Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00104
The grant opportunity titled "Influence of Fire and forest restoration" (Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00104) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement focused on understanding how wildfire and active forest restoration affect watersheds and aquatic ecosystems at Valles Caldera National Preserve (VALL). The Preserve is in the middle of a major landscape restoration effort funded through the Department of the Interior Resilient Landscapes program. That restoration is designed to bring back more natural fire regimes across forest and grassland watersheds by reducing unnaturally high fuel loads and reintroducing fire in a controlled way. The main on-the-ground actions include large-scale forest thinning to remove excess fuels, followed by prescribed and managed fire intended to further reduce remaining fuels and support a return to more frequent, lower-severity fire patterns that the ecosystem historically experienced.
A central concern driving the funding is that fire, whether from severe wildfire or from prescribed burning, can change how watersheds behave. The opportunity highlights that fires can alter water quality as well as the amount and timing of stream discharge. In particular, when watersheds burn at high severity, they can become prone to post-fire flash flooding, which can transport ash, sediment, and debris into streams, destabilize channels, and degrade habitat. VALL provides a real-world case where these risks have already played out: the Preserve was impacted by two major, uncharacteristic wildfires, the 2011 Las Conchas fire and the 2013 Thompson Ridge fire. Following these events, multiple post-fire flash floods occurred and caused documented damage to fisheries and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in severely burned watersheds. Although fish and invertebrate populations are currently recovering, the Preserve's continuing restoration program, including prescribed fire, could still influence these biological resources, making careful monitoring essential.
The purpose of the proposed work is to monitor and characterize how aquatic systems across VALL respond to both wildfire impacts and ongoing restoration activities, and to describe the pace and trajectory of recovery over time. In practical terms, this means tracking changes in stream conditions and aquatic communities in watersheds with different fire histories and management treatments, with an emphasis on linking fire severity and restoration actions to measurable outcomes such as water quality, flow behavior, and biological condition (especially fish and aquatic macroinvertebrates). The end goal is to produce defensible, on-the-ground information that helps park managers understand which watersheds are most vulnerable, how long recovery tends to take, and how restoration activities can be implemented while minimizing unintended harm to aquatic ecosystems.
Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, using a cooperative agreement instrument, which typically implies substantial involvement by the federal partner during the project. The funding activity category is Natural Resources under CFDA 15.945. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, aligning the project with academic capacity for field monitoring, data analysis, and long-term ecological assessment. The opportunity anticipated a single award with a funding ceiling of $211,255. The posting was created on March 28, 2018, with an original closing date of April 6, 2018.Apply for P18AS00104
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Influence of Fire and forest restoration" 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 Mar 28, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 06, 2018. (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 $211,255.00 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?
The opportunity is titled "Influence of Fire and forest restoration" and the Funding Opportunity Number is P18AS00104.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
This is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, specifically the National Park Service (NPS).
What type of award is being used (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?
The award instrument is a cooperative agreement. This typically indicates substantial involvement by the federal partner during the project compared to a standard grant.
What is the focus of the project?
The project focuses on understanding and monitoring how wildfire and active forest restoration influence watersheds and aquatic ecosystems, including impacts to stream conditions, water quality, streamflow behavior, and aquatic organisms.
Where will the work take place?
The work is centered at Valles Caldera National Preserve (VALL).
Why is this work being funded now?
VALL is in the middle of a major landscape restoration effort funded through the Department of the Interior Resilient Landscapes program. The restoration aims to restore more natural fire regimes in forest and grassland watersheds. Because fire and restoration activities can affect water and aquatic life, the opportunity emphasizes the need for careful, defensible monitoring.
What restoration actions are happening on the ground at VALL that relate to this project?
The main restoration actions described include large-scale forest thinning to remove excess fuels, followed by prescribed and managed fire intended to reduce remaining fuels and help return the ecosystem to a more frequent, lower-severity fire pattern.
What problems or risks is the grant trying to address?
The opportunity highlights that fire can alter water quality and the amount and timing of stream discharge. High-severity burns can increase the risk of post-fire flash flooding, which can transport ash, sediment, and debris into streams, destabilize channels, and degrade aquatic habitat.
What recent fire history makes VALL a priority for this monitoring?
VALL was impacted by two major, uncharacteristic wildfires: the 2011 Las Conchas fire and the 2013 Thompson Ridge fire. After these events, multiple post-fire flash floods occurred and caused documented damage to fisheries and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in severely burned watersheds.
Are aquatic communities at VALL still impacted from the prior fires?
The opportunity notes that fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate populations are currently recovering. However, continued restoration activities (including prescribed fire) may still influence these resources, which is why ongoing monitoring is considered essential.
What is the purpose of the proposed work?
The purpose is to monitor and characterize how aquatic systems across VALL respond to wildfire impacts and ongoing restoration activities, and to describe the pace and trajectory of recovery over time.
What kinds of outcomes or metrics does the opportunity emphasize measuring?
The opportunity emphasizes linking fire severity and restoration actions to measurable outcomes such as water quality, flow behavior/discharge timing, and biological condition, particularly focusing on fish and aquatic macroinvertebrates.
How will the project compare different conditions across the Preserve?
The work is described as tracking stream conditions and aquatic communities in watersheds with different fire histories and different management treatments, allowing comparisons across varying severity and restoration contexts.
What is the intended value of the results for park managers?
The goal is to produce defensible, on-the-ground information that helps managers understand which watersheds are most vulnerable, how long recovery tends to take, and how restoration can be implemented while minimizing unintended harm to aquatic ecosystems.
What is the funding activity category and CFDA number?
The funding activity category is Natural Resources under CFDA 15.945.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated making a single award.
What is the maximum funding amount available?
The funding ceiling stated in the opportunity is $211,255.
When was the opportunity posted and when was it originally due?
The posting was created on March 28, 2018, and the original closing date was April 6, 2018.
Is this opportunity discretionary?
Yes. The opportunity is described as discretionary funding offered by the National Park Service.
What is the broader program context behind the restoration work at VALL?
The Preserve is part of a major landscape restoration effort funded through the Department of the Interior Resilient Landscapes program, designed to reduce unnaturally high fuel loads and reintroduce fire in a controlled way to support more natural fire regimes.
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