Pitcher's Thistle Demography Database Management and Analysis Collaboration - SLBE | NPS NOIP19AC00367

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the title of this funding opportunity?

The cooperative agreement is titled "Pitcher's Thistle Demography Database Management and Analysis Collaboration - SLBE."

2) Which agency is offering this opportunity?

The opportunity was issued by the National Park Service (NPS) within the U.S. Department of the Interior.

3) What type of funding is this?

This is a discretionary funding notice for a cooperative agreement.

4) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is NPS NOIP19AC00367.

5) Is this opportunity competitive?

No. The notice states it is a public statement that NPS intends to make a financial assistance award without competition for a focused research and data-analysis effort.

6) What is the main purpose of the project?

The core purpose is to pull together, manage, and analyze long-term demographic monitoring data for Pitcher's thistle collected across multiple National Park Service units in the Great Lakes region, and to evaluate how key population metrics have changed over roughly three decades.

7) What species is the focus of the project?

The project focuses on Pitcher's thistle, a rare plant that is significant under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

8) Which parks or NPS units are included in the study?

The work centers on data from three NPS units in the Great Lakes region:

• Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU)
• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PIRO)
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE)

9) Why are these three sites important?

These units are described as collectively representing more than 90 percent of the species' global population, making them critical for understanding overall species status and trends.

10) What kind of data will be used?

The project is intended to leverage both historic datasets and contemporary monitoring records from long-term demographic monitoring conducted across the three NPS units.

11) What does "demographic monitoring" mean in this context?

Based on the description, demographic evaluation typically centers on changes in metrics such as survival, recruitment, growth or transitions among life stages, flowering and seed production, and overall population trends over time.

12) Over what time period will the analysis look?

The notice indicates the project will examine how population demographic metrics have shifted over roughly three decades.

13) How will the results be used by the federal government?

The results are intended to support federal conservation decision-making, including updates to the species recovery plan and evaluation of Pitcher's thistle's federal conservation status under the Endangered Species Act.

14) Why does data management and synthesis matter for ESA decisions?

The notice highlights that ESA status assessments rely heavily on population viability and trend information. Improving the consistency and interpretation of decades of monitoring data can influence recovery planning and management priorities.

15) What broader benefits are expected beyond NPS?

By consolidating and analyzing the demographic information and disseminating results, the project is positioned to benefit the wider scientific community and researchers outside the agency by improving knowledge of long-term population dynamics for a rare species and factors that may influence those dynamics.

16) What is the expected number of awards?

The notice states a single expected award.

17) What is the funding ceiling?

The planned funding ceiling is $45,921.

18) What was the original application closing date?

The original application closing date listed was June 24, 2019.

19) When was the announcement created?

The notice lists a creation date of June 14, 2019.

20) What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number and category?

The assistance listing is associated with CFDA 15.944, and the opportunity is categorized under Natural Resources.

21) What is the project trying to produce at a high level?

At a high level, the project is aimed at creating a stronger, more consistent foundation of long-term monitoring information by pulling together datasets, managing them in a coherent way, and conducting analysis that clarifies population trends and demographic changes across key NPS-managed populations.

22) Is this opportunity described as research, data analysis, or both?

Both. The notice describes it as a focused research and data-analysis effort, with an emphasis on database management and analysis collaboration around demographic monitoring data.

23) What decision-making products are explicitly mentioned?

The notice explicitly mentions two intended uses: (1) feeding into updates to the species recovery plan, and (2) supporting evaluation of the plant's federal conservation status under the ESA.

24) Where is the project geographically focused?

The geographic focus is the Great Lakes region, specifically three National Park Service units identified in the notice.