Notice of Intent: Master NPS - UTDWR Cooperative Agreement | P17AS00481

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00481

The Notice of Intent: Master NPS - UTDWR Cooperative Agreement (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00481) is a National Park Service (NPS), Department of the Interior discretionary cooperative agreement focused on coordinating wildlife and natural resource management across National Park boundaries in Utah. The central idea is that wildlife, habitats, and related threats do not stop at park lines, so effective management requires joint planning and action between the NPS and the state entity responsible for wildlife and natural resources management (referred to as the Recipient). Utah NPS units, including Zion National Park, are highlighted as both critical habitat for multiple species and high-visibility locations for public education because they receive millions of visitors each year.

The objective of the agreement is to continue and strengthen cooperation on species and habitat issues that routinely cross jurisdictions. Specific examples named in the opportunity include California condors and bighorn sheep, along with other wildlife and habitats of mutual interest. Beyond on-the-ground management, the opportunity emphasizes coordinated, consistent public outreach messaging. In practice, this means the NPS and the Recipient are expected to align what they tell visitors and local communities about sensitive species, appropriate human behavior around wildlife, and broader conservation goals, while also backing projects that provide shared benefits and serve the public interest.

Rather than funding a single pre-defined project, the agreement is structured as a master umbrella arrangement under which individual projects will be authorized later through separate NPS task agreements. Each task agreement will come with its own statement of work and its own budget, and those details will be developed collaboratively between the NPS and the Recipient. This structure allows the partners to respond to changing field conditions, emerging threats, and new priorities while keeping coordination formalized and ongoing.

The types of activities contemplated under future task agreements are broad but clearly oriented toward natural resource stewardship at a landscape scale. Wildlife management can include work related to bighorn sheep, California condors, and other species as needs arise. The scope also explicitly includes invasive species management; water quality work; fish monitoring and management; and wildlife disease monitoring and prevention, with particular attention called out for white-nose syndrome in bats. Overall, the opportunity is designed to tackle issues that are most effectively addressed when parks and state managers work together, sharing data, aligning management approaches, and coordinating actions across boundaries.

Public education and outreach is also a defined collaboration area under the agreement. The NPS and the Recipient may jointly develop and implement outreach projects intended to protect natural resources and inform the public, leveraging the high visitation of Utah park units to improve awareness and compliance with conservation practices.

Key administrative details included in the notice are that the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement (implying active involvement and partnership between NPS and the Recipient), the activity category is Natural Resources, and the CFDA number listed is 15.954. The notice anticipated a single award with an award ceiling of 1 (as stated in the source data). The opportunity was created July 11, 2017, with an original closing date of July 21, 2017. Eligible applicants are listed as "Others" with clarification referenced in an additional eligibility text field (not provided in the excerpt), which aligns with the nature of a master agreement intended for a specific state-level resource management partner.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent: Master NPS - UTDWR Cooperative Agreement" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.954.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 11, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 21, 2017. (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 $1.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for P17AS00481

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