Monitoring Stream Benthic Macroinvertebrates for NPS-NCR | P19AC00092

Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AC00092

The grant opportunity titled "Monitoring Stream Benthic Macroinvertebrates for NPS-NCR" is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement focused on springtime biological monitoring of streams in the National Capital Region. The central purpose is to implement an established stream monitoring protocol (Norris and Sanders, 2009) and generate standardized data that can be used to evaluate and track stream health over time. Work is conducted across a relatively large footprint for a seasonal monitoring effort: thirty-seven stream sampling locations distributed among ten NPS parks in the National Capital Region.

The cooperator is responsible for carrying out field sampling and observations at each site, covering multiple lines of evidence that together describe stream condition. This includes faunal observations beyond insects, specifically noting herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles), mussels, and crayfish when encountered. The core biological dataset comes from benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, which involves collecting organisms that live on or within the stream bottom sediments and are widely used as indicators of water quality and habitat condition. In addition to the biological collections, the work also requires completing a physical habitat assessment at each site and collecting water chemistry data, creating a combined dataset that links biological response to environmental conditions.

A notable component of this opportunity is the collection of additional samples intended for later DNA analysis. The agreement covers the collection and initial processing of the water samples for that purpose, but it explicitly does not cover DNA sequencing itself. Sequencing costs and laboratory processing for the genetic work are described as outside the scope of this award and would be funded through a separate agreement or a later modification. In practice, that means the cooperator must follow proper collection, handling, and initial processing steps so the samples remain usable for subsequent genetic analysis even though the sequencing will be handled under a different funding action.

For the traditional macroinvertebrate work, the cooperator must collect and preserve benthic samples for laboratory identification. The identification requirement is to classify specimens to the finest practical taxonomic resolution, with a target of genus-level identification. Using those identifications, the cooperator will calculate the Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (BIBI) for each sampling location, relying on the most current methods used by the Maryland Biological Stream Survey Program. The BIBI is a commonly used bioassessment tool that converts macroinvertebrate community information (such as composition, diversity, and pollution tolerance) into a standardized index that supports comparisons among sites and across years.

Data handling and quality control are emphasized as major deliverables. All collected information, including photographs, must be entered into an MS Access database supplied by the NPS. Field crew members are expected to thoroughly check data during entry, and then the entire dataset must go through a 100 percent verification step by someone other than the original data enterer, ensuring a full independent review rather than a partial audit. At the end of the field season, the complete package of materials, including the database, photographs, and original data sheets, must be transferred to the National Capital Region Network (NCRN) Data Manager for long-term stewardship and use in the monitoring program.

After fieldwork concludes, the cooperator must produce a summary of monitoring activities that documents what was completed and highlights any interesting, unusual, or novel observations made during the season. The cooperator also participates in an Operational Review meeting, typically lasting one to two hours, which functions as a debrief covering safety performance, field procedures, and data management. The opportunity description stresses that cooperator feedback is an important part of maintaining a safe, consistent, and successful monitoring program over time.

Administratively, the opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement issued by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under CFDA 15.945, categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development. Eligible applicants are limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and the announcement anticipated a single award with an award ceiling of $44,367. The posting dates indicate it was created on April 5, 2019, with an original closing date of April 15, 2019, reflecting a short application window consistent with seasonal field monitoring timelines.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Monitoring Stream Benthic Macroinvertebrates for NPS-NCR" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 05, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 15, 2019. (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 $44,367.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for P19AC00092

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