NOTICE OF INTENT: Carlsbad Caverns Digital Documentation | P17AS00338

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00338

The "NOTICE OF INTENT: Carlsbad Caverns Digital Documentation" (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00338) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, offered as a cooperative agreement. The project is focused on digitally documenting roughly 3.5 miles of heavily used visitor trails inside Carlsbad Caverns by using 3D LiDAR scanning and, where appropriate, photogrammetry. The core deliverable is a detailed three-dimensional record and related imagery that captures not only the cave environment but also how the constructed trail system moves through the cavern and frames or reveals specific natural features.

A major purpose of the work is to generate a high-quality spatial dataset that can be used to better understand the cave's early trail and visitor-use design strategies. By producing accurate 3D measurements and visual documentation, the resulting data can support ongoing scientific interpretation and practical park management needs, including planning, resource protection, and long-term monitoring of sensitive cave features. In other words, the documentation is meant to serve both as a snapshot of current conditions and as a baseline that can be revisited later to detect change, evaluate impacts, and guide future decisions.

The opportunity also emphasizes public benefit and shared stewardship. The National Park Service frames the project as fulfilling a public purpose by engaging partners in environmental stewardship and by creating digital products intended for broad use and dissemination. The expectation is that the project will produce data and interpretive digital outputs that can be shared through multiple channels to increase public awareness and knowledge, and to build public support for historic preservation and responsible stewardship of cultural and historical resources at Carlsbad Caverns (CAVE). Alongside public-facing value, the project is positioned to benefit researchers and the broader scientific community by expanding access to new information about both natural and cultural resources within the cave and by supporting the dissemination of research results derived from these datasets.

In terms of administrative details, the opportunity was created on June 6, 2017, with an original closing date of June 16, 2017. It lists an expected single award and an award ceiling of 1 (as stated in the posting). The activity category is Natural Resources, and the CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 15.945. Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with further clarification referenced in an additional eligibility information field. Overall, the grant notice outlines a targeted, technology-driven documentation effort intended to strengthen cave management, scientific understanding, and public interpretation by building a high-resolution digital record of key visitor corridors and the features they showcase.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NOTICE OF INTENT: Carlsbad Caverns Digital Documentation" 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 06, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 16, 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).

Apply for P17AS00338

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