Request for Proposals

Great Lakes International Coastal Wetlands Monitoring

Opening Date: March 3, 2000
Closing Date: April 28, 2000

SUMMARY
The purposes of this request for proposals are: (1) to design, and validate, indicators to assess the ecological integrity of Great Lakes coastal wetlands; (2) to design an implementable, long-term program to monitor Great Lakes coastal wetlands; and (3) to create, and populate, a binational database accessible to all scientists, decision makers, and the public. Many organizations have some responsibility for wetlands and collect information as required to discharge those responsibilities. No one organization has overarching responsibility for understanding, monitoring or managing wetlands in the Great Lakes basin. The United States Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) considers the creation of a consortium (i.e. partnership, coalition) an approach that could meet the purposes stated above and capitalize on the existing mandates and authorities of the organizations already working on Great Lakes coastal wetlands. GLNPO is defining consortium as in Webster's Dictionary, "an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member."

The U.S. EPA's GLNPO is requesting proposals from institutions, organizations, and agencies which have the capacity and experience to serve as the manager and fiscal agent representing a binational, multi-disciplinary, broad-based consortium of Great Lakes wetland scientists and wetland resource managers. The successful applicant will enter into a Cooperative Agreement with GLNPO to accomplish the three purposes stated above.

BACKGROUND
Over the last six years, Great Lakes coastal wetlands have received increasing attention in the progress being made toward developing indicators that will lead to effective monitoring of coastal wetland quantity and quality. In 1994, a seminal paper by The Nature Conservancy's Great Lakes Program called The Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Great Lakes Ecosystem: Issues and Opportunities, called attention to Great Lakes coastal wetlands as "a system distinct to the Great Lakes." Further, the authors underlined the value of Great Lakes coastal wetlands to the Great Lakes as a whole in the following excerpts from the paper:

They are ecologically unique because they are dominated by large lake processes such as water level fluctuations, wave actions, and wind tides or "seiches." ...Spanning a diversity of types and the full geographic range, including freshwater estuaries, lagoons and deltas, Great Lakes coastal marshes sustain a tremendous number and diversity of resident and migratory species... Great Lakes coastal marshes play a pivotal role in the aquatic ecosystem of the Great Lakes, storing and cycling nutrients and organic material from the land into the aquatic food web. They sustain large numbers of common or regionally rare bird, mammal, herptile and invertebrate species, including land-based species that feed from the highly productive marshes. Most of the lakes' fish species depend upon them for some portion of their life cycles. Large populations of migratory birds rely on them for staging and feeding areas. . . . Short-and long-term fluctuations in lake levels play a critical role in maintaining both marsh and shoreline systems... The processes of sediment inputs and longshore transport are important in maintaining bars and spits that shelter waters of many highly productive marshes...

Papers presented at the 1996 and 1998 State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences (SOLEC) reported on the status of Great Lakes coastal wetlands (See http://epa.gov/greatlakes/solec/solec_1998/index.html or http://www.cciw.ca/solec/intro.html). Authors concluded that Great Lakes coastal wetlands are a valuable resource, but that we currently have no system in place to determine the status of coastal wetlands either in terms of wetlands loss or degradation. Furthermore, although many institutions and organizations focus resources on specific Great Lakes coastal wetlands and related issues, no one entity has the role of data collection, interpretation, and/or dissemination basinwide.

SCOPE OF SURVEY AND INVESTIGATION
Great Lakes coastal wetland indicators were developed by a number of wetland scientists and proposed at the 1998 SOLEC. But, there is currently no effort in place to coordinate the monitoring required to use the indicators. To continue the development of indicators and to coordinate efforts leading to future monitoring, GLNPO is requesting proposals from consortia to design an implementable, long-term program to monitor Great Lakes coastal wetlands. GLNPO will provide $400,000 of funding during Fiscal Year 2000 to be supplemented by at least $200,000 from the consortium submitting the successful proposal for a one year funding and project period. If the GLNPO budget remains consistent and the successful cooperative agreement applicant (applicant) makes adequate progress toward meeting the expectations discussed below, it is anticipated that the applicant will be able to apply annually for an additional $400,000 from GLNPO ecological protection and restoration funds for two subsequent one year funding and project periods during Fiscal Years 2001 and 2002. This anticipated future funding by GLNPO will also require the applicant to provide at least $200,000 annually in supplemental funds. A total of three years of funding from GLNPO is anticipated.

THE EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS CONSORTIUM OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
The consortium will establish panels of leading wetland scientists and wetland resource managers from many disciplines and organizations to accomplish the following:

• Design indicators to assess the ecological integrity of Great Lakes coastal wetlands.
• Design an implementable, long-term program to monitor Great Lakes coastal wetlands.
• Provide scientific support for a long-term monitoring program for Great Lakes coastal wetlands.
• Create an international database that is publicly accessible.
• Develop the leadership required to implement a long-term monitoring program.
• Develop a network of funders and agencies who will support the resulting binational Great Lakes coastal wetland monitoring program.

The primary mechanisms for meeting these expectations are as follows:
Within 1 year:

• Establish the following panels of leading wetland scientists and wetland resource managers: (1) Panel to design coastal wetland indicators; (2) Panel to prepare the guidance for scientific research and testing of coastal wetland indicators and scientifically peer-review the resultant small funding proposals; and (3) Panel to design an implementable monitoring program.
• Survey and investigate the Great Lakes coastal wetlands and related nearshore indicators developed through the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) process. (See http://epa.gov/greatlakes/solec/solec_1998/index.html)
• Compile all existing data to support a current evaluation of Great Lakes coastal wetlands.
• Secure all supplementary funds (minimum $200,000), for a total of at least $600,000 in funds.
• Establish all protocols necessary to operate a peer reviewed funding program.
• During the one year funding and project period the applicant will award at least $300,000 in small project funds for pilot studies to refine Great Lakes coastal wetlands indicators, each documenting data quality with a quality assurance project plan. The remainder of the one year funds may be used on consortium related operating costs. To the extent possible, the pilot studies should be completed with results given to the consortium by the conclusion of the one year funding and project period. Ideally the applicant should be considering what projects it will fund prior to receiving funding pursuant to the cooperative agreement. At the very least, the applicant must award at least $300,000 in small project funds for pilot studies during the one year period. In the event that at least $300,000 is not awarded during the one year period, the applicant would need to seek an extension of the cooperative agreement to meet this goal, and would not be able to apply for a subsequent cooperative agreement until that goal is obtained. If the applicant has awarded at least $300,000 in small project funds for pilot studies, but the projects have not been completed during the one year period, then the applicant would need to request a time extension so that the cooperative agreement is extended until the completion of all of the projects funded under that specific one year cooperative agreement. A time extension of a cooperative agreement to complete projects would not require the applicant to wait to apply for the next year of subsequent funding. Except as described below, the money from a subsequent cooperative agreement would not be able to be used to partially fund or assist projects from prior cooperative agreements. In the event that one of the projects requires additional funding, the recipient would need to request an amendment and/or supplemental funding for the specific cooperative agreement that the specific project was funded under. Extensions and requests for supplemental funding will be addressed in the same manner for any subsequent cooperative agreements received by the applicant.

In years 2-3 (provided the GLNPO budget remains consistent):

• Ensure funding for small projects continues at no less than the level of funding the previous year.
• Implement appropriately scaled pilot studies and analyze sampling data to demonstrate the feasibility of using the developed indicators for long-term monitoring of Great Lakes coastal wetlands.
• Develop a statistically-based set(s) of Great Lakes coastal wetlands sites that represents an appropriate sample size to ensure a scientifically supportable analysis of the indicators for Great Lakes coastal wetlands across all five lakes, all coastal wetland types, and latitudinal ranges.
• Recommend the deletion, revision, replacement, or addition of SOLEC coastal wetland indicators based on findings of pilot studies and best professional judgement of consortium members.

The product of this cooperative agreement is an implementable design for a long-term monitoring program for Great Lakes coastal wetlands based on refined SOLEC indicators. Details of this design will include: (1) the selection of monitoring sites; (2) monitoring periods and frequencies; (3) statistical protocols to detect changes over time and among sites; (4) demonstration of long-term participation of partners; (5) required expertise of personnel at all project stages; (6) estimated costs to implement the monitoring program; (7) a mechanism to deliver the resulting data to scientists, decision-makers and the public; and (8) established partnerships in place to secure long-term funding. 

The successful cooperative agreement applicant will be responsible for organizing and consulting with consortium members and with GLNPO on major directions, and awarding and administering the small project funding program according to federal requirements as well as ensuring satisfactory completion of all deliverables. A Quality Assurance Management Plan will be prepared by the recipient of the award.

The successful applicant will also be expected to coordinate with the recipient, if applicable, of any grant(s) awarded by U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development for a Great Lakes Environmental Indicators in the Estuarine Environment Research Program under the 2000 Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program in order to ensure that all efforts related to Great Lakes coastal wetlands are integrated. (See http://epa.gov/ncer/rfa/archive/grants/00/2000indicators.html)

SELECTION CRITERIA
The consortium will consist of the following:

• An organization with the experience and capacity to serve as the consortium manager and fiscal agent.
• Governmental agencies from the United States and Canada.
• Wetland scientists and wetland resource managers from the United States and Canada.

The successful cooperative agreement applicant, as consortium manager and fiscal agent, will demonstrate experience in the following:

• Coordination and organization of a wide range of organizations and individuals, with occasionally overlapping, competing, or conflicting interests into a viable working relationship.
• Preparation of work plans to accomplish long-range goals.
• Planning and scheduling of meetings.
• Compilation and circulation of all meeting materials.
• Administration of a funding program for small projects, including requests for proposals, peer review, management of fiscal awards, and ensuring satisfactory completion of deliverables.
• Administration of travel funds for meeting participants.
• Preparation of Quality Assurance Project Plans.
• Experience in securing innovative funding of long-term projects involving international public and private partnerships.

Project application information:

• Creativity of the proposed project and the appropriateness of the methods proposed.
• Qualifications and experience of the applicant and consortium members.
• Availability and adequacy of facilities and equipment needed for the proposed project.
• Responsiveness of the project to the expectations cited.
• Adequacy of the proposed budget.

In addition, the following supportive information is required:

• The applicant will have a demonstrated ability to coordinate and lead a diverse group of agencies and organizations to achieve project goals.
• The applicant will provide letters of intent to participate in the consortium from the major players in Great Lakes coastal wetlands science and wetland resource managers.
• The applicant will provide letters of intent demonstrating supplemental funding of at least $200,000.
• The consortium will be composed of binational institutions and agencies.

ELIGIBILITY
Assistance for survey and investigation cooperative agreements is available pursuant to Clean Water Act § 104(b)(3), 33 U.S.C. § 1254(b)(3), for activities in the Great Lakes basin and in support of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. State water pollution control agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organization, and individuals are eligible. For-profit organizations are not eligible.

The deadline for receipt of proposals is April 28, 2000. All proposals will be reviewed and the successful applicant will be notified by June 30, 2000. The anticipated award date is September 30, 2000.

PROPOSAL FORMAT

• Applicant name, address, telephone, FAX and e-mail.
• Project title.
• Project narrative that addresses the expectations and criteria above.
• Budget.
• Project schedule and milestones.
• Letters of intent to participate from consortium members.
• Letters of intent to contribute supplementary funding of at least $200,000.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
submit 5 paper copies to:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office (G-17J)
77 West Jackson
Chicago, IL 60604

For additional information, please contact:
John Schneider at (312) 886-0880, schneider.john@epa.gov; or Karen Rodriguez at (312) 353-2690, rodriguez.karen@epa.gov or at the above address.