Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | G19AS00089

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center funding call under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), Rocky Mountain CESU. The Funding Opportunity Number is G19AS00089, and it supports research and modeling focused on habitat dynamics across sagebrush, rangeland, and woodland ecosystems.

2) Who is offering the funding?

The funding call is offered by the USGS Fort Collins Science Center as part of the Rocky Mountain CESU program.

3) What type of award is expected?

The award is expected to be a cooperative agreement. This structure indicates the project is intended to involve substantial collaboration with USGS, rather than functioning as a hands-off grant.

4) How many awards were anticipated?

The program anticipated making one award.

5) What is the maximum funding amount (ceiling) for the award?

The anticipated award ceiling was $317,500.

6) What is the main purpose of the project?

The central aim is to produce practical, management-ready science that helps agencies conserve and manage native habitats while balancing livestock use and wildlife needs, with a major emphasis on Greater Sage-grouse (sage-grouse).

7) What ecosystems are the focus of this opportunity?

The opportunity focuses on habitat dynamics across sagebrush, rangeland, and woodland ecosystems, particularly within the semi-arid sagebrush region.

8) Why is this opportunity considered high priority right now?

The opportunity is motivated by active planning and policy needs, including widespread revisions to federal land-management plans across the sagebrush region and ongoing/upcoming U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluations related to sage-grouse. It is also driven by recurring large wildfires, increasing dominance of non-native plants, and other pressures that can rapidly change habitat condition and availability.

9) What kinds of scientific work are being requested?

The requested work is geared toward understanding and predicting how semi-arid ecosystems function and change over time, with emphasis on research and modeling that can be used directly for management and planning decisions.

10) What are the priority information needs described in the announcement?

The announcement highlights several priority needs, including: 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.

11) How does wildfire fit into the goals of this opportunity?

Wildfire is a central driver in the announcement. The work is expected to help explain and predict habitat change related to recurring large wildfires, including post-fire recovery rates and how fuels accumulate across landscapes, which influences future fire risk and habitat outcomes.

12) Does the opportunity address invasive or non-native plants?

Yes. The motivation includes the continued spread and dominance of non-native plants as a major pressure that can rapidly alter habitat condition and availability, increasing the need for defensible information for planners and managers.

13) What does "integration" mean in the context of this project?

Integration refers to linking habitat modeling (spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of sagebrush, rangeland, and woodland habitats) with wildlife population dynamics. The announcement notes that many organizations have already collected large amounts of wildlife population data, and the project is intended to connect those data to habitat change and configuration over time.

14) Is the work focused only on Greater Sage-grouse?

No. While Greater Sage-grouse is a focal species, the opportunity also emphasizes multi-species relevance. It specifically notes agency concerns about additional native wildlife such as songbirds, ungulates, and small mammals, and calls for analyses that evaluate how actions and disturbances affect multiple species.

15) What kinds of management actions or treatments are expected to be evaluated?

The announcement points to evaluating the effectiveness of restoration and other treatment actions, as well as examining how restoration efforts, vegetation treatments, and wildfire interact to affect habitats and multiple wildlife species.

16) What outcomes are expected from the research and modeling?

The intended outcome is management-ready science that translates ecosystem observations into usable guidance for planning and decision-making. This includes clearer, defensible information about how habitat patterns are changing, what is driving those changes, and which management actions are most likely to be effective.

17) What kinds of ecosystem drivers should be considered?

The announcement emphasizes understanding foundational drivers such as soils, climate, geography, fire regimes, and land use, and then tying those drivers to vegetation condition and ultimately to wildlife population responses.

18) How is this opportunity connected to land-management planning and policy?

The opportunity is designed to support high-stakes planning needs in the sagebrush region, including revisions to federal land-management plans and species-related evaluations. The work is intended to help managers anticipate outcomes and prioritize actions across landscapes.

19) What is meant by "practical, management-ready science" in this announcement?

Based on the announcement, it means science that is directly usable by agencies for conservation and management decisions. This includes interpretive frameworks, analyses, and models that connect disturbance, recovery, habitat patterns, and management interventions to expected wildlife population responses.

20) Who is eligible to apply?

The opportunity is limited to eligible CESU partners under the Rocky Mountain CESU. Eligibility is referenced in the full eligibility text, and the opportunity is generally labeled as "Others" with details provided in that eligibility section.

21) What federal program category does this fall under?

This is a discretionary USGS opportunity in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category.

22) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 15.808.

23) When was this opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on July 8, 2019.

24) What was the original closing date?

The original closing date was July 22, 2019.

25) What does the single-partner requirement imply?

The announcement describes a call for a single CESU partner to carry out the work. This implies the award is intended to be made to one CESU partner organization for the project described, consistent with the expectation of one award.

26) How does livestock use factor into the project goals?

The announcement explicitly frames the goal as supporting conservation and management of native habitats while balancing livestock use and wildlife needs, indicating the work should be relevant to real-world tradeoffs and multi-use management conditions.

27) What kinds of habitat questions is the project trying to answer?

Examples of habitat questions reflected in the announcement include: where and why certain habitat types occur; how quickly vegetation and habitat recover after disturbance (especially fire); how effective restoration and treatments are; how fuels accumulate; and how habitat configuration, quality, and trends translate into wildlife population changes.