Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS GLRI NOI VARI 10 091B
Apply for NPS GLRI NOI VARI 10 091B
- The National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The paleoecological history, mechanism, and drivers of type E botulism outbreaks near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 66.469 Great Lakes Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 28, 2010 and posted on Jan 28, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 11, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $175,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- This is a Notice of Intent of a single source task agreement award to the Science Museum of Minnesota St. Croix Watershed Research Station, St. Croix, MN under the Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The SCWRS is uniquely qualified to conduct this work. The SCWRS is one of very few multi disciplinary paleolimnological research centers and features state of the art sediment core dating and microscopy laboratories, a well stocked taxonomic library, and archived sediments from Great Lakes Network parks and around the world. The technical skills required to identify fossil remains in sediment cores are highly specialized, and SCWRS scientists are well known for their skills in these areas, having published extensively in taxonomy and paleoecology. Additionally, the principal investigator has previous experience with paleolimnological work in large lakes (including the Great Lakes and Lake Hovsgol) and is currently investigating long term food web changes in the Lake Michigan ecosystem. This study is highly relevant and complementary to the proposed work at SLBE.
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Opportunity Summary:
This grant opportunity, issued by the National Park Service under the Great Lakes Program (CFDA 66.469), focused on understanding type E botulism outbreaks occurring near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, an area on Lake Michigan that has experienced recurring wildlife mortality events linked to botulinum toxin. The core purpose of the project was to reconstruct the longer-term environmental and ecological history behind these outbreaks and to identify the mechanisms and drivers that make outbreaks more likely, with an emphasis on what has changed in the ecosystem over time and how those changes might be detected in natural records.
The work was framed as a natural resources project using paleolimnology, which is the study of lake history through sediment records. In practice, this means collecting and analyzing sediment cores from the lake or nearshore areas. Sediments accumulate in layers over years to centuries and can preserve fossil remains of algae, invertebrates, and other biological indicators, as well as chemical signals, that together provide a timeline of past conditions. By dating these layers and examining the preserved evidence (such as microfossils and other remains visible through microscopy), the project aimed to infer past food web structure, nutrient conditions, oxygen dynamics, and other ecological shifts that could be linked to the emergence or intensification of botulism risk. In other words, the project was designed to answer not only "what is happening now," but also "when did the system begin to shift in a way that favors outbreaks, and why?"
The funding mechanism was a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the agency in shaping or supporting the work as it proceeds (for example, coordination with park staff, alignment with monitoring priorities, or shared use of data). The opportunity anticipated a single award with an estimated total funding amount of $175,000. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement listed. Although the award ceiling and floor were shown as zero in the posting, the estimated total funding amount provides the practical scale of the project budget.
Eligibility was not broadly competitive. This posting was explicitly a Notice of Intent for a single-source task agreement award to the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Croix Watershed Research Station (SCWRS), operating under the Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The justification for a single-source approach was that SCWRS was described as uniquely qualified due to its multidisciplinary paleolimnological expertise, specialized facilities for sediment core dating and microscopy, extensive taxonomic reference resources, and access to archived sediments from Great Lakes Network parks and other locations. The announcement also noted that the technical ability to identify fossil remains in sediment cores is highly specialized and that SCWRS staff have a strong publication record in taxonomy and paleoecology. The principal investigator was highlighted as having experience with large-lake paleolimnological research, including work in the Great Lakes, and ongoing research on long-term food web changes in the Lake Michigan ecosystem, making the proposed study particularly relevant to conditions at Sleeping Bear Dunes.
In terms of timing, the opportunity was posted and created on January 28, 2010, with an original and current closing date of February 11, 2010, and an archive date of March 13, 2010. Because it was a notice of intent to make a single-source award, the short open period mainly reflects the administrative window for the public posting rather than an open call for multiple applicants.
Overall, the opportunity can be summarized as targeted funding to support a highly specialized scientific investigation into the historical ecology and underlying causes of type E botulism outbreaks near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, using sediment-core evidence to reconstruct past lake and nearshore conditions and to better understand the environmental triggers and ecosystem changes that contribute to outbreak dynamics. For access issues or administrative questions about the announcement, the listed contact was Tonya Bradley, Contract Specialist, at 402-661-1656.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this grant opportunity about?
This National Park Service (NPS) Great Lakes Program grant opportunity (CFDA 66.469) focused on understanding recurring type E botulism outbreaks occurring near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan. The project aim was to reconstruct the longer-term environmental and ecological history behind these outbreaks and identify mechanisms and drivers that make outbreaks more likely.
What problem is the project trying to address?
The project addresses recurring wildlife mortality events linked to botulinum toxin (type E botulism) near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The work was designed to move beyond only current conditions and determine when and why the ecosystem may have shifted toward conditions that favor outbreaks.
What is the primary goal of the project?
The core purpose was to reconstruct long-term environmental and ecological changes that may be linked to botulism risk and to identify the mechanisms and drivers that influence outbreak likelihood, with an emphasis on what has changed over time and how those changes can be detected in natural records.
What scientific approach was proposed?
The project was framed as a natural resources investigation using paleolimnology, which studies lake history through sediment records. The approach involves collecting and analyzing sediment cores from lake or nearshore areas to infer past ecological conditions.
What is paleolimnology in plain terms?
Paleolimnology is the study of how lakes and nearshore ecosystems have changed over time by examining layered sediments. Those layers accumulate over years to centuries and can preserve biological remains and chemical signals that help reconstruct past conditions.
What are sediment cores and why are they important here?
Sediment cores are cylindrical samples taken from lake or nearshore sediments that contain layered deposits. Because layers build up over time, sediment cores can provide a timeline of past conditions, allowing researchers to infer how the ecosystem changed and whether those changes track with botulism risk.
What kinds of evidence can sediment layers preserve?
The posting notes that sediments can preserve fossil remains of algae, invertebrates, and other biological indicators (including microfossils visible through microscopy), along with chemical signals. Together, these indicators can be used to interpret past environmental conditions.
What types of past conditions was the project trying to reconstruct?
By dating sediment layers and analyzing preserved indicators, the project aimed to infer changes in food web structure, nutrient conditions, oxygen dynamics, and other ecological shifts that could be linked to the emergence or intensification of botulism risk.
What key questions was the work designed to answer?
The project was designed to address not only "what is happening now," but also questions such as: when the system began to shift in a way that favors outbreaks, and why those shifts occurred.
Which agency issued the opportunity?
The opportunity was issued by the National Park Service under its Great Lakes Program.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
CFDA 66.469.
What type of award mechanism was used?
The funding mechanism was a cooperative agreement.
What does a cooperative agreement imply for this project?
The posting indicates that a cooperative agreement typically involves substantial agency involvement as the work proceeds, such as coordination with park staff, alignment with monitoring priorities, or shared use of data.
How much funding was expected?
The opportunity anticipated a single award with an estimated total funding amount of $175,000.
Were there minimum or maximum award amounts?
The posting showed an award ceiling and floor as zero, but it also provided an estimated total funding amount of $175,000, which indicates the practical scale of the project budget.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
Was this an open, competitive funding opportunity?
No. The posting was explicitly a Notice of Intent for a single-source task agreement award rather than an open call for multiple applicants.
Who was the intended recipient of the award?
The Notice of Intent described a single-source task agreement award to the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Croix Watershed Research Station (SCWRS), under the Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU).
Why was the award planned as single-source?
The posting justified the single-source approach by describing SCWRS as uniquely qualified due to multidisciplinary paleolimnological expertise, specialized facilities for sediment core dating and microscopy, extensive taxonomic reference resources, and access to archived sediments from Great Lakes Network parks and other locations.
What specialized capabilities were highlighted as important?
The announcement emphasized that identifying fossil remains in sediment cores is highly specialized. It highlighted SCWRS staff expertise in taxonomy and paleoecology, their facilities for dating cores and microscopy, and their taxonomic reference resources.
What experience was noted about the principal investigator?
The principal investigator was described as having experience with large-lake paleolimnological research, including work in the Great Lakes, and ongoing research on long-term food web changes in the Lake Michigan ecosystem, making the study relevant to Sleeping Bear Dunes conditions.
Where was the study area?
The project focused on areas near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan.
What kind of outbreaks were being studied?
Type E botulism outbreaks associated with botulinum toxin and recurring wildlife mortality events.
When was the opportunity posted?
It was posted and created on January 28, 2010.
What were the closing and archive dates?
The original and current closing date was February 11, 2010, and the archive date was March 13, 2010.
Why was the open period short?
Because it was a Notice of Intent to make a single-source award, the short open period primarily reflected an administrative public posting window rather than a period intended for multiple applicants to apply.
How many awards were anticipated?
A single award was anticipated.
What is the overall summary of this opportunity?
It was targeted funding for a highly specialized scientific investigation into the historical ecology and underlying causes of type E botulism outbreaks near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, using sediment-core evidence to reconstruct past conditions and better understand environmental triggers and ecosystem changes related to outbreak dynamics.
Who was listed as the contact for administrative or access questions?
Tonya Bradley, Contract Specialist.
What contact phone number was provided?
402-661-1656.
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