Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOI 15 CESU 76016
The National Park Service (NPS) issued this opportunity as a Notice of Intent to make a non-competitive award for a project titled "A Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program for Upper Laguna Madre, Padre Island National Seashore." Rather than functioning as an open grant competition, this notice signals NPS plans to fund a single, pre-selected partner through an existing cooperative framework. The award mechanism is a Cooperative Agreement issued under the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Master Cooperative Agreement (P12AC51051), and it is justified under Department of the Interior policy (505 Departmental Manual 2.12C), which allows certain single-source arrangements when appropriate. In practical terms, this means the announcement is informational and administrative, not a request for applications from the public.
The core purpose of the project is to establish and implement long-term environmental monitoring focused specifically on seagrass habitats in the Upper Laguna Madre area associated with Padre Island National Seashore. The monitoring is intended to detect environmental changes over time while keeping the primary emphasis on "ecological integrity," meaning the overall health, functioning, and resilience of seagrass ecosystems. Because seagrass beds are highly sensitive to factors like water quality, turbidity, nutrient inputs, salinity changes, temperature shifts, physical disturbance, and storm impacts, long-term datasets are critical for separating normal seasonal variability from meaningful long-term trends that could indicate degradation or recovery.
A second major aim is to translate monitoring results into ecological understanding by providing insight into the consequences of observed changes. This goes beyond simply tracking seagrass presence or coverage and implies evaluating what those trends mean for the broader ecosystem. In seagrass systems, changes can cascade into impacts on fish and invertebrate communities, water clarity, shoreline stabilization, sediment dynamics, and habitat availability for species that depend on submerged aquatic vegetation. By coupling monitoring with interpretation, the project supports a clearer picture of cause-and-effect relationships and helps managers understand whether shifts reflect temporary disturbances, chronic stressors, or longer-term regime changes.
The third purpose is explicitly management-oriented: the information generated is meant to help decision makers determine whether observed environmental change should trigger revisions to regulations, management policies, or on-the-ground practices. The notice highlights that these decision makers may include multiple state and federal agencies, which reflects how coastal lagoon ecosystems typically fall under overlapping jurisdictions and are influenced by activities beyond park boundaries. The monitoring program is therefore positioned as a tool for evidence-based management, enabling agencies to respond proactively if indicators suggest declining seagrass integrity or other ecological risks, or to validate that existing protections and practices are working as intended.
Administratively, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, with the instrument type listed as a Cooperative Agreement and the activity category as environment. The CFDA number associated with the program is 15.945. The opportunity number is "NPS NOI 15 CESU 76016," and the agency is the National Park Service. The posting indicates an expected single award (ExpectedAwards: 1) with the recipient identified as the University of Texas at Austin. The original closing date is shown as 2015-09-21, but because this is not an open solicitation, that date functions more like an administrative timeline rather than a true deadline for outside applicants. The award ceiling is listed as 0, which commonly appears in records where the funding amount is either determined elsewhere (for example, in the attached full announcement or internal agreement documents) or not presented in the summary listing.
Overall, this notice documents NPS intent to fund a long-term seagrass monitoring effort in the Upper Laguna Madre to build an enduring scientific record, interpret ecological implications of change, and directly inform resource management decisions at Padre Island National Seashore and among partner agencies. It is explicitly a single-source action under the Gulf Coast CESU and is not open for competitive applications.Apply for NPS NOI 15 CESU 76016
- The National Park Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "A LONG-TERM SEAGRASS MONITORING PROGRAM FOR UPPER LAGUNA MADRE, PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE" 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 2015-09-14.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-09-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is this National Park Service (NPS) announcement?
This is a Notice of Intent (NOI) from the National Park Service to make a non-competitive award for a project titled "A Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program for Upper Laguna Madre, Padre Island National Seashore." It is informational and administrative in nature, describing NPS plans to fund a specific project through a specific partner, rather than inviting applications from the public.
2) Is this an open grant competition that organizations can apply to?
No. The notice does not function as an open solicitation and is not a request for applications. It indicates NPS intends to make a single, pre-selected award under an existing cooperative framework.
3) Who is the intended recipient of the award?
The expected recipient identified in the notice is the University of Texas at Austin.
4) How many awards does NPS expect to make under this notice?
The posting indicates one expected award (ExpectedAwards: 1).
5) What is the project title?
The project is titled "A Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program for Upper Laguna Madre, Padre Island National Seashore."
6) What is the main purpose of the project?
The core purpose is to establish and implement long-term environmental monitoring focused on seagrass habitats in the Upper Laguna Madre area associated with Padre Island National Seashore. The monitoring is intended to detect environmental changes over time, with the primary emphasis on ecological integrity (the overall health, functioning, and resilience of seagrass ecosystems).
7) What does "long-term seagrass monitoring" mean in this context?
In this notice, long-term monitoring refers to building datasets over time that can distinguish normal seasonal variability from meaningful long-term trends. Because seagrass beds can respond to many environmental drivers, the goal is to track conditions in a consistent way that supports detection of degradation, recovery, or other sustained changes.
8) Why is seagrass monitoring important for Upper Laguna Madre?
The notice emphasizes that seagrass beds are highly sensitive to factors such as water quality, turbidity, nutrient inputs, salinity changes, temperature shifts, physical disturbance, and storm impacts. Long-term datasets are described as critical for understanding whether observed changes reflect normal patterns or significant trends.
9) What is meant by "ecological integrity" in this project?
Ecological integrity is described as the overall health, functioning, and resilience of the seagrass ecosystem. The monitoring program is designed to focus on that broader condition rather than only documenting seagrass presence.
10) Is the project only about mapping seagrass coverage or presence?
No. The notice indicates the effort goes beyond simply tracking seagrass presence or coverage. A major aim is to interpret the consequences of observed changes and translate monitoring results into ecological understanding.
11) What kinds of ecological consequences does the notice associate with seagrass changes?
The notice explains that changes in seagrass systems can cascade into impacts on fish and invertebrate communities, water clarity, shoreline stabilization, sediment dynamics, and habitat availability for species that depend on submerged aquatic vegetation.
12) How will the monitoring results be used by managers and agencies?
The notice states that information generated by the project is intended to help decision makers determine whether observed environmental change should trigger revisions to regulations, management policies, or on-the-ground practices. It also notes that decision makers may include multiple state and federal agencies.
13) Why might multiple agencies be involved in using the results?
The notice points out that coastal lagoon ecosystems often fall under overlapping jurisdictions and are influenced by activities beyond park boundaries. As a result, the monitoring program is positioned as an evidence base relevant to more than one agency.
14) What funding mechanism will NPS use for this award?
The award mechanism is a Cooperative Agreement issued under the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Master Cooperative Agreement (P12AC51051).
15) What does it mean that this is a Cooperative Agreement?
The notice identifies the instrument type as a Cooperative Agreement. In this context, it indicates the project will be carried out under a cooperative framework rather than as a standard competitive grant solicitation.
16) Why is this award non-competitive (single-source)?
The notice states the single-source approach is justified under Department of the Interior policy (505 Departmental Manual 2.12C), which allows certain single-source arrangements when appropriate. It also notes the award is made through the CESU cooperative framework.
17) What is the Gulf Coast CESU and why is it referenced?
Based on the notice, the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) provides the master cooperative agreement framework (P12AC51051) under which this Cooperative Agreement will be issued.
18) What is the opportunity number for this notice?
The opportunity number listed is "NPS NOI 15 CESU 76016."
19) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number associated with the program is 15.945.
20) How is this opportunity categorized (type and activity area)?
The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding. The instrument type is a Cooperative Agreement, and the activity category is environment.
21) What is the listed closing date, and does it function like a real application deadline?
The closing date is shown as 2015-09-21. However, the notice explains this is not an open solicitation, so the date functions more like an administrative timeline rather than a deadline for outside applicants.
22) Why does the award ceiling show as 0?
The award ceiling is listed as 0. The notice indicates this can appear in summary records when the funding amount is determined elsewhere (such as in attached documents or internal agreement materials) or is not presented in the summary listing.
23) What geographic area does the project focus on?
The project focuses on seagrass habitats in the Upper Laguna Madre area associated with Padre Island National Seashore.
24) What is the overall intent of NPS in issuing this notice?
The notice documents NPS intent to fund a long-term seagrass monitoring effort to build an enduring scientific record, interpret ecological implications of change, and directly inform resource management decisions at Padre Island National Seashore and among partner agencies. It is explicitly a single-source action and is not open for competitive applications.
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