This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service's intention to award financial assistance for the following project activities without competition.
Texas A&M is a member for the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit and previously competed.
The
objectives of this project are to 1) Acquire tissue samples from park (Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve) bison herds during roundups, 2) Genotype samples to determine effective population size, breeding structure, and diversity for each herd; providing data for internal park use, 3) Conduct genomic analysis on select samples from each herd to identify changes in DNA and 4) Prepare and submit reports detailing findings and providing recommendations for management.