NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO AWARD Wildlife sensory ecology research | P15AS00393

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This notice is a public announcement from the National Park Service (NPS) that it intends to make a single, non-competitive award for a project called "Wildlife sensory ecology research." It is explicitly not a call for proposals and not something organizations can apply to. Instead, it serves as formal notice that NPS plans to continue funding work with an identified recipient, Colorado State University (CSU), under a cooperative agreement. The anticipated federal funding total is $557,133, with no cost share required, and the planned period of performance runs from the date of final signatures through December 31, 2017. The award is issued under NPS cooperative research and training authority (including 54 USC 101702 and 54 USC 100703) and is tied to CFDA 15.945, which covers NPS Cooperative Research and Training Programs within the CESU framework (in this case, through the Rocky Mountains CESU, using a negotiated indirect cost/overhead rate of 17.5%).

At its core, the project focuses on how wildlife respond to two widespread forms of pollution in protected natural areas: noise and artificial light at night. The research aims to measure behavioral and ecological responses to these sensory stressors and to improve ways of extracting useful environmental information from acoustic recordings (soundscape data). A major component is continued support for an undergraduate "Listening Laboratory" previously established under an earlier agreement. That lab is designed to give undergraduate honors students hands-on experience in research and data analysis involving soundscapes, under the guidance of a postdoctoral researcher who mentors students, manages projects, and initiates additional field research. In parallel, the project adds or strengthens work on light pollution by supporting a separate postdoctoral researcher focused specifically on the effects of stray/artificial light on wildlife.

The NPS frames the public value of the work in two main ways. First, it strengthens scientific understanding of sensory ecology and translates that understanding into practical value for national park management, including protecting natural resources and improving visitor experience by preserving natural soundscapes and dark night skies. Second, it functions as a training and workforce-development effort by supporting undergraduate researchers, postdoctoral scientists, and other research associates, building skills in acoustical monitoring, analysis, and related ecological methods, and creating pathways toward peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. The project is also meant to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration at CSU across natural sciences, natural resources, and engineering.

The technical scope is intentionally broad so it can evolve with the expertise of hired personnel, but the notice outlines the expected research directions. These include documenting how noise affects time and energy budgets for free-ranging animals; developing lab-based systems where behavioral responses to noise and light can be tested under controlled conditions; measuring response and recovery timelines after exposure to noise or light; using broadcast systems to isolate the effects of noise or light from other human disturbances; and assessing how well acoustic recordings can monitor both noise sources and wildlife activity across space. The acoustic monitoring work may be paired with other field methods such as camera traps, video monitoring, point counts, or transect surveys to compare what each method detects and how reliably. Other anticipated work includes modeling noise exposure at large scales (regional to continental) to evaluate present and future conditions around parks and to examine how noise levels relate to existing wildlife survey datasets; exploring improved data collection and processing methods for both environmental acoustics and "lightscapes"; and conducting specific analyses of acoustic datasets from Everglades National Park to link sound characteristics to other environmental gradients. The project also includes an applied communication component: creating educational materials that park interpreters can use to explain why soundscapes and night sky quality matter for wildlife and for the public.

Because this is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, NPS expects substantial involvement in planning and execution. An NPS Technical Expert (TE) and staff from the Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division (NSNSD) will work directly with the CSU team to set research priorities, shape specific studies and monitoring projects, help identify or develop instrumentation, choose study species and field sites, design analyses, and support the preparation of reports and publications. NPS will also provide specialized equipment and relevant acoustic data where needed, and CSU personnel may work in proximity to NSNSD staff (including potential desk space in the NSNSD office suite). Oversight and administrative control are addressed through an NPS Agreement Technical Representative (ATR), who is responsible for ensuring CSU performance aligns with the agreement terms and for approving major scope or budget changes.

The notice also lays out the project management rhythm and deliverables. The Listening Lab activities continue immediately as an ongoing effort from the prior award, and the CSU and NPS teams hold monthly meetings to review progress and plan next steps. Within the first quarter, the project initiates a search for a postdoctoral researcher focused on light pollution impacts; by the second quarter, the intent is to hire that postdoctoral researcher and begin research planning. Reporting requirements include a first-year performance report at 12 months, a draft final project report submitted one month before the end date for NPS review, and a final report at the end of the project, with the final report intended to incorporate what would otherwise be a second-year annual report. A 30-day wrap-up period is built in to close out the agreement after the final report is submitted.

Responsibilities are shared and spelled out on both sides. CSU is expected to collaborate on the full research program; have the Principal Investigator coordinate faculty and research staff; recruit and supervise postdocs, research associates, hourly staff, and student researchers in coordination with the NPS TE; support education and mentoring of CSU students; provide office space for postdoctoral researchers and dedicated space for the undergraduate lab; develop outreach/interpretive content with park interpretive staff and astronomy volunteers; convene regular coordination meetings; submit annual and final reports; and ensure NPS is appropriately acknowledged in publications and presentations derived from the work. NPS, for its part, provides the funding, technical collaboration and consultation, access to data and equipment as appropriate, participation in meetings and analyses when relevant, and scientific review and potential co-authorship on manuscripts when NPS contributions rise to the level of substantive intellectual input. NPS also commits to acknowledging CSU in any NPS publications or presentations that rely on outputs from the agreement and to informing CSU about compliance expectations tied to NPS scientific integrity and information-quality guidance.

Finally, the notice explains why the award is not competed. Under Department of the Interior single-source policy, NPS must justify non-competitive awards, and in this case the cited justification is "Continuation." The work is described as a continuation or necessary extension of activities already being funded under a prior cooperative agreement and task agreement structure, and NPS states that running a competition would likely disrupt continuity or completion. The project is processed through the CESU network (Rocky Mountains CESU) because it meets CESU expectations for public purpose, alignment with mission, and substantial federal involvement. The announcement lists one expected award (this one), identifies CSU as the eligible applicant type (public/state-controlled institution of higher education), and provides the NPS point of contact for questions: June Zastrow (303-987-6718, junezastrow@nps.gov).

• The National Park Service in the community development, education, employment, labor and training, environment, information and statistics, natural resources, regional development, science and technology and other research and develo sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO AWARD Wildlife sensory ecology research" 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 2015-09-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-09-18. (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 $557,133.00 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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