For The Monitoring Of Federally Listed Beach-Nesting Birds On Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California

The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest (NAVFAC SW) is offering a cooperative agreement funding opportunity to support environmental monitoring at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton (MCBCP) in California. This opportunity aligns with NAVFAC SW’s mission to support environmental compliance and stewardship on military installations, and it is issued under the authority of the Sikes Act. The funding is made available through the Department of Defense’s Assistance Listing 12.005 and targets the monitoring of federally listed endangered beach-nesting birds—the California least tern (LETE) and the western snowy plover (SNPL)—as part of ongoing conservation efforts mandated by the Riparian and Estuarian/Beach Biological Opinion for MCBCP. The funded research aims to systematically monitor the nesting behavior and habitat use of LETE and SNPL across potential breeding sites on MCBCP. The core activities involve conducting biweekly field surveys on foot and by vehicle throughout the breeding season (March 1 to September 15 or later), documenting nesting chronology, courtship behavior, chick development, and foraging patterns. Observers must also record environmental and predation conditions to evaluate the effectiveness of current management practices. The project includes banding chicks, conducting fledgling counts, estimating reproductive success via telemetry or mark-recapture, and analyzing population trends. The scope of work requires maintaining or reestablishing census grids using 15m, 25m, or 30m units, depending on colony size, and conducting minor fence maintenance to ensure the integrity of study sites. The selected cooperator must produce a comprehensive report summarizing data collection and analysis with supporting photographs and must meet all methodological and documentation standards agreed upon with the government. All collected data will inform continued adaptive management of LETE and SNPL populations in the context of military training and environmental impact. The total anticipated funding over the project period is $1,645,849, contingent on the exercise of all base and optional years. The base period is 14 months from the date of award, followed by four optional 12-month periods for LETE monitoring and five corresponding SNPL monitoring items. No cost-sharing or matching is required. Applications are limited to Californian partners of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit who qualify under DoDGARs Part 34 or 2 CFR 200. Applicants must demonstrate technical expertise in shorebird monitoring, and key personnel must hold relevant advanced degrees and federal permits for banding LETE and SNPL. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov or email to the designated contact by 2:00 PM Pacific on January 22, 2026. The package must include SF-424 forms, budget narratives, biographical sketches, and project plans aligned with the specified statement of objectives. Notification of award is expected by January 29, 2026, and the cooperative agreement will begin on January 30, 2026. The opportunity is not recurring and does not support reimbursement of pre-award costs. For more information or assistance, applicants may contact Kevin Magennis at [email protected] or call 619-705-5566. Prospective applicants should ensure submissions are fully compliant with instructions and budget guidance provided in the NOFO, including the requirement for detailed personnel qualifications and scientific methodology.