Monitoring birds in the NGPN Parks
NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD This Funding Announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service¿s intention to fund the following project activities without full and open competition. ABSTRACT Funding Announcement P13AS00193 Project Title Continued monitoring of birds in the selected Northern Great Plains I&M Network Parks Recipient Rocky Mountian Bird Observatory Principle Investigator / Program Manager David Hanni Total Anticipated Award Amount $33,500.00 Cost Share None New Award or Continuation? This is a task agreement under cooperative agreement H2370114000 Anticipated Length of Agreement From date of award until 9/30/2017 Anticipated Period of Performance From date of award until 9/30/2017 Award Instrument Cooperative Agreement Statutory Authority 16 USC 5933 CFDA # and Title 15.954 Cooperative Research and Training Programs: Resources of the National Park System Single Source Justification Criteria Cited (2) Continuation NPS Point of Contact June Zastrow 303-987-6718 june_zastrow@nps.gov OVERVIEW The Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN) consists of 13 national park units located throughout the Dakotas, eastern Wyoming, and Nebraska. Landbirds are an important component of the Northern Great Plains and good indicators of the effects of local and regional changes. As a result, landbirds were identified as one of the Network¿s priority vital signs to be monitored on a long-term basis. The Network has developed a monitoring protocol for landbirds in conjunction with three other I&M Networks (Southern Plains, Chihuahuan Desert, and Sonoran Desert Networks). Long-term monitoring of bird populations will provide park units with the information needed to protect and manage this valuable natural resource. The NGPN Network is implementing the sampling design developed for a regional bird monitoring program ¿Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR; White et al. 2012), at the Network parks. The multi-scale IMBCR design consists of nested strata; with each individual stratum (i.e. park) producing its own estimates of species¿ densities and occupancy rates as well as contributing to estimates for higher order strata such as states and Bird Conservation Regions. The IMBCR design defines the sampling unit as a 1-km2 cell, containing 16 evenly-spaced sample points with 250 meter spacing between points. Network parks were classified as either large (>29,000 acres) or small (<4,000 acres). Depending on the level of funding available for the landbird vital sign, large parks will have 15 IMBCR grids sampled whereas the small parks will have between 3 and 6 IMBCR grids sampled. Spatially-balanced samples were selected using a Generalized Random-Tessellation Stratified (GRTS) sampling algorithm within each park. The centroid of each grid cell was used as the cell address for each sampling unit. After 5 years of data collection, the Network, in collaboration with Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO), will conduct a complete review of the program that will include density and occupancy estimations as well as sample-size evaluation. This review will determine if the sampling design is appropriate for meeting the program¿s goal and objectives. If not, the design will be changed. Project Objectives: 1. Conduct landbird surveys at the selected sampling points at NGPN park units as identified in the Landbird Monitoring Protocol and Standard Operating Procedures (Bennetts et al. 2013 Appendix C ¿ Landbird Sampling Location Maps). NPS will determine which parks to survey based on budget. 2. Collect vegetation data at each point count location based on the RMBO Vegetation Protocol (McLaren 2011). RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT RMBO agrees to: 1. Provide a project supervisor competent in the kind of work required to complete the monitoring. The supervisor shall be responsible for supervising the participants, controlling the method and manner of work, and for ensuring that the project is undertaken and completed in accordance with the protocol and in a safe manner. Conduct data analysis using NPS data management applications and guidelines. 2. Provide transportation to and form the parks, and other support for RMBO personnel. 3. Provide necessary training of field personnel and conduct on ¿the ¿ground bird surveys as outlined in the Landbird Monitoring Protocol (Bennetts et al. 2013). 4. Submit to each park an Investigator¿s Annual Research Report by March 31st after each field season. 5. Provide Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN) with a final report based data verification and synthesis of the field work. 6. Maintain frequent contact with the NPS Agreement Technical Specialist NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT Substantial involvement on the part the National Park Service is anticipated for the successful completion of the objectives to be funded by this award. In particular, the National Park Service will be responsible for the following: 1. Provide information needs, priorities, guidelines, data management specifications and applications, and technical specifications for this project. 2. Participate with RMBO in overall management of the project. 3. Assign an appropriate NPS employee to monitor the ongoing work, and to respond to questions about the nature and goals of this project. 4. Assist RMBO in applying and receiving research permits using NPS Internet-based Research Permitting and Reporting System. 5. Assist in provision of short-term housing for the RMBO technicians at Agate Fossil Beds NM, Badlands NP, Mount Rushmore NMEM, and Wind Care NP. 6. Conduct annual summary statistics based on the collected bird data and publish the Landbird Monitoring in the Northern Great Plains Network: 2016 Annual Report in the NPS Natural Resource Technical Report Series. SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR SINGLE SOURCE POLICY REQUIREMENTS Department of the Interior Policy (505 DM 2) requires a written justification which explains why competition is not practicable for each single-source award. The justification must address one or more of the following criteria as well as discussion of the program legislative history, unique capabilities of the proposed recipient, and cost-sharing contribution offered by the proposed recipient, as applicable. In order for an assistance award to be made without competition, the award must satisfy one or more of the following criteria: (1) Unsolicited Proposal ¿ The proposed award is the result of an unsolicited assistance application which represents a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach which is not the subject of a current or planned contract or assistance award, but which is deemed advantageous to the program objectives; (2) Continuation ¿ The activity to be funded is necessary to the satisfactory completion of, or is a continuation of an activity presently being funded, and for which competition would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity; (3) Legislative intent ¿ The language in the applicable authorizing legislation or legislative history clearly indicates Congress¿ intent to restrict the award to a particular recipient of purpose; (4) Unique Qualifications ¿ The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications; (5) Emergencies ¿ Program/award where there is insufficient time available (due to a compelling and unusual urgency, or substantial danger to health or safety) for adequate competitive procedures to be followed. The National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria: (2) CONTINUATION Single Source Justification Description: THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD This is a Task Agreement (P13AC01123) under Cooperative Agreement (H2370114000) in the amount of $33,500.00 with a period of performance from date of award until 09/30/2017. STATUTORY AUTHORITY 16 USC §5933. Cooperative agreements (a) Cooperative study units The Secretary is authorized and directed to enter into cooperative agreements with colleges and universities, including but not limited to land grant schools, in partnership with other Federal and State agencies, to establish cooperative study units to conduct multi-disciplinary research and develop integrated information products on the resources of the National Park System, or the larger region of which parks are a part. (b) Report Within one year of November 13, 1998, the Secretary shall report to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives on progress in the establishment of a comprehensive network of such college and university based cooperative study units as will provide full geographic and topical coverage for research on the resources contained in units of the National Park System and their larger regions. (Pub. L. 105¿391, title II, §203, Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3500.)
Office: National Park Service
June_Zastrow@nps.gov
