Opportunity Information: Apply for P16AS00098
Apply for P16AS00098
- The DOI-NPS in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Subtidal and Intertidal Habitats and Invertebrate Biota in Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 05, 2016 and posted on Apr 05, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 14, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Park Service (NPS) funding opportunity titled "Subtidal and Intertidal Habitats and Invertebrate Biota in Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska" (Funding Opportunity Number P16AS00098) is a public notice of intent to make a non-competitive award, not a call for new applications. NPS planned to support a four-year cooperative agreement with the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council (CIRCAC) to strengthen Cook Inlet oil spill preparedness and environmental impact assessment by building a more complete, up-to-date, and easy-to-use database of intertidal and subtidal habitats and benthic invertebrate information. The work is framed as a continuation of earlier efforts under Cooperative Agreement P15AC01028, and it is designed to make both habitat and contaminants information broadly available to agencies, communities, and responders.
At its core, the project focuses on compiling and improving information needed to evaluate risks from offshore oil and gas development and to plan for spill response in Cook Inlet, especially in areas where data are outdated or scattered. The planned outcome is a publicly available, updated, and readily accessible habitat and contaminants data resource that can be used for environmental analyses related to Outer Continental Shelf development, ongoing spill response planning, and future assessments of potential spill impacts. A major emphasis is on western and lower Cook Inlet, where existing datasets come from older efforts such as the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP), which began in 1975, and CIRCAC work completed around 2000. By consolidating historical records and integrating new survey results, NPS and CIRCAC aimed to close information gaps that can limit the quality of spill impact modeling, baseline condition assessments, and incident response decisions.
The biological and community rationale behind the work is that intertidal and subtidal benthic habitats and invertebrate communities are both ecologically important and vulnerable to industrial disturbance, including potential oil spills. These nearshore systems help move energy, nutrients, and pollutants between land and sea, and they support subsistence, sport, and commercial harvests as well as recreation like fishing and wildlife viewing. Because intertidal community structure can shift noticeably after disturbance, changes in species composition and abundance can serve as practical indicators of environmental stress, whether from natural events or human activity. The project also highlights the connection to wildlife: reductions or shifts in intertidal prey can affect birds and marine mammals that feed along the shoreline.
A prominent subsistence component centers on bivalves (clams and mussels) and chitons, which are widely distributed in the intertidal zone and commonly used as "sentinel" organisms in contaminant monitoring. Communities such as Port Graham and Nanwalek reported substantial declines in shellfish and raised concerns about potential loss and contamination of traditional foods. The project therefore ties habitat mapping and invertebrate surveys to contaminant questions, especially the presence and bioavailability of hydrocarbons like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). By better identifying where key benthic habitats occur, how productive they are, and how larvae move through the system, the partners intended to improve understanding of the resources people rely on and the potential pathways by which contamination could affect those resources.
The planned approach was explicitly collaborative and data-driven. Beyond simply collecting new field observations, the project aimed to extract and standardize historical datasets, identify additional sources of unpublished or hard-to-access information, and then publish those data through established public platforms. A key delivery mechanism is the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS), particularly the AOOS-hosted Cook Inlet Response Tool that CIRCAC helped develop. Integrating habitat layers, invertebrate survey results, and background contaminant data into a GIS-based, web-accessible tool is intended to directly support responders and planners who need quick access to credible baseline information during an incident, and to support analysts working on environmental reviews and planning documents.
Roles were split between the recipient (CIRCAC) and NPS to reflect each organization’s strengths. CIRCAC’s responsibilities included providing science leadership through its Director of Science and Research (Susan Saupe) to assist with historical data extraction, recommend and support field sites, contribute logistical coordination, and provide technical input during reporting. CIRCAC also planned to charter appropriate DOI-carded aircraft and/or vessels to enable intertidal and subtidal operations, contribute additional historical data from its own archives or known sources, and incorporate historical hydrocarbon and other contaminant information into its existing data compilation work with AXIOM via AOOS. Another major deliverable for CIRCAC was ensuring those datasets are integrated into AOOS portals, including the Cook Inlet Response Tool, and working jointly with NPS to recommend future hydrocarbon sampling strategies and data integration methods. After field seasons, CIRCAC and NPS would meet (in Anchorage or Fairbanks) to review results and develop technical reports.
NPS’s responsibilities focused on technical oversight, quality assurance, and overall project coordination. NPS planned to provide in-kind GIS expertise, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) reviews, and database testing for CIRCAC’s historical contaminants datasets. NPS also committed to testing database functionality and advising on data visualizations so information could be served either through a standalone portal or through integration with the Cook Inlet Response Tool. In addition, NPS would manage the broader project coordination among partners such as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), NOAA, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), provide personnel for analysis and final reporting, and ensure there was room for CIRCAC participation during field visits. A recurring theme is that NPS wanted the work to produce usable, decision-ready products rather than isolated datasets.
Administratively, the award was structured as a cooperative agreement under statutory authority 54 U.S.C. 101702(d), with an associated CFDA listing of 15.954 (National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach and Education). The anticipated total federal amount was $271,000 over four years, with a stated cost share of $27,500, and the period of performance ran from June 1, 2016 through December 31, 2019. The notice listed one expected award with an award ceiling of $300,000. The point of contact in the announcement was Tahzay Jones (tahzayjones@nps.gov). Eligibility information in the source record noted nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), consistent with CIRCAC’s status and mission.
The notice also explains why the award was not competed. Under Department of the Interior single-source policy (505 DM 2), NPS cited both "Unique Qualifications" and "Continuation" as the justification. The continuation argument is that this work extends an existing effort begun under the prior cooperative agreement, and competing it could disrupt progress and continuity. The unique qualifications argument is that CIRCAC, created under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, has a specific Cook Inlet mandate and a long track record in oil spill prevention and response planning for the region. CIRCAC also brings assets that are difficult to replicate quickly or cheaply, including extensive local field experience in Cook Inlet intertidal operations, substantial volumes of historical and in some cases unpublished data, and an established, publicly accessible GIS-based delivery platform (the Cook Inlet Response Tool) whose development reportedly exceeded $50,000. NPS emphasized that partnering with CIRCAC allows the government to leverage that existing infrastructure rather than building parallel systems from scratch. CIRCAC also contributed significant in-kind support (the notice cites $63,500 in salary and travel), further reducing total project costs and strengthening the case for a single-source continuation.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an NPS-supported, multi-year effort to modernize and centralize Cook Inlet nearshore habitat, invertebrate, and contaminants information in a way that directly improves spill planning and response, informs offshore development environmental reviews, and addresses local concerns about the condition and safety of subsistence resources. The practical end products are not only new field data and technical reports, but also a strengthened public data infrastructure through AOOS that agencies and communities can use long after the field seasons end.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this NPS notice?
The National Park Service (NPS) funding opportunity is titled "Subtidal and Intertidal Habitats and Invertebrate Biota in Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska" and it is identified as Funding Opportunity Number P16AS00098.
Is this a competitive grant that accepts new applications?
No. The notice is a public notice of intent to make a non-competitive award. It is not a call for new applications.
Who is the intended recipient of the non-competitive award?
NPS planned to make a four-year cooperative agreement award to the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council (CIRCAC).
Why is the award non-competitive (single-source)?
NPS cited Department of the Interior single-source policy (505 DM 2) and justified the non-competitive approach on two grounds: "Unique Qualifications" and "Continuation." The work continues a prior cooperative agreement effort (P15AC01028), and NPS stated that CIRCAC has unique Cook Inlet-specific qualifications, experience, historical data holdings, and an existing GIS-based delivery platform (the Cook Inlet Response Tool) that NPS could leverage rather than duplicating.
What is the overall purpose of the project?
The project is intended to strengthen Cook Inlet oil spill preparedness and environmental impact assessment by building a more complete, current, and easy-to-use database of intertidal and subtidal habitats and benthic invertebrate information, along with related contaminants information.
What geographic area does the project focus on?
The focus is on Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, with a major emphasis on western and lower Cook Inlet where data were described as outdated, scattered, or derived from older studies.
What kinds of habitats and organisms are covered?
The project focuses on intertidal and subtidal benthic habitats and the invertebrate communities (benthic invertebrate biota) that live there.
What problem is this project trying to solve?
The work addresses the challenge that key habitat, invertebrate, and contaminants datasets for Cook Inlet are older, incomplete, or not easily accessible. By consolidating historical records and integrating new survey results, the project aims to close information gaps that can affect spill impact modeling, baseline condition assessments, and incident response decisions.
How does this work relate to offshore oil and gas development?
The compiled and improved data are intended to support environmental analyses related to Outer Continental Shelf development, including evaluating risks from offshore oil and gas activities and understanding potential spill impacts.
How does this work support oil spill response planning?
A key planned outcome is an updated, readily accessible habitat and contaminants data resource that responders and planners can use to make more informed decisions during spill response planning and during an incident.
What historical datasets are mentioned as important inputs?
The notice references older efforts such as the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program (OCSEAP), which began in 1975, and prior CIRCAC work completed around 2000, along with other unpublished or hard-to-access information sources.
What is meant by making the information "publicly available"?
The intent is that consolidated habitat layers, invertebrate survey results, and background contaminants information would be published through established public platforms so that agencies, communities, and responders can access and use the information.
Which platform is specifically named for delivering the data?
The Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) is identified as a key delivery mechanism, particularly the AOOS-hosted Cook Inlet Response Tool that CIRCAC helped develop.
What is the Cook Inlet Response Tool in the context of this project?
It is a GIS-based, web-accessible tool hosted through AOOS. The project planned to integrate habitat layers, invertebrate survey results, and contaminants/background hydrocarbon information into this tool to support responders, planners, and analysts.
What contaminants are highlighted in the notice?
The notice emphasizes hydrocarbons, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and discusses linking habitat and invertebrate information to contaminant presence and bioavailability questions.
Why are intertidal and subtidal systems considered important for this work?
The notice describes these habitats as ecologically important and vulnerable to industrial disturbance, including potential oil spills. They help move energy, nutrients, and pollutants between land and sea, and they support subsistence, sport, and commercial uses, as well as recreation.
How can invertebrate communities indicate environmental stress?
The notice explains that intertidal community structure can shift noticeably after disturbance, and changes in species composition and abundance can serve as practical indicators of environmental stress from natural events or human activity.
What is the subsistence-related component described in the project?
The project highlights subsistence concerns involving bivalves (clams and mussels) and chitons. These are common in the intertidal zone and are often used as "sentinel" organisms in contaminant monitoring.
Which communities are specifically mentioned in relation to shellfish concerns?
Port Graham and Nanwalek are mentioned as communities that reported substantial declines in shellfish and raised concerns about potential loss and contamination of traditional foods.
How does the project connect nearshore habitat data to wildlife?
The notice links shoreline prey availability to birds and marine mammals, noting that reductions or shifts in intertidal prey can affect animals that feed along the shoreline.
What is the planned approach for improving the data resource?
The approach is collaborative and data-driven: extract and standardize historical datasets, identify additional unpublished or difficult-to-access sources, integrate new survey results, and publish the consolidated information through public platforms such as AOOS.
Is the project only about collecting new field data?
No. While field observations are part of the effort, the notice emphasizes extracting and standardizing historical datasets, incorporating additional sources of information, and publishing data through established public tools so the outputs are usable for planning and response.
What are CIRCAC's major responsibilities under the planned cooperative agreement?
CIRCAC responsibilities described in the notice include: providing science leadership through its Director of Science and Research (Susan Saupe); assisting with historical data extraction; recommending and supporting field sites; contributing logistical coordination; providing technical input during reporting; chartering appropriate DOI-carded aircraft and/or vessels for field operations; contributing additional historical data from its archives or known sources; incorporating historical hydrocarbon and contaminant information into its data compilation work with AXIOM via AOOS; integrating datasets into AOOS portals including the Cook Inlet Response Tool; and working with NPS to recommend future hydrocarbon sampling strategies and data integration methods.
What are NPS's major responsibilities under the planned cooperative agreement?
NPS responsibilities described in the notice include: providing technical oversight; supplying in-kind GIS expertise; conducting QA/QC reviews; testing CIRCAC's historical contaminants databases; advising on database functionality and data visualizations for portal delivery (standalone and/or through the Cook Inlet Response Tool); coordinating among partners (including BOEM, NOAA, and UAF); providing personnel for analysis and final reporting; and ensuring opportunities for CIRCAC participation during field visits.
Which partner organizations are mentioned as part of broader coordination?
The notice mentions coordination among partners such as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), NOAA, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), alongside NPS and CIRCAC.
What is the expected format of project outputs?
The notice anticipates decision-ready products, including technical reports and an improved public data infrastructure through AOOS (including integration into the Cook Inlet Response Tool), rather than isolated datasets.
How long is the period of performance?
The period of performance is listed as June 1, 2016 through December 31, 2019.
What is the anticipated federal funding amount and award ceiling?
The anticipated total federal amount is $271,000 over four years, and the notice lists an award ceiling of $300,000.
Is a cost share mentioned?
Yes. The notice states a cost share of $27,500.
How many awards were expected under this notice?
The notice lists one expected award.
What kind of funding instrument is planned?
The award was planned as a cooperative agreement, reflecting substantial involvement by NPS in technical oversight, QA/QC, coordination, and product development.
What statutory authority is cited for the cooperative agreement?
The notice cites statutory authority 54 U.S.C. 101702(d).
What CFDA listing is associated with this opportunity?
The associated CFDA listing is 15.954 (National Park Service Conservation, Protection, Outreach and Education).
Who is listed as the point of contact?
The point of contact in the announcement is Tahzay Jones (tahzayjones@nps.gov).
What eligibility information is noted in the source record?
The eligibility information noted is "nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)," consistent with CIRCAC's status and mission, but the notice itself is an intent to make a non-competitive award rather than an open solicitation.
How does the notice describe CIRCAC's unique qualifications?
The notice states that CIRCAC was created under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, has a specific Cook Inlet mandate, and has a long track record in oil spill prevention and response planning. It also notes that CIRCAC brings extensive local field experience, significant historical (including unpublished) data, and an established public GIS-based platform whose development reportedly exceeded $50,000.
How does the notice describe the "continuation" aspect?
The work is framed as a continuation of earlier efforts under Cooperative Agreement P15AC01028, and the notice indicates that competing the work could disrupt progress and continuity.
What is the intended long-term benefit beyond the field seasons?
The notice emphasizes that the strengthened public data infrastructure through AOOS is intended to remain useful for agencies and communities beyond the period of fieldwork, supporting future planning and assessments.
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