Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Vulnerable Coastal Cultural Resources | P17AS00171

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00171

Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Vulnerable Coastal Cultural Resources is a National Park Service (NPS) discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00171) created to address a growing gap in knowledge about how rapid Arctic climate change is affecting coastal archaeological sites in northwest Alaska. Developed by cultural resource staff within the Western Arctic Parklands (WEAR) and Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (BELA), the project focuses on coastal cultural resources in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (BELA) and Cape Krusenstern National Monument (CAKR). The underlying problem the project targets is straightforward but urgent: while scientists and cultural resource managers have long understood that Arctic coastal sites are threatened by environmental change, there had not been a systematic, up-to-date assessment of which specific sites are most vulnerable, what condition they are in, and what kinds of losses are likely in the near future.

The opportunity is framed around the reality that climate change impacts in the Arctic are unusually dramatic and fast-moving. The description highlights several key drivers of damage to cultural sites: rising sea levels, more frequent and more severe storms that accelerate coastal erosion, and increasing permafrost thaw. Permafrost thaw is especially important for archaeology in the Arctic because frozen ground can preserve organic materials (such as wood, bone, plant fibers, and other fragile artifacts) for long periods; when thaw occurs, those materials can decay quickly or be physically washed away as shorelines destabilize. Together, these processes can lead not only to the loss of site integrity but also to the irreversible loss of scientific and cultural information.

The project is designed as a multi-year effort (described as a four-year project) with staged phases that move from discovery and documentation to decision-making and, ultimately, mitigation. In the first phase, the work emphasizes field-based coastal survey and site visits, with three main goals: locating previously unknown archaeological sites along the coasts of BELA and CAKR, revisiting known sites that have not been checked in many years, and assessing current site condition. This phase is meant to build an updated baseline record of what exists on the ground, where it is, and how it is changing.

The second phase shifts from field inventory to analytical prioritization. The grant description calls for developing and applying a "vulnerability matrix" to the data collected in phase one. That matrix is intended to help rank sites according to risk and importance so managers can focus limited resources where they matter most. The prioritization criteria described include the relative significance of each site, the level of disturbance already present, and the likelihood that the site will be damaged or destroyed in the near future. In other words, it is not just about which sites are eroding fastest, but also about which losses would be most consequential and which sites are most imminently threatened.

After the most significant and vulnerable sites are identified, the project envisions a third phase centered on treatment and mitigation planning led by NPS staff. The description indicates that this could involve collecting data through excavation or using other protective measures aimed at preventing imminent loss. This is essentially a move from assessment to action: once high-risk sites are identified, the program can choose appropriate interventions, which might include emergency documentation, targeted recovery of information, or other site protection strategies depending on feasibility and urgency.

Administratively, the opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement, reflecting an expectation of substantial involvement by the federal agency in the project. It falls under the Humanities activity category (noted as Cultural Affairs in CFDA) with CFDA number 15.945. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. The notice states it is a notice of intent to award to Portland State University, with an expected single award. The listed award ceiling is $100,000. The opportunity was created on April 6, 2017, with an original closing date of April 17, 2017, indicating a short submission window consistent with a targeted, intended-recipient award process.

Overall, the grant opportunity is best understood as a structured effort to bring Arctic coastal archaeology management up to speed with the pace of climate-driven change. It aims to produce an updated inventory of coastal sites, a defensible framework for ranking vulnerability and significance, and a pathway toward timely mitigation so that the most threatened cultural resources in BELA and CAKR can be addressed before erosion, storms, and thaw result in permanent loss.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Vulnerable Coastal Cultural Resources" 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 Apr 06, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 17, 2017 This is a notice of intent to award to Portland State University.. (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 $100,000.00 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.

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