Opportunity Information: Apply for P13AS00196
Apply for P13AS00196
- The National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Technical Assistance to the National Park Service Wildlife Health Team" 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 14, 2013 and posted on Aug 14, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 23, 2013. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $218,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $218,000.00 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 grant opportunity, titled Technical Assistance to the National Park Service Wildlife Health Team (Funding Opportunity Number P13AS00196), is a Notice of Intent to Award rather than an open call for applications. In other words, the National Park Service (NPS) posted it to publicly document its plan to fund a specific set of activities without full and open competition. The award is structured as a cooperative agreement under the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), with Colorado State University (CSU) identified as the intended recipient. The total anticipated funding is $218,000, with one expected award, no cost share requirement, and a performance period running from the date of award through December 31, 2014. The opportunity sits within the Natural Resources activity category and is tied to CFDA 15.945, Cooperative Research and Training Programs: Resources of the National Park System.
The project is rooted in the mission of the NPS Biological Resource Management Division (BRMD), which provides scientific and technical leadership to preserve, protect, and manage biological resources and ecosystem processes across National Park System units. Within BRMD, the Wildlife Health Branch (WHB) plays a key role in helping parks deal with increasingly high-profile wildlife health threats, including chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk and zoonotic diseases such as plague. These issues can have biological consequences for wildlife populations, operational implications for parks, and broader political and economic impacts, especially when diseases cross boundaries onto adjacent lands or pose risks to visitors, staff, and neighboring communities. The cooperative approach through the CESU framework is intended to connect federal and non-federal partners (including universities, tribes, and state agencies) so they can jointly provide technical assistance, training, and applied research that directly supports on-the-ground management needs in parks.
A central deliverable highlighted in the announcement is the redesign of the NPS Wildlife Health Branch diagnostics database. The stated purpose is practical and operational: to improve how parks submit diagnostic cases, speed up notification and response by wildlife veterinarians, and strengthen data-driven wildlife and public health surveillance. CSU is expected to develop a modernized database population system that supports real-time data submission from parks and generates immediate alerts to the veterinarian managing each case. The work also includes analyzing the existing database, preserving and migrating more than a decade of legacy data, and integrating the redesigned system with an online diagnostic submission platform, moving toward a partially automated workflow that improves consistency, timeliness, and usability of diagnostic information across the NPS.
Beyond the database modernization, CSU’s role covers a broad set of technical assistance functions that support both day-to-day casework and longer-term surveillance and research. This includes field support for CWD research on elk at Rocky Mountain National Park, such as assisting with wildlife capture, sampling, treatment, and monitoring activities like survival and movement tracking. CSU will also help train NPS staff in core wildlife health field skills: recognizing disease signs, safely capturing and anesthetizing animals, collecting live-animal samples, using radio telemetry, conducting postmortem exams, and handling samples correctly for diagnostic quality. Laboratory- and records-oriented responsibilities are included as well, such as collecting postmortem samples from park diagnostic submissions, preparing materials for histopathologic evaluation, mapping disease distribution using GIS tools, maintaining an NPS wildlife pharmaceutical database in compliance with federal laws, supporting administrative and records management needs for the NPS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and maintaining long-term archiving of frozen and fixed biological samples from parks. CSU is also expected to assist with development and implementation of disease surveillance and adaptive management programs tailored to park needs, and to support preparedness for, and potentially response to, emerging and zoonotic disease events.
The announcement emphasizes that this is a cooperative agreement with substantial NPS involvement, meaning NPS staff are not simply providing funds and stepping back. NPS will actively contribute to successful delivery of project objectives by integrating CSU work into operational wildlife health activities and by providing hands-on professional development opportunities. A major NPS commitment described is educational: exposing CSU Professional Veterinary Medicine students and related undergraduates to non-domestic wildlife species and to applied wildlife disease investigation within the context of NPS policy and management philosophy, with NPS veterinarians and BRMD staff serving as instructors and mentors. NPS also plans to provide short-term employment opportunities aligned with student fields of study, assist directly on necropsies and sample collection, consult on diagnostic cases, identify field-based research projects for graduate and special-studies students, and collaborate with CSU in field management studies. Taken together, the partnership is framed as both a service function for parks and a workforce development pipeline for conservation medicine and wildlife health.
The NPS justifies the lack of full and open competition using single-source criteria described as continuation and unique qualifications. The award is presented as a task agreement (P13AC01129) under an existing CESU cooperative agreement (H2370094000), indicating an ongoing relationship and established collaboration mechanism that NPS considers appropriate for these specialized services. The statutory authorities cited include 16 U.S.C. 1a-2(j), which supports cooperative research and training programs with educational institutions, and 16 U.S.C. 5933, which authorizes cooperative study units and multidisciplinary research partnerships to produce integrated information products for the National Park System and surrounding regions. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as targeted funding to extend a specialized NPS-CSU collaboration that combines improved diagnostic data infrastructure, hands-on disease surveillance and research support, technical training for park staff, and student training opportunities, all aimed at strengthening wildlife health management and reducing risks to wildlife and people in and around national parks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?
The opportunity is titled Technical Assistance to the National Park Service Wildlife Health Team and the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) is P13AS00196.
Is this an open call for applications?
No. This posting is a Notice of Intent to Award, not an open competition. It was published to document the National Park Service (NPS) plan to fund specific activities without full and open competition.
Who is the intended recipient of the award?
Colorado State University (CSU) is identified as the intended recipient.
What type of award is planned?
The award is planned as a cooperative agreement issued under the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU).
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
The announcement indicates substantial NPS involvement. NPS staff will actively participate in delivering project objectives by integrating CSU work into operational wildlife health activities and by providing hands-on professional development and mentoring opportunities.
How much funding is anticipated?
The total anticipated funding is $218,000.
How many awards does NPS expect to make under this opportunity?
The announcement indicates one expected award.
Is there a cost share or matching requirement?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost share requirement.
What is the performance period for the project?
The performance period runs from the date of award through December 31, 2014.
What activity category does this opportunity fall under?
The opportunity is listed within the Natural Resources activity category.
What CFDA number is associated with this funding?
This opportunity is tied to CFDA 15.945, titled Cooperative Research and Training Programs: Resources of the National Park System.
What NPS office or program is driving the work described?
The project is rooted in the mission of the NPS Biological Resource Management Division (BRMD). Within BRMD, the Wildlife Health Branch (WHB) is highlighted as a key operational partner for addressing wildlife health threats affecting parks.
Why is NPS focusing on wildlife health in this project?
The announcement notes that wildlife health threats are increasingly high-profile and can create biological impacts on wildlife populations, operational impacts for parks, and broader political and economic impacts. Examples mentioned include chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer and elk and zoonotic diseases such as plague, especially when diseases cross park boundaries or pose risks to visitors, staff, and nearby communities.
What is the main deliverable highlighted in the announcement?
A central deliverable is the redesign of the NPS Wildlife Health Branch diagnostics database, aimed at improving diagnostic case submission by parks, speeding up veterinary notifications and response, and strengthening data-driven wildlife and public health surveillance.
What improvements are expected from the redesigned diagnostics database?
The redesigned system is expected to support real-time data submission from parks and generate immediate alerts to the veterinarian managing each case. It is also intended to improve the consistency, timeliness, and usability of diagnostic information across the NPS.
What happens to the existing diagnostics database and older records?
CSU is expected to analyze the existing database, preserve and migrate more than a decade of legacy data, and integrate the redesigned system with an online diagnostic submission platform as part of moving toward a partially automated workflow.
What technical assistance activities are included besides the database redesign?
The scope described includes technical assistance supporting day-to-day diagnostic casework and longer-term surveillance and research, including field support, training, laboratory/records support, GIS mapping, compliance-related database maintenance, administrative support, and biological sample archiving.
What field research support is specifically mentioned?
The announcement specifically mentions field support for CWD research on elk at Rocky Mountain National Park, including assistance with wildlife capture, sampling, treatment, and monitoring activities such as survival and movement tracking.
What kinds of training will CSU help provide to NPS staff?
CSU will help train NPS staff in core wildlife health field skills, including recognizing disease signs, safely capturing and anesthetizing animals, collecting live-animal samples, using radio telemetry, conducting postmortem exams, and handling samples properly to support diagnostic quality.
What laboratory and sample-handling responsibilities are included?
The announcement includes responsibilities such as collecting postmortem samples from park diagnostic submissions, preparing materials for histopathologic evaluation, and maintaining long-term archiving of frozen and fixed biological samples submitted from parks.
How will disease data be analyzed or visualized?
The work described includes mapping disease distribution using GIS tools.
Is pharmaceutical compliance work included in the project?
Yes. CSU is expected to maintain an NPS wildlife pharmaceutical database in compliance with federal laws.
Does the project include Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) support?
Yes. The announcement includes support for administrative and records management needs for the NPS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
Does the announcement mention preparedness or response for emerging diseases?
Yes. CSU is expected to assist with development and implementation of disease surveillance and adaptive management programs tailored to park needs, and to support preparedness for, and potentially response to, emerging and zoonotic disease events.
How does the CESU framework relate to this award?
The CESU framework is described as a cooperative approach intended to connect federal and non-federal partners (including universities, tribes, and state agencies) to provide technical assistance, training, and applied research that supports on-the-ground management needs in national parks.
Why is NPS not using full and open competition for this funding?
The announcement justifies the lack of full and open competition using single-source criteria described as continuation and unique qualifications.
Is this award tied to an existing agreement or task agreement?
Yes. The award is presented as a task agreement (P13AC01129) under an existing CESU cooperative agreement, identified as H2370094000.
What statutory authorities are cited for this cooperative work?
The announcement cites 16 U.S.C. 1a-2(j) (supporting cooperative research and training programs with educational institutions) and 16 U.S.C. 5933 (authorizing cooperative study units and multidisciplinary research partnerships to produce integrated information products for the National Park System and surrounding regions).
How are students involved in the work described?
NPS commits to an educational component by exposing CSU Professional Veterinary Medicine students and related undergraduates to non-domestic wildlife species and applied wildlife disease investigation within NPS policy and management context, with NPS veterinarians and BRMD staff serving as instructors and mentors.
What specific student-oriented opportunities does NPS plan to provide?
The announcement describes NPS plans to provide short-term employment opportunities aligned with student fields of study, assist directly on necropsies and sample collection, consult on diagnostic cases, identify field-based research projects for graduate and special-studies students, and collaborate with CSU in field management studies.
What is the overall purpose of this targeted funding?
Based on the announcement, the funding is intended to extend a specialized NPS-CSU collaboration that combines improved diagnostic data infrastructure, hands-on disease surveillance and research support, technical training for park staff, and student training opportunities to strengthen wildlife health management and reduce risks to wildlife and people in and around national parks.
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