Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G24AS00138

Opportunity Information: Apply for G24AS00138

This grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G24AS00138) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically through the Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC). It is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) framework, and it is limited to eligible applicants that are participating partners in the USGS Colorado Plateau CESU Program. In practical terms, that means a university or other institution must already be formally affiliated with the Colorado Plateau CESU to apply, since the CESU program is designed to strengthen collaboration between USGS and partner organizations through research, technical assistance, and education.

The project focus is the development of research and modeling related to dust emissions and dust dispersion originating from the shorelines of Lake Powell and Lake Mead. These reservoirs are the two largest in the Colorado River Basin, and their fluctuating water levels can expose large areas of sediment along reservoir margins. The funded work is intended to support integrated model predictions that estimate where and when dust could be emitted from exposed shoreline areas and how that dust could move and spread once airborne. The purpose is not modeling for its own sake, but to generate predictions that can be used to inform decisions about water use and reservoir operations, along with related regulation and policy choices.

A central theme of the opportunity is decision support tied to real-world impacts. The modeling outcomes are meant to help evaluate potential consequences for natural resources and human health. Dust can affect ecosystems by altering soil and plant conditions and can degrade air quality, which is directly relevant to public health concerns in nearby communities and downwind areas. By improving predictions of emission potential and dispersion patterns, the project aims to provide a stronger scientific basis for weighing the tradeoffs associated with reservoir management under drought, changing water allocations, and operational scenarios that expose or inundate sediment at different times of year.

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, which typically signals substantial involvement and collaboration by USGS staff during the project. Under cooperative agreements, the USGS often participates in planning, technical direction, data integration, and coordination to ensure the work aligns with agency science needs and produces usable outputs. This is consistent with the stated goal of promoting cooperation between USGS and a CESU-affiliated university partner to build integrated modeling products relevant to agency and stakeholder decision-making.

Key administrative details included in the notice are a CFDA number of 15.808, an award ceiling of $30,000, and an expected number of awards listed simply as one. The opportunity was created on 2023-10-30, with an original closing date of 2023-11-30. The activity category is listed as Science and Technology and other Research and Development, reflecting that the primary deliverable is applied research and modeling rather than, for example, construction or direct service delivery. Overall, this is a relatively small, targeted award intended to advance a specific set of modeling capabilities for dust risks at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, carried out through the established CESU partnership network.

• 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 2023-10-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-11-30. (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 $30,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G24AS00138

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