Identify Vulnerable Populations of Mountain Goats | P19AS00304

Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AS00304

The funding opportunity titled "Identify Vulnerable Populations of Mountain Goats" (Funding Opportunity Number P19AS00304) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement focused on improving the understanding and management of mountain goat populations in Alaska. The work centers on portions of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GLBA) and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (KLGO), with the goal of identifying which mountain goat groups may be most at risk from climate change impacts and human-related pressures. By targeting vulnerability, the project is meant to support practical conservation and management decisions in and around these park units.

The core of the project is the use of non-invasive genetic methods, meaning researchers will collect genetic material without capturing or handling animals. In practice, this typically involves gathering samples such as hair or fecal material from the landscape and then using laboratory analysis to extract DNA. Using these genetic data, the project aims to estimate mountain goat abundance, measure effective population size, and describe genetic population structure. Abundance estimates address how many animals are present in the study areas, while effective population size focuses on how many individuals are effectively contributing genes to the next generation, a key indicator of long-term genetic health. Genetic population structure examines how goats are related across different locations, including whether groups are isolated, exchanging individuals, or divided into distinct subpopulations. Those outcomes help flag small, isolated, or genetically constrained groups that could be more vulnerable to environmental change, habitat shifts, or disturbance.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity under the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, using a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument. Cooperative agreements generally indicate that the federal agency expects to have substantial involvement in the project, which can include collaboration on study design, coordination with park management priorities, and shared oversight of implementation and deliverables. The activity aligns with environment, natural resources, and information/statistics categories and is listed under CFDA number 15.945.

The opportunity was created on June 20, 2019, with an original closing date of June 29, 2019. It is explicitly issued as a notice of intent to award to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and applications are not accepted from any other entity. Eligible applicants are listed as state governments, but in this case the announcement makes clear that the award is directed to a single recipient. The expected number of awards is one, and the award ceiling is $49,999, indicating a small, targeted project budget intended to produce specific scientific outputs useful for park and wildlife management.

Overall, the grant supports a focused scientific assessment that uses genetics to turn field-collected, non-invasive samples into population metrics and risk-relevant insights. The practical value of the work is that it can reveal whether mountain goats in GLBA and KLGO exist as connected populations or as small, potentially isolated groups, and whether genetic indicators suggest resilience or heightened vulnerability. Those findings can inform future monitoring strategies, prioritization of management actions, and broader planning related to climate change adaptation and mitigation of human impacts in sensitive mountain goat habitat.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the environment, information and statistics, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Identify Vulnerable Populations of Mountain Goats" 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 20, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 29, 2019 This is a notice of intent to award to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 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 $49,999.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for P19AS00304

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: