Early 20th Century Land Use and Environmental Conditions on Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska | F17AS00257

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00257

The grant opportunity titled "Early 20th Century Land Use and Environmental Conditions on Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska" (Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00257) is a Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discretionary funding announcement focused on building a clearer historical record of how people used the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge area and what environmental conditions were like during the early to mid 1900s. The project is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the agency expects active involvement and collaboration rather than simply issuing funds with minimal interaction. The funding falls under CFDA 15.650 and is categorized under environment and natural resources.

At its core, the project supports the University of Alaska Fairbanks in documenting and analyzing land use patterns and ecological conditions from a period when subsistence practices and local economies were closely tied to wildlife populations, seasonal movements, and wetland productivity. The research scope specifically calls out traditional family settlements and seasonal camps, the historic distribution and abundance of key resources, and subsistence activities that shaped daily life and land use, with particular emphasis on muskrat hunting and trading. By centering these topics, the project aims to capture both the human geography of the refuge landscape (where people lived, traveled, and harvested) and the environmental context that made certain places important at specific times of year.

A key feature of the work is the combination of oral history and archival research. Oral history interviews with Northwest Alaska elders are intended to preserve community knowledge about past conditions, including where important resource areas were located, how harvest practices were organized seasonally, and what changes people observed over time in wildlife availability, habitat quality, travel routes, and settlement patterns. In parallel, archival research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and other repositories is expected to gather written, photographic, map-based, and historical documentation that can corroborate, contextualize, and add detail to the oral accounts. Together, these sources can help reconstruct a more detailed picture of historic environmental conditions and land use in a way that neither approach could accomplish alone.

The opportunity also emphasizes practical management value for the refuge. By identifying the locations of seasonal family settlements and linking them to "key resource areas," the project can highlight historic critical habitats and places that supported concentrated subsistence use, which is often a strong indicator of ecological productivity and reliable seasonal resources. The resulting information can inform understanding of changes in land use and shifts in resource distribution over time, which may be relevant for current refuge planning, habitat management, and interpretation of long-term ecological change. In addition, the focus on "important areas for cultural resources" signals that the outputs are meant to help identify and document culturally significant landscapes and sites, supporting better protection and consideration of those resources in refuge decision-making.

In terms of basic funding details, the award ceiling listed is $60,000, with one expected award. The opportunity was created on June 15, 2017, with an original closing date of June 20, 2017, indicating a short application window. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility clarification referenced in the original materials, but the description makes clear that the intended recipient and primary partner for carrying out the work is the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Overall, the grant is designed to produce a historically grounded, community-informed account of how people and the Selawik Refuge environment interacted in the early 20th century, using documented memories and archival evidence to better understand ecological conditions, subsistence patterns, and culturally important places.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Early 20th Century Land Use and Environmental Conditions on Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.650.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 15, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 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 $60,000.00 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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