Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00023
The grant opportunity titled "BLM-AK, Monitoring Movements and Distribution of the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd" is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) effort to support ongoing monitoring and research on the Teshekpuk caribou herd (TCH) on Alaska's North Slope. The herd calves and spends the summer in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA), a large area managed by BLM that also contains significant oil and gas resources. The core problem driving this opportunity is that the TCH is in a steep population decline, and because this herd is a primary subsistence resource for communities within and near the NPRA, the decline is expected to create serious social and economic hardship for local residents who rely on caribou for food and cultural continuity.
The main purpose of the project is to keep BLM's understanding of the herd's movements, habitat use, and population status current enough to support responsible land and resource management. In practice, that means collecting data that helps managers reduce or avoid harmful impacts to the herd that could result from oil and gas activities, associated infrastructure, aircraft use, and other human disturbances on the North Slope. The opportunity emphasizes that management decisions need to be informed by up-to-date information about where the herd goes at different times of year, how distribution patterns change, and how those patterns overlap with areas of current or potential development.
A central priority is improving the ability to estimate herd abundance, track population trajectory over time, and calculate harvestable surplus. These are not just academic metrics; they directly affect decisions about conservation measures and the sustainability of subsistence harvest. To do this well, the opportunity stresses the need for a statistically robust sample of collared animals so that demographic rates and movement patterns can be monitored with confidence rather than inferred from small or biased samples.
The monitoring strategy described is built around a long-term collaring program that starts with young caribou fitted with VHF collars, then replaces those collars when animals reach roughly 3 to 4 years of age, which is when most individuals in this herd begin to reproduce. This approach creates a known-age sample that can be followed from approximately 12 months of age (and in some cases from just a few days old) through the remainder of life. With that known-age structure, researchers can estimate age-specific fecundity, recruitment, and mortality more accurately than would be possible with opportunistic observations alone. In other words, the collaring program is designed to produce population vital-rate information that can explain not only that the herd is declining, but also why it is declining (for example, reduced calf survival, increased adult mortality, lower pregnancy rates, or a combination of factors).
The opportunity also highlights the added value of satellite collars compared to VHF-only monitoring. Satellite collars can provide frequent, precise location data, which makes it possible to quickly identify when and where an animal dies. That near-real-time mortality signal improves the ability to investigate causes of death (such as predation, disease, starvation, or human-related factors) before evidence is lost to time and scavenging. It also helps agencies use expensive flight time more efficiently by directing aerial efforts to the most informative places and times, including focal animal sampling and key surveys such as parturition (calving), composition counts, and recruitment assessments. Another important point is sexual segregation: during much of the year, bulls and cows may use different areas, so having a substantial sample of satellite-collared bulls can improve understanding of overall herd distribution and demographics when male and female groups are not strongly overlapping.
Finally, the opportunity notes that a large satellite-collared sample is important for monitoring herd mixing. On the North Slope, multiple caribou herds can overlap in space and time, which complicates efforts to estimate how much harvest comes from each herd. By tracking movements and overlap among herds, managers can better estimate herd-specific harvest during periods and in areas where hunters may encounter animals from more than one herd, improving the accuracy of harvest accounting and the fairness and effectiveness of any management responses.
Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, using a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, and categorized under natural resources (CFDA 15.231). Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply as allowed by the opportunity's terms. The opportunity number is L17AS00023. It was created on January 30, 2017, had an original closing date of March 3, 2017, and anticipated a single award with a ceiling of $500,000.Apply for L17AS00023
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-AK, Monitoring Movements and Distribution of the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 30, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 03, 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 $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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FAQs: BLM-AK, Monitoring Movements and Distribution of the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd (TCH)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "BLM-AK, Monitoring Movements and Distribution of the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd."
Which agency is offering this funding?
This is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
What is the opportunity number?
The opportunity number is L17AS00023.
What is the primary purpose of the project?
The project is intended to keep BLM's understanding of the Teshekpuk caribou herd's movements, habitat use, and population status current enough to support responsible land and resource management on Alaska's North Slope.
Why is this monitoring effort considered important right now?
The opportunity is driven by a steep population decline in the Teshekpuk caribou herd. Because the herd is a primary subsistence resource for communities within and near the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA), the decline is expected to create serious social and economic hardship for residents who rely on caribou for food and cultural continuity.
Where does the Teshekpuk caribou herd spend key parts of the year?
According to the opportunity description, the herd calves and spends the summer in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA), a large area managed by BLM on Alaska's North Slope.
How does this work support BLM land and resource management decisions?
The monitoring data are intended to help managers reduce or avoid harmful impacts to the herd that could result from oil and gas activities, associated infrastructure, aircraft use, and other human disturbances. The emphasis is on having up-to-date information on where the herd goes at different times of year, how distribution patterns change, and how those patterns overlap with areas of current or potential development.
What types of questions is the monitoring meant to answer?
Based on the opportunity description, the work is meant to inform questions such as: where the herd is located seasonally, how habitat use and distribution shift over time, whether movements overlap with human activities, and how the herd's population status is changing.
What population metrics are highlighted as priorities?
The opportunity highlights improving the ability to estimate herd abundance, track population trajectory over time, and calculate harvestable surplus. These metrics are described as directly tied to conservation decisions and the sustainability of subsistence harvest.
Why does the opportunity emphasize a statistically robust sample of collared animals?
It stresses that demographic rates and movement patterns should be monitored with confidence rather than inferred from small or biased samples. A larger, statistically robust collar sample supports more reliable estimates of demographic rates and movements.
What monitoring approach is described in the opportunity?
The opportunity describes a long-term collaring program that starts with young caribou fitted with VHF collars, then replaces those collars when animals reach roughly 3 to 4 years of age (when most individuals begin to reproduce). This creates a known-age sample that can be followed from about 12 months of age (and in some cases from a few days old) through the remainder of life.
Why is the 3 to 4 year age range mentioned as a collar replacement point?
The opportunity notes that most individuals in this herd begin to reproduce around 3 to 4 years of age, so replacing collars at that stage supports monitoring during key reproductive years.
What is meant by a "known-age" sample, and why is it useful?
In this context, "known-age" means researchers know the approximate age of collared individuals because animals are collared when young and then followed through life. The opportunity indicates this improves the ability to estimate age-specific fecundity, recruitment, and mortality more accurately than would be possible using opportunistic observations alone.
How can collaring data help explain why the herd is declining?
The opportunity states that the collaring program is designed to produce population vital-rate information that can clarify whether the decline is linked to reduced calf survival, increased adult mortality, lower pregnancy rates, or a combination of factors.
What is the role of VHF collars in the described monitoring strategy?
The strategy described begins by fitting young caribou with VHF collars and later replacing collars as animals reach roughly 3 to 4 years of age.
Why does the opportunity highlight satellite collars as particularly valuable?
Satellite collars are described as providing frequent, precise location data, which improves the ability to quickly identify when and where an animal dies. The near-real-time mortality signal can improve the ability to investigate causes of death before evidence is lost to time and scavenging.
How do satellite collars help make aerial surveys and flight time more efficient?
The opportunity notes that satellite collar data can direct expensive flight time toward the most informative places and times, including focal animal sampling and key surveys such as parturition (calving), composition counts, and recruitment assessments.
What does the opportunity mean by "sexual segregation," and why does it matter for monitoring?
The opportunity notes that during much of the year, bulls and cows may use different areas. It specifically states that having a substantial sample of satellite-collared bulls can improve understanding of overall herd distribution and demographics when male and female groups are not strongly overlapping.
Why is herd mixing on the North Slope a concern addressed by this opportunity?
The opportunity explains that multiple caribou herds can overlap in space and time on the North Slope, which complicates efforts to estimate how much harvest comes from each herd. Tracking movement and overlap among herds can improve the accuracy of herd-specific harvest estimates during periods and in areas where hunters may encounter animals from more than one herd.
How does this project relate to subsistence harvest?
The opportunity links improved estimates of abundance, population trajectory, and harvestable surplus to decisions about conservation measures and the sustainability of subsistence harvest. It also emphasizes that better information on herd mixing can improve harvest accounting where multiple herds overlap.
What is the CFDA number and category associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is categorized under natural resources and lists CFDA 15.231.
What funding instrument is used for this award?
The opportunity specifies a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument.
Is eligibility restricted to certain applicant types?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply as allowed by the opportunity's terms.
How many awards were anticipated under this opportunity?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
What was the maximum award amount (ceiling) for this opportunity?
The anticipated award ceiling was $500,000.
When was this opportunity created and when did it close?
The opportunity was created on January 30, 2017, with an original closing date of March 3, 2017.
What geographic area is the focus of the project?
The focus is Alaska's North Slope, with particular emphasis on the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA), where the Teshekpuk caribou herd calves and spends the summer.
How is this work connected to oil and gas development considerations?
The NPRA is described as a large BLM-managed area that contains significant oil and gas resources. The monitoring is intended to inform management decisions so that harmful impacts to the herd from oil and gas activities, infrastructure, aircraft use, and other human disturbances can be reduced or avoided.
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