Monitoring Bats in National Parks of the Upper Midwest - GLKN | NOIP16AC00340

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOIP16AC00340

Monitoring Bats in National Parks of the Upper Midwest - GLKN is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement opportunity focused on building and supporting a long-term bat monitoring program across up to nine national park units in the upper Midwest. Run through the NPS Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network (GLKN) under the Great Lakes Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit framework, the project is designed to generate consistent, high-quality bat data that can be used to track bat status over time and evaluate bats as an ecological indicator of environmental change. A core goal is also educational: the agreement intentionally blends workforce development and hands-on learning by engaging students and early-career technicians in real field research that directly supports park management needs.

The work centers on coordinating field data collection, data analysis, data management, and reporting. Northland College is expected to hire limited-term employees (LTEs) who will work with NPS staff to deploy and maintain bat acoustic recording devices at selected monitoring sites. These technicians will set up recording units, check them on a recurring schedule, and ensure field data are collected correctly and consistently under GLKN protocols. As time allows, LTEs may also support other natural resource monitoring and management tasks, giving them broader exposure to park resource operations while keeping bats as the primary focus.

A substantial part of the project is structured around data stewardship and usable science products, not just field sampling. Technicians may assist with data management, data summaries, spatial assessments (such as mapping or evaluating patterns across sites), and drafting written products. The intent is that the resulting datasets are not only collected, but also validated, certified, archived, and ultimately translated into an annual technical report that documents methods, results, interpretations, and recommendations for future monitoring. This ensures the information can be compared across years and across parks, and that it is credible and ready for use by the NPS and other regional science partners.

Roles are clearly split between the recipient (Northland College) and the NPS, reflecting the cooperative nature of the award. The recipient commits to appointing a principal investigator, providing LTE staff to help set up acoustic recording units and handle data collection and summaries across all NPS sites involved, and working jointly with GLKN to select the LTEs. The recipient must also ensure that all fieldwork follows GLKN safety requirements and standard operating procedures, including any additional local park safety rules. On the data side, the recipient is expected to coordinate with NPS data managers to make sure data go through required quality steps (validation, certification, and archival) and to collaborate with the principal investigator and NPS on the annual technical report.

The NPS, in turn, commits to being substantially involved in the project rather than acting as a hands-off funder. The agency provides an NPS principal investigator as a technical advisor, resource staff support at each participating park, and a data management point of contact. NPS also supplies training for LTEs on safety procedures, monitoring protocols, use and maintenance of recording devices, and the full data lifecycle from handling and quality control through analysis and interpretation. In addition, NPS provides access to computers, IT services, and basic office needs at park locations, works with participating parks to determine which monitoring sites will be sampled, oversees data quality checks and dataset certification, and monitors recipient performance under the task agreement.

From an administrative standpoint, this was a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, using a cooperative agreement instrument under the Natural Resources activity category (CFDA 15.945). The opportunity number is NOIP16AC00340, posted August 2, 2017, with an original closing date of August 14, 2017. The expected award count was one, with an award ceiling of $109,200. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted partnership to support standardized bat acoustic monitoring in upper Midwest national parks while simultaneously building field capacity and providing place-based training for emerging conservation professionals.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Monitoring Bats in National Parks of the Upper Midwest - GLKN" 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 Aug 02, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 14, 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 $109,200.00 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).

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