Great Lakes Piping Plover Salvage Captive Rearing

This is a long running project that is of great benefit to the critically endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover population. This involves bringing abandoned eggs into captivity, incubating the eggs and raising the chicks until they fledge and can be released back into the wild. This is a notice of intent to award a single source grant agreement to The Detroit Zoological Society without competition under justification 505DM 2.14B, 2 and 4. Competition is not practical as the Detroit Zoological Society has been conducting the salvage captive rearing activities for many years and are uniquely qualified to continue this activity. They have been operating out of existing facilities at the University of Michigan Biological Station for many years and they have the experience, contacts and unique expertise to continue to carry out these activities in the most efficient manner that provides the greatest benefit to the plovers.