Social Science Research to Support the Implementation of a Visitor Use Management Strategy for Commercially-guided, Boat-based polar bear viewing at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge | F17AS00033

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00033

This grant opportunity is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Department of the Interior initiative focused on gathering and applying social science (human dimensions) research to support a visitor use management strategy for commercially guided, boat-based polar bear viewing at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge near Kaktovik, Alaska. The core purpose is to produce practical, decision-ready information about visitors, guided tour operations, and stakeholder perspectives so the Refuge can better manage a rapidly evolving situation in which both polar bears and human activity are increasing along Alaska's Beaufort Sea coastline. The work is meant to directly inform near-term management choices and longer-term planning about how to run a compatible polar bear viewing permitting program while protecting wildlife and addressing safety and community concerns.

A key feature of this announcement is that it is not an open competition. USFWS Region 7 states its intent to make a single-source cooperative agreement award, authorized under 505 DM 2.14 (B), to Dr. Jeffrey Hallo, an Associate Professor in Clemson University's Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. Because of that single-source intent, the notice explicitly says it is not a request for proposals and the government does not plan to accept or review competing applications. The award is being made through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Network, which is a federal partnership framework designed to link agencies with universities and other partners to provide research, technical assistance, and education across disciplines relevant to natural and cultural resource management.

The management problem driving the project is that Kaktovik has become a prominent location for polar bear viewing, especially during a relatively short seasonal window when bears congregate along the coast for about six weeks. USFWS already conducts annual community-based polar bear conservation activities in Kaktovik with partners and works with stakeholders to encourage collaborative, relationship-based management in a setting with strong values and competing interests. Against that backdrop, the Refuge needs better data on the "people side" of the equation: what visitors are doing on the water, how guided experiences are perceived and delivered, how crowding or conflict might affect visitor experiences and community tolerance, what conditions may lead to safety risks or wildlife disturbance, and what types of management actions stakeholders may accept or resist.

The planned outcome of the broader agency effort is a multi-year planning process expected to continue through 2019 and culminate in an Environmental Assessment (EA) and a preferred alternative for continuing a compatible polar bear viewing permitting program. That management strategy is framed with a 15-year planning horizon, which implies the research is intended to support decisions that will shape the program for a long period, not just a single season. One especially important decision area highlighted in the notice is whether the Refuge should establish a visitor capacity and potentially limit boat-based visitor use on Refuge waters immediately surrounding Kaktovik. In practical terms, that means the research is expected to help the agency define what "too much use" looks like in this specific setting and how capacity could be measured or managed in ways that fit local conditions, boating realities, and stakeholder relationships.

The announcement also explains why USFWS believes a uniquely qualified research team is needed. The Refuge is emphasizing expertise that combines (1) substantial on-site experience in the exact management setting, which is extremely remote and logistically challenging, (2) time spent in the field during the narrow but critical period when polar bears are present near the coast and tour activity peaks, and (3) specialized academic and applied skill in evaluating visitor experience data and determining capacity in recreational boating contexts. Just as important, the Refuge notes that this is not a standard visitor management case; it involves relationship-based natural resource management, international visitors, and boating capacity issues all at once. The expectation is that the project will invite collaboration with local stakeholders, but it is structured to move forward even if the full level of participation hoped for is not available, reflecting the reality that stakeholder engagement in remote, high-profile wildlife tourism contexts can be variable.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed as a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, with a single expected award. The award ceiling is $165,000. Eligible applicant categories listed include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, which aligns with the CESU model and the fact that the intended recipient is a university-based researcher. The opportunity number is F17AS00033, the CFDA number is 15.678, and the posting dates show it was created on November 28, 2016, with an original closing date of December 5, 2016, although the practical relevance of those dates is limited because the notice is not soliciting proposals.

Overall, the grant can be understood as targeted, applied social science research funding meant to help USFWS implement a defensible, stakeholder-informed visitor use management approach for guided boat-based polar bear viewing around Kaktovik. It is designed to strengthen the Refuge's ability to set and justify capacity-related decisions, maintain a workable permitting program, reduce conflict and risk, and support long-term conservation and community considerations in a highly sensitive and globally visible wildlife viewing setting.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the education, employment, labor and training, environment, information and statistics, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Social Science Research to Support the Implementation of a Visitor Use Management Strategy for Commercially-guided, Boat-based polar bear viewing at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.678.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 28, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 05, 2016. (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 $165,000.00 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, Private institutions of higher education.

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