Long-term collaborative relationship with the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point to address refuge priorities and objectives at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) extends 261 miles of the Upper Mississippi River, traversing the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. The Refuge contains 241,000 acres of land of which approximately 66,000 acres are forested. The Refuge seeks to establish a long-term collaborative relationship with the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (UW-SP) for the following purposes: the provision of technical expertise and assistance to the refuge; provision and assistance with the planning, design, and execution of biological inventory, monitoring, and research projects; the generation of reliable information that expands the body of scientific knowledge about fish, wildlife, and natural resource management; the provision of and assistance with refuge visitor services, environmental education, and environmental interpretation activities; assistance with refuge land management activities; and the provision of valuable experience that contributes to student's educational and career aspirations. This is a notice of intent to award a single source cooperative agreement to the UW-SP under justification 505DM 2.14.B. 1 and 4. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will be substantially involved in projects under this funding opportunity. In particular, the Service will be responsible for all or portions of the following activities: planning, coordinating, and executing projects; recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers, interns, and employees; monitoring project activities and exerting quality controls that assure projects are completed satisfactorily: and report and manuscript writing. Competition for the award is not practical for the following reasons: The proposed award is the result of an unsolicited application that represents a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach that is not the subject of a current or planned award, but is found to be advantageous to program objectives, see NOFO for details.