Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIWASOP12AC11070
Apply for NPS NOIWASOP12AC11070
- The National Park Service in the consumer protection sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Yosemite Visitor Trail Use Study" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.942 Environmental Education and Conservation North Cascades Bioregion.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 27, 2012 and posted on Jul 27, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 31, 2012. (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 $20,692.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Yosemite Visitor Trail Use Study is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement notice that serves as public notification of the agency's intent to fund a specific project without competition. It is explicitly not a request for applications, meaning the NPS is not soliciting proposals from the general public. Instead, the notice documents the planned award to the Henry M. Jackson Foundation (HJF), a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit, under Funding Opportunity Number NPS NOIWASOP12AC11070. The opportunity was posted July 27, 2012, with an original and final closing date of July 31, 2012, and it was archived August 30, 2012. The anticipated funding ceiling is $20,692, with no cost sharing or matching requirement, and the NPS expects to make one award.
At its core, the project is framed as a public health and injury prevention effort focused on reducing unintentional fatal and non-fatal injuries in high-risk locations within Yosemite National Park. The main idea is to gather real-world data about how and why visitors deviate from official trails near hazardous areas, then use that knowledge to design better prevention strategies. A key study location mentioned is the Vernal Falls footbridge area, although the work may extend to other sites that Yosemite Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel have flagged as particularly dangerous. By focusing on trail departures near hazards, the NPS and HJF aim to understand behaviors that can lead to falls, injuries, or situations that require professional rescue.
The planned study has several specific aims. First, it will document patterns of trail departure by measuring how many people leave the marked trail at the target location(s), while also looking for trends by time of day and day of week. Second, it will dig into the reasons hikers decide to leave the trail at these risky points, including whether the decision is spontaneous or planned and who in the group most influenced the decision to step off the trail. Third, the project will evaluate how people who do leave the trail respond to potential alternatives, which could include safer route options, different signage, barriers, messaging approaches, or other countermeasures designed to prevent dangerous shortcuts or off-trail travel. Fourth, and importantly, the project will culminate in the development of a survey instrument intended to quantify the motivations for trail departure and measure how appealing various preventive interventions might be.
A major emphasis of the announcement is that this work is exploratory and foundational. The immediate product is not an intervention itself, but a better understanding of visitor behavior and a survey tool that can be used in a follow-on study. That later work could support a more formal intervention trial, where Yosemite could test specific prevention measures and evaluate whether they actually reduce risky behavior, injuries, or rescue incidents. The broader goal is to reduce the number of visitors harmed in Yosemite and decrease the need for SAR responses that occur when people put themselves in dangerous positions near cliffs, swift water, steep granite, or other hazards typical of the park's high-traffic scenic areas. The NPS also positions this as contributing to the wider field of risk management and injury prevention in outdoor and extreme environments, suggesting the findings could inform safety strategies beyond Yosemite.
Responsibilities are divided between the recipient (HJF) and the NPS in a typical cooperative agreement structure, where both parties have active roles. HJF is responsible for designing the exploratory investigation of trail users, supervising research assistance to ensure methods are followed and that fieldwork is conducted safely, and handling transportation and other support needs for HJF researchers. The NPS, in turn, will collaborate on study design and implementation; provide logistical and facility support; and participate in overall project management and monitoring, including providing materials, transportation, and equipment when available and needed for work on park lands. The NPS will also assign an employee to monitor the project, answer questions on site, and act as a liaison, and it will review and approve each phase before moving to the next, ensuring the work stays aligned with park requirements and safety expectations.
Finally, the notice explains why the award is noncompetitive. Under Department of the Interior policy (505 DM 2), single-source awards require written justification for why competition is not practicable. In this case, the NPS states it did not pursue full and open competition because the project originated as an unsolicited proposal, characterized as a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach that was not already covered by an existing or planned contract or assistance award and that supports program objectives. The announcement lists the activity category as consumer protection and references CFDA 15.942, Environmental Education and Conservation (North Cascades Bioregion), which reflects the program classification used in federal assistance listings rather than limiting the work geographically to that bioregion. For administrative questions, the notice provides a contact: Alicia Broner, Contract Specialist, National Park Service, phone 303-987-6734.
Yosemite Visitor Trail Use Study (NPS) - FAQs
1) What is the Yosemite Visitor Trail Use Study?
The Yosemite Visitor Trail Use Study is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement project focused on understanding why visitors leave designated trails near hazardous areas in Yosemite National Park and how that behavior might be prevented. It is framed as a public health and injury prevention effort aimed at reducing unintentional fatal and non-fatal injuries and decreasing the need for Yosemite Search and Rescue (SAR) responses.
2) Is this a grant opportunity that the public can apply for?
No. The notice is explicitly not a request for applications. It serves as public notification of the NPS intent to fund a specific project without competition, and it is not soliciting proposals from the general public.
3) Who is the intended recipient of this funding?
The planned award is to the Henry M. Jackson Foundation (HJF), identified in the notice as a qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
4) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this notice?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is NPS NOIWASOP12AC11070.
5) When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The notice was posted on July 27, 2012. The original and final closing date was July 31, 2012.
6) What is the archive date for this notice?
The notice was archived on August 30, 2012.
7) How much funding is anticipated, and how many awards are expected?
The anticipated funding ceiling is $20,692, and the NPS expects to make one award.
8) Is there any cost sharing or matching requirement?
No. The notice states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
9) What problem is this study trying to address?
The study aims to reduce injuries and deaths associated with visitors leaving official trails near dangerous features (for example, cliffs, swift water, steep granite, and other hazards common at high-traffic scenic locations). The project is also intended to help reduce incidents that require professional rescue by Yosemite SAR.
10) Where in Yosemite will the study take place?
A key location mentioned is the Vernal Falls footbridge area. The work may also extend to other high-risk sites that Yosemite Search and Rescue personnel have identified as particularly dangerous.
11) What does the study mean by "trail departure"?
In this context, "trail departure" refers to visitors deviating from the marked or official trail near hazardous locations, including taking shortcuts or traveling off-trail in ways that may increase risk of falls, injury, or the need for rescue.
12) What are the main aims of the study?
The notice describes several aims: (1) document patterns of trail departure by measuring how many people leave the marked trail at target locations and identifying trends by time of day and day of week; (2) identify reasons hikers decide to leave the trail, including whether the choice is spontaneous or planned and who in the group influenced the decision; (3) evaluate how visitors who leave the trail respond to possible alternatives or countermeasures; and (4) develop a survey instrument to quantify motivations for trail departure and measure the appeal of preventive interventions.
13) What kinds of countermeasures or alternatives might be evaluated?
The notice indicates potential alternatives could include safer route options, different signage, barriers, messaging approaches, or other countermeasures intended to discourage dangerous off-trail travel near hazards.
14) Is the project implementing a safety intervention right away?
No. The announcement emphasizes the work is exploratory and foundational. The immediate outputs are a better understanding of visitor behavior and the development of a survey instrument, rather than implementing an intervention as the main product.
15) What is the expected deliverable at the end of this exploratory phase?
A key deliverable described is a survey instrument designed to quantify motivations for trail departure and assess how appealing different preventive interventions may be to visitors.
16) How could this study be used in future work?
The notice states the results and the survey tool are intended to support a follow-on study. That later study could lead to a more formal intervention trial in Yosemite to test specific prevention measures and evaluate whether they reduce risky behavior, injuries, or rescue incidents.
17) How is this related to public health and injury prevention?
The project is positioned as a public health and injury prevention effort because it focuses on preventing unintentional injuries and fatalities by studying real-world visitor behavior in high-risk environments and using that information to design stronger prevention strategies.
18) Does the NPS describe broader benefits beyond Yosemite?
Yes. The notice suggests the findings may contribute to the wider field of risk management and injury prevention in outdoor and extreme environments, meaning the insights could inform safety strategies beyond Yosemite.
19) What type of award mechanism is being used?
The notice describes the planned funding as a cooperative agreement, where both the recipient and the NPS have active roles in the project.
20) What is HJF responsible for under this cooperative agreement?
HJF is responsible for designing the exploratory investigation of trail users, supervising research assistance to ensure methods are followed and fieldwork is conducted safely, and handling transportation and other support needs for HJF researchers.
21) What is the NPS responsible for under this cooperative agreement?
The NPS will collaborate on study design and implementation; provide logistical and facility support; participate in project management and monitoring; and provide materials, transportation, and equipment when available and needed for work on park lands. The NPS will also assign an employee to monitor the project, answer questions on site, act as a liaison, and review/approve each phase before the project moves to the next.
22) Why is this a noncompetitive (single-source) award?
The notice explains that under Department of the Interior policy (505 DM 2), single-source awards require written justification for why competition is not practicable. Here, the NPS states it did not pursue full and open competition because the project originated as an unsolicited proposal and was characterized as a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach not already covered by an existing or planned contract or assistance award, while supporting program objectives.
23) Does the notice cite a CFDA program number or category?
Yes. It references CFDA 15.942 and lists the activity category as consumer protection. It also includes the program classification wording "Environmental Education and Conservation (North Cascades Bioregion)," which the notice explains reflects the federal assistance listing classification rather than limiting the work geographically to that bioregion.
24) Who can be contacted for administrative questions?
The notice lists Alicia Broner, Contract Specialist, National Park Service, as the administrative contact. Phone: 303-987-6734.
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