National Park Service Grant: Herbarium Study of Arctic Plant Samples

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:J9840100052
Project Title:Herbarium Study of Plant Samples from the Arctic Network of National Parks

Recipient:University of Alaska Fairbanks/Museum of the North

Principle Investigator / Program Manager:
Dr. Stephanie Ickert-Bond
Assistant Professor of Botany
University of Alaska
PO Box 756960
Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960

Total Anticipated Award Amount:$50,000
Cost Share:None
New Award or Continuation?CESU – New Award
Anticipated Length of Agreement:5 years
Anticipated Period of Performance:June 7, 2010 – May 15, 2015

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
Unique Qualifications

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

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:

The purpose of this agreement is to ensure proper identification, mounting, and labeling of plant specimens collection in Arctic Network (ARCN) and to make these collections available for research. In the course of vegetation mapping and monitoring, ARCN has collected a large number of plant samples and will continue to collect such samples. These samples are typically plants unknown to the field worker or identified as being of special interest (e.g., species that are uncommon or located outside their known range). ARCN is a vast,inaccessible area with limited plant collections,and thus these samples constitute a valuable resource that could further our knowledge of the flora of ARCN, Alaska, and the Arctic as a whole. ARCN and the NPS have a strong interest in proper identification, labeling, and mounting of these samples. Furthermore, ARCN and NPS have an interest in the results of any research based on these samples, because such research contributes to our understanding of biodiversity on lands managed by NPS. The personnel at the University of Alaska Museum Herbarium (ALA) have in-depth knowledge of Alaskan flora that makes them uniquely qualified to work on specimens collected in ARCN. ALA also has a huge of collection of arctic plants and comprehensive database that facilitates comparison of ARCN collections to existing specimens. Plant specimens which are identified and curated by the University of Alaska Museum Herbarium will be added to the collection of the University and be available for research and to the public. The University is pleased to receive the addition to their collections from areas which are relatively inaccessible, and the NPS is grateful for the expertise provided by the university in identification, and for the opportunity to provide accessible specimens.

Specific NPS Involvement includes:
The National Park Service (NPS) will provide the University of Alaska Herbarium (ALA) with the plant specimens to be analyzed under this agreement. When new specimens are collected, the locations and species of interest for collection will be jointly identified by the NPS and the ALA dependent upon results of identification and an analysis of NPS and ALA “gaps” and needs for research and monitoring. The ALA will press, dry, and label specimens so that they can be associated with relevant location and ecological data. NPS will supply location and ecological data in electronic form. The NPS will enter identification information supplied by ALA into corresponding NPS databases. The mounted specimens will then remain at the ALA to be available for NPS, public and university research and reference. The technical assistance provided by ALA in identification is critical to the I&M network protocols for monitoring. The provision of specimen collected within the park, from usually extremely remote sites is of great value to the university.

Further information about the University of Alaska Museum of the North Herbarium is found on their website:
The Herbarium (ALA) contains more than 220,000 specimens of non-vascular and vascular plants and is the only major research herbarium in Alaska. The collection also includes plants from other states, Canada, Greenland, Fennoscandia, Japan, and Russia and provides a basis for teaching and research. Our botanical collection can be viewed and searched through the database ARCTOS.
The systematic collection of dried plants is a permanent physical record of Alaska’s flora. Specimens are labeled with information about where, when, and by whom each specimen was collected as well as notes on its ecology. These data are computerized, allowing rapid access to information pertaining to the geographic extent, habitats occupied, and associated plants for any species.
The collection serves teaching, research, and public service in Alaska and research at other similar institutions worldwide through a program of loans and exchanges. Students and faculty as well as visiting scientists work in the collection. It is our policy not to charge all faculty, staff, and students from universities, colleges, and museums from any state or country; staff of state and federal agencies; and qualified amateurs. We reserve the right to assess user charges to representatives of not-for-profit organizations and private industry at the discretion of the Curator(s) and with the approval of the Director of the Museum. However, we have not yet developed a policy covering such charges.

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

(2) Continuation – Nearly all of the botanical specimens collected by NPS in Alaska had their identity verified by ALA staff, were curated by ALA, and are housed there. This agreement would allow continuation of that system for dealing with the future specimens.

(4) Unique Qualifications – The U of A Herbarium is the only major public herbarium in Alaska. The U of A Herbarium staff (current and emeritus) includes the world experts on Alaskan flora. ALA has technicians who have been trained specifically to curate specimens for storage at ALA where nearly all NPS specimens are housed. Their staff is also the only people with the ability to enter data into the ALA herbarium database. ALA is uniquely able to share costs of species identification with researchers, often the world experts on the subject, who examine their collections and provide the latest and most accurate identification free of charge to NPS.