In Reply Refer To:
Mail Stop 412
October 1, 2009
Office of Water Quality Technical Memorandum 2010.01
Subject: U.S. Geological Survey/National Park Service Call for Proposals for 2011 Projects and Revisions to Regional Deadlines and Review Process
The U.S. Geological Survey/National Park Service (USGS/NPS) Water-Quality Partnership Program will continue in fiscal year (FY) 2011 (pending appropriation of Federal program funds). The call for proposals for projects beginning in 2011 is attached. The deadline for short (five-page maximum) proposals is November 30, 2009.
Starting with this 2011 proposal cycle, the USGS and NPS have developed a significantly revised process for selecting and ranking projects at the regional level (that are then forwarded to the National evaluation panel). The goal was to adopt a simplified and consistent process, with better communication regarding dates, deadlines, and proposal requirements for the regional selection step. The changes focus on four areas of the program:
The annual call for proposals now designates a single National deadline and timeline for proposals. Previously, each NPS region set regional-specific deadlines for proposals.
The regional selection process will now be based on USGS regional boundaries with USGS and NPS proposal reviewers having equal representation. Previously, proposal submission and evaluation was based on NPS regional boundaries. This change retains the regional selection step which has been an inherent part of the Partnership since it was originated, but will simplify the logistics and improve communication on the regional review process.
Short proposals (five-page maximum) with a reduced list of ranking criteria are now required for this regional selection step, with full proposal development only required for those selected to be evaluated by the National Panel. Previously, the full proposal requirement applied at both steps of the proposal evaluation process.
Short proposals will now be submitted to the appropriate USGS region to the attention of the Regional Water-Quality Specialist who will take the lead in organizing and hosting the regional USGS/NPS review panels. Previously, proposals were submitted to NPS regions which led the proposal evaluations with USGS participation.
- Additional information can be found on our program website at: http://water.usgs.gov/nps_partnership
The following information is not revised for the 2011 cycle, but is provided annually for additional guidance and clarification.
National Panel review comments for proposals submitted for the past three years (2008-2010 cycle) are available at the administrative section of the program web site at: http://water.usgs.gov/nps_partnership/admin.php
It is strongly recommended that collaboration with the NPS on any potential new projects begin as soon as a need is identified. It is not necessary to wait for the annual release of this memo or the release of the NPS Service-Wide Comprehensive Call for Proposals to begin work and collaboration on new project proposals (USGS Regional Water-Quality Specialists may be able to offer additional assistance).
Water Science Center (WSC) Directors are the primary liaisons to the Parks regarding projects in the NPS/USGS Partnership Program. A letter signed by the WSC Director and Park Superintendent must accompany all proposals that are submitted to the National Panel for final evaluation and funding consideration. The letter serves as an official endorsement of the proposed work assuring it is appropriate for the WSC and will contribute to a new or enhanced understanding of Park water-quality management issues.
Where appropriate, NRP scientists as well as USGS scientists from other disciplines are encouraged to work collaboratively with WSC scientists on projects funded by this program.
Multi-year projects are subject to annual review and approval. Continuing projects must prepare and submit a brief progress report to the USGS and NPS coordinators Mark Nilles (manilles@usgs.gov) and Barry Long (Barry_Long@nps.gov) before funds are allocated for each subsequent year.
Questions concerning the USGS/NPS Water-Quality Partnership should be directed to
Mark Nilles (303-236-1878, manilles@usgs.gov).
Terry L. Schertz /s/
Acting Chief, Office of Water Quality
This memorandum does not supercede any other OWQ Technical Memorandum.
Distribution: A, B, WSC Directors, REXs and Chief Scientists Team, Regional Executives, WSC and Regional Water-Quality Specialists, NAWQA NLT, and OWQ
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