National Park Service Grant: Developing Sea Level and Storm Surge Projections for Coastal Parks

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.

OVERVIEW

Climate change is an issue increasingly discussed by park managers as many parks develop foundation documents, resource stewardship strategies, or various implementation plans such as shoreline management plans. In addition to rising temperatures and changing precipitation regimes, increases in relative sea level (RSL) threaten to alter the natural and cultural resources of many parks, and may completely engulf several coastal parks. Approximately 105 coastal parks are potentially affected by changing RSL; this number will be higher when potential storm surges are included. To support planning and management decisions, NPS coastal units (including Alaska and the Pacific islands) require better information on potential RSL and storm surge events over the next 40-100 years.

In using the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU), federal agencies and nonfederal partners (e.g. tribes, universities, state agencies, and other organizations) collaborate through technical assistance, education, and training to address natural and cultural resource management issues. Under the Rocky Mountain CESU, the National Park Service and University of Colorado will collaborate to develop sea level and storm surge projections. The resulting products will be served on several public websites that can be accessed by other agencies, university students and faculty, and the public who are interested in sea level and storm surge change information and in interpretations of the potential impact of climate change through the National Park Service coastal zone. Further educational outreach and engagement will be in the form of wayside exhibits.

RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT

University of Colorado Boulder agrees to:
– Design, develop, and implement sea level change projections for 105 coastal parks. The results of these projections will be detailed in a “Sea level change in the National Park System” report that follows a similar format (i.e. summary for policymakers, technical summary) to current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports.
– Design, develop, and implement an interactive website that will be linked to nps.gov.
– Provide information and assist in the educational development of three wayside exhibits in three separate park units that promote an increased understanding the science of sea level and storm surge change.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 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:
– Assigning an Agreement Technical Representative who will work closely with University of Colorado staff and the Principal Investigator to facilitate the accomplishment of the various tasks of this agreement, and provide any needed technical support as it pertains to the use and application of sea level or storm surge data within the NPS.
– Identifying workload needs and priorities, discussing how to meet those needs, and exploring opportunities to institute new approaches to maximize project efficiencies.
– Meeting as needed, but at a minimum quarterly, with University of Colorado staff, as well as provide frequent communication via phone and email to discuss progress, and to ensure that work performed and products developed are meeting the needs of the project.
– Providing office space, telecommunications, computer equipment, internet access, access to printers and plotters, and information technology (IT) support to University of Colorado staff assigned to the project and working in NPS offices in Fort Collins, Colorado.

SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

The National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria:

(4) UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS

Single Source Justification Description:

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

This is a Task Agreement, P13AC01178, under the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Cooperative Agreement H2370094000, in the amount of 199,898.00 with a period of performance from date of award through December 31, 2016.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

16 U.S.C. §1a-2(j) Cooperative research and training programs
Secretary of the Interior¿s authorization of activities – Enter into cooperative agreements with public or private educational institutions, States, and their political subdivisions, for the purpose of developing adequate, coordinated, cooperative research and training programs concerning the resources of the National Park System, and, pursuant to any such agreements, to accept from and make available to the cooperator such technical and support staff, financial assistance for mutually agreed upon research projects, supplies and equipment, facilities, and administrative services relating to cooperative research units as the Secretary deems appropriate; except that this paragraph shall not waive any requirements for research projects that are subject to the Federal procurement regulations.

16 U.S.C. §5933 Cooperative agreements
(a) Cooperative study units – 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.
(b) Report – Within one year of November 13, 1998, the Secretary shall report to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives on progress in the establishment of a comprehensive network of such college and university based cooperative study units as will provide full geographic and topical coverage for research on the resources contained in units of the National Park System and their larger regions.