NOI_NPS-17-NERO_Lancaster Co Conservancy.docx

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 without competition.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The Lancaster County Conservancy (LCC or Recipient) was established as a 501 c 3 non-profit organization in 1970 to protect selected areas of Lancaster County’s open area in their natural state. Since 1970, the Recipient has purchased or acquired through donation over 4,000 acres in Lancaster County. Recently, the Recipient has begun acquiring critical natural lands in York County along the Susquehanna River. The Recipient has taken a leadership role during the relicensing of hydro-power dams long the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania by accepting the transfer of public utility lands into their portfolio.

As a result of these acquisitions, the Recipient manages 44 nature preserves open to the public on a year round basis. A significant number of these preserves are within the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (CAJO) corridor creating a significant resource base for visitors to experience. The Lower Susquehanna River Segment Implementation Plan identifies many of the preserves as locations for CAJO trail enhancements. As a regional partner, the Recipient serves on the Core Planning Team for the segment plan. The Recipient is designated by PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as the lead managing organization of the Susquehanna Riverlands, a large landscape conservation partnership along the Susquehanna River corridor in Lancaster and York counties.

Public Law 109-418 amended the National Trails System Act to create the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (CAJO) in December of 2006 with a Secretarial Order expanding the trail in 2012. The trail, a series of water routes extending approximately 3,000 miles along the Chesapeake Bay and the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in the states of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York and the District of Columbia, commemorates the natural history of the bay and its tributaries, the American Indian societies and culture of the 17th century; and the voyages of Captain John Smith from 1607-1609.

The Chesapeake Bay Program, a collaborative watershed restoration partnership among the states of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and West Virginia, the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the federal government. The six Governors and the other partners signed the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement establishing specific goals, outcomes, management strategies and work plans for conservation and restoration. The NPS is responsible for fostering interjurisdictional collaboration to add 300 new public boating, fishing and water access sites to the Bay and tributaries and conserve 2 million acres of land by 2025.

The Lancaster County Conservancy will be a key near- and long-term partner in support of our efforts to conserve important resource lands, enhance public access and develop CAJO within the lower Susquehanna River region.

Objective The objective of this Agreement is to help the public connect to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail and the Chesapeake Bay by improving access, infra-structure, and interpretative amenities along the Susquehanna River on the Recipient’s preserves, providing a natural landscape experience and opportunistic river access. This agreement will allow NPS to assist the Recipient in providing enhanced or new public water access and associated infra-structure; interpretative signage, and other enhancements at Recipient owned preserves that are important to CAJO through financial and technical assistance.

STATEMENT OF WORK

The purpose of this Cooperative Agreement is for the Cooperator and NPS to facilitate and promote activities that provide residents of and visitors to the region with exceptional outdoor recreation experiences connected with the historical, cultural and ecological significance of the PHT network and CAJO route; promote physical and thematic continuity between and among places associated with the PHT network and JHNST; and to provide a foundation for partnerships between the Cooperator and the NPS and between and among other stakeholders.

RECIPIENT AGREES TO:

1. Authorize LCC employees to support the efforts of the partnership in close consultation with NPS to ensure all activities outlined in this agreement and subsequent Task Agreements are mutually agreeable.

2. Identify opportunities for expanding public access and enhancing infra-structure at Recipient’s preserves that are important to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

3. Advance the planning, design, engineering, environmental compliance, permitting, and construction of high priority public access sites and infra-structure enhancement including interpretative signage and other amenities at Recipient’s preserves and facilities.

4. Collaborate on the development of joint interpretive and branding elements including signage and temporary exhibit elements.

5. Collaborate on the development of educational and interpretive programming related to the themes of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

6. Participate in meetings designed to promote the partnership and/or objectives set forth in this and subsequent Task Agreements.

7. Assist NPS in establishing new relationships and capitalizing on existing relationships with partner sites and local and state governments.

8. Comply with the terms of applicable laws, regulations, and Government policies.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AGREES TO:

1. Authorize NPS employees to support the efforts of the partnership in close consultation with the Recipient to ensure all activities outlined in this agreement and subsequent Task Agreements are mutually agreeable.

2. Provide site/segment and interpretive planning assistance.

3. Assist with the identification, scoping and development of high priority public access and CAJO trail projects; assist in the development of physical and programmatic infrastructure.

4. Provide financial assistance and technical assistance, subject to the availability of funds, to the Recipient to carry out objectives set forth in this and subsequent Task Agreements.

5. Assist the Recipient to comply with the terms of applicable laws, regulations, and Government policies.

6. Participate in meetings with the Recipient to promote the partnership and/or objectives of the CAJO and/or Chesapeake Bay program.

BOTH AGREE TO:

1. Consult at least annually on opportunities for coordination and agreement implementation.

2. Create opportunities for partner and community collaboration.

3. Consider supplementary agreements to fulfill the purpose of this Agreement.

4. Specify projects and initiatives pursuant to this Agreement through individual NPS Task Agreements, with each project or activity having a separate statement of work and budget developed cooperatively between the NPS and the Recipient.

5. Work jointly on the development and implementation of projects designed to promote the partnership and/or objectives of the CAJO and/or Chesapeake Bay program.

SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

SINGLE SOURCE POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Department of the Interior Policy (505 DM 2) and National Park Service Policy FAP&P 1443-2015-06 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, for which competition would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity. A single source on the basis of continuation must demonstrate that competition would result in a substantial duplicate cost to the government that cannot be recovered through competition.;

(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.

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

As a regional partner, LCC is the only non-profit land conservancy in the lower Susquehanna River regions that owns and manages natural lands for recreational use. The organization’s 40 plus years of experience of managing recreational lands makes them uniquely qualified to assist CHBA in identifying low-impact enhancements that can bring the CAJO trail to life for visitors. LCC has significant grant management experience through its collaborative relationship with PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. LCC has a long term track record of leveraging funding and property acquisitions to acquire additional properties in the two counties. LCC experience in land acquisition resulted in the organization serving as the primary take-out partner in the transfer of thousands of acres of utility lands removed from the FERC boundary of the PPL hydro-power facility in the lower Susquehanna River. These lands will now continue to be open to the public for their recreational enjoyment.

The Lancaster County Conservancy will be a key near- and long-term partner in support of our efforts to conserve important resource lands, enhance public access and develop CAJO within the lower Susquehanna River region.