Evaluating Post-Flood Sandbar Succession And Species Biodiversity Related To Listed Species Habitat- MNRR | NPS NOIP18AC00040

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP18AC00040

The grant opportunity "Evaluating Post-Flood Sandbar Succession And Species Biodiversity Related To Listed Species Habitat - MNRR" is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement focused on understanding how Missouri River sandbars have changed since the major 2011 flood, and what those changes mean for habitat quality, biodiversity, and long-term river management in the Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR). It is structured as a partnership between the U.S. Department of the Interior (NPS) and the University of South Dakota through the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The core idea is to blend on-the-ground science (field surveys and measurements) with geospatial analysis (GIS mapping using aerial and satellite imagery) so managers and the public can see how sandbar landscapes are evolving, especially in areas where the NPS has chosen a "set-aside" approach that allows sandbars to proceed through natural vegetation succession rather than being actively manipulated.

A major emphasis of the project is comparing two types of sandbars over time: (1) NPS set-aside or non-managed sandbars, and (2) sandbars managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The research is designed to track changes in sandbar characteristics such as size (area), physical form (topography and geomorphology), and vegetation cover from 2011 to the present, using both historical imagery and current field observations. By doing this, the project aims to quantify how much open sand habitat versus vegetated sandbar habitat exists, how that balance has shifted year to year, and whether set-aside bars develop different structures and ecological communities than actively managed bars.

The scientific questions laid out in the opportunity revolve around three connected themes. First, it asks how sandbar area, topography, and vegetation have changed since the 2011 flood across both set-aside/non-managed and USACE-managed sandbars. Second, it looks at biological outcomes: whether set-aside sandbars support diverse native plant communities, productive and diverse land bird communities (during nesting and migration), and conditions that allow cottonwood forests to establish, which is a key component of riparian ecosystem recovery. This part is also framed in terms of whether the set-aside strategy is successfully supporting the river segment's "Outstandingly Remarkable Values," meaning the distinctive natural and ecological features that the MNRR is expected to protect and showcase. Third, it seeks to explain why different sandbars develop differently by identifying the factors that influence vegetation establishment, topographic complexity, and ongoing geomorphic dynamics (how sandbars build, erode, shift, and reshape through river processes).

On the deliverables side, the project is expected to generate several concrete datasets and products that are useful for both management and science. A key output is a compiled set of GIS maps showing annual vegetation and sandbar changes across the MNRR from 2011 through 2020, along with analyses interpreting those mapped changes. For a targeted set of focal sandbars, the study will also produce spatially specific field data on riparian vegetation composition and structure, land bird diversity, and bird productivity, with attention to important ecological signals like cottonwood recruitment and the presence and location of both herbaceous and woody invasive species. In addition, the project includes development of fine-resolution vegetation and geomorphology maps for those focal bars, paired with predictive statistical models that help explain and forecast vegetation colonization patterns and changes in sandbar topography. In practical terms, those models can help managers anticipate which sandbars are likely to remain open, which will quickly vegetate, and what physical conditions tend to promote different habitat outcomes.

The cooperative agreement also spells out expected reporting and broader impacts. The University of South Dakota team is responsible for implementing the fieldwork and mapping described in a detailed implementation plan, producing annual and final accomplishment reports, and submitting a final completion report with recommendations specifically aimed at sandbar natural resource management. The research is expected to result in peer-reviewed scientific publications and conference presentations, helping move the findings beyond the park and into the wider scientific community. Another explicit goal is workforce and education development: the project supports training for two graduate students, with thesis or dissertation work tied directly to bird ecology, vegetation dynamics, and/or geomorphic processes, giving them hands-on experience in applied natural resources research.

A notable public-facing element is the education and outreach component tentatively titled "Sandbar Stories." The intent is for project data to be shared not only through formal reports but also through interpretive and outreach materials that translate ongoing, real-time research into understandable information for visitors and local communities. The NPS commits to developing this educational component, while the research team provides data summaries through both formal reporting and informal coordination so the outreach stays grounded in current findings.

Finally, the opportunity details how responsibilities are split. The NPS role is to provide technical expertise, share relevant background and management information, supply maps and key strategy documents, and lead the selection of study sites based on set-aside status and classification. The University of South Dakota carries out the scientific work and geospatial analyses and delivers the research products. Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity under CFDA 15.945, offered as a cooperative agreement with an expected single award and an award ceiling of $300,000, with eligibility limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The closing date listed for the original opportunity was December 22, 2017.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, employment, labor and training, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Evaluating Post-Flood Sandbar Succession And Species Biodiversity Related To Listed Species Habitat- MNRR" 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 Dec 06, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 22, 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 $300,000.00 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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