Surveillance for the White-nose Syndrome Fungus in Multiple Midwest Region Parks | NOIP17AC01138

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOIP17AC01138

This grant opportunity, titled "Surveillance for the White-nose Syndrome Fungus in Multiple Midwest Region Parks" (Funding Opportunity Number NOIP17AC01138), comes from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and is designed to fill a major information gap about white-nose syndrome (WNS) risk in National Park Service units across the Midwest Region. White-nose syndrome is associated with the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (often shortened to "Pd"), and by 2016 mapping showed suspect and confirmed WNS activity in and near multiple counties where Midwest Region parks are located. The proposal highlights particular concern around recent disease hot-spots in the Ozarks (Arkansas/Missouri) and along sections of the Mississippi River. It also points to a concrete warning sign already documented inside the region: in 2015, Pd was detected on bats in two caves at Buffalo National River, and a large number of bats were found dead in another area of one of the park's caves. Despite those red flags, the write-up makes it clear that, outside of limited work at Buffalo River, the region largely lacks basic surveillance data and, in some parks, lacks even baseline inventories of which bat species are present.

The underlying problem the grant is trying to solve is straightforward: the Midwest Region includes parks with caves and mines that could serve as hibernation sites (hibernacula), yet systematic surveillance for Pd has barely occurred. Even at Buffalo National River, where Pd was detected, surveillance was limited to only a small fraction of the park's many caves and mines. Several parks named in the opportunity (examples given include Homestead National Monument and Wilsons Creek Battlefield) do not have robust baseline bat inventories, which makes it harder to recognize population changes, detect disease impacts early, or prioritize protection measures. The opportunity is framed as a multi-park approach specifically because many individual parks do not have the staffing capacity or technical bandwidth to design bat/WNS proposals, mobilize field crews, or carry out long, specialized natural resource studies on their own. By organizing one coordinated effort across multiple sites, the project is meant to generate comparable data, reduce duplication, and produce results that can be used both by parks and by outside partners like state wildlife agencies that face similar surveillance constraints.

The project lists six goals, presented in priority order. First is to assess and document the distribution and status of Pd within participating parks, essentially answering where the fungus is present, where it is not yet detected, and what that implies for management risk. Second is to develop a list of bat species in these parks, which addresses the foundational question of community composition and helps identify species that are especially vulnerable to WNS. Third is to collect demographic information on bats (information tied to population structure and condition), which helps move beyond presence/absence and toward understanding population health and trends. Fourth is to improve understanding of habitat use by bats in the parks, which can inform management decisions around roost sites, foraging areas, and seasonal habitat needs. Fifth is to build a catalog of acoustic calls from the Midwest Region, intended to support testing and calibration of acoustic monitoring so that future monitoring can be more accurate and regionally grounded. Sixth is to provide parks with current, credible information they can use for education and outreach, recognizing that WNS is both a conservation issue and a public-facing topic in parks where caves, bats, and visitor access intersect.

The statement of work describes how the project would be implemented and who would do the work. Funds would be obligated to the University of Missouri-Columbia through a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) arrangement, and the university would recruit a Master of Science student to conduct the research as the core of a graduate project. The schedule is multi-year: the student would enter the program in fall 2017, begin fieldwork in winter 2017-2018, and complete the project by December 2019. The participating parks span several Midwest states. In Arkansas: Arkansas Post National Memorial (NMEM), Buffalo National River (NR), Hot Springs National Park (NP), and Pea Ridge National Military Park (NMP). In Iowa: Effigy Mounds National Monument (NM) and Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (NHS). In Kansas: Fort Larned National Historic Site, Tallgrass National Preserve (NPres). In Missouri: George Washington Carver National Monument, Ozark National Scenic Riverways (NSR), and Wilsons Creek National Battlefield (NB). In Nebraska: Homestead National Monument. The proposal anticipates that Buffalo National River and Ozark National Scenic Riverways would receive a substantial share of the effort due to their extensive cave and mine networks.

Field methods are split into winter and spring components to match bat biology and improve detection. During winters of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, project personnel would visit parks with cave and mine hibernacula to swab hibernating bats for Pd. The baseline target is about 10 bats sampled per cave, with flexibility to sample more in larger caves or where separate colonies occur. In addition to bat swabs, the team would collect soil and other abiotic materials for testing, recognizing that Pd can persist in the environment and that environmental sampling can complement direct animal sampling. In spring 2018 and spring 2019, the team would return to parks to mist-net bats, allowing sampling during a different part of the annual cycle and improving the ability to document species presence, demographics, and potential infection status outside hibernation sites. Because the parks are widely distributed and the spring sampling season is short, the plan anticipates multiple field teams made up of key project staff plus temporary technicians. The work plan emphasizes standard safety practices for bat handling and strict sanitation of equipment, both to protect staff and to reduce the risk of inadvertently moving pathogens between sites.

Sampling intensity during mist-netting is described as a minimum of 20 bats collected and swabbed at each park. After release, bats would be recorded using acoustic devices to build a regional library of echolocation calls, which is a practical deliverable with long-term value because acoustic monitoring is widely used for non-invasive bat surveys but depends heavily on accurate, region-specific reference calls for correct species identification. Laboratory testing is also planned: collected samples would be sent for analysis to detect Pd. The budget estimates lab costs using quotes from Oregon State University's lab, but the proposal also notes the possibility of using a USGS Madison Health lab program that may test a limited number of samples at no charge. If the project can secure those no-cost tests, it would redirect the saved lab funds into additional fieldwork, effectively expanding surveillance coverage.

From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity was offered as a cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.945, categorized as "Other" in the funding activity classification. It was posted with a creation date of August 14, 2017, and an original closing date of August 25, 2017. The anticipated award structure was a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $250,000. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice, but the narrative makes clear the intended recipient mechanism in this case is the University of Missouri-Columbia via CESU.

Overall, the grant is essentially a coordinated, multi-park surveillance and baseline data effort meant to determine where Pd is present in Midwest Region parks, document bat communities and basic population information, and leave parks with tools and knowledge that support ongoing monitoring, management decisions, and public communication. The emphasis on both direct pathogen testing (bat swabs and environmental samples) and complementary ecological data (species lists, demographics, habitat use, and acoustic call catalogs) reflects an intent to build a practical foundation for long-term response to WNS rather than producing a narrow snapshot from a single site.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Surveillance for the White-nose Syndrome Fungus in Multiple Midwest Region Parks" 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 Aug 14, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 25, 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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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