Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | G19AS00089

Opportunity Information: Apply for G19AS00089

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G19AS00089) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center funding call for a single CESU partner to carry out research and modeling focused on habitat dynamics across sagebrush, rangeland, and woodland ecosystems. The central aim is to produce practical, management-ready science that helps agencies conserve and manage native habitats while also balancing livestock use and wildlife needs, with a major emphasis on Greater Sage-grouse (sage-grouse). The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the project is expected to involve substantial collaboration with USGS rather than operating as a hands-off grant.

The opportunity is motivated by a high-stakes planning and policy context. Federal land-management plans across the sagebrush region have been undergoing widespread revision, driven in part by prior decisions and by ongoing and upcoming evaluations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service related to sage-grouse. At the same time, the region has seen recurring large wildfires, continued spread and dominance of non-native plants, and other pressures that can rapidly change habitat condition and availability. These trends increase the demand for clearer, defensible information that planners and managers can use to understand how habitat patterns are changing, what is driving those changes, and what management actions are most likely to be effective.

The scientific work being sought is explicitly geared toward understanding and predicting how these semi-arid ecosystems function and change over time. Priority information needs include identifying the factors that control where different habitat types occur, estimating rates of vegetation and habitat recovery after disturbance (especially after fire), evaluating the effectiveness of restoration and other treatment actions, and improving understanding of how wildfire fuels accumulate across landscapes. In other words, the project is meant to connect the on-the-ground reality of disturbance, recovery, and management interventions to a broader landscape-scale view that supports planning and decision-making.

A key theme of the announcement is integration: large amounts of wildlife population data have already been collected by many organizations across the sagebrush range, and the USGS is looking for work that links those population dynamics to the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of sagebrush, rangeland, and woodland habitats. The underlying idea is that long-term conservation success depends on understanding how changes in habitat configuration, quality, and trend translate into changes in wildlife populations. By connecting habitat modeling with population information, the project is intended to help managers anticipate outcomes and prioritize actions more effectively.

While sage-grouse is a focal species, the opportunity also highlights the need for multi-species relevance. Federal and state agencies have expressed concerns about additional native wildlife such as songbirds, ungulates, and small mammals, and the announcement calls for analyses that examine how restoration efforts, vegetation treatments, and wildfire interact to affect multiple species at once. This reflects a broader push toward conservation strategies that work across guilds and taxa rather than optimizing for a single species in isolation.

The opportunity also emphasizes a process of synthesis and translation. Documentation of ecosystem and habitat patterns, trends, and treatment effects is increasing, but managers still need concepts, analyses, and interpretive frameworks that turn those observations into usable guidance. The announcement points to the importance of understanding foundational ecosystem drivers such as soils, climate, geography, fire regimes, and land use, and then explicitly tying that understanding to vegetation condition and ultimately to wildlife population responses. The intended outcome is science that helps decision-makers better balance ecological integrity with human uses across the sagebrush landscape.

Administratively, this is a discretionary USGS opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category (CFDA 15.808), limited to eligible CESU partners (listed generally as "Others" with details referenced in the full eligibility text). It was created July 8, 2019, with an original closing date of July 22, 2019. The program anticipated one award with a ceiling of $317,500.

• 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 Jul 08, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 22, 2019. (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 $317,500.00 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).

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