Opportunity Information: Apply for P14AS00268
Apply for P14AS00268
- The National Park Service in the education environment natural resources regional development science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SEA LEVEL MONITORING AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR THE NPS" 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 18, 2014 and posted on Aug 18, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 1, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $135,431.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $135,431.00 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.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Opportunity Summary:
This notice describes a National Park Service (NPS) intent to make a single award under a cooperative agreement for a project called "Sea Level Monitoring and Geographic Information Systems Research and Development for the NPS" (Funding Opportunity Number P14AS00268). It is not an open grant solicitation and not a request for applications. Instead, it serves as a public announcement that NPS plans to fund Colorado State University (CSU) without full and open competition because the work is a continuation of an existing, ongoing effort under Cooperative Agreement P14AC00728 through the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU). The identified principal investigator and program manager is Melinda Laituri, and the NPS point of contact is June Zastrow.
The planned award is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the NPS expects substantial involvement in carrying out the work rather than simply providing pass-through funding. The total anticipated federal funding amount is $135,431.79, and the notice also references a cost share contribution of $35,961.00. The anticipated period of performance runs from the date of award through 08/31/2015. Administrative details in the posting tie the award to CFDA 15.945 (Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System), and list the activity areas as education, environment, natural resources, science and technology, and research and development. While the general eligibility category shown is public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, this particular posting is specifically announcing CSU as the intended recipient.
The core purpose of the project is to develop, document, and maintain sea level monitoring protocols that help parks plan for and respond to sea level rise and storm surge impacts. A major initial emphasis, framed as part of post-Hurricane Sandy mitigation, is implementation at Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS). The project will use geographic information systems (GIS) along with other analytical tools to support monitoring design, data handling, and integration with other coastal datasets. A practical on-the-ground deliverable is the installation of sea level monitoring equipment along with associated geodetic monumentation, which is the surveyed reference infrastructure needed to tie water level observations to stable land-based coordinates and elevations.
A key technical motivation described in the notice is that FIIS sits in a gap in the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON), which is the long-running national network of water level stations used for tide and sea level measurements. The work plan described includes determining the best site for installation, deploying a temporary tide gauge, and collecting water level observations long enough to compute local tidal datums such as mean high water and mean low water. Once those local datums are established, they can be related to datums from nearby NWLON stations, allowing the project to connect FIIS measurements to longer-term regional sea level trends derived from the established network. In other words, the short-term local measurements at FIIS become more valuable when they are calibrated and aligned with nearby long-term stations.
The announcement also makes clear that this work is meant to plug into a broader portfolio of coastal and geospatial efforts already underway in the NPS Northeast region. It is described as supporting and integrating with projects such as benthic habitat mapping, coastal elevation and bathymetry data collection, geodetic benchmark recovery and installation, and salt marsh elevation and accretion studies (often associated with Surface Elevation Table, or SET, research). Taken together, these linkages suggest the deliverables are not just raw tide data, but also standardized protocols and geospatially referenced information products that can be used across multiple resource management and resilience planning activities.
Roles and responsibilities are split in a way that reflects the cooperative agreement model. CSU will provide research associates under the principal investigator and will work in cooperative teams with NPS staff, with leadership potentially coming from either party depending on the task. The notice emphasizes close working relationships with outside partners and affiliates and coordination across multiple programs, implying the project is interdisciplinary and operationally connected to other regional science and mapping initiatives. CSU will submit monthly invoices, paid upon receipt, which indicates an ongoing billing arrangement tied to work performed during the performance period.
On the NPS side, "substantial involvement" is explicitly anticipated and is part of the justification for using a cooperative agreement through the CESU. NPS plans to provide collaboration through RISD staff members and affiliates, along with office space and material support such as computers, GPS equipment, and travel support for cooperators. NPS will also provide the needed data and equipment that enable researchers to complete the work and publish products to university affiliates, partners, and the public, reinforcing that the outputs are intended to be shared beyond internal agency use.
The notice explains why the award is being made without competition by citing Department of the Interior single-source policy requirements (505 DM 2). Among allowable justifications (unsolicited proposal, continuation, legislative intent, unique qualifications, emergencies), NPS specifically cites the "continuation" criterion. The reasoning is that this task agreement (referenced as P14AC01466) is necessary to complete or continue an activity already being funded under the existing cooperative agreement, and competing it would significantly disrupt continuity or completion. The notice also notes that processing the award through the Rocky Mountain CESU allows use of a negotiated overhead rate of 17.5 percent, and that the project meets CESU requirements such as public purpose, alignment with the CESU network mission, and substantial involvement by NPS.
Finally, the statutory authorities listed explain the legal basis for NPS to fund this type of cooperative research and monitoring partnership. These include 16 U.S.C. 1(g) (authority for NPS to enter cooperative agreements transferring appropriated funds for public purposes tied to NPS programs), 16 U.S.C. 1a-2(j) (authority for cooperative research and training programs concerning national park system resources), and 16 U.S.C. 5933 (authority to enter cooperative agreements with colleges and universities to establish cooperative study units conducting multidisciplinary research and integrated information products relevant to parks and their regions). In practical terms, the notice frames the award as a continuation research-and-implementation effort with CSU that strengthens sea level monitoring capacity at a high-priority coastal park, produces standardized monitoring protocols and GIS-supported outputs, and supports broader coastal science and resilience work across the NPS Northeast.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This notice is a National Park Service (NPS) public announcement of its intent to make a single award under a cooperative agreement for the project titled "Sea Level Monitoring and Geographic Information Systems Research and Development for the NPS" (Funding Opportunity Number P14AS00268).
Is this an open grant competition or a request for applications?
No. The notice explicitly states it is not an open grant solicitation and not a request for applications. It is an intent-to-award announcement.
Who is the intended recipient of the award?
The intended recipient is Colorado State University (CSU).
Why is the award being made without full and open competition?
NPS cites the "continuation" justification under Department of the Interior single-source policy requirements (505 DM 2). The work is described as a continuation of an existing, ongoing effort under Cooperative Agreement P14AC00728 through the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU), and competing it is described as likely to disrupt continuity or completion.
What type of agreement will be used?
The planned award is a cooperative agreement. This means NPS expects substantial involvement in carrying out the work, rather than acting only as a pass-through funder.
What is the total anticipated federal funding amount?
The total anticipated federal funding amount is $135,431.79.
Is there a cost share mentioned?
Yes. The notice references a cost share contribution of $35,961.00.
What is the anticipated period of performance?
The anticipated period of performance runs from the date of award through 08/31/2015.
What CFDA number is associated with this award?
The notice ties the award to CFDA 15.945, titled "Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System."
What activity areas does the notice associate with this project?
The activity areas listed are education, environment, natural resources, science and technology, and research and development.
Who is the principal investigator and program manager for the project?
The identified principal investigator and program manager is Melinda Laituri.
Who is the NPS point of contact?
The NPS point of contact listed in the notice is June Zastrow.
What is the core purpose of the project?
The project aims to develop, document, and maintain sea level monitoring protocols that help parks plan for and respond to sea level rise and storm surge impacts.
Which park is highlighted for initial implementation work?
The notice highlights an initial emphasis on implementation at Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS), described in the context of post-Hurricane Sandy mitigation.
How will GIS be used in this project?
Geographic information systems (GIS), along with other analytical tools, will be used to support monitoring design, data handling, and integration with other coastal datasets.
What on-the-ground equipment or infrastructure is expected as a deliverable?
A practical deliverable described is installation of sea level monitoring equipment along with associated geodetic monumentation, which provides surveyed reference infrastructure to tie water level observations to stable land-based coordinates and elevations.
What is the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON), and why does it matter here?
NWLON is described as the long-running national network of water level stations used for tide and sea level measurements. The notice explains that FIIS sits in a gap in this network, creating a motivation for establishing local monitoring that can connect to broader regional sea level trends.
What are "tidal datums" and what will the project do with them?
The notice describes collecting water level observations long enough to compute local tidal datums such as mean high water and mean low water. These local datums can then be related to datums from nearby NWLON stations to align FIIS measurements with longer-term regional records.
Does the work plan include a temporary tide gauge?
Yes. The work plan described includes deploying a temporary tide gauge as part of determining the best site and collecting observations to compute local tidal datums.
How will FIIS data be linked to long-term sea level trends?
The notice explains that once local tidal datums are established at FIIS, they can be related to datums from nearby NWLON stations. This allows the FIIS measurements to be calibrated and aligned with longer-term regional sea level trends derived from established network stations.
How does this project connect to other NPS coastal and geospatial efforts?
The notice describes the work as supporting and integrating with a broader portfolio of efforts in the NPS Northeast region, including benthic habitat mapping, coastal elevation and bathymetry data collection, geodetic benchmark recovery and installation, and salt marsh elevation and accretion studies (including Surface Elevation Table, or SET, research).
What kinds of outputs are implied beyond raw water level readings?
Based on the notice, outputs are intended to include standardized sea level monitoring protocols and GIS-supported, geospatially referenced information products that can be used across multiple resource management and resilience planning activities.
What does "substantial involvement" by NPS mean in this notice?
The notice states that substantial involvement by NPS is anticipated as part of the cooperative agreement model. It also describes NPS collaboration through RISD staff members and affiliates, and NPS support through office space and materials such as computers, GPS equipment, and travel support for cooperators.
What will CSU provide under the cooperative agreement?
CSU will provide research associates under the principal investigator and work in cooperative teams with NPS staff, with leadership potentially coming from either party depending on the task.
How will invoicing and payments be handled?
The notice states that CSU will submit monthly invoices, which will be paid upon receipt.
Will project data and products be shared beyond NPS?
Yes. The notice indicates NPS will provide data and equipment enabling researchers to complete the work and publish products to university affiliates, partners, and the public.
What is the CESU, and how is it used here?
The notice references the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) as the mechanism through which the continuation work is being processed. It also notes the project meets CESU requirements such as public purpose, alignment with the CESU network mission, and substantial involvement by NPS.
Is an overhead rate mentioned?
Yes. The notice states that processing through the Rocky Mountain CESU allows use of a negotiated overhead rate of 17.5 percent.
What statutory authorities are cited as the legal basis for the award?
The notice cites 16 U.S.C. 1(g), 16 U.S.C. 1a-2(j), and 16 U.S.C. 5933 as authorities supporting cooperative agreements, cooperative research and training programs, and cooperative agreements with colleges and universities through cooperative study units.
What is the related existing cooperative agreement referenced in the notice?
The notice describes the work as a continuation under Cooperative Agreement P14AC00728.
Is a specific task agreement referenced?
Yes. The notice references Task Agreement P14AC01466 as necessary to complete or continue the activity already being funded under the existing cooperative agreement.
Does the notice list a general eligibility category even though this is single-award?
Yes. The general eligibility category shown is public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, but the notice specifically announces CSU as the intended recipient for this action.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Education Environment Natural Resources Regional Development Science and Technology and other Research and Development
Next opportunity: FY 2014 CCSP The Outdoor Foundation
Previous opportunity: Digital Asset Management, Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, Global Positioning Systems, and Mobile Mapping Research and Development for the NPS RISD Program
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 P14AS00268
[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (P14AS00268) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Internship Training Program Pacific West Region Interns Apply for P14AS00338 Funding Number: P14AS00338 Agency: National Park Service Category: Education Environment Natural Resources Regional Development Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $34,620 |
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 "P14AS00268", 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.