Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

February 22, 2019

NPS Funding Opportunity: Camp Mueller

Midwest Regional Office, National Park Service And Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Letter of Research Interest (LOI)

Title: Ethnographic Overview & Assessment of Camp Mueller, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio

Full Announcement available here: CUVA letter of interest 2019

The Midwest Region Cultural Anthropology program is interested in an ethnographic overview and assessment study relating to Camp Mueller, a historically African American Summer Camp located at Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA) in Ohio. One of only four African American-owned-and-operated residential camps in the United States, Camp Mueller was as an interracial camp established in 1939 by the Phillis Wheatley Association (PWA), a prominent African American social services organization. The camp is located on Akron-Peninsula Road in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, and its main purpose is to provide recreational activities for inner-city children in the Cleveland area. Today, the camp is located within CUVA on a tract acquired through a conservation easement intended to promote, perpetuate and preserve Camp Mueller’s character and to preserve the historic, scenic, natural and recreational values integral to the Park’s mission.

For the National Park Service, an Ethnographic Overview and Assessments is a comprehensive study of types, uses, and users of ethnographic resources, in this case being Camp Mueller and the associated area in CUVA. An EO&A reviews existing information and identifies new data needs. This type of study is conducted when park resources are known or thought to be traditionally associated with a contemporary group or groups. The overview reviews and summarizes existing ethnographic data for people and resources associated with the park; the assessment evaluates them and identifies data gaps. Information is derived primarily from existing archival and published materials and is supplemented with ethnographic interviewing of knowledgeable community consultants.

LOI Response Timeframe: Deadline for responding to this letter of interest is Monday, March 25, 2019.

Funds Available: Project funds available are approximately $97,000. The funding includes an overhead rate of 17.5 percent.  The project will be funded by the National Park Service. Universities within the CESU network are eligible to apply. This project is not a grant, and will be administered as a Federal Financial Assistance research project through the CESU network.

Responses of interest should be directed before the closing date to Michael J. Evans, Ph.D. (Michael_Evans@nps.gov). Additional questions can be answered by contacting Michael J. Evans, Ph.D. , Chief, Cultural Anthropology Program, Midwest Region Ethnography Program, National Park Service (612-345-0019).