Vegetation Change and Wildfire Fuels Assessment in Three San Francisco Bay Area Network | P18AS00675

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00675

The grant opportunity titled "Vegetation Change and Wildfire Fuels Assessment in Three San Francisco Bay Area Network" is a National Park Service (NPS) effort to strengthen wildfire preparedness and natural resource decision-making across three high-profile park units in the San Francisco Bay Area: Point Reyes National Seashore, Muir Woods National Monument, and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The central idea is to use science-based field and mapping work to improve understanding of current vegetation conditions and wildfire fuel loads, then turn that information into practical tools park managers and partner agencies can use for planning, risk reduction, and coordination. The project is framed as supporting a Department of the Interior priority to use science to identify best practices for management actions, especially in landscapes where people, infrastructure, and flammable vegetation meet in a complex wildland-urban interface.

A major product of the work is an updated vegetation and fuels map for NPS-managed lands in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties. By updating and refining these datasets, the project aims to give land managers a clearer, more current picture of vegetation cover, fuel characteristics, and landscape change over time. That kind of baseline information is especially valuable in fast-changing coastal California environments where invasive species, drought stress, disease, and past fire history can shift fuel conditions quickly. The results are intended to support better decisions about fire and fuels treatments, improve the design and timing of fuel reduction projects, and provide a reference point for evaluating impacts and recovery if a large wildfire or other landscape-scale disturbance occurs.

The opportunity also explicitly ties into the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program for the San Francisco Bay Area Network, positioning the project as an enhancement of ongoing monitoring responsibilities. In practical terms, it helps the NPS meet its legal obligation under 54 USC 100704 to conduct inventory and monitoring to establish baseline information and track long-term trends in the condition of park resources. That means the work is not just a one-time mapping update; it is meant to fit into a broader system of long-term resource stewardship, where consistent data supports year-over-year comparisons and trend analysis that can guide future management.

Public benefit is presented as a key justification for the award. The announcement emphasizes that making the resulting dataset accessible will support public safety by enabling better fire prevention and planning. It also highlights the shared nature of wildfire risk in the Bay Area, where park boundaries often sit next to neighborhoods and other public lands, making cross-boundary coordination essential. By improving the scientific information available to multiple agencies, the project is meant to strengthen natural resource management and communication among neighboring land managers, which can translate into more coherent strategies for fuel treatment, defensible space planning, evacuation considerations, and joint operations in emergencies.

Another notable element is the expectation of public engagement during field work. The stated goals and objectives include engaging members of the public about fire and fuels management as project staff encounter visitors while conducting on-the-ground assessments. This reflects the reality that these parks are heavily visited and that public understanding of why vegetation and fuels work matters can influence support for management actions like prescribed fire, mechanical thinning, or habitat-sensitive fuel treatments. The announcement further stresses that consultation with local communities and surrounding public agencies is integral, signaling that the project is intended to be collaborative in both its scientific approach and its stakeholder coordination.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement issued by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, with funding associated with CFDA number 15.944 and an award ceiling of $250,000. Only one award was expected. Eligibility is limited to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The posting makes an unusual but important point: it is not a request for applications, but rather a public notice of NPS intent to award financial assistance under an existing cooperative agreement. The opportunity was created on September 10, 2018, with an original closing date of September 25, 2018, which in this context functions more as an administrative timeline for the notice than a standard open competition.

In summary, this grant opportunity supports a focused, science-driven collaboration to assess vegetation change and wildfire fuels across three Bay Area NPS sites, producing updated vegetation and fuels mapping and improved baseline datasets. The work is designed to strengthen fire and fuels decision-making, improve interagency coordination in the wildland-urban interface, support sensitive species and broader resource management considerations, and provide data that benefits the public through improved safety planning and more unified land management across shared boundaries.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Vegetation Change and Wildfire Fuels Assessment in Three San Francisco Bay Area Network" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.944.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 10, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 25, 2018 This announcement is not a request for applications. This is a public announcement of the National Park Serviceaposs intention to award financial assistance under a current Cooperative Agreement. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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