Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | G19AS00092

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), Rocky Mountain CESU funding opportunity (USGS opportunity number G19AS00092). It is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center cooperative agreement focused on improving scientific tools used to conserve and manage grouse and their habitats in the western United States.

2) What is the main goal of the project?

The main goal is to strengthen practical, decision-ready science by developing and refining population and habitat models for grouse and the ecosystems they rely on. The intent is to provide land and wildlife managers with clearer, more consistent information to support decisions about land use, habitat treatments, restoration, and long-term conservation strategies.

3) Which species are emphasized in this opportunity?

The opportunity highlights three focal groups: Greater Sage-grouse, Gunnison Sage-grouse, and ptarmigan. It also emphasizes the shrubland and grassland ecosystems that support these species.

4) What geographic area does the work focus on?

The work is oriented toward grouse conservation and management needs in the western United States, across the species range where population and habitat information is being used by federal and state managers.

5) Why is USGS seeking this work now?

The opportunity is framed around real planning timelines and management pressures, including: prior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decisions in 2016 and planned future evaluations around 2021, ongoing revisions to federal land-management plans, shifting priorities in state wildlife management plans, and additional uncertainty from changing climate conditions. Together, these drivers increase the demand for consistent, defensible modeling that supports near-term and long-term decisions.

6) What kinds of outputs is this opportunity trying to support?

Based on the description, the intended outputs are improved and refined population and habitat models, along with synthesis products that translate large, complex datasets into reliable information for planners and managers. The emphasis is on tools and analyses that can be used in decision-making rather than purely academic results.

7) What types of data challenges is the project expected to address?

A central theme is the need to pull together extensive sage-grouse population data collected by many entities across the species range. These datasets often differ in format, methods, spatial coverage, and time periods. The opportunity implies a need to assemble and harmonize information so that trends and comparisons are consistent and defensible across jurisdictions.

8) What does "harmonizing" or "making data usable in a consistent way" mean in this context?

In this opportunity, it refers to aligning and organizing population datasets so they can be compared like-for-like across places and time. That includes dealing with variation in how data were collected, recorded, or spatially referenced, so that resulting analyses can be interpreted similarly across states, land units, and management boundaries.

9) Is the work only about counting birds?

No. The research emphasis goes beyond simple population counts. It includes improving understanding of how grouse populations function as connected systems, and developing models that link population performance to habitat and ecosystem conditions, including restoration actions and treatment effects.

10) What does the opportunity mean by "spatial relationships among sub-populations"?

It points to the need to understand how groups of birds in different areas relate to each other, including movement among sub-populations and the functional relationships that affect population estimates and metapopulation dynamics. Practically, this includes questions about connectivity, persistence, and how different areas may act as sources or sinks.

11) Why does connectivity and movement among sub-populations matter for management?

Connectivity can influence long-term persistence and how managers define planning units, prioritize habitats, and evaluate risk. If sub-populations interact as a network, models and decisions may need to account for movement and interdependence rather than treating areas as isolated or uniform.

12) What is meant by "metapopulation dynamics" in the project description?

The opportunity uses this term to describe populations structured as interacting sub-populations across space. The focus is on understanding how those sub-populations collectively influence overall population estimates and long-term persistence, especially when movement among areas is important.

13) How does habitat modeling fit into this opportunity?

A key component is linking habitat and ecosystem conditions to population performance. The opportunity notes that documentation of ecosystem patterns and trends is growing, including information on restoration actions and treatment effects, but stronger concepts and analyses are needed to connect habitat change to population dynamics.

14) What kinds of habitat-related factors are implied to be included in modeling?

The description points toward integrating habitat metrics, land-use patterns, disturbance history, and management treatments with demographic outcomes such as survival, reproduction, and occupancy. The overarching intent is to understand whether habitat changes are likely to help or harm populations, at what spatial scales, and over what time frames.

15) What management decisions is this research intended to support?

The opportunity is designed to support decisions made by federal and state land and wildlife managers about land use, habitat treatments, restoration, and conservation strategy. It is positioned as decision-ready science intended for planning and implementation contexts, not just general research.

16) Who is the issuing agency and department?

The issuing agency is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), within the Department of the Interior. The work is associated with the USGS Fort Collins Science Center.

17) What is the assistance listing/CFDA number for this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA number 15.808.

18) What type of funding mechanism is being used?

This is a cooperative agreement. The description notes that this mechanism typically indicates substantial involvement or collaboration with the agency during the project.

19) Is this a discretionary funding opportunity?

Yes. The posting explicitly identifies it as a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.

20) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to partners within the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, as described in the opportunity's eligibility notes.

21) How many awards does USGS expect to make?

The expected number of awards is one, indicating a single, focused project rather than multiple parallel awards.

22) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $250,000.

23) When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?

The posting was created on July 9, 2019, with an original closing date of July 26, 2019.

24) How is the project scope characterized in the posting?

The scope is characterized as developing and refining population and habitat models, improving the consistent use of large datasets across the species range, and producing actionable modeling improvements and synthesis products that can be applied by land and wildlife management agencies.

25) What is the underlying "core idea" described in the opportunity?

The core idea is to strengthen the practical science that managers rely on by translating complex datasets into reliable models that help explain what is happening to grouse populations, why it is happening, and how management actions may influence future outcomes.