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

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a cooperative agreement to a partner in the Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) for a research project focused on vegetation and soil analyses on military lands in Oregon. The project will address critical gaps in the inventory of vegetation cover and soil factors, including carbon, that relate to site resistance to invasive, wildfire-promoting plant species and the potential for recovery after fire in semi-arid uplands. This work supports USGS priorities by providing objective, science-based data to improve the sustainable use of large landscapes for military and other uses. Exotic grass invasions and the wildfires they promote have been identified as a major threat to the security of vast, semiarid military landscapes in the cold desert range of the western United States. The broader objective of the project is to help state and federal military land managers, as well as partnering agencies, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of land management through the proposed inventory and analysis. Specific objectives include developing and implementing a scientifically defensible, quantitatively based sampling plan, processing samples with analyses such as soil texture assessment, and analyzing data to summarize the spatial variation and relationships between native and exotic plants and soil properties. The anticipated award will be a single cooperative agreement with a one-year project and budget period. The total estimated funding available is $49,600, and applicants should submit proposals reflecting the full one-year period. Eligible applicants must be a current participating partner of the Great Basin CESU. CESU is a network of partnerships that facilitates research, technical assistance, and education to address natural and cultural resource management issues. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov using Funding Opportunity Number G25AS00342. Applicants must prepare a technical narrative with an introduction, objectives, methods, planned products, dissemination plans, schedule, references, and other applicable information. A detailed budget narrative organized by object class category on the SF-424A form must also be provided, along with a data management plan in accordance with USGS policy. Proposals will be evaluated on purpose and relevance, technical approach, budget justification, and applicant qualifications, each weighted equally at 25 percent. The project is expected to start upon award and last for one year. Progress reports must be submitted annually through GrantSolutions within 90 days after the agreement year ends, and a final technical report is due 120 days after the end of the project period. Financial reports, including the SF-425 Federal Financial Report, are required annually and at the close of the project. Publications resulting from the project must acknowledge USGS support and follow USGS guidelines for logo use and disclaimers. For questions about application submission, contact Rachel Miller, Grants Management Specialist, at rachelmiller@usgs.gov. For technical questions about project goals and objectives, contact Dr. Matt Germino, Supervisory Research Ecologist, at mgermino@usgs.gov or 208-387-1382. The opportunity remains open until the closing date specified in Grants.gov.

Dissemination of results to agencies and the public is encouraged; follow USGS Fundamental Science Practices.