Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS 17 NERO 0074
The National Park Service (NPS), within the Department of the Interior, issued this notice to inform the public of its intent to make a single task agreement under an already established master cooperative agreement, rather than running a fully open competition. The project focuses on evaluating both visitor and park manager preferences related to the Shenandoah National Park (SHEN) visitor mobile app, along with associated SHEN social media use, with the goal of improving how digital tools support visitor experiences and park management needs. The funding opportunity is listed as discretionary support through a cooperative agreement (CFDA 15.945), with one expected award and a funding ceiling of $40,000. It was originally posted on June 21, 2017, with an original closing date of July 1, 2017, and it identifies Kansas State University (KSU) as the partner that will carry out the work under the task agreement.
The work is framed around the Interagency Visitor Use Management Framework (VUMF), meaning the study is expected to align with established federal best practices for understanding, monitoring, and managing visitor use in ways that protect resources while maintaining quality visitor experiences. The evaluation is designed as a targeted, high-efficiency snapshot rather than a long, multi-season effort. Data collection would occur during a single high-use season (typically summer) and concentrate on roughly three weeks total, split into about two weeks of quantitative data collection and one week of qualitative work. Locations in the park would be chosen based on the highest visitation rates to capture the greatest amount of visitor use and feedback in the shortest feasible timeframe.
Before fieldwork begins, the project requires the administrative and compliance steps typical for federal public-facing research. KSU must secure Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the information collection and obtain a research permit from Shenandoah National Park. In addition, the researchers will run a pre-study workshop that brings together key decision makers and stakeholders. This workshop is intended to clarify the project purpose, ensure the study outputs align with park and agency policies and plans, and gather firsthand assessments of current conditions, facilities, and relevant visitor and resource attributes. It also gives the principal investigators an on-site opportunity to use and assess the app alongside SHEN managers, grounding the evaluation in real operational context.
The core of the study is a mixed-method assessment of technology use, app preferences, and how digital interpretation fits into the park experience. One component involves distributing on-site visitor surveys that measure general mobile technology and social media preferences, typical usage levels, how technology is used during a park visit, desired levels of access/connectivity while visiting, and how much interpretive content visitors want from technology-based sources. A second component is a parallel online survey distributed through or linked to the app itself, targeting actual app users. That online instrument will assess satisfaction with existing app elements, preferences for future features and roles the app should play, and both actual and preferred app usage patterns during visitation. The opportunity also allows for deeper qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and simulated app-use exercises, to better interpret survey findings and cross-check them against both visitor feedback and manager perspectives.
A substantial deliverable area is the collection of "social baseline" data that helps the park understand who is using these tools, how they are used, and how they shape perceptions of crowding and management actions. This baseline includes visitor demographics; self-reported app use levels; levels of engagement with SHEN social media networks; and content analysis of app and social media materials. It also includes measuring visitor perceptions of the app and SHEN social media, perceptions of management actions and facilities (including infrastructure and interpretive facilities), and identifying normative thresholds for crowding. Importantly, crowding thresholds are described as being evaluated in relation to both network availability and physical capacity, particularly at recognized hotspots associated with app use and SHEN social media activity. Trip motivations are also included, and qualitative interviews with both visitors and managers are planned to better understand experiential qualities and resource-related attributes that might not be captured well through surveys alone. Overall, these datasets are intended to inform decisions about how the app and social media should be provided and managed, and how those digital offerings influence visitor experience outcomes at Shenandoah.
The expected outputs emphasize practical, evidence-based guidance for the park as well as broader dissemination. KSU is to provide a peer-reviewed technical report to the park that includes a detailed summary, methods, results, analyses, and recommendations. Beyond summarizing findings, the report must deliver empirically supported recommendations for improving the SHEN app and associated social media efforts, along with an evaluation protocol that can be reused to monitor performance over time. The agreement also anticipates professional and academic products, including peer-reviewed journal articles and conference presentations, with the George Wright Society conference (noted as the 2019 George Wright Conference) listed as an example venue for sharing results with the wider parks and protected areas community.Apply for NPS 17 NERO 0074
- The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Evaluating Visitor And Manager Preferences for the Shenandoah National Park Visitor Mobile App" 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 21, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 01, 2017 This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Services intention to award a task agreement under a previously competed or single source justified master cooperative agreement.. (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: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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