Management for the Conservation of Park Grasslands | NOIP17AC01222

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOIP17AC01222

The National Park Service (NPS), within the Department of the Interior, issued a public notice for a discretionary cooperative agreement titled "Management for the Conservation of Park Grasslands" (Funding Opportunity Number NOIP17AC01222; CFDA 15.945; activity category: Natural Resources). The notice explains that this is not an open, competitive call for applications. Instead, it serves to inform the public of NPS's intent to make a single expected award (up to an award ceiling of $180,000) without competition, with the original posting dated August 26, 2017 and an original closing date of September 5, 2017.

The core aim of the project is to help Midwest Region parks that manage grasslands used by grazing-dependent wildlife balance two needs that can sometimes pull in different directions: maintaining functional grazing habitat and conserving broader biodiversity. NPS frames the objective as building a more robust and resilient grassland landscape by setting management goals that go beyond simply maximizing how many grazing animals the land can support. Instead, the emphasis is on long-term population sustainability and ecosystem health, meaning management should promote conditions that support stable or improving reproduction, reduced mortality, and appropriate distribution of grazing species across the landscape. At the same time, the project is meant to protect and strengthen key grassland processes such as pollination, soil conservation, erosion reduction, and the maintenance of native plant and animal diversity. The broader context includes climate change, with the expectation that healthier, better-managed grasslands will be more resilient to extreme weather and shifting temperature and precipitation patterns. The notice also stresses that park-level decisions should be made with awareness of the surrounding landscape, so management actions contribute to resilience at larger regional scales, not just within park boundaries.

The statement of work centers on developing practical, site-appropriate management techniques and sequencing those techniques in a way that best improves habitat for multiple grazing-reliant species while maintaining ecological integrity. The types of management tools anticipated are familiar grassland conservation approaches, including prescribed fire, controlling woody plant encroachment, removing exotic or invasive plant species, and restoring native grasses and forbs. A major deliverable is not only identifying which tools to use, but also planning the order and timing of actions so that interventions complement each other and produce the best outcomes for grazed grasslands. The parks identified as likely beneficiaries include Wind Cave, Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt, Tallgrass Prairie, and Agate Fossil Beds, all of which contain grassland systems where grazing dynamics and conservation goals intersect.

The recipient's responsibilities are described as a collaborative, synthesis-and-planning effort across multiple parks. The recipient is expected to work directly with park and regional staff to define specific management goals and measurable objectives for each park that align with a more resilient grassland vision. They must also consolidate and synthesize existing information, including current resource conditions, past management actions, and any available monitoring or assessment data. Using those objectives and the compiled information, the recipient will work with staff to identify the most appropriate next management steps for each park. The project culminates in a final report covering the parks listed in the statement of work, and the recipient must also provide the parks with copies of any data collected during the study so NPS can retain and use the information for ongoing management and future planning.

NPS, in turn, commits to providing the recipient with the key publications, reports, and data needed to complete the work, and to actively engaging in discussions about each park's unique characteristics and constraints. This includes practical realities such as management limitations, operational feasibility, and site-specific considerations that could affect the recommended approach. NPS will also facilitate access for site evaluations by guiding the recipient to the areas that should be visited and assessed, and the agency anticipates collaborating on final reports and any resulting publications, reinforcing that the cooperative agreement structure is intended to be a partnership rather than a hands-off grant.

A significant part of the notice is the single-source justification, which explains why NPS believes a competitive process is not practicable under applicable Department of the Interior and NPS financial assistance policies (including 505 DM 2 and NPS policy FAPP 1443-2015-06). The justification is based on "unique qualifications" of the intended recipient. NPS points to Dr. McGranahan's demonstrated expertise and publication record in fire and grazing ecology, including work in North American tallgrass prairie systems and in Southern African grassland and savanna ecosystems. The notice also highlights his leadership role with the Rangeland Society's International Affairs Committee, suggesting that his global professional network and exposure to a wide range of rangeland management strategies would help ensure the project considers the broadest possible set of feasible approaches when developing site-specific recommendations for NPS parks. Methodologically, his work is described as focusing on the factors that influence fire behavior and the ecological effects of fire in fire-dependent ecosystems, using field sampling, modeling of fuelbeds and fire behavior, and multivariate analysis of ecological communities. NPS also notes a practical advantage: his location within the Great Plains is expected to improve travel efficiency and reduce costs for conducting site visits and evaluations across the relevant parks.

Overall, the opportunity is essentially a targeted, collaborative planning and synthesis project aimed at translating existing science and park data into clear, park-specific grassland management objectives and next-step recommendations. The desired outcome is a set of coordinated strategies, potentially combining fire, vegetation control, invasive species management, and native restoration, that improve grazing habitat while strengthening pollination, soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience across several key Midwest Region park grasslands.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Management for the Conservation of Park Grasslands" 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 Aug 26, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 05, 2017 This announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Services intention to award financial assistance for the following project activities without competition.. (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 $180,000.00 in funding.
• 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).

Apply for NOIP17AC01222

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: