Bat and Vegetation Monitoring at MOJN Parks | P18AS00099

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00099

The grant opportunity titled "Bat and Vegetation Monitoring at MOJN Parks" (Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00099) is a National Park Service project under the Department of the Interior focused on strengthening natural resource monitoring in the Mojave Desert Network (MOJN) of national parks. It is set up as a cooperative agreement in the natural resources category (CFDA 15.931) and is aimed at supporting hands-on conservation work carried out jointly by the National Park Service (NPS) and the Great Basin Institute (GBI). The stated award ceiling for the effort is $128,150.

At the core of the project is a workforce and training component: NPS and GBI plan to collaborate to hire and mentor biological technicians who will help conduct field monitoring of bats and vegetation across MOJN parks. The goal is not only to gather important ecological information, but also to provide practical conservation experience to the technicians involved. In other words, the project is designed as both a monitoring effort and a capacity-building effort, building field skills in early-career conservation staff while they contribute directly to park resource management.

The project objectives emphasize establishing bat and vegetation monitoring locations within MOJN parks. This includes setting up the sites and collecting data in a way that can be repeated over time, creating consistent reference points for comparison. The intent is to produce baseline datasets that allow managers and scientists to track changes across the landscape and through time, which is especially important in arid land systems where conditions can shift with climate, water availability, disturbance, and other stressors.

A major driver behind the bat monitoring is heightened concern about White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by a fungus that infects some bat species during hibernation. The opportunity description explains that the fungus can cause bats to wake more frequently during hibernation, burning through fat reserves before spring and contributing to severe impacts on bat populations. Although WNS historically drew attention for its impacts in other parts of the United States, the fungus being detected in Washington state raised the urgency for western states and western park units. Within that context, MOJN bat monitoring is positioned as a proactive step: documenting current conditions and building a defensible baseline so that future changes, potential spread, or population impacts can be identified earlier and managed more effectively.

Administratively, this notice is important because it is not a competitive solicitation. The posting is explicitly labeled as a "Notice of Intent to Award" and states that it is not a request for applications. Instead, it serves as a public notification that the National Park Service intends to fund the work under an existing cooperative agreement with GBI. While the eligibility category listed includes 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education), in practice this particular announcement is not inviting new applicants because the recipient relationship is already established. The opportunity was created on April 19, 2018, with an original closing date of May 3, 2018, reflecting the public notice timeline rather than an open application window.

Overall, the project can be summarized as a targeted investment in long-term ecological monitoring and early detection capacity for sensitive wildlife concerns, paired with structured field experience for biological technicians. By integrating bat disease-related monitoring with vegetation monitoring in Mojave Desert Network parks, the work is intended to support day-to-day resource management decisions while also contributing to broader understanding of how bats and desert vegetation communities are doing now, and how they may change in the future.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bat and Vegetation Monitoring at MOJN Parks" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.931.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 19, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 03, 2018 Notice of Intent to Award This is NOT a request for applications. This funding announcement is to provide public notice that the National Park Service wil1 fund the following project under an existing Cooperative Agreement with GBI. (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 $128,150.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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