Funding Wizard

Purpose of this Announcement: 1. This Announcement seeks to identify applicant organizations that propose to host and, as applicable, serve as consortium partners for a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) in the regions indicated below, and to determine if their proposed science, partnership, and program support activities and strategies are appropriate to serve in the following roles: • Alaska, Northwest, and Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Centers. The geographic footprints for potential hosts of these CASCs are indicated in the map below (see Attachment A). The high-level climate science focus areas anticipated for these CASCs are described in Attachment C. 2. Once selected, the recipient will be established as the Host Institution for the respective regional CASC. As a Host, an institution will be the sole entity eligible to receive funding to conduct follow-on research/science projects anticipated as a part of this Program Announcement. Host Institutions may engage with other institutions, including by subaward, as part of these projects.

The US Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU Partner to engage in collaborative research on new and experimental biological assessment tools that improve the spatial coverage, accuracy, precision, and usefulness of USGS’s Great Lakes science program and the quality of information provided to partners.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) partner for research to support the restoration of native coregonine fishes in the Great Lakes. Similar to many freshwater ecosystems, the Great Lakes of North America have undergone numerous anthropogenic stressors resulting in considerable loss of biodiversity and simplification or loss of habitat. The coregonine sub-family has endured the most extensive declines, including extinction for several species and multiple instances of local extirpations of other species. In 2018, a science-based, basin-wide approach to restore coregonines called the Coregonine Restoration Framework (herein, “Framework”) was universally endorsed by fishery managers throughout the basin. The Framework seeks to develop a restoration plan that includes several components of science support, including experimental and genetic approaches to improve our understanding of threats to existing stocks of conservation concern or impediments to reintroducing native fishes that were locally extirpated. Likewise, reintroduction will undoubtedly be required and is already being used, yet the ability to experimentally evaluate the best techniques for translocating or rearing and stocking hatchery fish is limited within the Great Lakes basin. Many of the species extirpated from Lake Ontario, for example, persist in Lake Superior yet the techniques to rear these rare deepwater fish could be further evaluated to ensure that hatchery products are genetically, morphologically, and behaviorally similar to their wild counterparts. This funding opportunity seeks a CESU partnership to provide experimental support to USGS stations located in Cortland, NY and Oswego, NY, such that science support to restoration and conservation of native coregonines can be enhanced.

The US Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in 1) machine learning (ML) applications for linking climatological outlooks/forecasts to quantitative projected estimates of crop yield and 2) developing `extended outlook¿ seasonal forecasts, starting from several months before the start of a season, and extending 18-24 months into the future.

The US Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for state-of-the-art research on sediment geochemical analysis in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The research will compare sediment environments in zones designated as impacted and reference zones following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC, Gainesville, FL) is offering a funding opportunity for research and technical assistance relevant to: “DWH Gulf of Mexico Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Community Restoration: sediment geochemical assessment in support of the Habitat Assessment and Evaluation Project”. The USGS conducts ecological studies in support of understanding restoration plans for the GOM, in conjunction and coordination with NOAA, as well as other state and federal partners. Research conducted by USGS scientists, and their research partners improves understanding of GOM sediment environments, continued environmental change, and responses to restoration actions in the deep GOM. USGS’s research provides valuable information, which is used to guide informed decisions during planning, restoration, and adaptive management throughout the duration of long-term restoration projects. The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to CESU partners with the capability to sample, quantify, and synthesize data analysis of sediments collected in regions impacted by the DWH and identify best practices for tracking changes to these constituents. It is anticipated that there will be up to three field sampling years, followed by two years of analysis and synthesis.

The US Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for state-of-the-art research on sediment meiofaunal community dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The research will compare sediment communities in zones designated as impacted and reference zones following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC, Gainesville, FL) is offering a funding opportunity for research and technical assistance relevant to: “DWH Gulf of Mexico Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Community Restoration: sediment meiofaunal community assessment in support of the Habitat Assessment and Evaluation Project”. The USGS conducts ecological studies in support of understanding restoration plans for the GOM, in conjunction and coordination with NOAA, as well as other state and federal partners. Research conducted by USGS scientists, and their research partners improves understanding of GOM sediment environments, continued environmental change, and responses to restoration actions in the deep GOM. USGS’s research provides valuable information, which is used to guide informed decisions during planning, restoration, and adaptive management throughout the duration of long-term restoration projects. The USGS is offering this opportunity to CESU partners with the capability to sample, quantify, and identify deep-sea sediment meiofaunal communities in the GOM impacted by the DWH, identify best practices for tracking changes to these communities, and predicting recovery trajectories. It is anticipated that there will be up to three field sampling years, followed by two years of analysis and synthesis.

The USGS Water Mission Area (WMA) Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS), is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for development and execution of a Technology Transition Framework (TTF). The TTF will facilitate and incentivize new needed innovations and a robust process to guide the transition of technologies from the identification of specifications and requirements, through market research, prototype/beta testing and independent verifications, and into USGS operations.

The 102nd Congress recognized that the USGS and the State Geological Surveys needed a coordinated program to prioritize the geologic mapping requirements of the Nation, and to increase production of these geologic maps. The National Geologic Mapping Act (Public Law 102-285) was signed into law in 1992 and created the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP). The Act has been re-authorized four times since then, most recently by the 116th Congress in 2019 (S. 47: John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, sec. 5002).

The US Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in 1) long-lead crop yield forecasting and crop condition outlooks, and 2) methods to provide crop yield forecasts and crop condition outlooks in FEWS NET countries where sub-national crop yield data are either non-existent or severely limited.

U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS), Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NoROCK), is offering a funding opportunity to improve model- and design-based inferences for natural resource monitoring programs. The proposed research will advance the understanding of approaches to model long-term monitoring data collected by Department of Interior agencies. Statisticians from NoROCK and CESU Partner will collaborate with the Everglades National Park and North American Bat Monitoring Program partners to understand resource management decision needs. A sound monitoring program requires periodic assessments of both the survey design in order to identify whether original and current objectives are being met. Specifically, whether the spatial sampling design, temporal frequency of data collection within a year and among years, field methods used, and analytical methods employed for status and trend estimation are aligned to deliver management relevant information with enough accuracy and precision. Statistical assessments such as summarizing data available with preliminary exploratory data analyses [graphics/tables etc], preliminary analyses and/or sample size [power analyses] investigations can help assess monitoring efforts or inform new efforts.