GUCO CESU: Assessing Water Quality Conditions and Reviewing Monitoring Strategies for OZAR and BUFF | NPS NOIP19AC00267

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP19AC00267

The grant opportunity titled "GUCO CESU: Assessing Water Quality Conditions and Reviewing Monitoring Strategies for OZAR and BUFF" is a National Park Service (Department of the Interior) cooperative agreement focused on strengthening how two major Ozark river parks track and manage water quality. The work centers on Buffalo National River (BUFF) and Ozark National Scenic Riverways (OZAR), with the main goal being to take the water quality data these parks have already collected over time and put it through a careful, statistically rigorous review. Rather than starting from scratch with new sampling, the project is designed to make better use of existing datasets from river, tributary, and spring monitoring sites, identifying what the data already says about current conditions, long-term trends, and possible emerging concerns.

A key emphasis of the project is decision support: the analysis is meant to directly inform near-term choices about future monitoring strategies and how to spend limited monitoring resources more effectively. In practice, that means using statistical results to figure out where monitoring is most informative, which locations or parameters might be redundant, where the parks may be under-sampling, and what kinds of sampling schedules would be most likely to detect meaningful change. The opportunity explicitly ties the science to management by requiring the findings to translate into practical monitoring design improvements and clearer guidance for water resource stewardship at both parks.

The technical approach described involves collaborative compilation, cleaning, and interpretation of historical water quality datasets, followed by trend and pattern analyses using a mix of well-established and newer statistical tools. The proposal highlights that trend results will not be treated in isolation; they will be evaluated alongside factors that control how confident managers can be in the findings, including the total number of observations, the average number of samples collected per year, and how long each dataset extends back in time. This focus on statistical power is important because it helps determine whether the monitoring program, as currently designed, can actually detect changes in water quality over realistic timeframes, and it provides a defensible basis for modifying sampling frequency, site selection, or parameter lists.

The project is also framed as a collaborative effort that directly engages the recipient institution in National Park Service water resource assessment and stewardship. Water quality specialists from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture are specifically mentioned as participating in the data analysis work, indicating that the project expects experienced technical expertise to be applied to the parks' datasets. The anticipated outcome is a clearer understanding of water quality conditions and variability across rivers, tributaries, and springs in the region, identification of trends (or lack of trends) that matter for resource protection, and an improved monitoring strategy that better matches the parks' information needs and budget constraints.

In terms of deliverables and public value, the opportunity expects the results to be shared with both scientific and public audiences. Communication products include oral presentations, scientific publications, and more accessible materials like fact sheets or briefings. This mix suggests the project is intended to produce not only technical findings suitable for peer or professional review, but also practical, understandable summaries that park staff and stakeholders can use to discuss water quality status, trends, and potential threats.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued under Funding Opportunity Number NPS NOIP19AC00267, with assistance listing CFDA 15.945. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the National Park Service is likely to have substantial involvement during the project rather than simply issuing funds and receiving a final report. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and the opportunity anticipated a single award with an award ceiling of $160,000. The posting dates show it was created on June 12, 2019, with an original closing date of June 22, 2019, indicating a short application window typical of certain targeted or partnership-driven research and analysis efforts.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "GUCO CESU: Assessing Water Quality Conditions and Reviewing Monitoring Strategies for OZAR and BUFF" 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 Jun 12, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2019. (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 $160,000.00 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.

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