WHB Research NOFO Attachment A_20230926.docx

United States Department of the Interior

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Wild Horse and Burro Program

ATTACHMENT A: WILD HORSE AND BURRO RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Privileged Communication Attachment A is required for research projects that involve any handling of live animals, or that are requesting funding or other support from BLM for completion of the research. Under no circumstance may wild horse or wild burro specimens be sold, bartered or traded. Under no circumstances may specimens or DNA from BLM-administered WHB be transferred or used for research purposes without prior approval from the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program Division Chief. Do not exceed a total of 15 pages for sections A, B, and C combined. All guidelines in italics may be deleted prior to submission.

A. COVER PAGE (Complete this section and include with application. Do not exceed 1 page for Section A.)

A1.

NAME OF APPLICANTS / INVESTIGATORS (Principal-Investigator LAST NAME, FIRST NAME; Co-Investigators LAST NAME, FIRST NAME)

A2.

TITLE OF BLM-ISSUED REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) or TITLE AND NUMBER OF NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO)

A3.

APPLICANT’S TITLE OF PROPOSED PROJECT (Not the RFP / NOFO title)

A4.

A5.

POSITION OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

EMAIL

A6.

A7.

INSTITUTION AND DEPARTMENT

PHONE

INCLUDED

and REQUIRED

INCLUDED but NOT REQUIRED

NOT INCLUDED

1 year minimum. 5 years maximum

1ST YEAR 2ND YEAR 3RD YEAR 4TH YEAR 5TH YEAR

START

END

A12.

PROPOSED PROJECT LOCATION. INCLUDE NAME OF ANY PROPOSED BLM DISTRICT OR FIELD OFFICE, IF APPLICABLE

A13.

IF AWARDED WILL BE VIA A COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES UNIT (CESU) AGREEMENT, IDENTIFY CESU (ONLY IF APPLICABLE)

AGREEMENT: It is understood by the undersigned that if this proposal / application is approved, whether or not a grant is made, it will be according to the terms of the proposal and stipulations set forth in any accompanying agreement from BLM made at the time of award. A written agreement (e.g., Cooperative Agreement, or Interagency Agreement) will be required to outline the obligations of the researchers and the BLM in the study.

A14.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR ASSURANCE: I certify that the statements made in this application are true and complete to the best of our knowledge.

____________________________________________________ DATE: ________________

CERTIFICATION AND ACCEPTANCE BY ORGANIZATION: I certify that the statements made in this application are true and complete to the best of our knowledge. I understand that the Principal Investigator and his/her department will be responsible for any expenses incurred by this project which exceed the approved funding amount.

DATE:

5a. FOR BLM USE ONLY, DATE RECEIVED ________________________

5b. FOR BLM USE ONLY, PROPOSAL # ________________________

(MM-YY-####)

WHB Research Proposal Format February 2014

BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program Research Proposal Template 9/26/2023 Wild Horse and Burro (WHB) Research Proposal to the BLM Privileged Communication

All pages must be type written in font 12, single-spaced with one-inch margins, with lines numbered and pages numbered at bottom.

Do not exceed a total of 15 pages for sections A, B, and C combined, and do not exceed page limits for individual sections. Guidelines in italics may be deleted prior to submission.

B. ABSTRACT OF PROPOSED PROJECT AND LIST OF KEY PERSONNNEL

(Do not exceed 2 pages total for Section B)

B1. Abstract of proposed project (350 word maximum):

B2. Key Personnel: Name, official title, department, project responsibilities and time commitment (include estimated % of annual work effort) of all professional personnel who will be engaged in project (not to exceed 1 page):

C. PROJECT PROPOSAL

(Do not exceed 12 pages total for Section C)

C1. Goals / Objectives / Hypotheses: (not to exceed 1/3 page)

C2. Specific Aims: (not to exceed 1/3 page)

C3. Background and Significance/Preliminary Studies: (not to exceed 2 pages) Briefly discuss the background of the proposal, with a critical evaluation of existing knowledge and identification of knowledge gaps that would be addressed by the proposed research. State concisely the importance of the proposed research by relating the objectives of the study to the broad, long-term goals of the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program. Describe the impact, if any, of the potential outcome of the investigation to WHB management, health, and well-being. If applicable, indicate how this effort will advance the fields of equine science, veterinary medicine, or surgery. Provide any relevant preliminary data (national, regional, local, institutional/ practice) that may support the proposed investigation. The rationale for the proposed work must be established by the information presented here. Applicants may also describe preliminary studies that are pertinent to the application, and may provide other information that will help establish the competence of the investigator to undertake the proposed research. Indicate here what your specific plans are for publication and dissemination of your results, in addition to the required annual and final reporting to BLM outlined under #8, below.

C4. Scientific Approach / Study Design: (not to exceed 2 pages) The study design and procedures should be described in detail. Include the processes by which data will be collected. Discuss potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and alternative approaches to achieve the stated Specific Aims (Section C2 above). Include any information about study site(s), if available.

C5. Statistical Methods: (not to exceed 1 page) Describe what type of data will be collected and how the data will be analyzed and interpreted. Describe the assumptions that will be made during the analysis and how particular outcomes would be interpreted. State the statistical methods to be used. Specify the number of observations required to yield statistically significant results at a particular confidence level (e.g., 95%) or with a defined level of sufficient statistical power.

C6. Anticipated effects: (not to exceed 1 page) Describe the anticipated effects of any treatments on a) individual animals and b) populations. To the extent possible, quantify the predicted rates of those outcomes, preferably providing a range of rates for the specified outcomes, based on cited published literature or other noted preliminary data. It is also essential to present here what effects on individual animals and populations are not known, but will be clarified as a result of the proposed study. If your study will follow any standard operating procedures (SOPs), those should be included as appendices. This section and any related appendices should provide justification and clarification of anticipated effects, which may be necessary if BLM will need to draft NEPA-related documentation related to the proposed project.

C7. Pitfalls and Limitations: (not to exceed 1/3 page) List and describe any potential pitfalls or limitations to successful completion of the study, and describe contingencies plans that should be considered, in order to address them.

C8. Project Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: (not to exceed 1/2 page) Describe how you propose to measure project performance and assessment tools to be used and how you will evaluate performance of subawards, subrecipients, contractors, etc.

C9. Timetable or Milestones to Complete Expected Outcomes [Suggested table below]: (not to exceed 1 page) Provide sequence or timetable for the investigation (for example a Gantt chart and proposed project milestones), or describe significant outputs and expected outcomes of the project with a clear set of milestones and how they will be measured. Proposals must have measurable outcomes. The success of the projects funded under this announcement shall be validated and tracked by BLM Program Officers.

Insert specific, measurable outcomes (milestone, task, and/or activity, i.e., finish compiling necessary database, commence field observations, conduct fertility control treatments, etc.) as applicable.

Use as many rows as necessary.

C10. Expected Public Benefit and Program Interest of the BLM: (not to exceed 1/2 page) Describe how the objectives of your project meet one or more of the BLM and/ or DOI priorities described in the funding opportunity announcement. Describe how this project benefits the public. Describe how BLM would receive indirect benefit from the proposed research activities (the nature of cooperative agreements is such that there must be an element of public benefit, in addition to value to the government).

C11. Qualifications / Past Performance: (not to exceed 1 page. Biographical Sketches [Section D] are not included in this total) List the responsibilities of key project personnel.

Describe the involvement for key project personnel. Be specific about each key person’s role in the project. Describe the time that each key project personnel member will dedicate to the project, and how their experience and qualifications are appropriate to success of the project. Time may be expressed in total hours, or as a % of FTE List contractors, sub awards, consultants, if known, and their qualifications.

List federally funded assistance agreements (not contracts) that your organization performed in the last three years (no more than 5; preferably BLM agreements). Describe how you reported and/ or documented on whether you were making progress toward achieving the expected results (e.g., outputs and outcomes) under those agreements. Describe similar successful projects completed in the past and any unique qualifications your organization may possess.

For each key project personnel member, complete a “Biographical Sketch” using format in section D of this proposal template, below. Biographical Sketches do not count toward the page limit for section C.

C12. Leveraging of Resources: (not to exceed 1/2 page) Demonstrate how you intend to leverage funds or resources with other federal and/or non-federal sources of funds or resources to carry out the proposed project, if applicable.

C13. Overlap of Duplication of Effort Statement: (Complete this section, following instructions below) Provide a statement indicating if there is any overlap between this Federal application and any other Federal application, or funded project, in regards to activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel. If any such overlap exists, provide a complete description of overlaps or duplications between this proposal and any other federally funded project or application in regards to activities, costs, and time commitment of key personnel, as applicable. Provide a copy of any overlapping or duplicative proposal submitted to any other potential funding entity and identify when that proposal was submitted, to whom (entity name and program), and when you anticipate being notified of their funding decision.

When overlap exists, your statement must end with: “We understand that if at any time we receive funding from another source that is duplicative of the funding we are requesting from the Bureau of Land Management in this application, we will immediately notify the Bureau of Land Management point of contact identified in this NOFO in writing.”

If no such overlap or duplication exists, state: “There is no overlap or duplication between this application and any of our other Federal applications or funded projects, including activities, costs, or time commitment of key personnel.”

C14. Affirmation of Reporting Requirements: (Complete this section) If this proposal is approved, your signature below affirms your commitment to provide a final report, to be received by the BLM Wild Horse and Burro research coordinator no later than 3 months after completion of the project. If your project will take more than one year to complete, BLM requires a progress report at least once per year. For projects involving specimen archiving: The first progress report shall be received by the BLM WHB research coordinator no later than one year after receipt of samples. BLM will require the return of specimens unless timely reporting is completed. For museum collections, a copy of accession documents and signature of assurance that the specimens are secure must be included in progress or final report. Different reporting requirements may be established under the specific terms of a BLM assistance agreement that may be established for this project, in which case the reporting requirements of that agreement would take precedence over those outlined here.

Signature of Principal Investigator: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________

C15. Appendices: (Optional. There are no specific page limits for appendices, but any appendices are included toward the total page length of Section C, which may not exceed 12 pages. Appendices that go beyond the 12-page limit for section C will not be considered in proposal merit evaluations.)

Other supporting information may be included as appendices, so long as total length of Section C does not exceed 12 pages. These may include preliminary data, proposed standard operating procedures (SOPs), other relevant materials, etc.

D. LIST OF CITED REFERENCES (no page limits) Provide complete literature citations for all references cited in the proposal.

E. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES (not to exceed 1 single-spaced page per key personnel) Privileged Communication (Complete a biographical sketch for each Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator, Graduate Student, etc.)

Name: Title:

Education: (Begin with baccalaureate training and include postdoctoral) Institution and Location Degree Year Conferred Scientific Field Honors/Awards:

Major Research Interest:

Previous and Current Research Support Relating to the Current Proposal:

Research and/or Professional Experience Recent relevant publications:

F. INSTITUTIONAL FACILITIES STATEMENT (not to exceed 1/2 single-spaced page)

Describe the facilities, equipment, assay capabilities, etc. available for use in this project:

G. HUMANE CARE AND USE OF ANIMALS

Title of proposal:

Investigators:

Pursuant to procedures established by the Bureau of Land Management, Wild Horse and Burro Research Program, I certify that the above described protocol follows guidelines set forth in the National Institutes of Health “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” (#85-23), the “Animal Welfare Act of 1966” (PL 89-544) as amended, or the "Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching (2010)."

Name of Institution: _______________________________________________

NOTE: A completed form for Section G or a copy of institutionally approved animal care and use protocols must be in receipt of the BLM WHB Research Advisory Team before an agreement / award is granted to the recipient, and well before any collaborative work handling animals can commence. Private individuals must seek approval from a recognized Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Note: management agencies performing actions in their authorized management purview may not be required to seek IACUC oversight.