Lualualei Protected Species Management | W9126G 21 2 SOI 3684

Opportunity Information: Apply for W9126G 21 2 SOI 3684

The Lualualei Protected Species Management opportunity is a Department of Defense cooperative agreement issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Fort Worth District) to identify a partner who can provide professional, technical, and on-the-ground support to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) for natural resources and protected species work in Lualualei Valley, Hawaii. The effort is designed to help JBPHH carry out its responsibilities under two key federal conservation laws: the Sikes Act Improvement Act (which requires military installations to manage natural resources through Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans, or INRMPs) and the Endangered Species Act (which governs protection and recovery actions for listed species and their habitats). Rather than requesting a full proposal immediately, the government first solicits Statements of Interest to screen and identify qualified investigators and teams before inviting a complete technical proposal and budget.

The project is tied specifically to implementation of the June 2012 JBPHH INRMP Addendum developed by Commander, Navy Region Hawaii. That addendum relates to natural resource management actions in parts of Lualualei Valley and reflects coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including changes involving critical habitat designations. The awardee would essentially function as a technical support partner to JBPHH Natural Resources, helping plan, execute, and document management actions that protect and recover native species while addressing ongoing threats from invasive animals, invasive plants, and predation pressures.

The anticipated scope of work is broad and field-oriented, with eight main objectives. First, it calls for developing and implementing a Plant and Snail Management Plan, indicating a focus on conserving rare native flora and native land snails that are often highly sensitive to habitat disturbance and invasive predators. Second, it requires a management plan and implementation actions for Marsilea villosa, a threatened Hawaiian water fern that typically depends on specific wetland or seasonally inundated habitat conditions. Third, the project includes expanding fenced management units and conducting ungulate control, a common and critical action in Hawaii where feral pigs, goats, and other ungulates can severely degrade native ecosystems through browsing, trampling, and erosion. Fourth, it specifically calls for aerial surveys for feral goats followed by removal of detected populations, suggesting rugged terrain and the need for landscape-scale detection and response. Fifth, it includes removal of non-native plants within fenced units, reinforcing that fencing alone is not enough and that active invasive plant management is required to allow native species to persist and expand. Sixth, the work includes meeting outplanting needs for threatened and endangered species, meaning propagation, planting, and follow-up care intended to augment small populations and improve long-term stability. Seventh, it adds rat trapping in outplanting areas, recognizing that rodents can consume seeds, seedlings, and native snails and can undermine restoration if not controlled. Eighth, it requires installation and maintenance of two Remote Autonomous Weather Stations (RAWS), which would support site-specific environmental monitoring useful for management decisions, drought and fire-related planning, and evaluating restoration outcomes over time.

In terms of structure and funding, the government anticipated about $594,127 available to support the initial effort, with the possibility of additional follow-on funding in later fiscal years if the work continues successfully. The agreement is set up with a one-year base period from the date of award and four additional one-year option periods, each dependent on funding availability. While the notice lists an overall award ceiling of $2,672,228, the stated near-term expectation is the smaller initial amount with the potential to scale through options as needs and funding allow. Only one award was expected.

Eligibility has an important restriction: applicants must be non-federal partners within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) network to be considered. That requirement matters because it narrows the field to universities, nonprofits, and other qualifying organizations that are recognized CESU partners, and it also signals the cooperative nature of the agreement, where collaboration and shared objectives between the installation and the recipient are central.

The submission requested at this stage is a Statement of Interest rather than a full study proposal, and the notice explicitly says a detailed proposal and budget are not needed yet. Statements of Interest were due by July 3, 2021, after a minimum 30-day posting period. Questions and responses were directed to the listed government contacts at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a multi-year protected species and habitat management support project focused on practical conservation actions in Lualualei Valley that align with JBPHH INRMP commitments and ESA-driven conservation priorities.

• The Department of Defense, Fort Worth District in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Lualualei Protected Species Management" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.005.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 04, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 03, 2021. (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 $2,672,228.00 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.

Apply for W9126G 21 2 SOI 3684

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