Resilient Landscapes: Influence of fire and forest restoration on spatio-temporal distribution of fish communities and benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico â¿¿ Phase I. | P17AS00211

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00211

This grant opportunity, titled "Resilient Landscapes: Influence of fire and forest restoration on spatio-temporal distribution of fish communities and benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico - Phase I," supports research tied to an active landscape-scale restoration effort at Valles Caldera National Preserve (VALL) in New Mexico. The Preserve is restoring more natural fire patterns across forest and grassland watersheds through a mix of forest thinning (to reduce excessive fuel loads) and the use of prescribed and managed fire (to further remove fuels and help reintroduce a more natural fire regime). Because fire and restoration treatments can change how watersheds function, the opportunity focuses on understanding ecological and water-related consequences that could follow these actions, especially as they relate to aquatic life.

The core purpose is to examine how fire and forest restoration influence the spatio-temporal distribution of fish communities and benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates. In practical terms, the work is aimed at tracking where these aquatic organisms occur across the landscape and how their presence and community composition shift over time as restoration proceeds and as fire events occur. Fish and benthic macroinvertebrates are often used as indicators of stream health, so documenting their responses can help the National Park Service understand whether restoration actions are maintaining or improving aquatic ecosystem condition, or whether they are creating short-term or longer-term disturbances that may need mitigation.

A major motivation highlighted in the notice is the potential for fire to affect watershed hydrology and water quality. Fire severity can influence erosion, sediment transport, and the timing and magnitude of stream discharge. The opportunity specifically points to the risk of post-fire flash flooding when watersheds burn severely, which can reshape channels, mobilize sediment, and alter habitat conditions that fish and macroinvertebrates depend on. By connecting restoration and fire history to changes in water behavior and aquatic communities, the project is positioned to inform adaptive management, such as identifying vulnerable stream reaches, anticipating impacts after burns, and refining thinning or burning strategies to reduce negative downstream effects.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under the funding activity category of Natural Resources. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally implies substantial federal involvement during the project, such as collaboration on study design, data collection priorities, site access, or integration of results into park decision-making. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, emphasizing a university-based research partnership rather than private organizations or individuals.

The opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00211 with a creation date of April 25, 2017, and an original closing date of May 5, 2017, indicating a relatively short application window. The expected number of awards is one, suggesting the agency intended to fund a single research team to carry out Phase I of the work. The award ceiling is $65,014, which signals a modest, targeted scope for the initial phase, likely focused on baseline monitoring, initial field sampling, study design refinement, or early analysis needed to support longer-term monitoring or later phases. The listing also references CFDA number 15.945, tying the project to the broader federal assistance program classification used for tracking and reporting.

Overall, this grant supports applied ecological research directly aligned with ongoing restoration and fire management at Valles Caldera National Preserve. The main deliverable value is improved understanding of how thinning and fire treatments, along with subsequent fire-driven hydrologic events like flash floods, may affect stream ecosystems as measured through fish populations and benthic macroinvertebrate communities, across both space and time.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Resilient Landscapes: Influence of fire and forest restoration on spatio-temporal distribution of fish communities and benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico â¿¿ Phase I." 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 25, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 05, 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 $65,014.00 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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