Quantifying the relationships between visitor use, and resource and social conditions at Katmai National Park & Preserve and Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. | P18AS00025

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00025

This funding opportunity, titled "Quantifying the relationships between visitor use, and resource and social conditions at Katmai National Park and Preserve and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve," is a discretionary cooperative agreement issued by the Department of the Interior through the National Park Service (NPS). It was posted on November 28, 2017, with an original closing date of December 5, 2017. Rather than being an open, competitive solicitation, it functions as a notice of intent to provide additional funding under an existing, continuing award. In practical terms, that means the NPS had already been working with the recipient and planned to modify or extend that work by adding funds, instead of selecting a new partner through a broad competition.

The core purpose of the project is to measure and explain how visitor use levels and patterns relate to both resource conditions and social conditions in two major Alaska park units: Katmai National Park and Preserve and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. "Resource conditions" typically refers to impacts on natural and cultural resources that can be affected by human presence, such as wildlife behavior, habitat disturbance, vegetation trampling, erosion, litter, and other stressors that accumulate where people travel, camp, view wildlife, or concentrate along popular corridors. "Social conditions" generally refers to the human side of the visitor experience, including crowding, conflicts among different user groups, perceptions of solitude and wilderness character, satisfaction, and whether visitors feel their expectations are being met. The title indicates the work is not just descriptive, but explicitly aimed at quantifying relationships, meaning the end product is likely to include data-driven models, indicators, or statistical links between use (how many people, where, when, and doing what) and measurable changes in ecological conditions and visitor experience outcomes.

Administratively, the award is structured as a cooperative agreement, which signals that the NPS expects to have substantial involvement in the project rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back. Cooperative agreements often involve joint planning, shared technical input, and regular coordination, especially when the work supports near-term management needs. The opportunity is tied to the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) network, specifically a task agreement modification under CESU joint venture agreement P14AC00888 and master cooperative agreement P17AC00929. CESU arrangements are designed to connect federal agencies with universities and other partners to deliver applied research, technical assistance, and education that directly supports resource management. The language about a task agreement modification suggests this action is an extension or amendment to a defined scope of work already underway, adding incremental funds to continue or expand specific deliverables.

Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, but the notice makes clear the intended recipient is Kansas State University, and only one award is expected. The funding ceiling listed is $126,000, indicating the maximum amount anticipated for the added increment under this modification. The opportunity is categorized under education, information and statistics, and natural resources, which fits a project that likely combines field-based or operational monitoring with data analysis and reporting intended to inform management decisions. The CFDA number 15.945 corresponds to NPS assistance programs, reinforcing that this is an NPS financial assistance action aimed at supporting mission-related work.

In terms of how this kind of project is typically used by parks like Katmai and Lake Clark, quantifying these relationships supports decisions about visitor use management, including setting thresholds or standards for acceptable conditions, identifying hotspots where impacts concentrate, evaluating whether current use levels are sustainable, and designing strategies that protect wildlife and habitats while maintaining high-quality visitor experiences. For parks with strong wilderness values and globally significant wildlife viewing opportunities, even modest changes in visitation patterns can have outsized effects, so having credible, quantitative evidence can help justify management actions, communicate tradeoffs to the public, and track whether interventions are working over time.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as targeted, continuation funding to a specific university partner under the CESU framework, focused on producing management-relevant, quantitative insights into how visitor use connects to environmental impacts and the quality of visitor experiences in two Alaska national park units.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, information and statistics, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Quantifying the relationships between visitor use, and resource and social conditions at Katmai National Park & Preserve and Lake Clark National Park & Preserve." 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 Nov 28, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 05, 2017 This is a notice of intent to award additional funding to Kansas State University under a continuing award.. (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 $126,000.00 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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