Wildlife Habitat Restoration in Rocky Mountain National Park | P19AS00380

Opportunity Information: Apply for P19AS00380

The Wildlife Habitat Restoration in Rocky Mountain National Park opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P19AS00380) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement focused on repairing damaged riparian habitat in some of the park's most visible and heavily visited valleys. The work centers on Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park, and Upper Beaver Meadows, areas that historically supported high-quality wildlife habitat and continue to be prime places for visitors to see elk, watch migratory songbirds, and enjoy recreational fly fishing. Over time, those same landscapes have been significantly degraded, largely because of decades of intense elk browsing from what was once described as the most concentrated elk population ever recorded, combined with more than a century of human impacts. The park is using guidance from its Elk and Vegetation Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement to restore a healthier balance between elk and the vegetation communities they depend on, with particular attention to aspen and willow.

At its core, the project is about accelerating recovery of riparian vegetation, especially willow communities that play an outsized role in ecosystem health. Willows stabilize streambanks, slow water, support wetter meadow conditions, and provide structure and food resources that benefit a wide range of species. When willows are suppressed by repeated browsing, the loss ripples outward, affecting birds, small mammals, amphibians, insects, and even stream conditions. This grant is designed to support active restoration rather than waiting for slow, uncertain natural recovery. The main on-the-ground objective is planting willow stakes and willow nursery stock in priority restoration locations identified in the park's plan. By installing willows directly, the park expects faster gains in willow height and overall cover, along with improvements in species composition, which together indicate a more resilient and functional riparian plant community.

A defining feature of the opportunity is the partnership with Wildland Restoration Volunteers (WRV), a community-based nonprofit that will help the park plan and carry out the restoration work. WRV's role includes assisting with project planning, conducting pre-work site visits with park staff, and developing the logistics needed to complete the field projects effectively and safely. The agreement also emphasizes hands-on public engagement: WRV will recruit and manage volunteers, including youth and local participants from Colorado's Front Range, to learn practical restoration skills while contributing meaningful labor to their national park. The project anticipates engaging more than 80 volunteers, aiming to build long-term stewardship and a shared conservation ethic in addition to delivering ecological results.

The work is structured to occur in three phases, with implementation paced by the availability of funding. From a visitor standpoint, the targeted restoration areas are not remote backcountry sites; they are prominent, accessible landscapes where ecological conditions are highly visible to the public. That means improvements in vegetation health are expected to translate directly into better wildlife viewing and a stronger overall visitor experience, alongside the ecological benefits. Without this kind of active intervention, the opportunity notes that heavily impacted areas may not recover on their own, which would continue to degrade habitat quality and diminish the recreational and educational value of these signature park meadows.

Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under the Natural Resources activity category (CFDA 15.954). The eligible applicants were limited to nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The posting was created July 15, 2019, with an original closing date of July 24, 2019. The expected award count was one, with an award ceiling of $34,500. The cooperative agreement structure signals that the park and the partner organization are expected to work closely, coordinating planning and execution rather than operating independently, which aligns with the volunteer-driven and park-integrated nature of the restoration work.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Wildlife Habitat Restoration in Rocky Mountain National Park" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.954.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 15, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 24, 2019. (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 $34,500.00 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.

Apply for P19AS00380

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