Florida Science and Technology Grants

This grant provides funding for research organizations in the South Florida-Caribbean and Gulf Coast regions to study fish dynamics and habitat use in the Shark River Slough area of the Florida Everglades, contributing to ecological restoration efforts.

This scholarship provides financial assistance to high school seniors from specific Florida counties who demonstrate financial need and are pursuing higher education.

Project Title: Habitat Conservation and Improvement for the federally endangered Smalls milkpea and candidate species sand flax at U.S. Army Garrison Miami, Homestead/SOCSOUTH Site, Homestead, Florida.A cooperative agreement is being offered ONLY to members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program Region(s) identified above. Award will be made upon mutual agreement and acceptance of the terms and conditions contained in the request for proposal and the of the recipients CESU Master Agreement.Note the established CESU Program indirect rate is 17.5%.Responses to this Request for Statements of Interest will be used to identify potential organizations for this project. Approximately $50,000 is expected to be available to support this project for the base period. Additional funding may be available to the successful recipient for optional tasks and/or follow on work in subsequent years for a total project cost of $210,000 (base + four follow-on periods).NOTE: This project will be awarded under the authority of 10 USC 2684a: Agreements to limit encroachments and other constraints on military training, testing, and operations, UAI Part 5101, Version 4 dated 25 Jan 2017, revised July 2018. Re-Delegation of Authority in10 U.S.C 2684a.Period of Performance. The base period of agreement will extend 12 months from date of award. There may be up to four 12-month follow-on periods based on availability of funding. Description of Anticipated Work: See attached Statement of Objectives NOTE: At this time, we are only requesting that you demonstrate available qualifications and capability for performing similar or same type of work by submitting a Statement of Interest. A full proposal and budget are NOT requested at this time. Submission of Your Statement of InterestStatements of Interest are due by 12:00 P.M., Central Time, on 15 July 2024.Submit your Statement of Interest via e-mail attachments or direct questions to: Sandy JustmanGrants SpecialistUSACE, Fort Worth DistrictEmail: [email protected] CrawleyProject ManagerUSACE, Fort Worth DistrictEmail: [email protected] you for your interest in our Cooperative Agreements Program.

The US Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research on how hydrology and inundation affect Everglades tree island health and how tree island condition differs geospatially and with vegetation type. The USGS conducts ecological and hydrologic research and monitoring in support of Greater Everglades restoration efforts through South Florida, in conjunction with its Federal, State, and local partners. Research conducted by USGS scientists, and their research partners advance the understanding of Greater Everglades restoration and the potential influence of environmental change on ecosystem restoration. USGS research provides valuable information which contributes to decision-making during restoration. The USGS is offering an opportunity to CESU partners with existing tree island and Everglades vegetation expertise to compile and collect hydrologic and tree island data sets, perform quantitative analyses on how hydrology impacts tree island condition, and develop a set of criteria that can be integrated into ETree, a web application and decision support tool that shows hydrologic indicators at tree island locations in the Greater Everglades.

The NIST Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), authorized by 15 U.S.C. 278k, is seeking applications from eligible applicants to enter into a cooperative agreement to operate an MEP Center in the State of Florida. The MEP Center will provide manufacturing extension services to small and mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs) in the State of Florida. The MEP Center will become part of the MEP National Network, which consists of 51 MEP Centers located in every State and Puerto Rico, and over 1,440 trusted advisors and experts at approximately 460 MEP service locations.

The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000 authorized the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) as a framework for modifications and operational changes to the Central and Southern Florida Project needed to restore the south Florida ecosystem. Provisions within WRDA 2000 provided for specific authorization for an adaptive assessment and monitoring program. The CEPP is a CERP project expected to provide an additional 370,000 acre-feet of freshwater to the Everglades annually. Freshwater fishes and invertebrates play a critical role at the base of the food chain within Everglades marshes, providing food to iconic apex predators like wading birds and alligators. Changes in water quantity and quality that influence freshwater fish and invertebrate assemblage structure directly influences wading bird ecology and ecosystem integrity of Everglades marshes. Monitoring of fishes and large invertebrates is necessary to track changes in water management associated with restoration projects both within Everglades National Park and upstream within the Water Conservation Areas. Long-term monitoring data are required to support assessment of the changes in water management. This project will conduct field sample collection, process samples, and data analyses and evaluate the long-term data set with regards to natural resource condition assessments. The CEPP Adaptive Management and Ecological Monitoring Plans identify the freshwater fish and macroinvertebrate communities as essential attributes of the ecosystem that need to be monitored to assess the influence of the CEPP and to confirm additional freshwater is improving the production and availability of aquatic fauna (fish and macroinvertebrates) to support higher tropic levels. This monitoring of aquatic fauna will inform CEPP Adaptive Management actions associated with CEPP performance in conjunction with other CERP projects and non-CERP operations. Program Description/Objective: (brief description of the anticipated work) The purpose of this research is to leverage a long-term dataset to monitor the status and trends of freshwater fish and macroinvertebrate populations at established sites within Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA3) in order to determine pre-CEPP implementation baseline conditions for aquatic fauna to inform CEPP Adaptive Management and Ecological Monitoring Plans The project objectives include: Objective 1: Collect samples to monitor status and trends of large (>8cm) and small (<8cm) freshwater fish and macroinvertebrate populations at 10-12 established sites in WCA3 up to 5 times intra-annually. Objective 2: Establish and report the baseline condition of aquatic faunal abundances and biomasses for future use in a Before, After, Control, Impact (BACI) assessment of CEPP project implementation. Objective 3: Demonstrate progress and present results in the form of quarterly status reports, annual reports, and a final report. Public Benefit This project will play a critical role in determining the effect of the CEPP on the aquatic fauna community in WCA3 and continue to build upon the knowledge base for understanding the ecology of the freshwater trophic community in the Greater Everglades ecosystem. Data collected will be used to inform the successful implementation of the CEPP and support the CERP in reaching its restoration goals and objectives. Understanding aquatic faunal dynamics within WCA3 is critical to assess and the effects of hydrologic changes associated with CEPP implementation, ecosystem restoration, and climate change which have potential impacts on the economy of South Florida, including tourism, recreational opportunities, and water management.