Comparison of Fish Assemblages of the Crutcho Creek Drainage Basin, Oklahoma (Tinker Air Force Base) | W81EWF 20 SOI 0034

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 20 SOI 0034

The grant opportunity titled "Comparison of Fish Assemblages of the Crutcho Creek Drainage Basin, Oklahoma (Tinker Air Force Base)" supports a focused, year-long research effort to evaluate fish communities in and around Tinker Air Force Base (AFB) within the Crutcho Creek drainage basin. It is framed around a broader Department of Defense (DoD) need: maintaining healthy land and water resources on military installations so that training and mission activities can continue with minimal constraints. Because the DoD manages vast acreage and many ecologically important stream and riparian corridors, the program emphasizes that protecting riparian systems is not only an environmental priority but also a practical readiness issue. Riparian zones are described as biodiversity-rich and stabilizing features of prairie stream ecosystems, yet they are also especially vulnerable because they function like the connective tissue of a landscape, quickly transmitting impacts such as pollution, altered flows, habitat fragmentation, and invasive species.

A major motivation for the work is the long history of fish monitoring in the region and the recognized influence of urbanization on stream fish diversity and community structure. The opportunity notes that urban development is well known to reduce species richness and alter assemblage composition, but that comparatively few studies have examined these patterns in prairie streams or on DoD lands specifically. Tinker AFB and nearby urban areas have experienced decades of development pressure and associated disturbances, and the installation has been part of a larger multi-decade dataset built from fish collections across more than 80 streams in the Midwest and southern plains dating back to the 1970s. The last comprehensive survey specific to the base area occurred in 2009 to 2010, creating a clear need for an updated assessment that can be directly compared to historical conditions.

The project is designed as both monitoring and hypothesis-relevant ecological research. It explicitly connects local fish and habitat observations to broader theory about how stream communities change through time. Rather than assuming a stable "climax" community, the opportunity highlights more modern thinking that stream fish assemblages can shift substantially due to floods, droughts, and human impacts, yet often move back toward a temporary or shifting steady state described as "loose equilibrium." By revisiting historically sampled sites and pairing biological sampling with habitat characterization, the study aims to document whether the Crutcho Creek basin is showing resilience, directional change, or repeated disturbance-driven turnover, and to provide a baseline for detecting future changes.

The anticipated work is laid out as a set of concrete objectives. The recipient would first compile and review prior fish and basin literature and existing datasets for Crutcho Creek. The core field effort is a one-year, seasonal (temporal) survey of fish assemblages across the drainage basin, emphasizing locations that were previously sampled both on-base and off-base to strengthen long-term comparability. Alongside fish sampling, the project requires site-level habitat characterization and a comparison to habitat conditions recorded roughly a decade earlier, with an expectation that the analysis may include multivariate or similar statistical methods to examine habitat use and community-environment relationships. The study then calls for direct comparison of current fish communities to historical findings across the basin, interpretation of results in the context of community dynamics and natural variation, and identification of a smaller set of representative monitoring sites that capture overall fish diversity and can be used for continued long-term tracking.

The deliverables extend beyond data collection. The opportunity expects the research team to translate findings into practical recommendations for stream and riparian management or restoration within the Crutcho Creek drainage basin, including areas influenced by Air Force mission activities and surrounding land use. It also emphasizes communication: results should be shared through publications and professional presentations, reinforcing that the work is intended to contribute to both installation management decisions and the broader scientific understanding of prairie stream fish dynamics.

Administratively, this is a DoD discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Department of Defense (listed under CEERD-CERL) and is to be awarded as a cooperative agreement, indicating ongoing collaboration/coordination with the agency rather than a simple procurement contract. The opportunity number is W81EWF-20-SOI-0034, with CFDA 12.630. The anticipated award is a single award with a ceiling of $55,000. The posting dates show it was created June 9, 2020 with an original closing date of July 9, 2020. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with clarification expected in the attached Statement of Interest (SOI) and submission requirements referenced in the notice.

• The Department of Defense, CEERD-CERL in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Comparison of Fish Assemblages of the Crutcho Creek Drainage Basin, Oklahoma (Tinker Air Force Base)" 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 Jun 09, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 09, 2020. (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 $55,000.00 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 W81EWF 20 SOI 0034

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