NOTICE OF INTENT: FY2017 Implementation of Management Plan | P17AS00129

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00129

The FY2017 "NOTICE OF INTENT: Implementation of Management Plan" (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00129) is a National Park Service (NPS), Department of the Interior discretionary cooperative agreement designed to support implementation of the approved management plan for the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA) in Colorado. CALA was officially established by Congress through the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-11, Title VIII, Subtitle A, Section 8002) as the successor to the Cache la Poudre River Corridor. The law designates the Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA), a Colorado nonprofit founded in 1999, as the local management entity responsible for carrying out the heritage area mission with NPS support. The opportunity emphasizes that National Heritage Areas are nationally significant places where natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources come together to tell important American stories shaped by geography and human activity, and this award is meant to advance those public purposes laid out in the establishing legislation.

The grant is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning NPS is not simply providing funds but is expected to remain actively involved through advisory and technical assistance. The notice indicates that, unless otherwise stated, existing terms and conditions from Cooperative Agreement P15AC00527 apply to this task agreement. Practically, the funding is aimed at the kinds of activities that move a heritage area management plan from paper into real-world action, including planning, administration, marketing, resource enhancement, and demonstration projects. The opportunity anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $1, and it was posted March 20, 2017 with an original closing date of March 30, 2017. The CFDA number is 15.939, the activity category is natural resources, and eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement.

The statement of work is organized around two main management plan goals. Goal 1, Organizational Capacity, focuses on maintaining the basic operational backbone needed to run the heritage area effectively. This includes retaining key staff positions: a full-time Executive Director and a full-time Administrative Assistant to support administrative functions and public outreach. Allowable and anticipated costs under this goal include routine operational necessities such as office lease expenses, supplies and services, human resources services, workers compensation and payroll consulting, insurance, memberships and licenses, travel and training, partner coordination and internal policies, and organized volunteer support from board members and other volunteers. In addition to staffing and operations, Goal 1 includes "Plans and Policies" work for the year, specifically producing the heritage area’s first annual report, updating the website into a new format that better supports ongoing programs, beginning PHA’s first economic impact study, and developing a joint marketing plan and heritage tourism landing page in collaboration with Colorado’s other two National Heritage Areas (South Park and Sangre de Cristo), leveraging a grant from the Colorado Tourism Organization. Taken together, these tasks are meant to strengthen governance, improve transparency and communication, and build the evidence base and marketing tools needed to sustain the heritage area long-term.

Goal 2, Story-Telling, is centered on interpretation, public awareness, education, and community engagement so the heritage area’s themes are visible and meaningful to residents and visitors. Under the "Communication" component, PHA plans to provide grants and funding assistance to museums and other organizations to develop exhibits and promote CALA, including a range of interpretive media such as podcasts, videos, and interpretive signage. The notice also contemplates preservation activities as eligible grant targets. A highlighted example for 2017 is the Heritage Trail Project tied to the Poudre River Downtown Project Phase 1 improvements. The City’s downtown master plan included $15,000 for the design and construction of three interpretive features connected to historically important heritage area elements, and PHA proposes partnering with the City by providing a grant that fully covers the design costs for those interpretive features. The opportunity notes that additional sub-recipient grants had not been determined at the time of the notice, but that a list of selected subawards/subgrants would be provided to NPS after selections are made.

Education and public programming are also prominent under Goal 2, reflecting the management plan’s emphasis on getting students and community members involved with river, water, and heritage themes. The notice points to multiple Children’s Water Festivals sponsored by local water conservancy districts and community water providers; PHA support is described as a way to expand access by funding bus scholarships that help school districts bring more children to these festivals and to related educational field trips at sites like the Discovery Center, Environmental Learning Center, and Poudre Learning Center. Beyond K-12 engagement, PHA plans to host major convenings, specifically the Alliance of National Heritage Areas (ANHA) National Conference and the Intermountain Regional Conference, which can elevate CALA’s visibility and strengthen partnerships across the heritage area network. PHA is also supporting the Poudre River Forum, a community engagement platform focused on informing the public about water issues and current river management, and it anticipates outreach through informational booths and displays at community events, where participation typically requires sponsorship fees in exchange for booth space and inclusion in promotional materials.

The notice further describes two ongoing signature programs that support both education and outreach while also building volunteer capacity and alternative revenue streams. The Heritage Culturalist Program is a training and volunteer coordination effort that creates a corps of informed ambassadors for CALA. These volunteers contribute "match" through donated service hours and provide concrete outreach services such as staffing festival booths, leading bike tours, participating in a speakers bureau, supporting web design and maintenance, engaging in social media outreach, and assisting with initiatives like a historic water trail. The second program, "On the Trail to Health, Heritage, and Happiness," is framed as a wellness-oriented heritage engagement model that operates within existing workplace wellness programs. It consists of four routes within the heritage area where participants use a phone and the heritage area website to learn via reading and video, answer questions, and physically walk to heritage and cultural locations to document their visits (for example, taking a selfie). Participation is tracked and summarized back to the participating agency so employees can receive wellness credit, and the heritage area receives payment per participant, adding a sustainability component beyond grant funding.

On the federal side, NPS outlines specific responsibilities that define the cooperative nature of the agreement. NPS will provide advisory, technical, and financial assistance to PHA for management plan implementation. NPS will also provide technical help for projects that trigger Section 106 review under the National Historic Preservation Act, including advising on the appropriate level of effect, reviewing projects for compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, and facilitating consultation between PHA and the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office. In addition, NPS agrees to review and comment on draft planning documents for projects listed in Attachment A when requested, and it will review the list of selected subawards/subgrants and their budgets to confirm alignment with the CALA management plan and compliance with federal cost principles in 2 CFR 200. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as targeted federal support to help the Poudre Heritage Alliance build organizational capacity, expand interpretation and education, fund partner-led projects, and carry out the core actions promised in CALA’s federally approved management plan under the framework established by Public Law 111-11.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NOTICE OF INTENT: FY2017 Implementation of Management Plan" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.939.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 20, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 30, 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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