Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | G18AS00106

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00106

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00106) is a US Geological Survey effort, led by the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), focused on understanding how climate change is shaping the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) across the northwestern United States. The central aim is not to launch a brand-new monitoring campaign, but to pull together and analyze what is already known and already measured, then turn that combined knowledge into practical, forward-looking guidance that resource managers can use.

The work starts with a synthesis of existing research and prior synthesis products to narrow the field of concern down to a short list of roughly three to five invasive species that represent the most serious risks to native species in the region. Alongside identifying those priority invaders, the project is expected to pinpoint the key climate-related drivers that influence whether these species can establish, persist, and spread. In other words, it targets the climate variables and patterns that are most likely to accelerate invasions or open new habitat to invaders as conditions warm or hydrology shifts.

After that initial prioritization, the project emphasizes data-driven analysis using extensive, multi-decade species monitoring datasets combined with high-resolution climate data. By pairing long time series of biological observations with detailed climatic information, the project seeks to identify the factors that explain invasion dynamics across both space and time. This includes understanding where invasions have expanded or contracted, when shifts occurred, and which environmental conditions (such as temperature regimes, flow patterns, seasonal extremes, or other climate-linked variables) are associated with those changes. The intent is to move beyond general statements about climate change and invasions and instead quantify relationships that can be used in predictive modeling.

A major deliverable implied by the description is an invasion-risk prediction framework specifically tied to impacts on native salmonids. The project plans to use models that incorporate habitat suitability under future climate change scenarios, translating climate projections into realistic estimates of where invasive species pressure may increase and where native salmonid habitats may become more vulnerable. The end goal is a robust decision support tool that helps agencies and partners anticipate emerging invasion hotspots, prioritize surveillance and prevention, and design targeted mitigation actions before invasive species become firmly established or widespread.

Administratively, this opportunity was issued by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, as a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism. It falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category and is associated with CFDA number 15.808. The opportunity anticipated a single award with an award ceiling of $56,880. The posting shows a creation date of July 31, 2018, and an original closing date of August 14, 2018. Eligibility is listed as "Others," with additional details referenced in the full opportunity’s eligibility text, which is typical of CESU opportunities that often involve specific partner networks and collaboration expectations.

In practical terms, the grant supports a tightly scoped, applied research and synthesis effort: identify the invasive species most likely to threaten native ecosystems under changing climate conditions, determine the climatic and environmental drivers behind their spread using long-term datasets, and translate those findings into predictive tools that help protect native salmonids through smarter prevention and management planning.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU" 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 Jul 31, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 14, 2018. (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 $56,880.00 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 G18AS00106

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: