Inventory and Assessment of Secretive Marshbirds: Using eDNA to Determine Occupancy with a Focus on Eastern Black Rail and King Rail

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THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE SOURCE, AND THERE IS NO FULL ANNOUNCEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS NOTICE. This Notice is NOT a request for competitive proposals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intends, on behalf of Mackay Island NWR to issue funding to use environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect occupancy of wetland birds. This project will be conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and East Carolina University. Some major advantages of this technique are that samples can be collected relatively easily and opportunistically at any time of day by personnel that do not require specialized field identification skills. Based on this novel approach, this research will develop a simple diagnostic lab test that will reveal presence or absence of rails, with a focus on the at- risk black rail, the rarest bird on the mid-Atlantic coast (Eastern Black Rail Conservation and Management Working Group), and king rail, the rarest webless gamebird species (King Rail Conservation Plan). Diagnosis of occupancy from water samples promises a transferable tool to rapidly assess baseline population estimates for these species. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed assistance based upon Departmental Manual 505DM2, paragraph 2.14 (B) (2) is solely within the discretion of the Government. Questions concerning this announcement should be directed to Artela Jacobs (404) 679-7197 or by email at artela_jacobs@fws.gov

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