Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G19AS00133

Opportunity Information: Apply for G19AS00133

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Great Lakes Northern Forests funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G19AS00133) is a small, targeted research grant offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a bureau within the Department of the Interior. Managed through the USGS Fort Collins Science Center (FORT), the award is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the work is expected to be collaborative in nature with meaningful involvement from the federal partner rather than a hands-off grant.

The core purpose of the project is to quantify ecosystem services delivered by agricultural lands using satellite (earth observation) data, with a specific focus on lands associated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP fields are set aside under contract to achieve conservation outcomes such as improved wildlife habitat, reduced soil erosion, and better water quality. While satellites can efficiently track land cover and vegetation conditions across large areas, the opportunity notes that relatively little work has been done to translate satellite indicators into credible measures of the conservation and habitat benefits specifically tied to CRP lands.

A central challenge the project aims to address is that CRP land tenure is not static. Contracts expire, landowners may re-enroll, convert fields back to cultivation, or keep them in a less intensive land use that still provides conservation value. Because of this churn, decision-makers have limited information about what happens to environmental benefits after CRP contracts end. The opportunity highlights that fields that do not return to active cultivation may continue to provide meaningful habitat quality and other ecosystem services, and those benefits are not fully represented by simple acreage totals or enrollment statistics.

To close that gap, the project goal is to link remotely sensed indicators (for example, satellite-derived vegetation metrics and land cover signals) with ground-collected habitat quality data. In practical terms, this involves connecting what satellites "see" from above with on-the-ground measurements that reflect real habitat conditions and conservation outcomes. By pairing these two data sources, the project is intended to test and refine efficient methods for evaluating environmental benefits on CRP and post-CRP lands, potentially creating data products that can be updated over time and scaled across broader geographies than field sampling alone would allow.

The opportunity also emphasizes applied relevance and interagency usefulness. USDA and other partners are described as committed to a cooperative process to ensure that the resulting datasets, methods, and findings are directly usable for management and program decisions. In addition to improving understanding of CRP outcomes, the techniques developed through this work are positioned as transferable to other projects involving agricultural landscapes and Department of the Interior collaborators, suggesting the intent is to build a repeatable approach rather than a one-off analysis.

In terms of basic award details, this is a discretionary funding opportunity under CFDA 15.808, with one expected award and an award ceiling of $37,000. Eligibility is limited to a CESU partner (listed under "Others" with clarification referenced in the eligibility section of the full notice). The opportunity was created on September 4, 2019, with an original closing date of September 18, 2019, indicating a short application window typical of some CESU competitions.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. 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 Lakes Northern Forests 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 Sep 04, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 18, 2019. (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 $37,000.00 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 G19AS00133

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