: Conduct Intensive Bat Population Surveys to Assess the Impacts of White Nose Syndrome in Parks of the National Capital Region | P17AS00761

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00761

This grant opportunity, titled "Conduct Intensive Bat Population Surveys to Assess the Impacts of White Nose Syndrome in Parks of the National Capital Region," is a National Park Service project focused on understanding how White Nose Syndrome (WNS) has affected sensitive bat populations in and around key parks in the National Capital Region (NCR). The work is motivated by steep, well-documented declines in several bat species that have been heavily impacted by WNS across the mid-Atlantic and central Appalachian region. The species highlighted include the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), which is listed as threatened, the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), which is listed as endangered, and two additional species that have raised significant conservation concern in the region: the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) and the tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus). The core idea behind the project is that, despite widespread losses, there are still signs that some parks may be supporting leftover, potentially viable breeding populations, and those remnants need to be documented carefully while the opportunity still exists.

The project specifically targets intensive field surveys at Rock Creek Park (ROCR) and Prince William Forest Park (PRWI). These sites were chosen because there is evidence that they may still function as important habitat for reproducing bats even after WNS-related declines. The opportunity description points to documentation of maternity colonies of northern long-eared bats at ROCR and records of Indiana bats at nearby Fort A.P. Hill. In bat conservation, the presence of maternity colonies and the capture or detection of juveniles is especially important because it signals ongoing reproduction rather than just transient or solitary individuals passing through. In practical terms, that means these areas may still be supporting breeding activity that could help sustain local populations, making them high-priority locations for concentrated survey effort.

The main field method described is continual, intensive mist-netting at ROCR and PRWI. Mist-netting is a standard bat survey technique where fine nets are set along flight corridors (such as trails, forest edges, streams, or gaps) to safely capture bats for identification and data collection. The emphasis on continual and intensive effort reflects a common challenge in bat work: many species, especially those now at low abundance, can be difficult to detect consistently. Increasing the number of net nights, varying net locations, and maintaining sustained effort improves the odds of capturing rare individuals, documenting reproductive status, and distinguishing regular local use from sporadic presence. Through this approach, the project aims to "document and delineate maternity activity," which typically involves confirming breeding females, identifying maternity roosting areas or colony locations, and mapping patterns of use across the parks.

A secondary objective is to begin examining whether bats may also be using the area during fall and winter, which could indicate some level of overwintering activity east of the Fall Line in the mid-Atlantic. This is significant because overwintering behavior influences both disease dynamics and conservation strategy. WNS is strongly associated with winter hibernation, when the fungus that causes the disease (Pseudogymnoascus destructans) grows on bats in cold, humid conditions and disrupts their normal physiology, leading to increased arousal and depletion of fat reserves. If bats are overwintering in or near these parks, it could change how managers think about local risk, habitat protection, and seasonal management actions. The project notes that additional investigation of overwinter use would be informed by acoustic monitoring results from fall and winter of 2016-2017, meaning that passive bat detectors and call data would help determine whether bats are present during colder months and warrant follow-up work.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity was issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under funding opportunity number P17AS00761. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which usually indicates a more hands-on partnership where the agency expects to be substantially involved in the work rather than simply providing a grant with minimal interaction. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and falls under CFDA number 15.945. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, signaling that the NPS intended the work to be carried out by a university or similar public academic entity with the expertise and capacity for wildlife field surveys and analysis.

Financially, the notice lists an award ceiling of $85,599 and anticipates a single award. It is also explicitly described as a Notice of Intent to Award rather than an open request for applications. That means the NPS was providing public notification that it intended to fund this specific set of activities without full and open competition, likely because it had identified a specific partner, existing collaboration, unique qualifications, or a continuity-of-work rationale. The opportunity was created on August 31, 2017, with an original closing date of September 8, 2017, which aligns with the idea of a short public notice period rather than a typical open competition with a longer application window.

Overall, the grant is best understood as a targeted conservation and monitoring effort aimed at clarifying whether remnant populations of WNS-impacted bats in NCR parks are still reproducing, where maternity activity is concentrated, and whether there are signs of bats using the landscape into fall and winter. The deliverable value is in high-quality detection and documentation, because in disease-impacted systems, management decisions often depend on knowing whether local populations are truly persisting, whether reproduction is still occurring, and how seasonal patterns of presence might affect both conservation actions and disease risk.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled ": Conduct Intensive Bat Population Surveys to Assess the Impacts of White Nose Syndrome in Parks of the National Capital Region" 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 31, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 08, 2017 This funding opportunity is to provide public notice of NPSs intention to fund the following project activities without full and open competition. Notice of Intent to Award, not a request for applications. (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 $85,599.00 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.

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