This National Park Service grant is for assessing the vital cliff ecosystems within the New River Gorge National River (NERI), which boasts over 50 miles of unique rock walls. Despite their national significance and specialized plant communities, there is a critical lack of data regarding their extent and visitor impacts. These ecosystems face potential threats from heavy recreational use. This interdisciplinary project aims to collect comprehensive information on the cliffs’ geology, associated flora, and the impacts from hikers and climbers. The findings from this two-year initiative will be synthesized to develop recommendations, guiding future management strategies and mitigating current impacts to these invaluable natural resources, ensuring their protection and sustainable enjoyment.
Opportunity ID: 50981
General Information
| Document Type: | Grants Notice |
| Funding Opportunity Number: | NPSNOI4780100101 |
| Funding Opportunity Title: | Assessment of Cliff Escosystem in New River Gorge, Glen Jean, WV |
| Opportunity Category: | Discretionary |
| Opportunity Category Explanation: | – |
| Funding Instrument Type: | Cooperative Agreement |
| Category of Funding Activity: | Other (see text field entitled “Explanation of Other Category of Funding Activity” for clarification) |
| Category Explanation: | Technical Assistance, Biological and Cultural |
| Expected Number of Awards: | 1 |
| Assistance Listings: | — |
| Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: | No |
| Version: | Synopsis 1 |
| Posted Date: | Jan 06, 2010 |
| Last Updated Date: | – |
| Original Closing Date for Applications: | Jan 18, 2010 |
| Current Closing Date for Applications: | Jan 18, 2010 |
| Archive Date: | Feb 17, 2010 |
| Estimated Total Program Funding: | $236,896 |
| Award Ceiling: | – |
| Award Floor: | – |
Eligibility
| Eligible Applicants: | Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification) |
| Additional Information on Eligibility: | This is a notice of intent of a single source award to West Virgina University, Morgantown, WV. This cooperator (West Virginia University) has extensive experience working with the NPS units in southern West Virginia, and extensive experience working with geology, vegetation and wildlife communities, and recreation and tourism studies around the Appalachian region. The cooperator also has specific interest in working at New River Gorge National River (NERI). Having this small team focused on the park and projects yields efficiencies that would not be achieved with other cooperators. Selecting this research team was a natural outgrowth of a history of positive and mutually beneficial collaborations. The research team has produced dozens of high quality products for NERI in a timely fashion, and with a high degree of collaboration. They have expertise in the fields of geology, central Appalachian botany, non-vascular flora, and assessment of human recreational use, and have extensive knowledge of the park’s planning process, objectives, and goals. In addition, these geologists, botanists, and social scientists have a working knowledge of park resources and have cooperated with park staff on other projects: Abandoned Mine Inventory (1988), Bat Inventory (2003), Allegheny woodrat study (2001), Hemlock Ecosystem Monitoring (2008), Mass-Movement in NERI (1999), Rimrock Pine Communities NERI (2007), and input to a River Use Plan (1985). The extensive knowledge of WVU cooperator’s familiar with park resources will reduce or eliminate learning curve delays at the onset of the project. Integration of personnel from several disciplines, all based at the same University and accustomed to collaborating with each other on projects, will result in considerable synergistic cost savings. Not only will the interdisciplinary study design save on travel expenses, having the various disciplines working together on many aspects of the project will save time because there will be less confusion about who is doing what, where, and to achieve what project purpose. Such enhancement of communication will lead to insights resulting in more refined and sensitive data collection, analysis, and interpretation, thus contributing to more valuable final products. |
Additional Information
| Agency Name: | National Park Service |
| Description: | The New River Gorge National River (NERI), contains over 50 miles of vertical rock wallsthe most extensive in West Virginia and possibly within the entire Appalachian range. These cliffs and gorges have been identified as critical to NERIs national significance, and contain specialized and potentially rare plant communities. The Parks mandate is to protect these cliffs, as well as provide for opportunities to enjoy these resources. However, there is a serious lack of data pertaining to both the extent of the cliffs, as well as impacts from usage. The cliff ecosystems of NERI are potentially under threat from heavy visitor use. This interdisciplinary project will collect information about the: 1) geology of the cliffs; 2) flora associated with the cliffs; 3) visitor use and impacts to the cliffs and associated resources related to hikers and climbers. Findings from this project will be synthesized and recommendations will be used to alleviate current impacts and provide guidance on the future management of these cliff areas. This project will receive funding for two years. |
| Link to Additional Information: | – |
| Grantor Contact Information: | If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:
Tonya Bradley
Contract Specialist Phone 402-661-1656 Email:tonya_bradley@nps.gov |
Version History
| Version | Modification Description | Updated Date |
|---|---|---|
Related Documents
There are no related documents on this grant.
Packages
| Agency Contact Information: | Tonya Bradley Contract Specialist Phone 402-661-1656 Email: tonya_bradley@nps.gov |
| Who Can Apply: | Organization Applicants |
| Assistance Listing Number | Competition ID | Competition Title | Opportunity Package ID | Opening Date | Closing Date | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PKG00015641 | Jan 06, 2010 | Jan 18, 2010 | View |
Package 1
Mandatory forms
50981 SF424-2.0.pdf
50981 GG_LobbyingForm-1.1.pdf
50981 SF424A-1.0.pdf
50981 SF424B-1.1.pdf
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