National Trails Questions-Answers 1-2-2018.pdf

“National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and Training” NOFO Questions and Answers

1. Q. I am not able to access the announcement electronically from grants.gov. Please let me know how I can access the grant notice.

A. The announcement was included in instructions; however, it has been added to

“related documents.”

Direct link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=298316

2. Q. I have been conducting research on bike lane improvement in Raleigh area. Looking at the different bike paths, bike ability of an area as well as comparing deaths etc. Would this be considered for this type of grant?

A. This grant opportunity is for a national trails system training program, focusing nationwide. It is not for a specific on-the-ground or research project.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=298316

Grants for specific on-the-ground projects are administered at the State level. The States solicit and select project applications from units of local government. It is best to work with the unit of local government to determine the willingness to apply for project funding.

For research projects, it is best to contact the State Bicycle and Pedestrian coordinator for advice. See https://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/.

3. Q. I am writing for additional resources for a pollination garden/trail and habitats for threatened and endangered species. I am a park ranger in Eastern Ky. After relocating to this area, it is obvious the lack of hands-on education and resources available to the rural communities. So, there is a plot on our project to use as an interpretive trail and in-school interpretive program for a local rural elementary school. Currently, there are plans for bee condos from naturally occurring downed trees, bat houses, butterfly houses, threatened and endangered habitats and ecosystems, feeders from recycled products, and school planned interpretive signs. Private partnerships are greatly desired with the school in this effort. Any training, planning, tools, guest speakers, educational media, community cooperative extensions, volunteers, seeds, signs, etc. that could be resourceful would be amazing. This program will be a hands-on learning and teaching program for students and their community about the importance of pollinators in the production of so many things. It will also be focused towards nutrition, heart health, water testing and quality, and soil sampling. Please let me know if there are any available services that could be provided in our area. Thanks so much.

So that is the generic letter I have been sending out across the board to get some contacts and allocate some resources. Then, my project manager sent out the grant for trails information today. I have contacted DOT about placing pollinator habitat signs and do not spray, but this would be awesome see as I am trying to do an interagency program for the schools and community.

A. The purpose of the proposed Cooperative Agreement (Agreement) is to assist the

Recipient in providing National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and Training to build capacity to better administer, manage, and sustain National Trails.

The primary focus is to support National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails.

The project proposed does not meet the intent of the notice of funding opportunity: it has nothing to do with National Scenic Trails or National Historic Trails.

Portions of the proposed project might be eligible for Surface Transportation Block Grant Program or Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside funds available through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. You could contact our Program Delivery Team at the FHWA Kentucky Division office for more information about possible eligibility for pollinator habitat and education at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/kydiv/staff.cfm.

https://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/kydiv/staff.cfm

4. Q. Are National Water Trails as designated by the Secretary of the Interior eligible for funding as identified in Notice Number 693JJ318NF00006?

A. National Water Trails are considered part of the national trails system, but this NOFO focuses on National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails at the nationwide level.

It is not intended to fund individual trails.

The purpose of this proposed Cooperative Agreement (Agreement) is to assist the Recipient in providing National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and Training to build capacity to better administer, manage, and sustain National Trails.

The primary focus is to support National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails at the nationwide level. It is not intended to fund specific trail projects.

5. Q. Are state-designated scenic byways and national scenic byways as designated by the

Secretary of Transportation eligible for funding as identified in Notice Number

693JJ318NF00006?

A. No. This NOFO focuses on National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails at the nationwide level, not on funding individual trails or scenic or historic highways.

Training to build capacity to better administer, manage, and sustain National Trails.

The primary focus is to support National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails at the nationwide level. It is not intended to fund specific trail projects.

6. Q. How did this opportunity come about? I.e. what is the “big idea” behind it? (This question is looking for information not found in the NOFO.)

A. The FHWA discussed the reasoning for National Trails System Information, Corridor

Protection, and Training within the NOFO in Section A: Statement of Purpose, Legislative Authority, and Background. FHWA has nothing further to add.

7. Q. There are five Tasks listed. Assuming full funding at $200,000 is there a level of effort, say by percentage of funding spent, on each task? Or are some tasks more important than others?

A. The full funding for the National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and

Training Development NOFO is $200,000 total for the 2 years of the agreement. The NOFO offers the Applicants discretion to determine the level of effort necessary for each task to fulfil the statement of work. The Evaluation factors are in Section E.

8. Q. Is this opportunity expected to be available in subsequent years? Under Task 5, there is a reference to a potential subsequent agreement. When will this decision be made? And if there is a subsequent ‘round(s)’ of funding, will the incumbent awardee be eligible to propose and continue the work?

A. The FHWA will determine the desirability of a subsequent agreement based on the outcomes and success of this agreement, available funding, and identified future needs. FHWA does not commit to a specific decision time for when, or if, a subsequent agreement might be competed. If there were to be a future competition for a follow-on award, and the FHWA determines that the competition parameters have not changed, the incumbent Recipient would be eligible to compete for a new cooperative agreement. Any such future competition would be advertised through www.grants.gov.

The language in Task 5 was included in an effort to be transparent about the duties and responsibilities of the Recipient at the conclusion of the cooperative agreement that will be awarded as a result of this NOFO.

9. Q. What is National Trails System Information?

A. See the NOFO, Section A, #3: Background. Basic information on the National Trails

System is at https://www.nps.gov/nts/. The primary focus of the cooperative agreement is to support National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails.

10. Q. Does Corridor Protection refer to trail corridors or stream/river corridors?

A. Corridor protection refers to the corridors of National Scenic Trails and National

Historic Trails.

11. Q. What kind of training does this funding cover?

A. The Statement of Work explains the training covered. See pages 6 through 11. The applicant has discretion to propose the most effective training to accomplish the tasks in the Statement of Work.

12. Q. Will this funding cover the creation and/or improvement of trails?

A. This funding is intended to provide National Trails System Information, Corridor

Protection, and Training to build capacity to better administer, manage, and sustain National Trails. The primary focus is to support National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails. “Build capacity” means human capacity to perform these tasks rather than on-the-ground trail projects.

13. Q. Will it cover invasive plant removal and tree planting along existing trails?

A. The applicant may include invasive plant removal and tree planting among topics covered.

14. Q. If yes (to question No. 13), will it cover trail and/or corridor work along a trail that is not a National Scenic or National Historic Trail?

http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.nps.gov/nts/

A. The primary focus of the cooperative agreement is to support National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails.

15. Q. I am emailing about the “National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and Training” cooperative agreement. It seems awfully specific - like someone within the program has a specific goal for the project that may be more of a national scale then we interpret. Can someone shed more light on the expected outcome? Is [there] a main contact?

We have a lot of National Wildlife Refuges that would apply but maybe we are missing the point? I'd like to save everyone a lot of work and not submit applications that don't meet the intentions.

A. The Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Highway Administration entered into the National Trails System Memorandum of Understanding (see https://www.nps.gov/nts/National_Trails_System_MOU_2017-2027.pdf). This proposed NOFO is FHWA’s contribution to support that MOU.

Training to build capacity to better administer, manage, and sustain National Trails.

The primary focus is to support National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails at the nationwide level. “Build capacity” means human capacity to perform these tasks rather than on-the-ground trail projects. It is not intended to help specific on-the-ground trail projects at individual locations.

The point of contact for this NOFO is the Contract Specialist.

16. Q. The recipient would be providing these services to all Bureaus and is not a case study type project?

A. The recipient would be providing these services to the public. Case studies would represent national scenic and historic trails nationwide, including, but not limited to projects on Federal lands.

17. Q. I was hoping to discover if the trail system that runs through our City of Perth Amboy, NJ is eligible for the funding opportunity: “National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and Training”. The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail begins in our City with several historic markers along our publically accessible waterfront. While the enabling legislation for this National Park was not renewed, the signage and infrastructure for the trail are still very much intact and celebrated here in our City. I would like to know, if this trail would still be eligible as the potential for conservation and public engagement, particularly for our City’s youth, is very good.

https://www.nps.gov/nts/National_Trails_System_MOU_2017-2027.pdf

A. The purpose of this proposed Cooperative Agreement is to assist the Recipient in providing National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and Training to build capacity to better administer, manage, and sustain National Trails. The primary focus is to support Congressionally designated National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails at the nationwide level. Information on the National Trails System is available at https://www.nps.gov/nts/. “Build capacity” means human capacity to perform these tasks rather than on-the-ground trail projects. It is not intended to help specific on-the-ground trail projects at individual locations.

To fund individual trail projects, Federal-aid highway funds are administered through the States. For New Jersey:

If the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail is an on-the-ground trail for walking, bicycling, equestrian, or other trail use, then the two best funding sources are the Transportation Alternatives administered through the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the Recreational Trails Program administered through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection:

• Transportation Alternatives:

http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/business/localaid/alternatives.shtm

• Recreational Trails Program: http://www.nj.gov/dep/greenacres/trails/index.html

If the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail is an auto tour route, then there is no Federal-aid highway funding program available at present for such an activity.

Legislation in 2012 eliminated funding for the National Scenic Byways Program and eliminated eligibility for scenic and historic highway programs under the Transportation Alternatives.

18. Q. I am wondering if you can shed any light on the recent RFP that FHWA put out for the National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and Training. This is a very nuanced RFP, and I was just trying to figure out how it came into being. Where did the impetus for the cooperative agreement come from?

A. The Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) entered into the National Trails System Memorandum of Understanding (see https://www.nps.gov/nts/National_Trails_System_MOU_2017-2027.pdf). This proposed NOFO is FHWA’s contribution to support that MOU.

The purpose of this proposed Cooperative Agreement is to assist the Recipient in providing National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and Training to build capacity to better administer, manage, and sustain National Trails. The primary focus is to support Congressionally designated National Scenic Trails and National https://www.nps.gov/nts/ http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/business/localaid/alternatives.shtm http://www.nj.gov/dep/greenacres/trails/index.html https://www.nps.gov/nts/National_Trails_System_MOU_2017-2027.pdf

Historic Trails at the nationwide level. Information on the National Trails System is available at https://www.nps.gov/nts/. “Build capacity” means human capacity to perform these tasks rather than on-the-ground trail projects. It is not intended to help specific on-the-ground trail projects at individual locations. The focus is the Congressionally designated National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails, rather than administratively-designated National Recreation Trails. FHWA is aware that National Recreation Trails receive Federal support from other sources, especially from the Department of the Interior.

19. Q. I noticed that the National Recreation Trails program is not included in the scope. Is there a specific reason that is the case?

A. The FHWA included the reasoning for National Trails System Information, Corridor

Protection, and Training within the NOFO. See Section A: Statement of Purpose, Legislative Authority, and Background.

20. Q. Can you provide guidance about registering in Grants.gov, please? We have a DUNS number, and are registered in the SAM and ASAP systems. With those in place will registering in Grants.gov take 2 - 4 weeks? Which of the options for registering in Grants.gov do you recommend we use?

A. No. Please consult Grants.gov Customer Service Support Hotline at 800-518–4726, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., E.T., Monday through Friday and page 13 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

https://www.nps.gov/nts/

21. Q. Because of the inherent public/private nature of the work sustaining the National Trails System our organization is collaborating now, and has been for years, with four other Federal agencies to perform most of the projects and programs included in Tasks 1

- 4. Although the Cooperative Agreement that would implement this Funding Opportunity does not require any matching funding, should we recognize these collaborations and the Federal money helping to fund them in our proposal submission? In particular we are implementing a year-long Trail Intern program for 20 of the national scenic and historic trails with funding provided by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service that helps to fulfill Task 3 of this Funding Opportunity. To what extent can this work underway help fulfill some of the projects, activities, and programs stipulated under the various Tasks?

A. The applicant may provide information that it believes demonstrates its ability to support the application. This proposed agreement does not restrict what the Recipient does with funds from other sources.

22. Q. In the Funding Opportunity under Task 2 (as throughout most of the funding opportunity) agreements and other documents developed to be used to protect trail rights-of-way, corridors, and resources are to be posted on our website for public access. Can we exclude making public some agreements and documents that are sensitive to landowner and land manager rights and interests, such as some easement documents might be?

A. FHWA expects the Recipient to develop model agreements that others may use.

FHWA does not want agreements with specific sensitive or specific landowner information or other specific privately-identifiable information. A model agreement should point out areas that are sensitive, and a model agreement should use generic information.

23. Q. Funding Opportunity Task 3 focuses on work with Service Corps. [Our organization] and our federal agency partners have Trail Apprentice and Trail Interns programs underway that involve members of Service Corps, but also some youth who are not members of Service Corps. Under this funding task can we continue to work with non- Service Corps apprentices or must we only work with Service Corps members? We are also collaborating with the Greening Youth Foundation to increase the diversity of our Trail Apprentice and Trail Intern Programs.

A. For the purposes of this proposed agreement, the target audience is mentioned in the NOFO in the legislative background: “qualified youth service or conservation corps, as defined in sections 122(a)(2) of Public Law 101-610 (42 U.S.C. 12572(a)(2)) and 106(c)(3) of Public Law 103-82 (42 U.S.C. 12656(c)(3))”. Therefore, funds from this agreement should support qualified youth service and conservation corps. However, this proposed agreement does not restrict what the Recipient does with funds from other sources.

24. Q. Funding Opportunity Task 4 states that "No one event may use more than $6,000 in Federal funding attributable to this Agreement." Is this stipulation applicable to the webinars, regional training venues, and other training methods or is it only applicable to the conference and national scenic and national historic trail training workshops mentioned?

A. This restriction is intended for conferences and workshops in the first 3 bullets under Task 4. This proposed agreement does not restrict what the Recipient does with funds from other sources.

25. Q. We were wondering if the funding must pertain to the National Scenic and Historic Trails or if the project can also encompass the surrounding trail networks in addition to this trail.

A. The purpose of this proposed Cooperative Agreement is to assist the Recipient in providing National Trails System Information, Corridor Protection, and Training to build capacity to better administer, manage, and sustain National Trails. The primary focus is to support Congressionally designated National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails at the nationwide level. Information on the National Trails System is available at https://www.nps.gov/nts/. “Build capacity” means human capacity to perform these tasks rather than on-the-ground trail projects. It is not intended to help specific on-the-ground trail projects at individual locations. The focus is the Congressionally designated National Scenic Trails and National Historic Trails, rather than other trail networks.

26. Q. The start/end dates are a little confusing on the solicitation so I was just wondering if you could clarify those for me.

A. The period of performance for this Agreement will be twenty-four (24) months from the effective date of the Agreement.