noise influences where bats and birds occur and how they behave while feeding. The goal is to test whether noise changes ecological outcomes such as foraging behavior, foraging success, population density, and overall community diversity.
What key research questions is the project trying to answer?
Based on the description, the project is designed to examine whether transportation noise affects:
- Foraging behavior (how animals feed)
- Foraging success (how effectively they obtain food)
- Population density (how many individuals occur in an area)
- Community diversity (the variety of species present)
How does the project design separate cause-and-effect from real-world conditions?
The study combines two complementary components: (1) a controlled experimental playback study to isolate noise as a single factor, and (2) parallel field observations in a national park landscape to evaluate whether experimental patterns match conditions animals experience near real roads.
What are the two main components of the study?
The study has two primary parts:
- Experimental playback study (Boise Front, public lands): Researchers broadcast recorded road noise into otherwise relatively undisturbed habitat to isolate noise effects.
- Observational field study (Grand Teton National Park): Researchers observe bats and birds under comparable transportation noise conditions in similar habitat, where noise varies naturally with traffic and terrain.
Where will the experimental playback work take place?
The experimental playback study is planned on public lands along the Boise Front.
Where will the observational field work take place?
The observational component is planned for Grand Teton National Park, under comparable transportation noise conditions in similar habitat.
Why use recorded road-noise playbacks instead of only measuring animals near actual roads?
Using playbacks allows researchers to isolate noise as a factor rather than mixing noise with other road-related disturbances. The intent is to more directly test whether noise alone can drive changes in animal behavior and ecological outcomes.
What methods will be used to measure bat activity?
Bat activity will be monitored using ultrasonic detectors that record bat echolocation calls, which occur at frequencies humans cannot hear.
What methods will be used to measure bird activity and presence?
Bird activity and presence will be documented with standard acoustic monitoring (audio recordings capturing bird vocalizations) and through point counts, where observers record birds detected by sight and sound from fixed locations over standardized time intervals.
What are point counts, and why are they included?
Point counts are a common wildlife survey technique in which observers stand at fixed locations for standardized time periods and record birds detected by sight and sound. In this project, point counts are used to help assess bird population density.
How will the project connect roadway noise to feeding performance or risk-related behavior?
The project will use giving-up prey density trials, which estimate how much food animals leave behind in a foraging patch. These trials help infer whether noise increases antipredator vigilance or perceived risk, which can reduce feeding efficiency.
What are giving-up prey density trials intended to indicate in this study?
They are intended to indicate whether transportation noise changes perceived predation risk or vigilance behavior, which can lead animals to stop feeding sooner and leave more prey behind. This can be particularly relevant for animals that rely on subtle sound or movement cues while foraging.
Which animals are highlighted as potentially sensitive to noise during foraging?
The notice specifically notes potential impacts for gleaning bats and ground-foraging insectivorous birds, since these animals can depend on detecting prey sounds or subtle movement cues that may be masked or disrupted by noise.
Is this opportunity a general open competition?
No. The notice is a notice of intent to make a non-competitive cooperative agreement award as a task agreement to Boise State University.
Who is the intended recipient of the award?
The intended recipient is Boise State University, under an existing Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) agreement (No. H8R07060001).
What is the funding instrument for this award?
The opportunity uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument and is described as a discretionary program.
Why is the award described as non-competitive?
The notice states the non-competitive approach is consistent with Department of the Interior policy (505 DM 2) and is issued as a task agreement under an existing CESU agreement.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA listing included is 15.945: Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System.
How many awards are expected?
The opportunity lists a single expected award.
What is the estimated total funding amount?
The estimated total funding amount is $209,653.
What is the award ceiling, and is there a minimum award amount?
The award ceiling is listed as $209,653. No minimum award floor is specified.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
It was posted on August 17, 2011. The original and current closing date is August 19, 2011.
When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date is September 18, 2011.
Who is listed as eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants are identified broadly as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. However, the notice also makes clear the intended recipient is Boise State University under the existing CESU arrangement.
Who should be contacted for access issues or questions about the announcement?
The listed contact is Robert Dobson, Contract Specialist with the National Park Service. Phone: 303-987-6988.
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