South Coast MPA Baseline Program Request for Proposals

Proposal due date: 5:00 pm PDT, Thursday, April 7, 2011

California Sea Grant has announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for California's South Coast Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Baseline Program.

The South Coast MPA Baseline Program is a collaborative effort among the State Coastal Conservancy, California Ocean Protection Council (OPC), California Department of Fish and Game, MPA Monitoring Enterprise (a program of the California Ocean Science Trust) and California Sea Grant. The OPC has authorized up to $4,000,000 to support the Baseline Program.

Proposals are requested for projects that contribute to meeting the purposes of the Baseline Program, which are:

1. To provide a summary description, assessment and understanding of ecological and socioeconomic conditions in the South Coast region, inside and outside MPAs designated under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), at or near the time of MPA implementation; and
2. To measure initial ecological changes and the short-run net benefits or costs to consumptive and non-consumptive user groups following MPA implementation.

Project Duration: Awards are expected to be made in July 2011. Proposals will be accepted for projects of any duration, but projects must be completed no later than March 31, 2014.

Webinar: A webinar to provide additional information about the RFP will be held on March 1, 2011. Further details about this webinar will be available soon on the Sea Grant website at www.csgc.ucsd.edu.

Bidders Conference: A bidders’ conference will be held on March 8, 2011 at the Radisson Hotel Los Angeles Westside to facilitate partnerships and information exchange among potential applicants and collaborators, including those involved in ongoing monitoring in the region, as well as to provide additional information to potential applicants. RSVPs for the bidders' conference should be made to tlarson@ucsd.edu and are requested no later than 5 p.m., March 2, 2011.

Online Bulletin Board: Sea Grant will host an online bulletin board to facilitate information exchange among potential proposers, collaborators and resource-holders in the region.

Additional Information & Updates: The bulletin board, additional details regarding the bidders conference, and any updates relating to this RFP will be available on the California Sea Grant website: www.csgc.ucsd.edu . Persons intending to submit proposals in response to this RFP should consult this website frequently for any updates or additional information.

Please read the full RFP on the California Sea Grant Program website at: www.csgc.ucsd.edu/FUNDING/APPLYING/SouthCoastMPA2010-11.html

Questions may be emailed to sgmpaproposal@ucsd.edu.

All proposals must be submitted online to California Sea Grant as explained in the full RFP. If you do not have Internet access, please contact Carol Bailey-Sumber at 858-534-7855.