Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU | G18AS00079

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00079

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00079) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research grant offered under the Department of the Interior. It is structured as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning the project is expected to involve substantial collaboration between the award recipient and USGS during the work. The opportunity falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category and is associated with CFDA 15.808. USGS anticipated making a single award, with a maximum (award ceiling) of $330,000.

The main purpose of the project is to support research that improves understanding of how non-native barred owls (Strix varia) are affecting sensitive wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. Barred owls historically occurred in eastern North America, but over time they have expanded westward and are now found at high densities in the older forest habitats of the Pacific Northwest. Because barred owls function as apex predators and are strongly territorial, their arrival and establishment can reshape local ecological dynamics in several ways. The opportunity highlights three key mechanisms of potential impact: direct predation on native species, competition for food and habitat resources, and displacement of native wildlife from preferred territories and nesting areas.

A central concern emphasized in the announcement is the barred owl's documented negative impact on the federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina). The barred owl's range expansion has been linked to pronounced declines in northern spotted owl populations, largely because barred owls can outcompete them, occupy overlapping habitat, and disrupt breeding and territory use. The work supported by this funding is therefore aimed not only at describing barred owl impacts in general, but also at generating information that can guide real-world management decisions to protect particularly vulnerable species, with the northern spotted owl being the most prominent example in the notice.

This opportunity is limited to eligible applicants that are CESU partners, with eligibility described broadly in the listing as "Others" and clarified in the full announcement's additional eligibility information. The original posting dates show the opportunity was created on July 23, 2018, with an original closing date of August 6, 2018, indicating it was a time-limited competition for that funding cycle. Overall, the grant is designed to produce applied, management-relevant science for land managers across the Pacific Northwest who view the barred owl invasion as an urgent conservation and research priority.

• 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, Californian 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 23, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 06, 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 $330,000.00 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 G18AS00079

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