Population Dynamics of Forest Carnivores in Denali

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 2014 intended award is $26000. 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: The project will use methods developed previously by the Principal Investigator to track the distribution, abundance, and habitat partitioning among forest carnivores in Denali. Winter surveys of carnivore tracks in snow encountered along established routes will be conducted, and fecal DNA-based estimates of coyote and fox abundance will be obtained from scats collected along track survey routes. Estimates of prey abundance will be obtained by ongoing surveys of hare pellets and vole abundance on established plots. Coyote movement patterns and survival rates will be examined by radio-collaring and monitoring collared coyotes. The University of Alaska Fairbanks and NPS staff at Denali will collaborate on all phases of planning and execution of this project. An NPS biologist will serve on the UAF graduate student's advisory committee, and will play a key role in developing specific objectives and methods, planning field work, and analysis and interpretation of results. In addition, NPS will provide technical expertise, equipment, housing, in-kind support, and field personnel, which may include both paid staff and participants in the Volunteers in the Parks program. NPS staff will also collaborate on data analysis and publication of results. Much of the field work for this project will occur within the Wilderness Area of Denali National Park, thus, close coordination with park staff is critical to ensure that Wilderness management requirements are met The partner, in cooperation with the National Park Service will: 1. Sponsor a graduate research program leading to a Ph.D. degree. 2. Design and conduct field research including establishing survey routes, counting tracks of forest carnivores along those routes during winter, collecting carnivore feces for diet and genetic analyses, and conducting those analyses. 3. Recruit, select, and supervise the work of a graduate student and one primary field technician. 4. Provide advice and guidance to the graduate student in preparation of a Ph.D. Dissertation and subsequent technical publications. 5. Provide public outreach through at least one interpretive program per year, to be presented in Denali National Park and Preserve. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT -Substantial Involvement : 1. Participate in all phases of project planning, design, and operation. 2. The Biological Resources Program Manager will serve on the graduate student¿s advisory committee and play a key role in developing specific objectives and methods, planning field work, and analysis and interpretation of results. 3. Provide housing for winter field work, logistical support including use of snowmachines and/or dog teams, and other equipment as needed for safety and efficiency of operations (GPS, radios, emergency locator beacons, tools for sample collection, etc.) 4. Recruit, train, and support one technician for winter field work (may be either paid staff or a Volunteer in the Parks participant). 5. Provide technical advice and assistance with study design, methods, data analysis and interpretation. 6. Supply data on wolf population size and distribution, and detailed data on wolf movements obtained by ongoing telemetry studies. 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: Unique Qualifications: The UAF principal investigator of the proposed project has extensive experience directing field studies of medium-sized carnivorous mammals in Alaska, has published the results of these studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and has developed innovative methods for assessing carnivore abundance, distribution, and diet characteristics in remote, subarctic environments. Mush of this work has been conducted in and around Denali National Park and Preserve. In addition, the University of Alaska Fairbanks has unique capabilities for analysis of genetic material that will be a key component of this study. The proposed project will build upon a recently-completed graduate study, and will use many of the same protocols and field sites. Thus, data from prior years will be available to strengthen the scientific analyses that will be conducted during the proposed study. The investigator¿s familiarity with the area and the unique problems of working here (compliance with State of Alaska, NPS and Wilderness regulations, working relationships with local residents, familiarity with local geography and transportation routes, etc.), as well as the proximity of the UAF campus are critical to the success of this project. Technical contact information: David Schirokauer, Dave_Schirokauer@nps.gov, 907-683-9605, National Park Service, Alaska Region, End of FOA

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