Enhancing Visitor Experience through Noxious Weed Management | P17AS00176

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00176

The grant opportunity titled "Enhancing Visitor Experience through Noxious Weed Management" (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00176) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement focused on strengthening noxious weed management at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (FLFO) in Colorado. The main goal is to protect and preserve native plant communities across the park, which in turn supports healthier ecosystems and a better visitor experience by maintaining natural landscapes, reducing the spread of invasive species, and improving the condition of areas impacted by weeds or disturbance.

The project is built around a collaboration between FLFO staff and the Ecology Team of the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) at Colorado State University (CSU). CNHP is positioned as the technical partner because of its long-standing experience with vegetation mapping, weed treatment, and monitoring across Colorado, as well as its direct familiarity with FLFO from prior work supporting the NPS Rocky Mountain Inventory and Monitoring Network and related efforts such as the park vegetation map and inventory. Through this partnership, the parties will jointly plan and carry out expanded weed treatments and systematically map and monitor both existing and newly emerging weed populations, with a strong emphasis on early detection so new infestations can be addressed before they spread.

The scope of work extends beyond weed removal alone. It includes evaluating and monitoring noxious weeds, implementing treatments, collecting native seed, salvaging plants when appropriate, and developing practical recommendations for revegetating disturbed areas using native plant species. In other words, the project is designed to pair invasive species control with restoration-oriented actions so treated sites can recover with desirable native vegetation rather than being reinvaded. The work also includes mapping of treatment areas and early detection survey results, and it requires the development of datasets that support the park's annual reporting obligations through the Pesticide Use Proposal System. That reporting component indicates that data management and documentation are core deliverables, not just field activities.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity under the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, with an activity category of Natural Resources and a CFDA number of 15.945. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial involvement and coordination with the federal partner during project design and implementation. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, aligning with the named collaboration with CSU/CNHP. The opportunity was posted on April 10, 2017, with an original closing date of April 19, 2017. The award ceiling is $56,800, and the program anticipated making one award.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enhancing Visitor Experience through Noxious Weed Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 10, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 19, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $56,800.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for P17AS00176

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