Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G24AS00349

Opportunity Information: Apply for G24AS00349

The US Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a discretionary cooperative agreement through the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) to support research on pollinators in northern Arizona semi-arid grasslands that are used by bison. The project is designed to fill a clear information gap: while prior grazing exclusion work in this ecosystem has already documented that grazing can change grassland structure and function (including shifts in plant species composition, plant production, and nutrient dynamics, as noted in Musto 2023), there is little to no existing information on whether those bison-driven plant community changes translate into measurable differences in pollinator communities. Because pollinators depend on flowering plants for food resources and often for habitat, the study aims to connect on-the-ground vegetation changes associated with different bison use patterns to the pollinator assemblages those plant communities support.

The core purpose of the work is to examine pollinator communities, floral resources, and habitat quality across areas that experience varying bison densities. In practical terms, this means the research will compare sites along a gradient of bison presence or intensity and evaluate how that variation corresponds to pollinator abundance, diversity, community composition, and the availability or quality of flowering resources. The opportunity emphasizes that the effort will be largely field-based at the front end, with substantial data collection occurring before subsequent analysis of quantified biological data. This framing suggests a hands-on ecological study focused on building a robust dataset from real-world conditions in bison-influenced grasslands, rather than primarily modeling or desk-based synthesis.

Eligibility is restricted to organizations that are already participating partners in the Colorado Plateau CESU program. CESUs are formal partnerships intended to facilitate collaborative research, technical assistance, and education between federal agencies and partner institutions, and this award is specifically issued under that CESU mechanism. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates that the federal agency expects to have substantial involvement in the project compared with a more traditional grant, often through coordination on study design, field logistics, data needs, or deliverables.

Key administrative details from the opportunity listing include the funding opportunity title, "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit," and the opportunity number G24AS00349. The issuing agency is the USGS (Geological Survey). The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA number is 15.808. The award ceiling is $20,000. The original closing date for applications is May 22, 2024, and the opportunity was created on April 22, 2024. Overall, the solicitation supports a targeted, field-driven ecological research effort intended to clarify how bison-related vegetation changes may cascade to pollinator communities in northern Arizona grasslands, with eligibility limited to Colorado Plateau CESU partners and funding provided via a cooperative agreement.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" 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 2024-04-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-22. (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 $20,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G24AS00349

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