Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | G20AS00088

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00088

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU funding opportunity (USGS Fort Collins Science Center) seeks one CESU partner to work with the U.S. Geological Survey on building a practical soil-climate modeling application for the western United States sagebrush biome. The core technical goal is to pair contemporary environmental datasets with the Newhall Soil Simulation Model (NSM) in a spatially explicit framework so the project can map and interpret patterns and trends in soil moisture and plant-relevant growing conditions. In plain terms, the grant is aimed at translating climate, soil, and landscape information into usable outputs that show where and when soils are likely to be wetter or drier, how water balance and evapotranspiration vary across the landscape, and what those conditions imply for vegetation and habitat.

The project is framed around real management pressures in sagebrush ecosystems, shrublands, semi-arid rangelands, and woodlands, especially on public lands where multiple uses and natural processes overlap. The opportunity highlights the need to understand and plan for disturbances and interventions such as wildfire, fuels and fire risk reduction, habitat and vegetation treatments, restoration projects, energy development, grazing, and other land uses that can shift ecosystem condition. Because these lands function as interconnected wildlife habitat networks across the West, changes in soil moisture regimes and growing conditions can cascade into changes in habitat quality and the distribution and abundance of wildlife populations.

A major driver for the urgency of this work is the policy and planning context surrounding Greater Sage-grouse. The notice points to the Fish and Wildlife Service decision in 2016 and a later re-evaluation timeline (noted as 2021), which contributed to revisions of numerous federal land management plans and state wildlife management plans. Those revisions, and the broader planning environment they reflect, have increased demand for practical, defensible science that can be directly used by planners and field managers to compare alternatives, target treatments, and anticipate outcomes under changing environmental conditions.

On the technical design side, the grant emphasizes building the modeling and coding structure so it is flexible and reusable. The application should be set up in a way that allows substitution of code components and input datasets to support comparisons through time (historical analyses) and across alternative futures (scenario comparisons). That implies an expectation for an organized, transparent workflow that can be updated as new climate products, soil datasets, or spatial layers become available, and that can be re-run to test different assumptions or management scenarios.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, using a cooperative agreement mechanism, which typically indicates substantial involvement or collaboration with the federal scientists during the project. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.808 in the science and technology and other research and development activity category. The funding opportunity number is G20AS00088, with an award ceiling of $110,472 and an expectation of a single award. The competition was created June 16, 2020, with an original closing date of June 29, 2020, and eligibility is limited to CESU partners (with further clarification referenced in the eligibility text of the full announcement).

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 16, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 29, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $110,472.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G20AS00088

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: