Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU | G17AS00106

Opportunity Information: Apply for G17AS00106

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G17AS00106) is a discretionary research funding announcement from the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. It is being offered through the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center as a cooperative agreement, meaning the work is expected to be carried out in collaboration with the federal partners rather than as a simple pass-through grant. The funding activity falls under science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 15.808). The opportunity was created on July 5, 2017, with an original closing date of July 21, 2017, and it anticipated making one award with a maximum funding level (award ceiling) of $60,000. Eligibility is limited to partners within the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit framework (listed as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement).

The purpose of the project is to support applied research on restoring a fen located on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land within the Chase Lake Prairie Project near Woodworth, North Dakota. Fens are uncommon wetland ecosystems in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America and are ecologically important because they can provide habitat for rare or specialized plant communities, invertebrates, and other wildlife. The announcement emphasizes that broad land-use and land-cover changes across the Prairie Pothole Region have led to widespread loss or degradation of these systems, making remaining fens both valuable and vulnerable.

This specific fen has a clear degradation history tied to past water management decisions. A dam was installed downslope of the fen to create open water intended to improve habitat for waterfowl. That action produced a small lake behind the dam, and the resulting year-round flooding effectively eliminated the fen conditions that depend on a particular hydrologic regime. In spring 2017, the dam's water-control structure washed out. Instead of rebuilding it, the Fish and Wildlife Service planned to remove the dam and pursue restoration of the original fen habitat. Because the failure and planned removal occurred in real time, the site provides an unusual chance to study fen recovery from the beginning and follow it through the full restoration process, generating practical knowledge about how Prairie Pothole Region fens respond when hydrology is returned closer to natural conditions.

In short, the award is meant to fund a CESU partner to design and carry out research that documents and evaluates fen restoration at this North Dakota site, leveraging a rare, time-sensitive restoration event to improve scientific understanding and inform future wetland restoration decisions in the region.

• The Department of the Interior, Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 05, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 21, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $60,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G17AS00106

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