Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a cooperative agreement funding opportunity through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. This particular award is being offered to a CESU-affiliated partner of the Great Basin CESU. The project, titled "Field-based vegetation and soil analyses on state, DOD, and DOI lands in SE Idaho, NW Utah, and SW Washington," is designed to address critical gaps in knowledge regarding vegetation cover and soil properties, including soil carbon. This research directly relates to land resistance to invasive grasses that promote wildfires and the ability of these sites to recover after fire events. By filling these information gaps, the USGS seeks to provide reliable, science-based information that will improve land management efficiency for military and federal lands, which face growing risks from exotic grasses and fire regimes in cold desert rangelands of the Western United States. The broader objective of this project is to support federal and state land management efforts, particularly on military installations, by establishing scientifically defensible and quantitative sampling of vegetation and soil conditions. Specific tasks include the development and implementation of a field sampling plan, processing of collected soil samples to analyze texture and other properties, statistical analysis of data to understand the spatial variation of native and exotic vegetation relative to soil characteristics, and provision of the results and datasets to the USGS. The outcomes of this work will be shared to guide land managers in developing strategies that increase ecosystem resilience and recovery. The anticipated award will take the form of a cooperative agreement, lasting five years with one base year and four potential additional years of funding contingent upon satisfactory progress and funding availability. The estimated total project funding is $489,600, with an initial award amount of approximately $48,190 in the first year. Future annual funding amounts will be determined based on project performance and available federal resources. Eligibility for this award is restricted to partners of the Great Basin CESU. CESUs are established partnerships designed to provide research, technical assistance, and education to federal agencies and their collaborators. Only organizations that are currently part of the Great Basin CESU are eligible to apply for this opportunity. The recipient organization will be required to demonstrate its capacity to meet the research objectives through prior work, available facilities, and qualified staff. Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov, using the Funding Opportunity Number G25AS00348. The technical narrative must include project details such as investigator information, roles of collaborators, facilities and equipment available, and prior relevant experience. Applicants must also provide a detailed proposal covering the research problem, objectives, methods, anticipated products, schedule, and references. A comprehensive budget narrative is required, outlining personnel, fringe benefits, supplies, equipment, contractual services, travel, other direct costs, and indirect costs. CESU agreements cap indirect cost recovery at 17.5 percent. Proposals will be reviewed by USGS personnel and evaluated based on purpose, objectives, relevance, technical approach, budget clarity, and applicant qualifications. Scoring will be based on a 100-point system that considers clarity of objectives, feasibility of methods, budget justification, and demonstrated expertise in vegetation, soils, and carbon studies in semiarid ecosystems. Final award determination will be made by the Contracting Officer. The project also requires a Data Management Plan to address data dissemination, archiving, and access. Progress reports and financial reports will be required annually, and a final technical report will be due within 120 days of project completion. Questions concerning the application process should be directed to USGS Grant Specialist Katie Calder (kcalder@usgs.gov). Technical questions about the project can be addressed to Dr. Matt Germino at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center in Boise, Idaho (mgermino@usgs.gov, phone: 208-830-7841). This opportunity emphasizes the federal government’s commitment to using science to address pressing natural resource challenges on military and public