Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AS00120
The National Park Service (NPS), within the Department of the Interior, issued a discretionary funding opportunity titled "Using Stress and Stable Isotope Signatures to Infer Environmental Conditions Linked to the Unprecedented Die-Off of Common Murres Wintering in National Park Waters" (Funding Opportunity Number P19AS00120). Structured as a cooperative agreement, the project sits at the intersection of environmental science, education, and data-driven assessment (CFDA 15.945). The core purpose is to use biological evidence from Common Murre carcasses collected during the large seabird die-offs from 2015 through 2018 to pinpoint when starvation occurred and to better understand how important national park waters are as winter habitat for this species.
At a practical level, the work is meant to answer two urgent questions that emerged from the die-off events. First, it aims to determine timing: during what part of the annual cycle did murres experience chronic food limitation severe enough to lead to starvation and mass mortality? Second, it aims to determine geography: where did the birds that washed up in and near national parks likely come from, and what does that say about the scale at which park waters support murres during winter? To tackle those questions, the project proposes using stress indicators and stable isotope signatures in the carcasses. Stress-related measures can help reconstruct physiological condition leading up to death, while stable isotopes can act like natural tracers that reflect diet and foraging environment, which in turn can help infer where birds were feeding and whether they were experiencing prolonged nutritional stress.
The opportunity is framed as a cost-effective, time-sensitive assessment because the die-off created an unusual volume of samples that were already collected along park beaches. Instead of requiring a long, expensive field campaign to capture and track live birds over multiple seasons, the NPS can leverage existing carcass collections to conduct an initial, defensible evaluation of overwintering habitat use within and near coastal park boundaries. This is especially relevant because, as described in the notice, managers do not currently know when and where murres faced chronic food limitations across their annual cycle. By analyzing the 2015-2018 carcasses, the project seeks to narrow down the window of starvation (for example, whether it was primarily during wintering, migration, or another period) and connect those findings to environmental conditions and foraging constraints.
From a management and public communication standpoint, the results are intended to help NPS respond more quickly and credibly to partner agencies and community concerns when die-offs occur. The notice specifically highlights the importance of timely information in places where subsistence harvesting of seabird eggs occurs, since die-offs can trigger questions about population health, sustainability, and whether harvesting practices need adjustment. In addition, identifying the regional origin of the dead birds would clarify which breeding populations were most affected and how far-reaching the connection is between national park waters and murre populations. That kind of information can guide interagency coordination, focus monitoring efforts, and improve how coastal parks explain the ecological role of their waters during winter.
Administratively, the grant was created on April 23, 2019, with an original closing date of May 1, 2019. The award ceiling was listed as $122,391, with one expected award. While eligible applicants are described as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, the announcement is explicitly a notice of intent to award to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and it states that applications will not be accepted from any other entity.Apply for P19AS00120
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, environment, information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Using Stress and Stable Isotope Signatures to Infer Environmental Conditions Linked to the Unprecedented Die-Off of Common Murres Wintering in National Park Waters." 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 Apr 23, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 01, 2019 This is a notice of intent to award to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Applications will not be accepted from any other entity.. (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 $122,391.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the title of this funding opportunity?
The funding opportunity is titled "Using Stress and Stable Isotope Signatures to Infer Environmental Conditions Linked to the Unprecedented Die-Off of Common Murres Wintering in National Park Waters."
2. Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
This opportunity was issued by the National Park Service (NPS) within the Department of the Interior.
3. What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is P19AS00120.
4. What funding instrument will be used?
The opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement.
5. What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 15.945.
6. What is the overall purpose of the project?
The project aims to use biological evidence from Common Murre carcasses collected during the 2015 through 2018 seabird die-offs to pinpoint when starvation occurred and to better understand how important national park waters are as winter habitat for Common Murres.
7. What event(s) prompted this project?
The project is tied to the large and unusual seabird die-off events involving Common Murres from 2015 through 2018, during which many carcasses were found and collected along park beaches.
8. What are the two main questions the project is designed to answer?
The project is designed to answer two urgent questions that emerged from the die-off events: (1) timing, or when during the annual cycle murres experienced chronic food limitation severe enough to lead to starvation and mass mortality; and (2) geography, or where the birds that washed up in and near national parks likely came from and what that implies about the scale at which park waters support murres during winter.
9. What does the project mean by determining the "timing" of starvation?
Determining timing means narrowing down when chronic food limitation occurred in the birds' annual cycle, such as whether starvation was primarily during wintering, migration, or another period.
10. What does the project mean by determining the "geography" or origin of the birds?
Determining geography means inferring where the birds were likely feeding before they died, where the birds that washed up near national parks likely came from, and what that indicates about regional connections between national park waters and murre populations.
11. What kinds of samples will be used for the analysis?
The work will use Common Murre carcasses that were collected during the 2015 to 2018 die-offs, including carcasses found along national park beaches.
12. How will stress indicators be used in this project?
Stress-related measures are intended to help reconstruct the birds' physiological condition leading up to death, supporting inferences about prolonged nutritional stress and starvation processes.
13. How will stable isotope signatures be used in this project?
Stable isotopes are described as natural tracers that reflect diet and foraging environment. In this project, stable isotope signatures from carcasses are intended to help infer where birds were feeding and whether they were experiencing prolonged nutritional stress.
14. Why does the NPS consider this assessment cost-effective?
The notice frames the work as cost-effective because it can leverage an unusual volume of samples that were already collected along park beaches during the die-offs, rather than requiring a long and expensive field campaign to capture and track live birds over multiple seasons.
15. Why is the project described as time-sensitive?
The opportunity is described as time-sensitive because it focuses on analyzing carcasses from the 2015 to 2018 die-offs to produce an initial, defensible evaluation of overwintering habitat use in and near coastal park boundaries, and to help managers respond more quickly when die-offs occur.
16. What management problem is this project intended to address?
The notice states that managers do not currently know when and where murres faced chronic food limitations across their annual cycle. The project is intended to help narrow down the likely window of starvation and connect those findings to environmental conditions and foraging constraints.
17. How will the results be used by the National Park Service?
From a management and communication standpoint, the results are intended to help the NPS respond more quickly and credibly to partner agencies and community concerns when die-offs occur, and to improve how coastal parks explain the ecological role of their waters during winter.
18. How does this work relate to subsistence harvesting concerns?
The notice highlights that timely information is important in places where subsistence harvesting of seabird eggs occurs. Die-offs can raise questions about population health, sustainability, and whether harvesting practices need adjustment, and the project is intended to support more credible and timely responses to those concerns.
19. What additional insight could come from identifying the birds' regional origin?
Identifying the regional origin of the dead birds would clarify which breeding populations were most affected and how far-reaching the connection is between national park waters and murre populations. The notice suggests this can guide interagency coordination, focus monitoring efforts, and improve public communication.
20. What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The award ceiling is listed as $122,391.
21. How many awards are expected?
The opportunity indicates that one award is expected.
22. When was the grant opportunity created?
The notice states that the grant was created on April 23, 2019.
23. What was the original closing date?
The original closing date listed in the notice is May 1, 2019.
24. Who is eligible to apply, based on the eligibility description?
The eligibility description lists public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
25. Are applications accepted from any eligible institution?
No. The announcement is explicitly a notice of intent to award to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and it states that applications will not be accepted from any other entity.
26. Who is the intended recipient of the award?
The notice identifies the University of Alaska Fairbanks as the intended recipient.
27. What makes this project an "initial, defensible evaluation" rather than a long-term tracking study?
The notice contrasts this approach with long and expensive field campaigns to capture and track live birds over multiple seasons. Instead, it leverages existing carcass collections from the die-offs to conduct an initial assessment of overwintering habitat use within and near coastal park boundaries.
28. What types of conclusions is the project trying to support?
Based on the notice, the project aims to support conclusions about (1) when starvation likely occurred in the annual cycle, (2) where the birds were likely feeding and their probable regional origin, and (3) what those findings imply about environmental conditions, foraging constraints, and the role of national park waters as winter habitat.
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