Assessment of Threatened Cave Bat Populations at Cumberland Gap NHP | P17AS00319

FAQs: Assessment of Threatened Cave Bat Populations at Cumberland Gap NHP (P17AS00319)

What is the title and Funding Opportunity Number for this grant?

The opportunity is titled "Assessment of Threatened Cave Bat Populations at Cumberland Gap NHP" and the Funding Opportunity Number is P17AS00319.

Which federal agency is offering this funding?

The opportunity was issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS).

What type of funding instrument is this?

This opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement typically means the National Park Service expects substantial involvement or collaboration during the project, rather than serving only as a hands-off funder.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is categorized under CFDA 15.945.

What is the maximum (ceiling) award amount?

The funding ceiling listed for this opportunity is $78,500.

Where will the work take place?

The work is focused on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (CUGA), which contains more than 30 caves.

Why is this project needed at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park?

The park has limited baseline information on where cave bats occur within the park, how abundant they are, and how populations are changing over time. Without that baseline, it is difficult to make confident, science-based decisions about cave management, visitor access, habitat protection, and other park activities that could affect bats.

What conservation issue is driving the urgency of this work?

A major driver is white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease associated with severe bat declines across North America. WNS was documented in the park in January 2013, and it can rapidly change bat population size, survival, and cave use patterns. The opportunity emphasizes the need for an intensive inventory to establish current conditions before further declines occur.

How many cave bat species are known to occur in the park?

The park supports at least six cave-dwelling bat species.

Which federally protected bat species are specifically mentioned?

Two federally protected species are specifically mentioned: the endangered Indiana bat and the threatened northern long-eared bat.

What are the main goals of the project?

The project is intended to improve understanding of bat distribution and status in the park by establishing current conditions and baseline information. The results are meant to support practical management decisions such as identifying priority caves or areas for protection, evaluating potential impacts from park operations or public use, and guiding actions aimed at conserving vulnerable species over the long term.

What kinds of questions is the park trying to answer through this project?

Based on the described need for baseline data, the work aims to clarify where bats occur in the park, how abundant they are (at least in relative terms), and how their populations are doing over time, especially under ongoing disease pressure from WNS.

What field methods are planned for the bat surveys?

The proposed effort centers on multiple standard bat survey techniques, including mist net surveys, harp trapping, and radio telemetry.

What information can mist net surveys and harp trapping provide?

Mist netting and harp trapping are intended to capture bats and document species presence and relative abundance. The announcement also notes these approaches can potentially support collection of demographic or health indicators, depending on the study protocols used.

Why is radio telemetry included in the project design?

Radio telemetry would be used to track captured individuals to better understand movement patterns, roosting behavior, and habitat use. This is described as especially important for threatened and endangered species that may rely on specific roost sites or travel corridors.

How will the combined survey methods help park management?

Together, the methods are intended to move the park from limited knowledge to a more comprehensive picture of which bat species are present, where they are concentrated, and how they use caves and surrounding landscapes. That information supports decisions about protection priorities, visitor access, and evaluation of potential impacts from park operations or public use.

Does the opportunity mention specific management decisions the results could inform?

Yes. The opportunity describes using the results to identify priority caves or areas for protection, evaluate potential impacts from park operations or public use, and guide long-term conservation actions for vulnerable species.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include private institutions of higher education, along with additional eligible entities as described in the full announcement.

When was the opportunity posted and what was the application window?

The posting dates provided indicate the opportunity was created on June 6, 2017, with an original closing date of June 9, 2017. This reflects a very short application window.

Is this opportunity focused on research, management, or both?

It is framed as natural resource conservation and management work supported by field inventory and monitoring-style surveys. The purpose is strongly management-oriented, with the data collection designed to support practical, science-based park decisions.

What makes this opportunity a "targeted" type of announcement?

The described context includes a specific park unit (CUGA), specific conservation concerns (federally protected bat species and WNS), and a very short application window. Those features are consistent with targeted or partnership-oriented funding announcements.