Notice of Intent: Carlsbad Caverns Underground CLI | P17AS00339

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00339

The Notice of Intent: Carlsbad Caverns Underground CLI (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00339) is a National Park Service discretionary funding opportunity issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior to support a single cooperative agreement project focused on Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The work centers on documenting and evaluating the primary tourist walkway and trail system within the cave as an underground cultural landscape, treating the built visitor-route infrastructure and associated features as historically meaningful resources that interact with a complex natural cave environment.

At the core of the project is the creation of a Cultural Landscapes Inventory (CLI) for the main underground tourist walkways. The CLI is intended to be a detailed, structured record of the cultural landscape, including the identification and analysis of associated cultural features connected to the trail system. This includes documenting what those features are, how they developed, what physical impacts they may have, and how they relate to the cave's natural systems over time. Because visitor circulation routes in caves often involve constructed paths, railings, lighting, drainage elements, modified surfaces, and engineered viewpoints, the inventory is designed to look at both the physical components and the experiential qualities of moving through the cave, including views and sightlines associated with the trail system.

The opportunity also requires the production of historic preservation documentation suitable for formal evaluation under the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The resulting documents must include a historic context that explains the development and significance of the underground visitor infrastructure, a statement of significance that articulates why the resources matter, and an evaluation of integrity that assesses whether the landscape and its component features still convey their historical importance. A key milestone is completion of a Determination of Eligibility (DOE). If the DOE finds the resources eligible for listing, the project proceeds to prepare a full NRHP nomination. In other words, the grant is structured to move from thorough inventory and analysis to an official eligibility determination, and potentially to a completed nomination package.

A major rationale for the project is long-term management value. The CLI is explicitly described as a living document that is updated on a recurring cycle, typically every 6 to 10 years, so the initial product is meant to establish a baseline rather than a one-time snapshot. That baseline research is expected to support future cave monitoring and management decisions by helping the park track how natural cave processes and cultural features influence each other. This reflects the reality that cave environments are dynamic and sensitive, and that visitor infrastructure can affect airflow, moisture, surfaces, biological communities, and aesthetics, while natural conditions can also affect the durability and preservation of constructed features. By capturing conditions, relationships, and impacts in an organized way, the project aims to improve how the park plans for preservation, visitor use, maintenance, and resource protection.

The final deliverables are intended to be publicly accessible through NPS systems. Project reports and findings are to be uploaded to IRMA, the National Park Service public access portal, which suggests an emphasis on transparency and future usability by researchers, managers, and preservation professionals beyond the immediate project team.

An additional element of the opportunity is education and workforce development. The project is designed to include student involvement through a partnership with the University of Arkansas, providing hands-on training for the next generation of scientists and preservation professionals. The intent is not only to produce the required documentation, but also to create a collaborative learning setting that bridges cultural resources and natural resources disciplines, which is especially relevant in cave settings where built visitor features, historic preservation standards, and sensitive natural systems have to be considered together.

Administratively, the opportunity was issued June 6, 2017, with an original closing date of June 16, 2017. It anticipated a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $1. The listing identifies eligibility broadly as "Others," with further clarification referenced in the opportunity text under additional eligibility information. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the National Park Service in guiding or collaborating on the work, rather than a standard grant where the recipient operates more independently. The activity category is listed under natural resources (CFDA 15.945), reflecting the blended natural and cultural resource management goals that the project is intended to serve.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent: Carlsbad Caverns Underground CLI" 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 Jun 06, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 16, 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 $1.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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