National Park Service Grant: Avian Fauna Synthesis in Cape Krusenstern and Bering Land Bridge National Park

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: 16 USC 5933, 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.

STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN: The 1600 km of Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (BELA) and Cape Krusenstern National Monument (CAKR) coastlines include lagoons and estuaries, which are important areas for migratory birds breeding and staging activities. Close attention to these areas is warranted in light of the fact that the region is warming at twice the global average. Furthermore, in 2011, the US Bureau of Oceans and Energy Management awarded oil and gas exploration leases for development in the Chukchi Sea, ending a 30 year moratorium on outer continental shelf oil and gas development. This move will necessitate an escalation in shipping activity adjacent to the parks in support of the offshore developments, and place drill rigs as close as 170 miles away. The escalation in industrial activity, in conjunction with a rapidly changing climate reinforces the value of the National Park Service¿s mandate to ¿protect habitat for internationally significant populations of migratory birds.¿ Of the known species occurring in CAKR and BELA, 18 are species of concern (Alaska Shorebird Group, Boreal Partners in Flight Working Group), including the threatened yellow-billed loon (one of the Arctic Network¿s vital signs). However, while NPS has a long and rich history of collecting or supporting the collection of data in this region, there are no synthesized products. Such a dearth of relevant materials constrains the ability of managers to make informed resource management decisions, or for the general public to fully benefit from decades of NPS efforts in the region.

The partner, in cooperation with the National Park Service will: STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

This Agreement (Agreement) is being entered into by and between the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS), and Wildlife Conservation Society. The objective of this agreement is to establish the baseline status of avifauna in the parks and begin to synthesize information on the vulnerability of different species to climatic change or development in a manner that can a) inform mangers; and b) be used in public outreach. This one-year project will synthesize earlier avian research efforts in CAKR and BELA, as well as at parallel sites on the Chukchi coast (Russian Federation) of interest to the NPS Shared Heritage Beringia Program.
The NPS will cooperate with WCS PI in several ways to ensure the success of the project. First, NPS will assist WCS with reviewing field journals and digitizing archived data. Second, there will be ongoing communication and involvement by NPS to improve WCS access to all archived information and to manage the synthesis of information and assimilation into appropriate NPS data structures and storage. Finally, NPS will work with WCS to develop products within the context and framework of NPS communications to communicate the results of the project and resulting information.
RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT

This project seeks to understand the status of avifauna in the parks or the vulnerability of this fauna to climatic change or development activities. Current work that seeks to understand the status of avifauna in the parks is constrained without an understanding about the historical status and variability of species. This project will collate data since the 1970s in a manner that both celebrates the original research, and provide products of value to park managers, scientists, and the public. The results will then be integrated into parallel efforts of value to the NPS Beringia program, through the synthesis of all historical data on the coastal avifauna of Beringia from the Indigirka River (Chukotka) to the MacKenzie Delta (Canada).

This one-year project will synthesize earlier avian research efforts in CAKR and BELA, develop outreach materials of use to park managers, and place these results in context of other relevant efforts in the broader NPS Beringia region. In order to do so, the P.I. will draw on extensive experience in the region and diverse contacts within the avian research world (including at government agencies, other NGOs, and the University of Alaska). The project is a cost-effective method to synthesize a large body of information that is currently largely unknown or unavailable to managers and researchers.

Objectives
Phase 1. WCS will work closely with NPS staff to synthesize Cape Krusenstern and Bering Land Bridge avifauna data in a manner that can be dovetailed with other the coastal ¿bioblitz¿ and inventory and monitoring of vital signs (e.g., coastal lagoons, yellow-billed loons).
Phase 2.WCS will complete an electronic database with georeferences to be archived with NW Parks.
Phase 3. WCS and NPS will integrate with other synthesis efforts in Chukotka and NW Alaska focused on the ultimate goal of developing a monograph on the Birds of Beringia. This publication will include a celebration of the individuals and groups who collected the early data. NPS will assist with coordinating this larger effort with the NPS Beringia Program, which has interests in similar suites of birds in Chukotka¿s prospective Sister Park Units.
Phase 4. WCS will provide base information for NPS Unit websites (there is currently no avian species lists presented for these two parks). NPS and WCS will work cooperatively to develop a four-page glossy ¿fact-sheet¿ summary of results for park managers. NPS will facilitate collaborations between WCS and park interpretive staff on outreach products for local communities about key findings and conservation needs for these bird species.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT -Substantial Involvement : Substantial involvement on the part of 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: NPS will assist WCS with reviewing field journals and digitizing archived data. Second, there will be ongoing communication and involvement by NPS to improve WCS access to all archived information and to manage the synthesis of information and assimilation into appropriate NPS data structures and storage. Finally, NPS will work with WCS to develop products within the context and framework of NPS communications to communicate the results of the project and resulting information. In addition, the following will be provided by NPS:
a) Access to WCS to archived data at the Alaska Regional Office.
c) Assistance preparing the 4-page fact sheet based on this work.

e) Assistance digitizing data and records and providing location on the CAKR and BELA server domains.

SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION: 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 National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria: Unique Qualifications
Unique Qualifications- Dr. Robards with WCS is uniquely qualified to perform the activity given his extensive experience working at the international level with avian researchers working in the Bering Region as well as his involvement with local communities adjacent to BELA and CAKR units to address wildlife conservation issues.
Single Source Justification Description
Wildlife Conservation Society is the most appropriate organization for this project because of their larger synthesis of Bering Land Bridge avifauna data to which this project will be tied and their extensive avian work in this region. Furthermore, as stated above, Dr. Robards is uniquely qualified to conduct the research and synthesize the results in manner consistent with NPS management needs and those of the Beringia International Partners.

Technical contact information: Lois DalleMolle, email: lois_dalle-molle@nps.gov, 907-455-0635 National Park Service, Alaska Region,
End of FOA