GLNF-CESU- Interpretation of Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment- APIS | NPS NOIP19AC00039

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP19AC00039

The National Park Service grant opportunity titled "GLNF-CESU- Interpretation of Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment- APIS" (Funding Opportunity Number NPS NOIP19AC00039) is a discretionary funding notice for a cooperative agreement, with an anticipated award ceiling of $125,000. It sits within a broad mix of public-purpose categories, including community development, education and training, environment and natural resources, and science and technology research. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and the opportunity is associated with CFDA number 15.945. The original closing date listed is 2019-03-25, and the notice was created on 2019-03-15.

The core purpose of the project is interpretive and educational rather than purely scientific. It is designed to translate the findings of an "APIS Vulnerability Assessment" into clear, compelling messages for park visitors and the surrounding community. In practical terms, this means taking technical conclusions about ecosystem vulnerability and projected changes, especially those affecting terrestrial ecosystems and animal communities, and turning them into outreach materials and experiences that everyday audiences can understand and act on. A key emphasis is encouraging "beneficial behavioral change" so that visitors, residents, and other stakeholders adopt more protective habits and attitudes as stewards of park resources.

A central feature of the project is the intentional integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with the vulnerability assessment research. The grant emphasizes culturally relevant interpretation, meaning the communication products and outreach approaches should not only reflect scientific projections and monitoring data, but also incorporate Indigenous knowledge systems and community perspectives where appropriate. This integration is intended to produce interpretive messages that resonate more deeply with diverse audiences, reflect long-standing relationships with the landscape, and strengthen the relevance and legitimacy of climate and ecosystem vulnerability messaging.

Another major deliverable is educator-focused capacity building. The opportunity calls for training teachers so they can guide students in citizen science activities and community-based projects related to mitigation and adaptation. The idea is that educators become multipliers: by equipping teachers with methods, lessons, and field-ready activities tied directly to the vulnerability assessment results, students can participate in monitoring, local problem-solving, and resilience-building projects that connect classroom learning to real-world environmental change. This educational component is framed as a pathway to increasing community resiliency by helping younger generations understand vulnerabilities and participate in solutions that reduce risk or improve adaptive capacity.

The announcement also clarifies the broader context: this interpretive work is one component of a larger, multi-year effort that began in fall 2017 to identify, understand, and communicate vulnerabilities in the park's ecosystems. The vulnerability assessment and a related demonstration project are expected to generate the foundational information, while a teacher workshop will help determine the best methods for sharing that knowledge with educators, students, park audiences, and the public. In addition to general public awareness benefits, the notice indicates that the scientific community may gain new knowledge and that the work supports a better overall understanding of park natural resources, suggesting that interpretive outputs may be informed by and feed back into ongoing resource management and research discussions.

Importantly, this posting is explicitly not a request for applications. Instead, it functions as a public notice of the National Park Service's intent to award financial assistance for the described project activities, which typically indicates a planned or directed award rather than an open competition.

• The National Park Service in the community development, education, employment, labor and training, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "GLNF-CESU- Interpretation of Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment- APIS" 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 2019-03-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-03-25. (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 $125,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for NPS NOIP19AC00039

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