Citizen Science for Cluing in to the Health of Alaska's Coastal Parks: Engaging Local Communities in Tracking Seabird Mortality | P19AS00101

Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AS00101

Citizen Science for Cluing in to the Health of Alaska's Coastal Parks: Engaging Local Communities in Tracking Seabird Mortality is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement focused on building a community-based monitoring network to better detect, document, and understand seabird die-offs along Alaska's coasts. The opportunity is rooted in long-running concerns about climate change impacts in Alaska's high-latitude and coastal park units, which scientists have flagged as especially vulnerable. Since 2014, the North Pacific and Arctic coasts have experienced an unusually high number of seabird mass mortality events, including several in Alaska that were visible in multiple coastal parks and included the largest die-off recorded in the region. Because seabirds are both ecologically important and highly visible to coastal residents, these events have become an immediate public-facing signal that ocean conditions may be changing, raising concerns not only about wildlife health but also about the safety of harvesting and eating marine foods.

The agreement is designed to address two related needs at once: stronger scientific monitoring and stronger public engagement. On the science side, the project creates a practical mechanism to increase early detection and tracking of unusual mortality events, while also building the baseline data needed to tell when a future event is truly abnormal. On the public side, it aims to increase science literacy and stewardship by directly involving local residents and park staff in structured data collection, so communities are not just hearing about die-offs after the fact but participating in the monitoring that helps explain what is happening. This work supports the NPS Climate Change Response Strategy by improving understanding and communication of climate-related ecosystem change, particularly in remote places where professional monitoring coverage is often limited.

The partnership is specifically between the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service and the University of Washington, using UW's Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) as the core citizen science program. COASST is responsible for training participants to conduct standardized beach surveys for beached (beach-cast) seabirds, record condition and other field data from carcasses, and use established identification tools (including the COASST Beached Bird key). A key feature is that identifications based on collected evidence are independently verified, which helps keep community-generated data consistent and credible for agency use. Participants also receive ongoing communication, learning materials, and access to summaries that place their observations in the context of broader trends, so the program is not just data extraction but an ongoing two-way relationship.

A major operational goal is to improve the speed and quality of response when mortality events occur. In addition to monthly baseline surveys, COASST provides Die-off Alert (DoA) training so participants can collect targeted information during an unfolding event in a way that can be compared directly to baseline data. When unusual mortality events occur, participants and partner organizations in the affected region receive alerts and updates as the situation develops. This structure is meant to reduce response times, increase detection rates (especially in remote communities where events might otherwise go unreported), and improve the geographic coverage and precision of Alaska's beached-bird baseline datasets within and near NPS units.

The project is also meant to strengthen coordination across Alaska's broader seabird mortality monitoring landscape. Data and alerts generated through this effort are intended to inform and complement ongoing statewide efforts with multiple partners, including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs (Migratory Bird Management and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge), the U.S. Geological Survey (Alaska Science Center and National Wildlife Health Center), NOAA Sea Grant, and regional/community observing networks such as Bering Watch, the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network, and Gulf Watch Alaska. In practical terms, the NPS-UW agreement acts as a connector: it expands on-the-ground observations and channels them into systems that can support agency assessment, potential investigations, and public communication.

Specific outreach and capacity-building objectives include recruiting and engaging residents and NPS staff in coastal park communities to monitor beaches regularly, and expanding awareness and competency among professional avian biologists across Alaska. The opportunity includes training efforts tied to the 2019 Alaska Bird Conference, where biologists would be introduced to and trained in the COASST Seabird Die-off Alert protocol. Additional visibility and education components include presenting COASST at the 2019 Ocean and Science Learning Center (OASLC) Teacher Workshop, and producing public-facing visual media (through a related Student Conservation Association agreement) to help communicate the severity of seabird mortality events and what NPS and COASST are doing in response.

Implementation details in the notice describe COASST trainings during FY2019 and FY2020 to both launch and refresh local monitoring groups. New program initiation sites include Deering (near Bering Land Bridge National Preserve), Iliamna (Lake Clark National Park and Preserve), Kivalina (Cape Krusenstern National Monument), Sitka (Sitka National Historical Park), Wales (Bering Land Bridge), and Barrow/Utqiagvik (with the Inupiat Heritage Center). Refresher trainings are planned for existing or previous COASST locations including Gustavus (Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve), Nome (Bering Land Bridge), Kotzebue (Cape Krusenstern), Seward (Kenai Fjords National Park), and Skagway (Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park). Overall, the effort is expected to reach more than 5,000 Alaska residents through expanded COASST presence, with an estimated 160 people trained as active participants spanning a wide age range.

From a funding and eligibility standpoint, this is a discretionary cooperative agreement (not a general open competition) listed under CFDA 15.945. It is explicitly a Notice of Intent to Award to the University of Washington, meaning applications from other entities are not accepted. The opportunity posting indicates one expected award with a ceiling of $49,000, created April 9, 2019, with an original closing date of April 18, 2019. The overall result NPS is pursuing is a stronger, faster, and more community-connected seabird mortality monitoring system that improves baseline understanding, supports Alaska-wide interagency response, and increases public awareness of climate-linked changes affecting coastal national parks.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Citizen Science for Cluing in to the Health of Alaska's Coastal Parks: Engaging Local Communities in Tracking Seabird Mortality" 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 Apr 09, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 18, 2019 This is a Notice of Intent to Award to the University of Washington. Applications will not be accepted from any other entity.. (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 $49,000.00 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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