Inventory of Bats to Inform Park Resource Management at Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore and Timucuan Preserve | P24AS00344

Opportunity Information: Apply for P24AS00344

The National Park Service (NPS) is offering a discretionary funding opportunity through its Species Inventories Program to support a focused bat inventory project across four coastal parks in the southeastern United States: Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore, and Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. The core purpose is practical and management-driven: park staff need current, site-specific information on which bat species are present (and which are not), with particular emphasis on tricolored bats, along with where bats are roosting and what habitats they are using to forage. The intent is to generate usable data that can directly inform resource management decisions underway or being planned at these parks, rather than conducting research for research's sake.

The work is structured as an inventory of bat occurrence (presence/absence) in both natural settings and selected built structures within each park. In other words, the project is expected to check likely bat habitats such as forests, wetlands, dunes, and other natural areas, while also evaluating certain structures that could serve as roost sites. A key need is identifying roost locations and characterizing foraging habitat, which helps parks understand how bats are using the landscape and where management actions might matter most, such as protecting roosts, planning maintenance or renovations of structures, adjusting visitor use patterns, or targeting habitat protection and restoration efforts.

NPS anticipates a sampling design that includes at least five sites per park as a reasonable starting point to meet management needs, implying a multi-site approach that provides coverage across different habitat types and potential roosting features. While the notice does not prescribe specific field methods, the deliverables clearly point toward a standardized inventory effort that can defensibly confirm species presence and highlight priority areas for management attention, particularly related to tricolored bats and any associated roosting or foraging patterns observed.

The award will be made as a cooperative agreement, which generally means NPS expects to be actively involved during the project rather than simply issuing funds and waiting for a final report. The opportunity description highlights an established workflow where the project team engages park managers early to clarify what decisions the inventory needs to support, then coordinates project calls and provides support for deliverable development and review. The typical project timeline for Species Inventories Program awards is 12 to 18 months, and the project is expected to conclude with a standard set of deliverables, including a written report suitable for park planning and resource management use.

Administrative details included in the announcement identify this opportunity as Inventory of Bats to Inform Park Resource Management at Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore and Timucuan Preserve (Funding Opportunity Number P24AS00344). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, the CFDA number is 15.944, and the maximum funding amount listed is $100,000. The original application closing date is June 12, 2024, and the opportunity was created on April 12, 2024.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of potential applicants who can carry out wildlife inventory work, such as state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; individuals; and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at quickly producing actionable bat occurrence and habitat-use information for four specific NPS units, with an emphasis on tricolored bats, through a coordinated, manager-engaged inventory effort that culminates in a formal report and associated project products within about a year to a year and a half.

• The National Park Service in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Inventory of Bats to Inform Park Resource Management at Canaveral National Seashore, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Cumberland Island National Seashore and Timucuan Preserve" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.944.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Individuals, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Others.

Apply for P24AS00344

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