Opportunity Information: Apply for F14AS00121
Apply for F14AS00121
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Addressing Structural Uncertainty in a Decision making Framework to Inform Scaup Conservation Planning" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.655 Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 17, 2014 and posted on Mar 17, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 24, 2014 This is a Notice of Intent to award to Montana State University through the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $62,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $30,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- This is a Notice of Intent to award to Montana State University through the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "Addressing Structural Uncertainty in a Decision making Framework to Inform Scaup Conservation Planning" is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) cooperative agreement focused on improving how the agency models and manages lesser scaup populations. The project targets a specific weakness in the existing USFWS scaup population model that is being used to develop a scaup conservation action plan: uncertainty about how hunting (harvest) mortality interacts with natural mortality. In practical terms, the work is meant to clarify whether birds taken by hunters represent additional deaths on top of what would have occurred naturally (additive mortality) or whether hunting mostly replaces deaths that would have happened anyway due to natural causes (compensatory mortality). That distinction matters because it directly influences how harvest regulations and broader conservation actions are expected to affect population trends.
The project is structured as a collaboration among multiple USFWS units and an academic partner. Specifically, Region 9 Division of Migratory Bird Management (R9 DMBM), Region 6 Inventory and Monitoring (R6 IM), and Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge will work with Dr. Jay J. Rotella at Montana State University. The partnership is intended to leverage existing long term datasets rather than launching an entirely new field effort. The main data sources referenced are National Wildlife Refuge banding records and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recovery data, which together can be used to estimate survival, recovery rates, and mortality components through band recovery modeling approaches.
The central scientific task is to evaluate additive versus compensatory harvest mortality in lesser scaup using the framework described in Servanty et al. (2010), which is widely cited in waterfowl harvest ecology for evaluating how harvest relates to total mortality. The key deliverable spelled out in the notice is an estimate of the correlation between natural mortality and harvest mortality. That correlation is important because it serves as a compact way to represent how changes in harvest pressure might translate into changes (or not) in overall survival. A strong negative correlation can be consistent with compensation (higher harvest coinciding with lower natural mortality, suggesting substitution), while a positive or near zero relationship can suggest additivity or limited compensation depending on the broader model structure. The intention is to produce an estimate that can be directly incorporated into the current USFWS scaup population model, reducing structural uncertainty and improving the credibility of scenario testing used in conservation planning.
Administratively, this opportunity is presented as a discretionary funding action using a cooperative agreement mechanism, meaning the agency expects to be substantially involved in the work rather than simply providing a grant with minimal federal participation. It is also explicitly a Notice of Intent to award rather than a fully open competition. Eligibility is effectively limited because the award is intended for Montana State University through the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, which is commonly used by federal agencies to partner with universities and other research organizations under established agreements.
The funding details indicate an estimated total of $62,000 across anticipated awards, with an award ceiling of $30,000 and a floor of $2,000, and the notice suggests up to three awards. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 15.655, "Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation," aligning it with federal programs aimed at monitoring migratory bird populations and supporting management decisions with better data and analysis. The posting date was March 17, 2014, with an original and current closing date of March 24, 2014, and an archive date of April 16, 2014, reflecting that it was time limited and has since closed.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted, model improving research effort meant to tighten the link between monitoring data (banding and recoveries) and real world management decisions (harvest regulation and conservation actions) for lesser scaup. By quantifying the relationship between harvest and natural mortality and feeding that estimate into the USFWS population model, the project aims to reduce uncertainty that can otherwise lead to either overly cautious restrictions or overly optimistic assumptions in scaup conservation planning. For access issues or questions, the listed contact is Bill West, Refuge Manager at Red Rock Lakes NWR, with phone and email provided in the announcement.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Addressing Structural Uncertainty in a Decision making Framework to Inform Scaup Conservation Planning."
2) Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
This is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) funding opportunity.
3) What type of funding mechanism is being used?
The notice describes the award as a cooperative agreement. That means the USFWS expects to be substantially involved in the work, rather than providing funding with minimal federal participation.
4) Is this an open competitive grant?
No. The announcement is explicitly a Notice of Intent to award rather than a fully open competition.
5) Who is the intended recipient/eligible applicant for this award?
Eligibility is effectively limited because the award is intended for Montana State University through the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network.
6) What conservation issue is this project trying to address?
The project focuses on improving how the agency models and manages lesser scaup populations by reducing a key uncertainty in the existing USFWS scaup population model used to develop a scaup conservation action plan.
7) What specific uncertainty in the scaup population model is being addressed?
The targeted weakness is uncertainty about how hunting (harvest) mortality interacts with natural mortality in lesser scaup.
8) What does "additive" versus "compensatory" harvest mortality mean in this context?
In practical terms, the work is meant to clarify whether birds taken by hunters represent additional deaths on top of what would have occurred naturally (additive mortality) or whether hunting mostly replaces deaths that would have happened anyway due to natural causes (compensatory mortality).
9) Why does the additive vs. compensatory distinction matter for management?
Because it directly influences how harvest regulations and broader conservation actions are expected to affect population trends. Different assumptions about this relationship can lead to very different expectations about population response under different management scenarios.
10) Who are the main project partners mentioned in the notice?
The collaboration includes multiple USFWS units and an academic partner: Region 9 Division of Migratory Bird Management (R9 DMBM), Region 6 Inventory and Monitoring (R6 IM), Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, and Dr. Jay J. Rotella at Montana State University.
11) Is this project expected to rely on new fieldwork?
The partnership is intended to leverage existing long-term datasets rather than launching an entirely new field effort.
12) What data sources will be used for the analysis?
The notice references National Wildlife Refuge banding records and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recovery data.
13) What kinds of estimates are expected from the data and modeling approach?
The banding and recovery information is intended to support band recovery modeling approaches that can be used to estimate survival, recovery rates, and mortality components.
14) What scientific framework will be used to evaluate harvest mortality?
The central task is to evaluate additive versus compensatory harvest mortality in lesser scaup using the framework described in Servanty et al. (2010), which is widely cited in waterfowl harvest ecology for evaluating how harvest relates to total mortality.
15) What is the key deliverable identified in the notice?
The key deliverable spelled out is an estimate of the correlation between natural mortality and harvest mortality.
16) How will the correlation between natural and harvest mortality be interpreted?
The notice explains that a strong negative correlation can be consistent with compensation (higher harvest coinciding with lower natural mortality, suggesting substitution), while a positive or near-zero relationship can suggest additivity or limited compensation depending on the broader model structure.
17) How will the project results be used by USFWS?
The intention is to produce an estimate that can be directly incorporated into the current USFWS scaup population model, reducing structural uncertainty and improving the credibility of scenario testing used in scaup conservation planning.
18) What species/population is the focus of this work?
The project is focused on lesser scaup.
19) What is meant by "structural uncertainty" in this announcement?
Based on the notice, "structural uncertainty" refers to uncertainty in how the population model is structured with respect to the relationship between harvest mortality and natural mortality (for example, whether harvest is additive or compensatory), which affects model outputs and management scenario testing.
20) What is the CFDA number and program name associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 15.655, "Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation."
21) How much total funding is estimated under this notice?
The estimated total funding amount referenced is $62,000 across anticipated awards.
22) What are the award ceiling and floor amounts?
The award ceiling is $30,000 and the award floor is $2,000.
23) How many awards are anticipated?
The notice suggests up to three awards.
24) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
25) What are the key dates for the opportunity?
The posting date was March 17, 2014. The original and current closing date was March 24, 2014. The archive date was April 16, 2014.
26) Is the opportunity still open?
No. Based on the closing date (March 24, 2014) and the archive date (April 16, 2014), it was time-limited and has since closed.
27) What is the overall purpose of the project in plain terms?
It is a targeted, model-improving research effort meant to tighten the link between monitoring data (banding and recoveries) and real-world management decisions (harvest regulation and conservation actions) for lesser scaup by quantifying the relationship between harvest and natural mortality.
28) Who is listed as the contact for access issues or questions?
The listed contact is Bill West, Refuge Manager at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (Red Rock Lakes NWR), with phone and email provided in the announcement.
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