Opportunity Information: Apply for P21AS00425
This grant opportunity from the National Park Service focuses on helping Mojave National Preserve (MOJA) make better, data-driven decisions about Small Game Guzzlers (SGGs), which are human-built wildlife water catchments installed across the Mojave Desert mainly between 1948 and 1980. These structures were originally put in place by volunteers working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to improve habitat and hunting opportunities for upland game species like Gambel's quail, cottontail rabbits, and introduced chukar. Over time, it became clear that the guzzlers are used by a much wider range of wildlife, including sensitive and at-risk species, which raises important questions about whether removing, maintaining, or modifying these water sources helps or harms desert ecosystems.
The core management problem behind the funding is a set of legal and policy conflicts created when large areas became part of Mojave National Preserve and were also designated as wilderness under the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. Wilderness designation generally discourages permanent human structures and emphasizes natural processes and minimal human manipulation, but in a changing climate and with increasing conservation needs for sensitive species, managers may also be pressured to intervene to prevent declines. MOJA's Management Plan for Developed Water Sources calls for evaluating developed water structures like SGGs to determine how important they are for wildlife and whether continued management is justified. The challenge is that there is limited guidance on how to evaluate the ecological consequences of keeping versus dismantling these waters, especially for birds and bats, which are a major concern at MOJA given the park's high diversity and the presence of species with special conservation status.
To address that gap, MOJA launched a pilot Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) study designed to measure wildlife use of SGGs and how wildlife responds when water becomes unavailable. The pilot study selected 12 guzzlers that were relatively isolated, each at least 3.2 km from other known water sources, so that changes in wildlife activity could more plausibly be linked to the status of the guzzler itself rather than nearby water. Monitoring tools included acoustic recorders for bats and birds deployed at set intervals, remote cameras to document wildlife visits, and quail trapping to estimate age ratios; a small number of quail were also fitted with solar GPS loggers to get movement data. In 2020, MOJA implemented the "impact" part of the BACI design by draining and blocking six of the twelve guzzlers while leaving the remaining six as controls, then continuing monitoring through 2021 to capture before-and-after patterns across both treatment types.
The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity is not to fund new field deployment, but to bring in university-based expertise to synthesize, analyze, and interpret the data already collected through 2021. MOJA states it does not have sufficient internal capacity to complete the analysis needed to translate the pilot results into practical management direction. The requested work is fairly specific: applicants are expected to process bat and bird acoustic recordings to determine species presence, calculate diversity indices, and potentially derive other useful ecological parameters; analyze camera spreadsheet data to summarize what species were detected, how often, and when (timing patterns); compile and provide an initial interpretation of the limited quail age-ratio information and the available GPS location data; and assess how results differ among guzzler sites based on factors such as climate conditions, vegetation cover, and whether water was available or removed. The deliverable is meant to go beyond descriptive summaries and include recommendations for how MOJA should interpret the pilot results, how a fuller future study could be designed, and what evaluation criteria could be used to rank the status and management need of individual SGGs, including how guzzlers might function as climate-related mitigation while still accounting for wilderness policy constraints.
Administratively, this is a discretionary cooperative agreement (Funding Opportunity Number P21AS00425) under CFDA 15.945, listed in the environment activity area, with an award ceiling of $30,000. The opportunity is limited to non-federal members of the CESU Network (Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units), emphasizing collaboration with university faculty and student programs. The original closing date was July 15, 2021, and the expectation was to support work that turns the pilot BACI dataset into usable management guidance for MOJA's decisions about maintaining, modifying, or potentially removing guzzlers in a landscape where wilderness requirements, species conservation, and climate pressures all intersect.Apply for P21AS00425
- The National Park Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Analysis of a Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) Wildlife Water Development Pilot Study" 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 2021-05-14.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-07-15. (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 $30,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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FAQs: NPS Mojave National Preserve Small Game Guzzlers (SGGs) Data Analysis Cooperative Agreement
What is this funding opportunity about?
This National Park Service funding opportunity supports university-based analysis and interpretation of an existing pilot study dataset about Small Game Guzzlers (SGGs) in Mojave National Preserve (MOJA). The goal is to turn data collected through 2021 into practical, data-driven management guidance for decisions about maintaining, modifying, or potentially removing guzzlers.
What are Small Game Guzzlers (SGGs)?
SGGs are human-built wildlife water catchments installed across the Mojave Desert primarily between 1948 and 1980. They were originally installed by volunteers working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to improve habitat and hunting opportunities for upland game species such as Gambel's quail, cottontail rabbits, and introduced chukar.
Why is MOJA evaluating SGGs now?
Over time, it became clear that guzzlers are used by a much wider range of wildlife, including sensitive and at-risk species. That creates important ecological and management questions about whether these water sources help or harm desert ecosystems, particularly under changing climate conditions.
What management conflict is driving the need for this work?
The conflict stems from legal and policy constraints after large areas became part of Mojave National Preserve and were also designated as wilderness under the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. Wilderness designation generally discourages permanent human structures and emphasizes natural processes and minimal human manipulation, while conservation pressures for sensitive species and climate impacts can increase expectations for management intervention.
What MOJA policy or plan does this work support?
The work supports MOJA's Management Plan for Developed Water Sources, which calls for evaluating developed water structures like SGGs to determine their importance for wildlife and whether continued management is justified.
What is the key scientific gap MOJA is trying to address?
MOJA cites limited guidance on how to evaluate the ecological consequences of keeping versus dismantling developed water sources, especially for birds and bats. Birds and bats are a major concern at MOJA due to the preserve's high diversity and the presence of species with special conservation status.
What study design produced the dataset to be analyzed?
MOJA conducted a pilot Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) study to measure wildlife use of SGGs and how wildlife responds when water becomes unavailable. The BACI approach compares conditions before and after a change, while also comparing impacted sites to control sites that are not changed.
How many guzzlers were included in the pilot study?
The pilot study selected 12 guzzlers that were relatively isolated.
Why were the selected guzzlers described as "relatively isolated"?
Each selected guzzler was at least 3.2 km from other known water sources so that changes in wildlife activity could be more plausibly linked to the guzzler itself rather than influenced by nearby water.
What happened during the "impact" phase of the BACI study?
In 2020, MOJA implemented the impact portion of the BACI design by draining and blocking six of the twelve guzzlers while leaving the other six as controls. Monitoring continued through 2021 to capture before-and-after patterns across both treatment types.
What kinds of monitoring data were collected in the pilot study?
Monitoring included acoustic recorders for bats and birds (deployed at set intervals), remote cameras to document wildlife visits, and quail trapping to estimate age ratios. A small number of quail were fitted with solar GPS loggers to collect movement data.
Does this funding opportunity pay for new fieldwork or new equipment deployment?
No. The stated purpose of the Notice of Funding Opportunity is not to fund new field deployment. It is to bring in expertise to synthesize, analyze, and interpret the data already collected through 2021.
Why is MOJA seeking outside support for the analysis?
MOJA indicates it does not have sufficient internal capacity to complete the analysis needed to translate the pilot study results into practical management direction.
What analysis work is expected for bat and bird acoustic recordings?
Applicants are expected to process bat and bird acoustic recordings to determine species presence, calculate diversity indices, and potentially derive other useful ecological parameters based on the recordings.
What analysis work is expected for remote camera data?
Applicants are expected to analyze camera spreadsheet data to summarize what species were detected, how often detections occurred, and when detections occurred (timing patterns).
What analysis work is expected related to quail data?
Applicants are expected to compile and provide an initial interpretation of the limited quail age-ratio information and the available GPS location data collected from a small number of quail fitted with solar GPS loggers.
What comparisons or site-level factors should be considered in the analysis?
The work is expected to assess how results differ among guzzler sites using factors such as climate conditions, vegetation cover, and whether water was available or removed (control versus drained/blocked sites).
Is the deliverable supposed to be more than a summary of results?
Yes. MOJA indicates the deliverable should go beyond descriptive summaries and include recommendations for how MOJA should interpret the pilot results for management decisions.
What management-oriented recommendations are expected from the analysis?
Expected recommendations include guidance on how MOJA should interpret the pilot BACI results, how a fuller future study could be designed, and what evaluation criteria could be used to rank the status and management need of individual SGGs.
How does climate change factor into the expected outputs?
The opportunity notes that guzzlers might function as climate-related mitigation, and the analysis is expected to help MOJA consider that possibility while still accounting for wilderness policy constraints.
What is the funding mechanism for this opportunity?
This is a discretionary cooperative agreement.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is P21AS00425.
What CFDA program is associated with this award?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.945.
What activity area is this opportunity listed under?
It is listed in the environment activity area.
What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling is $30,000.
Who is eligible to apply?
The opportunity is limited to non-federal members of the CESU Network (Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units), emphasizing collaboration with university faculty and student programs.
What is the application deadline mentioned in the opportunity?
The original closing date was July 15, 2021.
What is the intended outcome for MOJA?
The intended outcome is usable management guidance that helps MOJA make better, data-driven decisions about whether to maintain, modify, or potentially remove guzzlers in a landscape where wilderness requirements, species conservation needs, and climate pressures intersect.
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