Opportunity Information: Apply for F15AS00305
Apply for F15AS00305
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Transportation Technical Assistance and Related Services" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.654 Visitor Facility Enhancements Refuges and Wildlife.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 30, 2015 and posted on Jun 30, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by This is a Single Source award. The recipient has already been chosen.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $494,533.00 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 Single Source award. The recipient has already been chosen.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Transportation Technical Assistance and Related Services opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F15AS00305) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) discretionary grant that was set up as a single-source award to Montana State University (MSU), meaning there was no open competition and no application process for other organizations. The planned recipient was already selected at the time of posting, and the notice mainly serves as a public record of the government’s intent to fund a specific partner for a defined set of transportation-related support services tied to the National Wildlife Refuge System and related USFWS work.
The grant’s purpose is to fund technical assistance, workforce development, and training services delivered through MSU’s Western Transportation Institute (WTI). In practical terms, USFWS is seeking specialized transportation and road ecology expertise to help refuge complexes and individual refuges across the United States, while also supporting USFWS international conservation programs. The work is framed around improving how refuges deal with transportation needs and impacts, particularly where roads, visitors, and wildlife intersect, and where access and mobility planning affects both visitor experience and resource protection.
A major emphasis is understanding and planning for changing visitor demographics, especially “millennial generation†visitation patterns. The services include identifying the needs associated with millennial visitors and how their visitation affects refuge resources and operations, as well as studying millennial mobility behaviors and preferences for alternatives to traditional vehicle access. This implies work such as assessing how visitors travel to and within refuges, what kinds of transportation options they respond to (shuttles, biking, walking networks, shared mobility, or other low-impact access), and how those choices influence congestion, safety, and environmental impacts.
Another key element is building capacity within the transportation and conservation workforce. WTI is expected to help identify, support, and mentor potential “transportation scholars,†which points to activities like developing talent pipelines, connecting students or early-career professionals with refuge transportation challenges, and strengthening the technical bench of people who understand both transportation systems and conservation realities on public lands. Alongside that, the agreement aims to broaden access to transportation training and information resources that are especially relevant to federal land management personnel, helping staff locate, interpret, and apply best practices, guidance, and tools.
The opportunity also centers heavily on road ecology and wildlife-transportation conflict mitigation. USFWS is requesting road ecology technical assistance to protect wildlife, water resources, fish passage, and habitat on and around refuges. This kind of support commonly includes evaluating where roads fragment habitat, identifying priority spots for fish and wildlife movement, recommending mitigation measures, and advising on design or operational changes that reduce ecological harm. The notice specifically calls out animal road crossing work through ARC Solutions (animal road crossings), including technology transfer, materials, and outreach. In other words, WTI would help move proven crossing and mitigation approaches from research into practical, on-the-ground adoption by refuges and other partners that focus on wildlife.
To better understand needs across the entire refuge system, the scope includes conducting a national survey on wildlife and roads within refuges. The goal of the survey is to identify wildlife-vehicle collision issues and habitat connectivity needs, and to outline potential strategies to address them. A nationwide survey suggests USFWS wants a system-wide picture of where collisions and connectivity problems are most acute, what data refuges already have, what gaps exist, and what interventions (crossing structures, fencing, speed management, signage, habitat linkage planning, or other measures) may be most appropriate.
Finally, the grant supports an outward-looking component through investigation of international partnerships. The intent is to exchange wildlife mitigation solutions and road ecology best practices worldwide, which could involve identifying global partners, comparing approaches used in different countries, and adapting successful methods to USFWS contexts (and vice versa). This aligns with the notice’s explicit mention that the work will support USFWS international programs in addition to domestic refuge needs.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was posted June 30, 2015 and later archived July 7, 2015. It anticipated one award with an estimated total funding amount of $494,533, and it listed no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The CFDA listing included 15.654 (Visitor Facility Enhancements - Refuges and Wildlife), tying the effort to improvements that help refuges manage visitor access and facilities while protecting wildlife and habitats. The funding instrument type is a grant, the activity category is transportation, and the agency contact provided in the notice was Cameron Matthews (cameronmatthews@fws.gov) for anyone who had trouble accessing the announcement electronically.
Transportation Technical Assistance and Related Services (F15AS00305) - FAQs
What is the Transportation Technical Assistance and Related Services opportunity (F15AS00305)?
It is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) discretionary grant notice for transportation-related technical assistance and support services connected to the National Wildlife Refuge System and related USFWS work.
Was this an open, competitive grant opportunity?
No. This notice was set up as a single-source award, meaning there was no open competition and no application process for other organizations.
Who was the planned recipient of this award?
Montana State University (MSU) was the planned recipient, with work delivered through MSU's Western Transportation Institute (WTI).
Why was there no application process for other organizations?
Because it was posted as a single-source award. The planned recipient was already selected at the time of posting, and the notice primarily serves as a public record of the government's intent to fund a specific partner for a defined scope of work.
What is the main purpose of the grant?
The grant is intended to fund technical assistance, workforce development, and training services related to transportation needs and impacts affecting refuges and USFWS work, including support for USFWS international conservation programs.
What types of services are included in the scope?
The scope described includes transportation technical assistance, workforce development and training, road ecology support, wildlife-transportation conflict mitigation, animal road crossing technology transfer and outreach, a national survey on wildlife and roads within refuges, and investigation of international partnerships to exchange best practices.
How does this work relate to the National Wildlife Refuge System?
The notice describes using specialized transportation and road ecology expertise to support refuge complexes and individual refuges across the United States, particularly where roads, visitors, and wildlife intersect and where access and mobility planning affects visitor experience and resource protection.
What transportation issues is USFWS trying to address through this grant?
The focus is on improving how refuges handle transportation needs and transportation impacts, including visitor access and mobility, congestion, safety, and environmental impacts, while also protecting wildlife and habitat resources.
What is meant by "changing visitor demographics" in this notice?
The notice highlights an emphasis on understanding and planning for changing visitor demographics, with specific attention to millennial generation visitation patterns.
What millennial-related work is described?
Services include identifying needs associated with millennial visitors and how their visitation affects refuge resources and operations, along with studying millennial mobility behaviors and preferences for alternatives to traditional vehicle access.
What kinds of transportation alternatives are implied by the notice?
The notice implies exploring options beyond traditional vehicle access, such as shuttles, biking, walking networks, shared mobility, or other low-impact access approaches, and evaluating how these choices influence congestion, safety, and environmental impacts.
What is the workforce development and training component?
WTI is expected to help build capacity within the transportation and conservation workforce through activities such as identifying, supporting, and mentoring potential "transportation scholars," and broadening access to transportation training and information resources relevant to federal land management personnel.
What does "transportation scholars" mean in this context?
The notice describes it as identifying, supporting, and mentoring potential scholars, pointing to efforts that develop talent pipelines and connect students or early-career professionals with refuge transportation challenges to strengthen expertise that bridges transportation systems and conservation needs.
What is "road ecology" and how is it used here?
In this notice, road ecology refers to technical assistance aimed at reducing ecological harm from roads and transportation systems, including protecting wildlife, water resources, fish passage, and habitat on and around refuges.
What types of wildlife-transportation conflict mitigation are mentioned?
The notice references work such as evaluating where roads fragment habitat, identifying priority locations for fish and wildlife movement, recommending mitigation measures, and advising on design or operational changes to reduce ecological impacts.
What is ARC Solutions and how does it relate to this award?
The notice specifically calls out animal road crossing work through ARC Solutions (animal road crossings), including technology transfer, materials, and outreach. This is framed as helping move proven crossing and mitigation approaches from research into practical adoption.
Is there a nationwide assessment component?
Yes. The scope includes conducting a national survey on wildlife and roads within refuges to identify wildlife-vehicle collision issues and habitat connectivity needs and to outline potential strategies to address them.
What is the purpose of the national survey on wildlife and roads?
The purpose is to develop a system-wide understanding of wildlife-vehicle collision issues and habitat connectivity needs within refuges and to help identify potential strategies and interventions.
Does the notice mention what strategies might be considered to address collisions and connectivity?
It describes outlining potential strategies and implies interventions such as animal crossing approaches and other mitigation measures, but it does not list a complete prescriptive set of required solutions.
Does this award include an international component?
Yes. The notice includes investigation of international partnerships to exchange wildlife mitigation solutions and road ecology best practices worldwide, and it states the work will support USFWS international programs in addition to domestic refuge needs.
What is the estimated total funding amount?
The notice anticipated an estimated total funding amount of $494,533.
How many awards were anticipated?
One award was anticipated.
Is there a cost-sharing or matching requirement?
No. The notice listed no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
What is the funding instrument type?
The funding instrument type is a grant.
What activity category is this opportunity associated with?
The activity category listed in the notice is transportation.
What CFDA program is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA listing included 15.654 (Visitor Facility Enhancements - Refuges and Wildlife).
How does CFDA 15.654 relate to the work described?
The notice ties the effort to visitor facility enhancements by focusing on improvements and support that help refuges manage visitor access and transportation-related facilities while protecting wildlife and habitats.
When was the opportunity posted and when was it archived?
It was posted on June 30, 2015 and later archived on July 7, 2015.
Who is the agency contact listed in the notice?
The notice listed Cameron Matthews as the agency contact, with the email address cameronmatthews@fws.gov, for anyone who had trouble accessing the announcement electronically.
What was the purpose of providing an agency contact?
Based on the notice, the contact was provided for assistance if someone had trouble accessing the announcement electronically.
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