Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00028
The Department of the Interior, National Park Service is offering a cooperative agreement opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00028) to support the development of a soil crust identification guide for the White Sands National Monument Citizen Science Program. The project is designed to generate baseline information on biological soil crusts in the worlds largest gypsum dune field at White Sands in New Mexico, an ecosystem often described as a gypsum island because of its unusual soils and distinctive biological communities. The work falls under the Natural Resources activity category (CFDA 15.945) and is structured to produce practical, public-facing products while also filling a major scientific data gap at the monument.
The core of the project is a systematic inventory of soil cryptogams, meaning non-flowering plants and plantlike organisms that live on or near the soil surface and help form biological soil crusts. The inventory is expected to focus on groups such as lichens, bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), eukaryotic algae, and cyanobacteria. In addition to documenting what species or recognizable types are present, the project is intended to assess ecological functionality across the gypsum system, which can include how these crust organisms contribute to soil stability, surface structure, nutrient cycling, water retention, and other processes that influence dune and desert ecology.
The opportunity is motivated by the fact that gypsum soils worldwide are known to support rich and often endemic vascular plant floras, and the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico is particularly notable for extensive gypsum landscapes with many specialized plant species. In contrast, cryptogams in gypsum environments have been far less studied, and at White Sands they have not previously been surveyed in a systematic way. This project aims to correct that imbalance by establishing the first comprehensive baseline dataset for gypsum soil crust organisms at the monument, creating a foundation for future monitoring, management decisions, and research.
A key emphasis is on translating the scientific inventory into materials that can support citizen science and public interpretation. Expected outputs include a crust identification guide tailored for non-specialists, a simplified distribution map suitable for use along the Dune Drive corridor, and a curated collection of crust specimens. The work is also expected to generate supporting technical documentation, including analyses, morphological species descriptions, and photo documentation that can serve both educational purposes and long-term resource management. Overall, the project is framed as both an applied public engagement effort and a scientific baseline study that documents the unique environmental and biological conditions that formed and continue to preserve the White Sands gypsum dune system.
Eligible applicants are limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The opportunity was posted on December 5, 2017, with an original closing date of December 14, 2017. The program anticipates making one award, with an award ceiling of $99,954.Apply for P18AS00028
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Development of a soil crust identification guide for White Sand National Monument Citizen Science Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 05, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 14, 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 $99,954.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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