NOI_USGS_20-FA-0117.pdf

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

This Funding Announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the U.S. Geological Survey’s intention to fund the following project activities without full and open competition.

ABSTRACT

Funding Announcement USGS-20-FA-0117

Project Title Evaluating Species’ Adaptive Capacity in a Changing Climate:

Applications to Natural-Resource Management in the Northwestern US

Recipient University of Washington Anticipated Federal Amount $122,409.78

Cost Share $0 Total Anticipated Award Amount $122,409.78

New Award or Continuation? NEW

Anticipated Period of Performance 04/15/2020 through 04/14/2022

Award Instrument Cooperative Agreement CFDA # and Title 15.820 National Climate Adaptation Science Center USGS Point of Contact

Program Officer: Nicole DeCrappeo, Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, ndecrappeo@usgs.gov

Grant Specialist: Maylily Son Le, Office of Acquisition and Grants, mle@usgs.gov

OVERVIEW

Natural-resource managers face the pressing challenge of developing conservation plans that address complex ecological and societal needs against a backdrop of a rapidly changing climate.

Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments (CCVAs) are fundamental tools for evaluating the degree to which a species or system is likely to be negatively affected by climate change. These vulnerability assessments typically address three fundamental components of species’ vulnerability to changing climate: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Exposure pertains to the rate and magnitude of climate change likely to be experienced by a species or population, sensitivity refers to how dependent or tightly linked a species is to current conditions, and adaptive capacity is the intrinsic ability of a species to cope with or adjust to new conditions.

Adaptive capacity is considered the least understood and evaluated of the three components of climate change vulnerability assessments.

mailto:mlangston@usgs.gov mailto:mle@usgs.gov

Managers have expressed a need for guidance on how to assess adaptive capacity in CCVAs and incorporate that information into conservation planning and decision-making. In response, a large, international working group was formed to develop a standardized and consistent process for natural resource managers to incorporate adaptive capacity information into CCVAs.

Through this working group, the principal investigators on this project developed a framework for evaluating species' adaptive capacity based on a suite of attributes (or traits) that can be applied to individual species and broader taxonomic groups of species (e.g., plants, animals, invertebrates, etc.). This project proposes to demonstrate the utility of this adaptive capacity framework in cooperation with federal and state management agencies in the Pacific Northwest at multiple spatial scales and across diverse taxonomies, encompassing situations with varying data availability and management implications. This includes critical ground-testing in close partnership with ongoing and planned CCVAs by project partners. The specific objectives of this project are to: (1) conduct a regional evaluation of adaptive capacity for priority, or at-risk, northwestern species that were previously included in a climate sensitivity assessment; and (2) work with natural resource managers to co-produce a CCVA and adaptation plan for Siuslaw National Forest (Oregon) that specifically addresses implications for upcoming Northwest Forest Plan revisions.

RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT

Scientists at the University of Washington will work with federal, tribal, and state partners to demonstrate the utility of an adaptive capacity framework in collaboration with federal and state management agencies in the Pacific Northwest and will co-produce a CCVA and adaptation plan for a national forest.

Deliverables from this project include: 1) an adaptive capacity assessment framework and assessments for individual species made available to users on the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) website; 2) an in-person science-manager workshop with Siuslaw National Forest managers; 3) a peer-reviewed journal article describing the application of the adaptive capacity framework and the overall results of the climate change vulnerability assessment; and 4) a general technical report (published through US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station) describing the wildlife vulnerability assessment for the Siuslaw National Forest.

Collaboration among federal and state natural resource managers and the science team through all stages of this project will ensure that the deliverables meet the needs of natural resource agencies in the Pacific Northwest.

USGS INVOLVEMENT

Substantial involvement on the part USGS is anticipated for the successful completion of the objectives to be funded by this award. The project will be carried out in close partnership between USGS staff at the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and the recipient. The USGS will be responsible for the following:

• USGS staff will contribute intellectually to the project by actively engaging with the recipient to co-produce management-relevant products.

• The USGS program office will review, provide comments on, negotiate changes to, and approve the project scope of work, scientific methods, timeline, products, outreach/technology transfer, data management plan, budget, equipment, travel, personnel, sub-grants, and resource management partners.

• The data and products developed by the cooperative partnership will be the property of USGS but may be disseminated via a variety of means, including scientific publications and web-based decision-support tools and “story map” panels jointly developed by the recipient, USGS, and project partners.

• Sharing and dissemination of data will follow USGS guidelines for data management and peer review and will be done in a collaborative manner that benefits the recipient, USGS, and other project partners.

SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

SINGLE SOURCE POLICY REQUIREMENTS

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 justification must address one or more of the following criteria as well as discussion of the program legislative history, unique capabilities of the proposed recipient, and cost-sharing contribution offered by the proposed recipient, as applicable.

In order for an assistance award to be made without competition, the award must satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

(1) Unsolicited Proposal – The proposed award is the result of an unsolicited assistance application which represents a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach which is not the subject of a current or planned contract or assistance award, but which is deemed advantageous to the program objectives;

(2) 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 competition would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity;

(3) Legislative intent – The language in the applicable authorizing legislation or legislative history clearly indicates Congress’ intent to restrict the award to a particular recipient of purpose;

(4) Unique Qualifications – The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications;

(5) Emergencies – Program/award where there is insufficient time available (due to a compelling and unusual urgency, or substantial danger to health or safety) for adequate competitive procedures to be followed.

(6) Cooperative Agreements - USGS Unique Authority cited at 43 U.S.C. 36d (Federal, State, and academic partners) or DOI Authority cited at 43 U.S.C. 1457b (not-for-profit organizations).

USGS did not solicit full and open competition for this award based on the following criteria:

(4) UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS

(6) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS - USGS Unique Authority cited at 43 U.S.C. 36d.

Single Source Justification Description:

(4) UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS - Scientists at the University of Washington are uniquely qualified to perform the activities described above. Principal investigator is a landscape ecologist and conservation biologist whose work focuses on the effects of large-scale drivers on species and populations. He has published over 100 papers and has worked on climate change related research for the last 15 years. He led a Pacific Northwest Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and co-authored the Scanning the Conservation Horizon guide to climate change vulnerability assessment. He served as a lead author on the third National Climate Assessment and was a contributing author to the fifth IPCC report.

(6) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS- USGS Unique Authority cited at 43 U.S.C. 36d.

STATUTORY AUTHORITY

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008, Div. F, Title I, P.L. 110-161 USGS Unique Authority cited at 43 U.S.C. 36d (Federal, State and academic partners).

§ 36d. Cooperative agreements: Notwithstanding the provisions of the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act of 1977 (31 U.S.C. 6301–6308), the United States Geological Survey is authorized to continue existing, and on and after November 10, 2003, to enter into new cooperative agreements directed towards a cooperator, in support of joint research and data collection activities with Federal, State, and academic partners funded by appropriations herein, including those that provide for space in cooperator facilities.