April 30, 2018

NPS Funding Opportunity: Natural Resource Stewardship Communication

Title: Natural Resource Stewardship Communication

Full announcement on grants.gov

Funding Opportunity Number: P18AS00182

Program Background Information and Objectives:
The National Park Service “preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” Preserving resources unimpaired is a significant challenge for managers. Parks are part of a larger dynamic community and faced in with continuous environmental change. Managers also have to ensure public access while minimizing intentional or unintentional actions by visitors that could harm park resources. Non-compliant behaviors are actions that negatively affect the physical and social environment of parks, such as harassing wildlife, careless behaviors—littering, speeding, or engaging in non-sanctioned uses—social trails, entering closed areas, etc.
Two common approaches are used to mitigate the effects of non-compliant behaviors. Interpretation and education services build long-term knowledge and stewardship ethics and enforcement targets specific harmful actions. However, many of the non-compliant behaviors in parks are hard to address through enforcement and interpretation and education programs because law enforcement is not present when the behavior occurs and the benefits of education and interpretation programs are achieved over long periods of exposure. In addition, using techniques to achieve voluntary compliance is preferable to enforcement through the authority of the agency. Previous work has identified a range of non-compliant behaviors and suggested strategies for addressing those behaviors (Dietsch et al, 2016). The purpose of this project is to build on that work and develop and pilot targeted communication strategies that address non-compliant behaviors and enhance visitor experience. The expected outcomes are:
• Better understanding of audience beliefs, attitudes, opinions, and motivations related to non-compliant behavior.
• Better understanding of what communication approaches would work for non-compliant behavior.
• Increased ability for resource managers to develop messages and communication strategies that benefit resource stewardship and visitor experience.

Applicants may select one of the following non-compliant behaviors as the focus of their project:
• Failure to stay in authorized areas (e.g., entering sensitive riparian areas; going past signs/guardrails/fences/boundaries; use of social trails; not respecting closures of areas for safety, restoration)
• Illegal taking of resources (e.g., taking of non-animal resources—flowers, plants, petrified wood, driftwood, shells, fossils; poaching)
• Feeding wildlife (e.g., intentional feeding; unintentional feeding—food litter or improper storage)

The goals of the project are to:

• Better understanding of audience beliefs, attitudes, opinions, and motivations related to non-compliant behavior.
• Better understanding of what communication approaches would work for non-compliant behavior.
• Increased ability for managers to develop messages and communication strategies that benefit resource stewardship and visitor experience.

Current Closing Date for Applications:
May 25, 2018

Estimated Total Program Funding:
$200,000