Longleaf Pine Restoration Plan | P17AS00237

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00237

The Longleaf Pine Restoration Plan grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00237) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service under the Natural Resources funding activity category (CFDA 15.945). It was created on May 9, 2017, with an original application closing date of May 18, 2017. The program anticipated making one award with a maximum funding amount (award ceiling) of $40,000, and eligibility was limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.

The project’s focus is the Big Thicket National Preserve, where the intent is to produce a comprehensive restoration plan centered on longleaf pine-dominated plant communities. The plan is meant to define clear "desired conditions" for these communities, essentially describing what a healthy, historically appropriate longleaf pine ecosystem should look like in this specific landscape. From there, the project will lay out a practical, step-by-step strategy to reach those conditions through targeted restoration actions, ongoing management, and a structured approach to monitoring over time so managers can track progress and adjust methods as needed.

A key deliverable is a final written restoration plan that functions both as a scientific reference and a management guide. Beyond outlining actions and targets, the document is expected to include background sections on the history and ecology of longleaf pine and longleaf pine-associated communities in the Big Thicket region. That means it is not just an implementation checklist; it is also meant to explain why longleaf pine mattered historically in the region, how these systems function ecologically, and what factors have changed over time, so future decisions can be grounded in local context and credible ecological reasoning.

The work is explicitly designed as a partnership effort. It will be carried out by Sam Houston State University (SHSU) faculty in the Department of Biology, SHSU graduate students, and DESCO Environmental Services Co. Coordination runs through the curatorial staff of the Sam Houston State Natural History Collections, signaling that the project is expected to rely on organized scientific information, potentially including existing regional datasets, specimen records, or other curated natural history resources that can support accurate baseline descriptions and informed restoration targets.

Overall, the grant’s central purpose is to help the National Park Service develop a durable, long-term strategy for bringing back and maintaining historic longleaf pine conditions within the preserve. Rather than funding restoration work in isolation, the opportunity emphasizes building a guiding framework that can direct management decisions well into the future, including how restoration actions are selected, how success is measured, and how the preserve can sustain longleaf pine communities through long-term stewardship and continued monitoring.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Longleaf Pine Restoration Plan" 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 May 09, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 18, 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 $40,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for P17AS00237

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