Natural Resources and Endangered Species Research and Support at Fort Hood, Texas | W81EWF 23 SOI 0008

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 23 SOI 0008

The Natural Resources and Endangered Species Research and Support at Fort Hood, Texas grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W81EWF 23 SOI 0008) is a US Army Corps of Engineers cooperative agreement focused on applied research, monitoring, and on-the-ground technical support for managing sensitive natural resources on one of the Army's most intensively used training installations. Fort Hood supports extremely high levels of mechanized training, yet it also contains important habitat for federally protected and otherwise sensitive wildlife, including the endangered golden-cheeked warbler, the recently delisted black-capped vireo, a wide range of migratory birds, and at-risk pollinators. The core purpose of the opportunity is to help the Army meet conservation obligations and sustainability goals while maintaining long-term training capacity, using science-based monitoring and analysis to guide management decisions.

The project is organized around a set of coordinated tasks that combine data analysis with field surveys and population monitoring. A major component is to summarize and analyze existing avian datasets collected during the 2023 breeding season, including point count surveys, nest locations, nest monitoring records, and productivity measures. These analyses are intended to quantify distribution, abundance, and population status for endangered and migratory bird species on the installation, estimate population sizes and trends, and evaluate how Fort Hood management actions contribute to broader regional conservation goals. A practical deliverable is that these results will feed directly into Fort Hood's annual endangered species status reporting.

Field work during the 2024 breeding season is another central part of the effort. For the golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo, the work emphasizes demographic monitoring from roughly March through July, including documenting occurrence and density via established point count routes and measuring reproductive success through intensive nest searching and repeated nest checks. The scope includes banding nestlings (particularly vireos) and capturing and banding adult warblers using mist net techniques, all under existing state and federal permits held by Fort Hood staff and consistent with protocols in Fort Hood's Endangered Species Management Component (ESMC). The overall intent is to track temporal and spatial variation in key demographic parameters so Fort Hood can identify which management and habitat actions are most effective over time.

Beyond the two focal endangered/at-risk songbirds, the opportunity also calls for broader monitoring of migratory birds during the March through August 2024 breeding season. This includes collecting demographic information on occurrence, density, and nest placement across selected monitoring sites, explicitly comparing areas with and without maneuver lane habitat modifications. The recipient is expected to analyze these data to identify trends in abundance and reproductive effort and translate findings into actionable guidance for conservation and land management on an active training landscape.

Pollinator work is included as a baseline assessment effort, with a focus on butterflies and particularly monarchs during spring and summer 2024. The project involves transect surveys in grassland habitats, recording butterfly detections alongside milkweed stem counts to understand how host plant availability relates to monarch distribution and abundance. Any monarchs encountered are to be netted and tagged for the Monarch Watch Program, linking Fort Hood monitoring to a broader continental tracking effort. Survey locations and methods are to be coordinated with Fort Hood Natural Resources staff and the Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL).

The grant also addresses invasive species impacts through a dedicated feral hog survey and management evaluation task spanning fall 2023 through spring 2024. Because feral hogs can severely degrade habitat through rooting and trampling, Fort Hood actively monitors and controls them to protect endangered species habitat and overall ecosystem condition. The work includes using multiple detection and control approaches such as visual sign and animal surveys, aerial surveys, and trapping, followed by analysis to assess which survey and control methods are most effective for Fort Hood's management needs. As with the other field components, site selection and implementation are to be coordinated with Fort Hood Natural Resources and ERDC-CERL.

Finally, the opportunity includes support for natural resources outreach activities aimed at both the installation and surrounding communities. Specific outreach products and events are to be determined collaboratively, but examples include organizing or supporting events like Christmas Bird Counts and Breeding Bird Counts, engaging local schools about Fort Hood natural resource stewardship, developing educational materials for different age groups, and hosting guided nature walks to build awareness of the installation's ecological value and conservation work.

Administratively, this is a discretionary opportunity using a cooperative agreement instrument under CFDA 12.630, led by the Department of the Army, US Army Corps of Engineers. The maximum funding level listed is $977,000. Importantly, eligibility is restricted: only non-federal partners of the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) can apply, reflecting the Army's use of the CESU network to carry out collaborative research and technical support. Study design and selection of focal sites are expected to be developed jointly with Fort Hood, ERDC-CERL, and CESU partners, and the government anticipates that the findings will be useful not only locally but across the broader ranges of the focal species. The original closing date shown for the opportunity was 2023-06-12, with a creation date of 2023-04-11.

• The Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Natural Resources and Endangered Species Research and Support at Fort Hood, Texas" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-12. (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 $977,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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