P20AS00066 NOII.pdf

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

This announcement is not a request for applications.

This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service’s intention to award financial assistance for the following project activities. Refer to Section 2. Determination.

ABSTRACT

Grants.gov Opportunity Number Project Title Recipient Anticipated Federal Funding Non- ederal Cost Share Total Anticipated Award Amount

Award Instrument

Anticipated Period of Performance

Legal Authorit

CFDA # and Title

Single Source Justification Criteria

National Park Service Point of Contact

PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC PURPOSE

Section 1. Project Summary

P20AS00066

Satellite-Based Mapping and Modeling of Glacier Dynamics for AK Oregon State University $59,845

$0.00

$350,000

May 15, 2020 - May 14, 2025

54 USC § 100703. Cooperative Study Units

15.945 – Cooperative Agreement and Training Programs

Unique Qualifications

Erica_Cordeiro@nps.gov

Glacier-covered landscapes in Alaska’s national parks strongly influence local climate, hydrologic resources, infrastructure and public safety. In addition, glaciers are icons of the Alaskan landscape. The objective of Phase 1 of this project, as outlined in this agreement, is to map current glacier perimeters across all glaciated park units in Alaska; where possible improve upon the temporal frequency and spatial coverage of earlier delineations; and refine our understanding of glacier status in Alaska’s national parks. Updates to the glacier perimeter data are critical for resource management, scientific research and NPS interpretive programs.

This project serves a public purpose (i) through the support of a PhD student in applied research at Oregon State University; (ii) by providing information to park managers in support of science-based resource stewardship and public safety; and (iii) by providing information to enhance public understanding of the central role of glaciers in in Alaska’s national parks. Data generated through this agreement will be made publicly available through data portals (e.g. NPS Data Store and Randolph Glacier Inventory), and in public forums and publications (e.g. NPS visitor centers, interpretive programs, and briefs).

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTIES

A. The recipient shall be responsible for the following items under this agreement:

B. The NPS Responsibilities:

A agreement is proposed therefore substantial involvement by NPS is anticipated during the period of performance of this agreement. In support of this agreement NPS will:

A grant agreement is proposed, therefore on the part of the NPS is anticipated for the successful completion of the statement of work. It is anticipated that involvement will be limited to actions related to monitoring project performance technical assistance at the request of the recipient.

This project will provide a ten-year update to the regional glacier inventory for national parks in Alaska. The NPS and Oregon State University will collaborate on the following tasks in Phase 1 of this project: (1) map glacier perimeters for park units in Alaska, including the most current decade (most current imagery available) and previous decades; (2) conduct an error analysis that compares delineations obtained from the previous glacier inventory and that addresses discrepancies between the two data sets; (3) report on the workflow and data summaries that describe glacier status and trends across parks; and (4) explore ancillary data sets for delineating additional glacier parameters. Funds permitting, additional phases of work may be added in the future through a modification to this agreement. This project leverages Oregon State University’s expertise in the physical sciences, remote sensing, and modeling, and builds on a current collaboration between NPS and OSU that supports a Geoscientist in the Parks (GIP) guest scientist. If implemented, Phase 2 would model hydrological effects of glacier mass loss under different climate scenarios and would be led by a second Principal Investigator from Oregon State University.

1. Recruit a PhD student to leverage existing workflows, open source cloud computing and code, and publically available data to delineate glacier area boundaries on decadal or better time scales from the Landsat record.

2. In collaboration with NPS, develop a workflow to evaluate the accuracy, error, and/or bias of delineated boundaries, and manually edit boundaries, if necessary.

3. In collaboration with NPS, document the process of choosing the data source and approach, including documentation of advantages and disadvantages of alternate approaches. This documentation, along with a clear description of workflow and code sufficient for replication in the future and shall be presented in a draft suitable for internal use by NPS.

4. In collaboration with the NPS, coauthor a report—suitable either for publication in the Natural Resource Report Series or in the peer-reviewed scholarly journal (or optionally, in both), describing and interpreting the results of the change analysis.

5. Actively engage with NPS staff to ensure that the process, content, timeline, and objectives of the project products meet the needs of the NPS.

1. Provide existing historic glacier surface area data, and assessment of regulatory requirements and constraints on use of data and code.

2. Collaborate on algorithm development, quality control, and documentation, and provide feedback to the Recipient, as needed. The NPS shall participate actively in data analysis, change detection, and evaluation of output through regular meetings with the Recipient.

3. Collaborate with the Recipient on a report suitable for publication in the Natural Resource Report Series or in the peer-reviewed scholarly literature, describing and interpreting the results of the change analysis.

Section 3. Single Source Justification

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

SINGLE SOURCE POLICY REQUIREMENTS

National Park Service Policy FAP&P 1443-2015-06 requires a written justification which explains why competition is not practicable. The justification must address one of the following criteria.

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

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

Continuation – The activity to be funded is necessary to the satisfactory completion of, or is a continuation of, an activity presently being funded, for which competition would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity 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;

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, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications

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.

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

Task Agreement issued under previously competed or single source master cooperative agreement per Section 2 above. Single Source Justificatio .

Continuation

Unique Qualifications

Unsolicited Proposal

Legislative Intent

Explanation of the proposed recipient’s qualifications or the criteria of the proposed project which requires use of the single source criteria cited.

Section 2. Determination

OSU has developed a workflow (LandTrendr) that will be used here, consisting of a series of algorithms that enable the processing, classification, and analysis of remotely sensed data from the Landsat archive with greater efficiency than the unsupervised classification used in the previous glacier inventory.

Section 4. Department of the Interior Secretary’s Priorities

This award will support the following DOI Secretary priority(ies):

Other Key Initiatives:

Employment of veterans.

Supporting DOI Infrastructure needs.

Creating jobs in the American economy.

Access to outdoor recreation opportunities.

Priority 1: Creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt Utilize science to identify best practices to manage land and water resources and adapt to changes in the environment.

Examine land use planning process and land use designations that govern public use and access.

Revise and streamline the environmental and regulatory review process while maintaining environmental standards.

Review DOI water storage, transportation, and distribution systems to identify opportunities to resolve conflicts and expand capacity.

Foster relationships with conservation organizations advocating for balanced stewardship and use of public lands.

Identify and implement initiatives to expand access to DOI lands for hunting and fishing.

Shift the balance towards providing greater public access to public lands over restrictions to access.

Priority 2: Utilizing our natural resources Ensure American energy is available to meet our security and economic needs.

Ensure access to mineral resources, especially the critical and rare earth minerals.

Refocus timber programs to embrace the entire 'healthy forests' lifecycle.

Manage competition for grazing resources.

Priority 3: Restoring trust with local communities Be a better neighbor with those closest to our resources by improving dialogue and relationships with persons and entities bordering our lands.

Expand the lines of communication with Governors, state natural resource offices, Fish and Wildlife offices, water authorities, county commissioners, Tribes, and local communities.

Priority 4: Ensuring sovereignty means something Support tribal self-determination, self-governance, and sovereignty.

Solidify mutual interests between the U.S. and the freely associated states and territories.

Priority 5: Generating additional revenues to support DOI & National interests Ensure that the public receives the full market value for the natural resources produced on Federal lands.

Ensure that fees or costs levied for DOI services are reasonable and targeted to achieve cost recovery.

Consider the impact of DOI decisions on economic development and job creation.

Priority 6: Protecting our people and the border Actively support efforts to secure our southern border.

Ensure DOI law enforcement staffing addresses public safety risks anticipated on DOI land.

Promote a "public service" demeanor within our law enforcement community.

Priority 7: Striking a regulatory balance

Reduce the administrative and regulatory burden imposed on U.S.

industry and the public.

Ensure that Endangered Species Act decisions are based on strong science and thorough analysis.

Priority 8: Modernizing our infrastructure Support the White House Public/Private Partnership Initiative to modernize U.S. infrastructure.

Remove impediments to infrastructure development and facilitate private sector efforts to construct infrastructure projects serving American needs.