National Park Service Offering Grant for Snowshoe Hare Movement and Population Study

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 Number J9840100063
Project Title Snowshoe Hare Movements in Relation to Hare Population Density and Mineral Licks near Wiseman Village, Alaska

Recipient University of Alaska Fairbanks
Principle Investigator / Program Manager Knut Kielland
University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Arctic Biology
PO Box 757000
Fairbanks AK 99775

Total Anticipated Award Amount $31,000
Cost Share None
New Award or Continuation? CESU – New Award
Anticipated Length of Agreement 5 years
Anticipated Period of Performance DOA – 7/30/15
Award Instrument Cooperative Agreement – CESU
Statutory Authority 16 USC 1a -2j, 16 USC 5933
CFDA # and Title 00.000
Single Source Justification Criteria Cited Continuation – CESU

NPS Point of Contact Erica Cordeiro
Contract Specialist
907-644-3303

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OVERVIEW, RECIPIENT AND NPS SUBSTANTIAL 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:

This is a long term study of hare movements and the relation to mineral licks. During the winter of 2008/2009, DiFolco (NPS) and UAF’s Dr. Knut Kielland joined in hare mark-recapture work in the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research area to learn about live-trapping and handling snowshoe hares. In August 2009, NPS (DiFolco) and UAF (Kielland, along with graduate student S. Worker and technician K. Olsen) set up live-trap grids at mineral and non-mineral sites in the NPS snowshoe hare study area near Wiseman, Alaska, to initiate a mark-recapture study of hares and to estimate hare densities, as well as to document other population parameters such as body condition, recruitment, and survival. At that time it was determined that GPS collars would add to the efficiency of obtaining data in the long term study for monitoring hare movements in relation to mineral licks.

Specific NPS Involvement includes:
During the winters of 2011-2014, GPS collars will be deployed by NPS researchers and volunteers. UAF Kielland and student will make trips into the research area to observe behavior and collect data, with the NPS trips and on their own. They will down load location data and analyze, and meet monthly with NPS to adapt locations for site observations during the winter months. In addition to providing labor for field work, NPS also provides transportation to and from the study area, housing at Marion Creek Ranger Station, and travel per diem for field operations support. Cameras will be deployed by NPS and photos downloaded by both NPS and UAF for analysis of movement.

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 – 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.
This project is a component of an ongoing Snowshoe Hare Ecology Project, adding the ability to deploy GPS collars on hares which are and will be trapped as an ongoing part of the project. There are no other hare trapping studies ongoing in the preserve or near the preserve, thus this portion of the project is taking advantage of an ongoing effort. There is not funding for the NPS to mount it’s own study and no need to trap additional hares. A separate study would probably not be approved because of adverse impacts on wildlife when there is an existing study already available.