Landscape Pattern Ridge and Slough in the Florida Everglades

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District, has issued a Request for Statement of Interest (RSOI) under opportunity number W9126G-25-2-SOI-6573 for a cooperative agreement to study landscape patterns in the Florida Everglades. The project focuses specifically on the ridge and slough mosaics, which are a key ecological feature of the Everglades ecosystem. This effort falls under the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C. § 4001 for research and development projects and supports the implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The CERP was authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 and is intended to restore, preserve, and protect the South Florida ecosystem. The program’s Monitoring and Assessment Plan (MAP) provides the framework for evaluating restoration progress, and this project will generate new data to advance adaptive management of Everglades restoration. The project objectives include establishing reference conditions for sawgrass ridges and sloughs, monitoring trends in these ecosystems, tracking unexpected ecological responses to restoration activities, and producing data to enhance understanding of vegetation, hydrology, and landscape interactions. The anticipated work includes mandatory tasks such as a kick-off meeting and work plan, vegetation sampling across designated Water Conservation Areas and Everglades National Park, data analysis and reporting, and participation in RECOVER Regional Team meetings. Optional tasks may include expanding surveys to Big Cypress National Preserve, contributing to System Status Reports, updating vegetation performance measures, and conducting monitoring plan evaluations. Deliverables will consist of quarterly reports, annual reports, presentations, data files, and contributions to broader RECOVER assessments. Funding for this opportunity includes an award ceiling of $691,988 and a floor of $130,339, with one expected award. The base period of performance will be 12 months, with up to four additional 12-month follow-on periods contingent on available funding. The established CESU indirect rate of 17.5 percent applies. Applicants are not required to provide cost sharing or matching funds. While this notice does not require a full proposal or budget at this stage, interested organizations must demonstrate qualifications and capabilities in ecological research and Everglades-specific expertise through a Statement of Interest. Eligibility for this opportunity is restricted to members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) in the Gulf Coast, Piedmont–South Atlantic Coast, and South Florida-Caribbean regions. Applicants must demonstrate technical capabilities in Everglades ecology, including vegetation mapping, aerial and ground surveys, and use of statistical approaches such as the Generalized Random-Tessellation Stratified framework. The principal investigator must hold a doctoral degree in a relevant field such as ecology, botany, or landscape science, and must be able to secure research permits for federal and state lands in the Everglades. Additionally, recipients and subcontractors must have an active NIST SP 800-171 DoD assessment within the last three years. Applications are currently open, with Statements of Interest due by August 27, 2025, at 2:00 PM Central Time. Questions must be submitted by August 11, 2025. Following review, selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals. Submissions should be directed by email to Nicholas A. Aprea, Grants Specialist (Nicholas.a.aprea@usace.army.mil, 817-886-1925), and Niki Baker, Project Manager (Nicole.d.baker@usace.army.mil, 918-669-4939). Additional coordination may involve staff from the Jacksonville District’s RECOVER program, including Jennifer John and Tasso Cocoves. Statements will be evaluated based on technical merit, relevance to USACE and Department of Defense missions, and the qualifications and resources of the proposing institution. Ratings will be assigned from “Good/Excellent” to “Acceptable” or “Unacceptable,” with only top-rated applicants advancing to the full proposal stage. The RSOI must be no more than three pages in length and include organizational details, technical qualifications, past project experience, personnel bios, and available facilities or resources. Evaluation will consider the proposer’s ability to exceed performance standards and align with the objectives of Everglades restoration. Overall, this cooperative agreement represents a significant opportunity to contribute to one of the largest ecosystem restoration efforts in the United States. It seeks highly qualified academic and research partners with expertise in wetland ecology and ecosystem monitoring to support the Department of Defense and USACE’s role in advancing CERP and maintaining long-term restoration assessments in the Florida Everglades.

Only SOI required at this stage; no full proposal or budget requested