Dragonfly-Mercury Monitoring- GLKN | NPS NOIP15AC00262

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP15AC00262

Dragonfly-Mercury Monitoring - GLKN is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement opportunity designed to strengthen long-term monitoring of mercury contamination in the upper Midwest by using larval dragonflies as a practical, science-backed indicator species. Led through the NPS Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network (GLKN) in partnership with Northland College, the project focuses on collecting larval dragonflies from as many as nine NPS units, then completing the full workflow needed to turn those samples into useful management information: field collection, laboratory-related coordination and analysis support, data management, and final reporting. The core purpose is to generate consistent, comparable mercury concentration data that can be used to understand where mercury risks are highest, how those patterns differ from park to park, and whether conditions are changing over time.

The project is rooted in a public health and visitor-protection need that the NPS must address. Many park waters support fishing, and mercury can accumulate in fish tissue at levels that may pose risks to people who consume them. Because the NPS is responsible for informing visitors about mercury dangers and providing advice about limiting fish consumption from waters with elevated mercury, GLKN is working to build a reliable monitoring program that can support clear communication and better decision-making. Recent research has shown that mercury levels in larval dragonflies correlate well with mercury levels in game fish, which makes dragonfly larvae a valuable proxy for tracking contamination. Dragonfly larvae are also easier and less resource-intensive to sample and process than fish, so they offer a scalable way to expand monitoring across multiple parks without the same logistical burden as routine fish sampling.

This opportunity builds on an established multi-partner effort that began in 2012, when GLKN collaborated with the NPS Air Resources Division, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the University of Maine to involve citizen scientists in collecting larval dragonflies in several parks. Northland College has been part of that foundation from the start through Professor Randy Lehr and student involvement at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN). Under this cooperative agreement, GLKN and Northland College would expand that role by supporting student interns to carry out dragonfly larval collection at additional NPS units in the region, extending the monitoring footprint beyond the original study locations. In practice, this means the agreement is not only about data collection; it is also meant to build a repeatable, field-ready monitoring approach that can continue over time and be integrated into GLKN's broader contaminant monitoring strategy.

A major feature of the opportunity is its dual benefit: it pairs meaningful, place-based education with applied resource monitoring. Students gain hands-on experience in field methods, sample handling, basic environmental contaminant science, and data analysis and reporting, while the NPS receives quality-assured information on an important ecological and human-health-related issue. The long-term value is the creation of a collaborative pipeline where education and stewardship reinforce each other: trained students help expand the monitoring network, and the resulting dataset helps parks track mercury trends, understand spatial differences, and better communicate risks to the public.

From the funding and eligibility side, this is a discretionary cooperative agreement issued by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. It is tied to CFDA 15.945 and falls under the activity categories of education, employment/labor/training, environment, and natural resources. Eligible applicants are private institutions of higher education, with an expected single award and an award ceiling of $38,732. The opportunity was originally posted on March 23, 2018, with an original closing date of April 6, 2018, under funding opportunity number NPS NOIP15AC00262.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, employment, labor and training, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Dragonfly-Mercury Monitoring- GLKN" 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 Mar 23, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 06, 2018. (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 $38,732.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education.

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