Jekyll Island Authority, Request for Research Proposals:
Ecological research evaluating the stability of barrier-island native-plant
populations exposed to multiple stress factors.
1.. Funding available
Up to $150,000 total, to be awarded over the course of up to four years from
the project start date. Up to $30,000 of the total will be available between
the project start date and June 30th, 2016. The remainder should be outlined in
the applicant’s proposed budget and allocated across the full term of the
project according to need.
The Jekyll Island State Park Authority (hereafter, the JIA), has restrictions
on funding overhead expenses that may prevent it from being able to cover all
overhead expenses unless rates are consistent with the rate an applying
institution or organization would charge other state government agencies, such
as the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, or an equivalent institution.
Overhead rates exceeding 25% of direct project costs may warrant exclusion from
further consideration for this opportunity.
2.. Eligibility
All interested applicants from academic, private sector, or government
institutions with demonstrated qualifications and experience in conducting
ecological research are encouraged to apply for this funding opportunity. Other
proposal qualities being equal, the educational-value of the research
experience for a graduate student will warrant priority over proposals without
student involvement. If a graduate student is to be involved, Ph.D. projects
are preferred.
3.. Objectives and background
The JIA is empowered by the State of Georgia as management stewards of Jekyll
Island, a state-owned barrier island that balances conserving natural,
historic, and cultural resources with providing accessible recreation,
vacation, and education opportunities for the people of Georgia and beyond. The
mission of the JIA Conservation Program is to preserve, maintain, manage, and
restore Jekyll Island’s natural communities and species diversity while
providing nature-based educational and recreational opportunities for the
general public.
The JIA is seeking detailed research proposals from highly-qualified
applicants proposing research to be conducted on Jekyll Island, Georgia. The
impetus for this research effort is concern on the part of the JIA that
herbivory by abundant white-tailed deer may be compromising the long-term
viability of some native plant species and/or communities. The JIA has been
surveying the white-tailed deer population on Jekyll Island for 5 years with a
combination of spotlight and camera surveys and estimates the density of deer
on the island has averaged over 80 deer per square mile during that time. The
population seems to be relatively stable at this high level and recruitment
rates low.
Importantly, proposals submitted in response to this request for proposals
(RFP) should avoid a myopic focus on the single stressor of deer herbivory. The
JIA is specifically interested in evaluating the effect of herbivory in
relation to other environmental stressors, such as climate change, hydrologic
changes, invasive plants, and human activity that may be affecting locally rare
or otherwise important native plant species. Furthermore, we’d like to better
understand how Jekyll Island’s stakeholders value native plant species
diversity and whether that valuation supports management responses to the most
critical stressors, as determined by the proposed research. Structured
decision-making approaches and predictive modeling of long-term plant
population/community viability under various scenarios are highly desirable.
Applicants should demonstrate awareness of the strength and diversity of
public interest and opinion in regard to white-tailed deer, their ecological
role, and the decisions related to management that this research may inform.
The selected project team would be expected to be able to manage a potentially
high-profile research project while maintaining the highest caliber of research
integrity. Familiarity with the human dimensions of environmental management is
highly desirable.
4.. Example research questions
The following questions are intended to provide examples of the types of
inquiries of interest to JIA, but applicants should neither restrict their
creativity to the questions posed here, nor necessarily attempt to design a
proposal that will answer all of these questions. If an applicant’s knowledge
of the literature on this topic leads to the proposal of other questions that
would better advance the state of knowledge and inform JIA stewardship, we
encourage you to craft your proposal accordingly. The first questions in bold
below are most relevant to the JIA’s current management interests.
1.. What is the risk of local extirpation from Jekyll Island for a
selection of the island’s locally rare and spatially restricted woody and
herbaceous plant species? What environmental parameters affect this risk and
what is the relative importance of these parameters?
2.. How do Jekyll Island’s various stakeholders prioritize their values
relative to deer, live oak dominated maritime forest, and plant community
diversity? How can these values be incorporated into management decisions
relative to plant conservation that support the JIA’s conservation goals?
3.. What environmental parameters affect the stability of live oak
dominated maritime forest, a globally-imperiled plant community, and what is
the relative importance and spatial variation of these parameters on Jekyll
Island? Previous researchers working at various locations have shown that
excluding herbivores increases oak recruitment, but how much recruitment is
needed to sustain a live oak dominated maritime forest? What other factors may
be limiting or promoting live oak persistence and how significant are these
factors relative to deer herbivory?
4.. Some marsh hammocks (islands of high ground surrounded by salt marsh)
in the vicinity of Jekyll Island are used by deer, while others may not be used
or are used rarely. Does the plant community reflect these differences? How?
What other co-variates may affect distribution and abundance of plant
communities among hammocks and what is their significance relative to deer
abundance?
5.. What environmental parameters, including deer abundance, affect the
relative dominance of saw palmetto in the understory and what is the relative
importance and spatial variation of these parameters on Jekyll Island? Is saw
palmetto abundance a limiting factor for the recruitment and persistence of
other native plants?
5.. How to apply
Proposals should be submitted electronically to the JIA’s Director of
Conservation, Ben Carswell, at bcarsw...@jekyllisland.com, and should include
the following:
1.. A cover letter describing why the research team and proposed work are a
good fit for the requirements for this RFP.
2.. A complete narrative description of project goals, timeline, and
deliverables presented with accuracy, brevity, and clarity.
3.. A narrative budget description must be provided as well as a tabular
budget. The budget should be structured according to a fiscal year (FY)
timeline that begins July 1st and concludes June 30th each year. Refer to
“Funding Available”, Section 1, for maximum amount available to be awarded in
FY 2016 from the project start date through June 30th, 2016, and thereafter.
Any overhead rates applied should be explicitly identified in the budget.
4.. CV’s, resumes, or statements of qualifications, including experience
and publications, for all individuals who will be responsible for delivering on
the proposed work including any graduate students already to be assigned to the
proposed work should it be funded.
6.. Selection Timeline
All proposals received before close of business on Friday, October 30th,
2015, will be given full consideration. The selected applicant will be notified
no later than November 13th, and a contractual agreement (Final Research
Contract) should be signed by all parties no later than November 27th. Project
start dates in early 2016 are strongly encouraged.
7.. Evaluation
Within 5 days of closing the submittal period, all proposals will be examined
by the JIA to verify if requirements of the RFP have been met. Failure to meet
any of the proposal requirements will be cause for the rejection of a proposal.
Funding shall be awarded to the proposal deemed most advantageous to the JIA
acting in its sole discretion based on the qualifications of the applicants,
the quality and creativity of the proposal, the degree to which the work would
advance the state of knowledge, applicability to the JIA’s mission and
conservation goals, and overall value relative to expense.
The JIA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, or any portions or
items of a proposal, and to waive technical defects or informalities which are
not material to the proposal in the JIA’s sole discretion and best interest.
The JIA reserves the right to obtain clarification of any point in an
applicant’s submittal or to obtain additional information during the RFP
process. The JIA also reserves the right to negotiate changes in the successful
proposal afterward. Final selection of a proposal shall be subject to the
negotiation of the Final Research Contract and the approval of such agreements
by the JIA. The JIA reserves the right to withdraw approval of a proposal if
such agreements cannot be finalized within 30 days of the notification of
selection.
8.. On-site resources
The following resources may be available on site to support the selected
project. Mention here does not guarantee availability.
a.. Technical support and consultation, including limited field support
and access to annual deer spotlight count and camera survey data (the JIA will
not require that this data be used to estimate deer abundance for purposes of
this research. Applicants are free to propose their own alternative measures or
use the JIA data according to their discretion).
b.. Basic, shared housing at a per-person rental rate of $190/month, or
$50/week, with a $100 partially-refundable security deposit, of which $50
covers a non-refundable administrative fee. Availability is very limited from
March through August
The following resources will not generally be made available on site.
Necessary accommodations must therefore be provided by the applicant.
a.. Office or laboratory space.
b.. Vehicles
9.. Term
The term of the Final Research Contract to be associated with this award is
proposed as follows:
1.. Startup phase: project start date (to be negotiated - early 2016
preferred) through June 30th, 2016;
2.. Implementation phase: three 1-year extensions:
1.. July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017
2.. July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018
3.. July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019;
3.. Completion phase: July 1, 2019 – project completion date (to be
negotiated – early 2019 preferred, but in no event later than June 30, 2019.
Variation from this timeline may be considered and negotiated on a
case-by-case basis, as proposed.
10.. Reporting Requirements
The selected project team must provide to the JIA, before April 1st of each
year under contract, a comprehensive progress report on project activities to
date as well as an annual project plan and operating budget for the upcoming
fiscal year period (July 1 –June 30th). The latter shall include an updated
budget for the upcoming fiscal year, keeping within total allowable expenses as
specified in the Final Research Contract. The successful applicant will be
required to schedule and lead quarterly structured status-update meetings, by
phone or in person, with the JIA Director of Conservation through the duration
of the project.
The nature and content of a comprehensive final reporting product should be
proposed by the applicant in the narrative description of the proposed work.
This may be in the form of a dissertation if the project includes a Ph.D.
student.
11.. Default and Termination
Failure to produce deliverables, honor deadlines, or meet other expectations
as outlined in the Final Research Contract may constitute grounds for project
termination. Either party will be able to terminate the agreement upon a
default by the other party subject to a reasonable cure period or for reasons
related to force majeure, to be specified in the Final Research Contract.
12.. Further information
Background materials to support proposal preparation can be made available to
applicants upon request. These include deer population monitoring results and
some limited plant diversity information. For general information about Jekyll
Island habitats and the JIA conservation mission, please refer to the Jekyll
Island Conservation Plan at the following link:
http://www.jekyllisland.com/conservation/
For an assessment of Jekyll Island’s deer population prepared by the JIA
conservation staff, refer to the following:
http://www.jekyllisland.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/3deer_report.pdf
All official correspondence should be conducted in writing via email with JIA
Director of Conservation, Ben Carswell, at bcarsw...@jekyllisland.com.
Applicants are not permitted to communicate for any reason related to this RFP
with any JIA staff other than the person named here. No response other than
written will be binding upon the JIA.
13.. Additional Terms and Conditions
The terms described in this section and otherwise found in the RFP are merely
indicative of the terms that may be included the Final Research Contract, which
will be subject to negotiation between the parties and final authorization and
approval by the JIA.
Budget allocations are made by the JIA Board of Directors on an annual basis,
adhering to a fiscal year calendar beginning on July 1 of each year and
concluding on June 3o. The JIA Board has requested that the JIA staff select a
research partner through this RFP and the Board’s finance committee has
indicated commitment to ongoing annual funding availability for such a
partnership, as outlined here. Applicants are advised that each fiscal year
budget allocation for this project will be contingent on formal approval by the
JIA Board each year.
Applicants are advised that any documentation submitted with or in support of
a proposal will become subject to public inspection under the Georgia Open
Records Act.
With submission of a proposal, the applicant agrees that he/she has carefully
examined the RFP, and that it is his/her responsibility to request
clarification on any issues in any section of the RFP with which the applicant
disagrees or needs clarified. The applicant also understands that failure to
mention these items in the proposal will be interpreted to mean that he/she is
in full agreement with the terms, conditions, specification, and requirements
therein. With submission of a proposal, the applicant hereby certifies: (a)
that this proposal is genuine and is not made in the interest on in behalf of
any undisclosed person, firm, or corporation; (b) that applicant has not
directly or indirectly included or solicited any other applicant to put in
false or insecure proposal; (c) that the applicant has not solicited or induced
any person, firm, or corporation to refrain from sending a proposal.
The successful applicant will release, indemnify, protect, defend, and hold
harmless the JIA, and its successors, assigns, members, directors, officers,
attorneys, employees, and agents, from and against any and all claims,
counterclaims, demands, damages, losses, liabilities, action and causes of
action, costs and expenses, whatsoever, including but not limited to attorney’s
fees (collectively, “Losses”) resulting from or arising out of directory or
indirectly, (i) the breach of the obligations of the successful applicant under
the Final Research Contract. (ii) the negligence of willful acts of the
successful applicant, its agents, servants or employees in connection with its
activities under the Final Research Contract, (iii) any claim, demand or cause
of action of whatever kind or nature arising out of any conduct or misconduct
of the successful applicant, its agents, servants, or employees not included in
(i) or (ii) above and for which the JIA, or each of its successors, assigns,
members, directors, officers, attorneys, employees, or agents are alleged to be
liable.
Breanna Ondich, Park Ranger
The Jekyll Island Authority
Phone: 912.635.4137 / Fax: 912.717.6828
Cell: 973-903-5914 / Wildlife Response: 912.222.5992
Email: bond...@jekyllisland.com
http://gstc.jekyllisland.com/ / www.jekyllisland.com /
http://wildlifelab.wix.com/jekyllresearch
