Assessing Status of Residual Populations of Threatened Bats | P19AS00501

Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AS00501

The National Park Service (NPS), within the Department of the Interior, issued a public notice for a discretionary funding action titled "Assessing Status of Residual Populations of Threatened Bats" (Funding Opportunity Number P19AS00501). The work focuses on Rock Creek Park (ROCR), a particularly important site because it is one of only two NPS units known to still support successful maternity colonies of the threatened northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis, often abbreviated MYSE) after the widespread impacts of white-nose syndrome (WNS). The overall aim is to better understand how these remaining (residual) bat populations are persisting, what habitat features they rely on, and what management actions could improve their long-term viability.

A central part of the project is documenting where bats are roosting in the post-WNS landscape, including both the specific locations and the types of roost structures being used (for example, natural tree roosts and other features). In addition to mapping roost use, the project will look at bat social structure by examining the extent to which individuals form non-random social networks rather than mixing randomly across the colony. Alongside these behavioral and habitat questions, the work will measure reproductive output (such as evidence of successful breeding and juvenile production), which is a key indicator for whether the remaining colony is self-sustaining and likely to persist. Taken together, these data are intended to support an assessment of population status and viability at ROCR and to feed into broader regional conservation guidance for the species.

To directly support the population and improve monitoring capability, the project will also deploy artificial roost structures that MYSE are likely to use. These structures will be placed in multiple habitat conditions at and near areas where maternity activity is already known. The intent is twofold: first, to encourage juvenile recruitment by increasing suitable roosting opportunities near productive habitat; and second, to enable more reliable counts and monitoring of overwinter survival, since standardized roost structures can make it easier to detect use and track individuals over time. Because northern long-eared bats frequently switch roosts, these artificial roosts are also meant to create dependable points where researchers can repeatedly encounter bats for study.

The roost structures are expected to expand the amount and quality of data that can be collected. With more consistent access to bats at known structures, staff can band more individuals for mark-recapture and survival estimation, collect tissue samples for genetic work, and obtain fungal swabs relevant to WNS surveillance and understanding infection dynamics. The project will also record echolocation calls to document activity patterns, which can help characterize when and where bats are active, how they use the landscape, and potentially how activity changes across seasons. In addition, the higher likelihood of capturing or re-detecting bats at these structures supports radio-tracking efforts to follow individuals to natural roosts and foraging areas, improving understanding of habitat needs beyond the artificial roost locations themselves.

Beyond field research and monitoring, the project includes a clear outreach and capacity-building component. Funding will support continuation of DOI-led bat outreach sessions at Rock Creek Park, helping communicate bat conservation issues and the significance of WNS to the public. It will also support development of monitoring workshops for NPS staff and other agency personnel, with the practical goal of strengthening regional expertise and standardizing monitoring approaches so that the methods and lessons from ROCR can be applied more broadly.

Administratively, this notice is not a request for applications and does not open a competition. It is a Notice of Intent to Award under an already competed cooperative agreement with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, reflecting an expectation of substantial involvement by the NPS in project execution. The opportunity lists eligible applicants as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, aligns with a science and technology/research and development activity category, and references CFDA 15.945. The anticipated award is a single award with an award ceiling of $72,500. The opportunity was created on August 13, 2019, with an original closing date of August 23, 2019, consistent with its purpose as a public notice rather than an open solicitation.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Assessing Status of Residual Populations of Threatened Bats" 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 13, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 23, 2019 Notice of Intent to Award. This is NOT a request for application. This funding announcement is to provide public notice that the National Park Service will fund the following project under a already competed Cooperative Agreement with Virginia Polytechnic and State University.. (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 $72,500.00 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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