Theodore Roosevelt National Park (THRO) is seeking a CESU member to conduct a project entitled “Population Viability Analysis for Feral Horse Management Scenarios at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.”

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ANTICIPATED WORK
NPS wishes to conduct a Population Viability Analysis (PVA) that considers horse herd genetics, management scenarios, population objectives, and biological factors, to ensure that management actions minimize the ecological effects of the herd on the natural ecology of the park while satisfying concerns regarding genetic diversity of the horse herd.

Key questions include:
-Which management scenario(s) increase and sustain genetic diversity of the horse herd at healthy levels (i.e. in the absence of genetic disease and inbreeding depression) for the next century or longer?
-What number of horses and demographic stratification of the herd is necessary to ensure the herd’s genetic diversity, relative to intensity of management?
-Which external genetic sources provide the greatest benefit to the herd for genetic augmentation, given the current genetics and phenotypic variation of the herd.

Responses should be directed to Blake McCann – Director of Resource Management and Science at THRO (blake_mccann@nps.gov).  

Background 

The NPS, Interior Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12 Preservation Partnerships Program (PWR‐PPP) wishes to nominate a property as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) related to African American civil rights history. Until recently, much of the history about the Western United States focused primarily on Westward Expansion, prioritizing European American settler colonialism, and tended to marginalize or exclude minority communities, including those of African Americans. There is a growing body of scholarship on the role and importance of African Americans in the West. Concurrently, there have been efforts to address the underrepresentation of historic properties associated with African American history that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places or Designated as National Historic Landmarks. People of African descent formed vibrant and active communities with life experiences that included, perseverance, self‐determination, racial discrimination and the overall fight for civil rights. There are important places that represent this history.

Anticipated Work and Deliverables

This Request for Letters of Interest is intended to seek assistance of CESU members to prepare a NHL nomination for a property that will synthesize, analyze and summarize multiple sources of information associated with a historic property located in California that is associated with nationally significant historic events and people, within the context of African American civil rights.  Please see the attached document for more information about anticipated work and deliverables.