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Who Needs a Research Permit and How to Apply
How to apply for a Scientific Research and Collection Permit Thank you for your interest in conducting research with the National Park Service at Lake Mead. Lake Mead hosts about 40 research projects annually. Every project must be reviewed to ensure that it satisfies regulatory requirements, is appropriate to the park setting, meets accepted scientific criteria, and does not unduly impact park resources or the visitor experience. Here is the link to the National Park Service study guideline proposal: Study Proposal Guidelines (nps.gov). Create an account on the National Park Service Research Permit and Reporting System https://irma.nps.gov/RPRS/ and click the brown “Register” link. You will be taken to the Partner Access authentication page. As a new RPRS user, you must click the green “Connect with Login.gov” button.Once you have completed your new Investigator Profile, you will see “Investigators” on the top menu bar, with a drop-down list. From that list you can start a new research permit application. If you already have an account that you want to use to access RPRS, click “Sign in,” then enter the email address and password associated with that account and proceed through the verification process and then submit the new research application. Review the application procedures and requirements for research permits. Attach a map of the area/s you want to conduct the research. The more detailed information of the location/s the researcher provides the better. A KML or KMZ map file created on Google Earth is preferred. Research applications must be submitted a minimum of 90 days in advance of any field work. Once the required documents are submitted, the Permit Coordinator will initiate an internal interdisciplinary team review process to identify any impacts to park resources and visitor services. This may take anywhere from four weeks to several months depending on the nature and complexity of the project. Most proposals are reviewed, and a permit is issued within three months of submission if approved. Upon completion of the review, the applicant will be informed by email whether the application was approved or not. If approved, a copy of the official permit will be emailed to the applicant to sign. Research permits are usually given for one year at a time and therefore must be renewed on an annual basis. You must always carry a copy of the approved permit and authorization letter with you while performing your research or collecting in the park.
Terms and Conditions: Researchers are required to submit an annual report documenting all results of their investigations to the park. The Investigator's Annual Report (IAR) is used to document the findings of research conducted in parks and to assist in the planning and management of park resources. Principal investigators are responsible for the content of their reports. Include a short-written text in the form of an abstract or summary which addresses purpose, annual findings, what you did, what you found, and what you learned specifically in the reporting year. If there was no activity on your research project for the year, then submit an IAR regardless and state that there was no activity in relation to the study and why. The Investigator Annual Reports with non-sensitive information are available to the public through the NPS Research Permit and Reporting System web page. Principal investigators are asked to also submit any data, reports, publications and/or other materials resulting from studies conducted in NPS areas in the IAR. If an annual report is not submitted, then researchers may be notified by park staff that future permits may not be granted. Annual reports are an essential part of the permit process. An NPS permit is valid only for the activities authorized in the permit. The principal investigator must notify the NPS in writing of any proposed changes. Requests for significant changes may necessitate re-evaluation of the permit conditions or development of a revised proposal. Understanding the resources at Lake Mead is vital to improving park management and expanding scientific knowledge. If your proposed research is associated with vertebrate animals, endangered species, historic sites, specimen collection, or if the research is in culturally sensitive areas or wilderness that additional requirements may be needed. See below for more information. The application review process is designed to ensure that park resources and visitors are not unduly affected by the proposed research. An interdisciplinary team will evaluate applications to determine potential impacts as required by the following laws:
Wilderness Act If proposed scientific activities are in wilderness, then as stated in Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act, a Minimum Requirements Analysis (MRA) will be completed by The National Park Service staff and is required prior to issuance of a permit. MRAs are reviewed by the Park's Wilderness Committee and upper management and may add considerable time for review of research applications. It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine if their area of research is within a wilderness area. Maps of wilderness areas can be found by visiting www.wilderness.net. Animal Welfare Act Studies in which researchers will be handling or otherwise potentially impacting vertebrate animals must first submit their study for approval to the National Park Service’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) - Biological Resources Division. Approval letters and/or concurrence documentation from the NPS IACUC must be attached to the research permit application upon submission. Describe your protocol for any capture, holding, marking, tagging, tissue sampling, or other handling of these animals. Endangered Species Act The purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to conserve endangered and threatened species and their ecosystems. Endangered species are in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their range. Threatened species are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their range. There is an informal and formal consultation process with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service when proposing to conduct a research study for any threatened, candidate, or endangered wildlife or plant species. The general timeframe for informal consultation is 60 days with a complete proposal. Formal consultation is "initiated" on the date the research proposal request is received, if the action agency provides all the relevant data required by 50 CFR §402.14(c). Section 7 allows the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service up to 90 calendar days to conclude a formal consultation with your agency and an additional 45 calendar days to prepare the biological opinion for a total of 135 days. National Historic Preservation Act The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 is legislation intended to preserve historic and archaeological sites in The United States of America and it requires federal agencies to consider the impact their actions have on our historic resources. To meet the requirements of this act, NPS may require additional information for certain types of research projects. Both permittees and the National Park Service have responsibilities to ensure the best care of our irreplaceable cultural resources. Depending on the nature of the research permit some stipulations may be added to your permit if your study is close to or in proximity of a historic site. In some cases, an alternate location may be necessary to conduct your research. Also, with some proposed research, additional cultural laws or permits may be required. Organic Act (Collections) When obtaining a research permit or conducting a research project at Lake Mead NRA, please note that the collection of specimens that will not be destroyed in analysis or discarded after analysis may require additional information and completion of an Appendix A form. The NPS has authority to control, possess, and manage these collections, which are federal property. The examination, excavation, or removal of archaeological, historical, paleontological, or other artifacts may require an additional permit in the cultural resource division. All specimens collected within the park are the property of the National Park Service unless otherwise specified. Permanently retained specimens will need to be kept in a National Park Service approved storage facility. These specimens will be labelled, cataloged, and uploaded into the NPS museum collections database. Unless exempted by additional park-specific stipulations, the Principal Investigator will complete the labels and cataloging. Principal Investigators should contact Lake Mead NRA for cataloging instructions. Collected research specimens may not be transferred without authorization. Collecting of specimens not authorized on your permit or for private purposes is not allowed. Additional information on NPS repositories and duties associated with specimen collection can be found online at Researcher Resources for Specimen Collections and Research Policy Guidance. Determine if collected specimens should be permanently preserved—if so, they must be cataloged in the park museum collection. Complete & submit a signed Appendix A with your application if you are proposing to store specimens in a non-NPS repository. Once a signed permit has been received, the principal investigator and any additional investigators or key field assistants may conduct the study identified within the boundaries of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. A research permit issued by Lake Mead NRA is only valid within the boundaries of the park. The permittee is responsible for obtaining permissions for any work performed on any other state, federal, city, tribal, or private land that is outside the boundaries of the recreation area. For more information, email the Research Permit Coordinator at lake_research@nps.gov |
Last updated: December 10, 2024