Cooperative Development of a Freshwater Contaminants Monitoring Protocol

Description

This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service (NPS), intention to fund the following project with University of Alaska Fairbanks under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) program. CESUs are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. The project intended award is $40,008. This is a continuation of an existing agreement, number P11AT30885/P11AC90462. STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Agreements Concerning Cooperative Research and Training on NPS Resources (16 U.S.C. § 1a-2(j)): The Secretary may enter into agreements with public or private educational institutions, States and their political subdivisions, for the purpose of developing adequate, coordinated, cooperative research and training programs concerning the resources of the National Park System, and pursuant to such agreements, to accept from and make available to the cooperator such technical and support staff, financial assistance for mutually agreed upon research projects, supplies and equipment, facilities, and administrative services relating to cooperative research units as the Secretary deems appropriate.STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN: This follow on Task Agreement (Agreement) is for completion of the third through fifth and final year of existing Project Agreement P11AT30885/P11AC90462 between the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (NPS), and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). The objective of this agreement is to develop a long-term monitoring protocol for the Southeast Alaska Network (SEAN) to monitor the status and trends of freshwater contaminants in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, and Sitka National Historical Park.The Southeast Alaska Network (SEAN) comprises three NPS units: Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GLBA), Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (KLGO), and Sitka National Historical Park (SITK). SEAN has identified twelve vital signs for which it will develop monitoring protocols and initiate monitoring in the first five years of program implementation (Moynahan et al. 2008). SEAN requires technical assistance with protocol development for its Freshwater Contaminants vital sign. Protocol development is guided by a baseline freshwater contaminants assessment report (Nagorski et al. 2011), scoping and planning completed under a previous task agreement, and additional pilot field work conducted in the summers of 2013 and 2014. SEAN expects this work to serve as the foundation for the long-term freshwater contaminants monitoring protocol, which will be fully drafted in summer 2015. The objectives outlined in the Year 1 task order under agreement P11AT30885/P11AC90462 have been completed by cooperators to the satisfaction of SEAN. Year 3 of the project will build upon Year 1 accomplishments, existing baseline data (Nagorski et al. 2011), detailed literature review, and formal research proposal to complete pilot field work in SITK and KLGO and subsequent lab analyses of contaminants in collected samples. The goal of the summer 2013/2014 field work is to determine contaminant concentration differences in juvenile freshwater fish from anadromous and non-anadromous water bodies, and glacially influenced and non-glacially influenced water bodies. The attached research proposal provides more background regarding the choice of juvenile resident freshwater fish as the main target biota and glaciers as an important environmental consideration. The objectives of this Year 3 task order are to: ¿ Complete field work in SITK and KLGO during summer 2013 to support protocol development. ¿ Complete contaminant analyses of samples collected during summer 2013. ¿ Based on 2013 field work, develop a field plan for sampling in GLBA summer 2014 Continued collaboration between cooperators and SEAN to develop a long-term freshwater contaminants protocol (due for completion in summer 2015). Substantial Cooperation and Involvement by NPS Substantial cooperation by NPS includes: 1. Communication of the required components, level of detail, and general organization of the NPS monitoring protocol 2. Review and approval of project scope, approach, and schedules 3. Participation by the NPS Ecologist (Sergeant) and Program Manager (Bower ) during graduate student meetings related to protocol development and, if required, testing of field methods 4. Logistics support for identified field work and sampling, including field crew assistance for park visits, as necessary; data management support for data collection, archiving, and web delivery for interim data products; boat and captain support for accessing sites in GLBA, if required; field sampling (including fuel and NPS staff salaries). The initial NPS/SEAN contact (Moynahan) was substantially involved in the drafting of the scope of work, timeline, and budget constraints. The SEAN Data Manager (Johnson) will 5. To provide general orientation to park operations and NPS mission and to assist with acquisition of NPS research permits, if required. 6. To provide a NPS technical representative to be on-site with UAF staff to assist with specifics of the project as needed. 7. To fully cooperate and collaborate in a positive and timely manner on requests for input by UAF to the design and development of the monitoring protocol.SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION: Department of the Interior Policy (505 DM 2) requires a written justification which explains why competition is not practicable for each single-source award . The National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria: Continuation, The activity to be funded is necessary to the satisfactory completion of, or is a continuation of an activity presently being funded, and for which competion would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity. Technical contact information: Sara Wesser, sara_wesser@nps.gov, 907-644-3699,National Park Service, Alaska Region, End of FOA

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