Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G24AS00245

Opportunity Information: Apply for G24AS00245

This opportunity is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement aimed specifically at partners in the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The project focuses on understanding what happens on USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands during drought conditions when emergency management actions like haying and grazing are used. The core idea is to run paired comparisons of CRP fields affected by drought, so that researchers can directly compare sites managed with haying and/or grazing against comparable sites that are not, and then measure how those choices influence plant communities, wildlife, and overall habitat condition.

The work is designed as a field-based study spanning two broad regions, the Great Plains and the Corn Belt, and it explicitly incorporates a precipitation gradient. USDA-provided drought information will be used to help identify and select CRP fields that represent a range of drought severities, rather than treating drought as a single condition. Researchers will then conduct surveys and collect on-the-ground measurements to evaluate vegetation quality and condition, along with indicators tied to erosion risk and habitat structure. In parallel, the project includes biological monitoring focused on grassland birds and pollinators, including native bees, to see how these groups respond under different drought intensities and management treatments.

After field data collection, the results will be analyzed to produce an integrated assessment of vegetation outcomes, erosion implications, and wildlife habitat quality. The intent is to generate practical, evidence-based insight into how haying and grazing on drought-impacted CRP lands affect multiple conservation goals at once: maintaining resilient grassland vegetation, limiting soil loss, supporting grassland bird populations, and sustaining pollinator communities. Because it is issued under the CESU framework, the award is structured as a cooperative agreement, which generally implies substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project period and an emphasis on collaborative research, technical assistance, and applied outcomes.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as a discretionary funding opportunity with a science and technology/research and development focus (CFDA 15.808). Eligibility is limited to organizations that are official participating partners of the Great Rivers CESU. The opportunity number is G24AS00245, it was created on January 18, 2024, and the original closing date was February 19, 2024. The stated award ceiling is $190,288, and the notice indicates expected awards but does not provide a specific count in the provided source text.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" 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 2024-01-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-19. (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 $190,288.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G24AS00245

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