Opportunity Information: Apply for L16AS00169
Apply for L16AS00169
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-MT, Ecological Site Description Development, Western Montana District Office" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 28, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 26, 2016. (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 $50,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The BLM-MT, Ecological Site Description Development, Western Montana District Office opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L16AS00169) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), focused on natural resource management (CFDA 15.231). The project is aimed at addressing a major information gap in western Montana: many Bureau-managed landscapes in the Western Montana District lack complete, up-to-date Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) and the related State and Transition Models (STMs) that land managers use to understand how soils and vegetation function, how plant communities change over time, and what management actions are likely to sustain or restore ecosystem health. While ESDs and STMs are typically developed with close involvement from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the local NRCS office is described as backlogged and unable to produce these products on the timeframe needed. Because both the BLM and the public rely on these tools to make defensible, consistent management decisions, BLM is seeking an outside partner to expand capacity and speed up delivery of high-quality ESDs and STMs for priority areas on or near public lands.
At its core, the purpose of the award is to expedite the development of accurate ESDs, including the STM components, for plant communities and locations identified as priorities by land managers, while also ensuring that the supporting data meet the quality standards necessary for inclusion in the NRCS database. This is not framed as a simple report-writing effort; it is an applied, field-to-database workflow that requires technical expertise in rangeland ecology, soils, vegetation dynamics, monitoring methods, and ecological modeling concepts used in STMs. The recipient is expected to work in coordination with BLM throughout the process, aligning field activities, analytical approaches, and deliverable formats with agency needs and interagency standards so the final products can be operationally used by BLM and integrated into the broader NRCS ecological site information system.
The scope of work emphasizes several practical tasks that support successful ESD and STM development. These tasks include collecting reliable, high-quality field data (which typically involves vegetation composition and structure, site characteristics, soils information, disturbance and management history indicators, and other ecological attributes relevant to site potential and state transitions), processing and organizing those data for STM development, maintaining strong quality assurance and quality control in data management, and producing well-written technical products. The partner is also expected to provide direct assistance in assembling the ESD documents themselves, rather than only handing over raw datasets. Importantly, the opportunity specifies that ESDs must be developed in accordance with the Interagency Ecological Site Handbook for Rangelands (2013, or any future updates), and that the work should be carried out by highly qualified individuals, signaling that BLM is looking for credible technical capacity and adherence to established interagency methodology.
The broader public value of the project is a central justification for funding. ESDs and STMs function as foundational decision-support tools that help managers balance multiple uses of public lands (such as grazing, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and recreation) while maintaining or improving long-term soil and vegetation health. In western Montana specifically, the lack of completed ESDs means managers, permittees, conservation groups, and private landowners often have fewer locally tailored references for understanding what conditions are achievable on a given soil-landscape unit, what “reference” or desired conditions look like, and how disturbances or management actions may push a site into alternative states that are harder to recover from. Fully developed ESDs, including reference sheets and STMs, are described as providing critical management tools that are not currently available at the needed scale, benefiting not just BLM but also nongovernmental organizations and private landowners who depend on consistent ecological interpretations across ownership boundaries.
The opportunity is open to a wide range of applicants (eligibility listed as unrestricted, subject to any additional clarifications in the full posting), and it anticipates making a single award. The award ceiling is $50,000, indicating a relatively targeted project intended to accelerate priority ESD/STM work rather than fund a large multi-year program. As a cooperative agreement, it implies substantial involvement and coordination with BLM staff during implementation, which fits the described need for aligned priorities, shared standards, and products that can be accepted into federal systems. The notice was created on July 28, 2016, with an original closing date of September 26, 2016, and is explicitly oriented toward producing usable, quality-controlled ecological site information that can immediately strengthen on-the-ground land management decisions in the Western Montana District.
Finally, the funding announcement also highlights benefits to the recipient, especially if the partner is an academic institution or similarly research- and training-oriented organization. The work offers a platform to train students for employment in land management disciplines, conduct applied research with federal land managers as the intended end users, and directly support the technical assistance needs of federal field offices. In other words, BLM is seeking a partner who can deliver practical, standards-compliant ESD and STM products while also potentially building workforce capacity and strengthening the applied science pipeline that supports public land stewardship.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "BLM-MT, Ecological Site Description Development, Western Montana District Office."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is L16AS00169.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
This opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
What type of funding instrument is being used?
The award is described as a discretionary cooperative agreement. That typically means the recipient will coordinate closely with BLM during planning, field work, analysis, and preparation of deliverables so the final products meet agency and interagency standards.
What program area or CFDA number does this fall under?
The opportunity is in the natural resource management area and is associated with CFDA 15.231.
What problem is this project trying to solve?
The project targets a major information gap in western Montana: many Bureau-managed landscapes in the Western Montana District lack complete, current Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) and the related State and Transition Models (STMs). Without these tools, land managers and the public have fewer locally tailored references for defensible, consistent decisions about soils, vegetation, and management outcomes.
What are Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) and State and Transition Models (STMs) in the context of this opportunity?
In this announcement, ESDs and STMs are described as decision-support tools used to understand how soils and vegetation function, how plant communities change over time, and what management actions are likely to sustain or restore ecosystem health. STMs are presented as a core component of an ESD, describing ecological "states" and transitions between them.
Why is BLM seeking an outside partner instead of relying on NRCS to develop the ESDs and STMs?
The opportunity explains that ESDs and STMs are typically developed with close NRCS involvement, but the local NRCS office is described as backlogged and unable to produce the products on the timeframe needed. BLM is seeking an outside partner to expand capacity and speed delivery while still meeting standards needed for NRCS database inclusion.
What is the core purpose of the award?
The purpose is to expedite development of accurate ESDs (including STM components) for priority plant communities and locations identified by land managers, and to ensure supporting data meet the quality standards necessary for inclusion in the NRCS database.
Is this mainly a report-writing project?
No. The announcement frames the work as an applied, field-to-database workflow. It emphasizes collecting and managing field data, developing STM-supporting analyses, maintaining strong QA/QC, and directly assisting in assembling the ESD documents rather than only delivering raw datasets.
What geographic area does the work focus on?
The work focuses on priority areas on or near public lands managed by BLM within the Western Montana District Office area in western Montana.
How will priority sites or plant communities be chosen?
The opportunity states that priorities will be identified by land managers, and the recipient is expected to coordinate with BLM throughout the process to align field activities and deliverables with agency needs.
What kinds of field data are expected to be collected?
The scope of work highlights collecting reliable, high-quality field data typically including vegetation composition and structure, site characteristics, soils information, disturbance and management history indicators, and other ecological attributes relevant to site potential and state transitions.
What are the key tasks the recipient is expected to perform?
The announcement emphasizes practical tasks that support ESD and STM development, including: collecting high-quality field data; processing and organizing data for STM development; maintaining strong quality assurance and quality control in data management; producing well-written technical products; and providing direct assistance in assembling the ESD documents.
Are there required standards or guidance documents for ESD/STM development?
Yes. ESDs must be developed in accordance with the Interagency Ecological Site Handbook for Rangelands (2013), or any future updates.
What level of technical expertise is expected from the recipient?
The opportunity signals that the work should be carried out by highly qualified individuals and requires technical expertise in rangeland ecology, soils, vegetation dynamics, monitoring methods, and ecological modeling concepts used in STMs.
What does "quality standards necessary for inclusion in the NRCS database" mean in practical terms here?
In this announcement, it means the data and resulting ESD/STM products must be developed with sufficient quality assurance/quality control and in formats and methodologies aligned with interagency standards so they can be accepted into the NRCS ecological site information system.
How closely will the recipient work with BLM during the project?
Because this is a cooperative agreement and the scope stresses coordination, the recipient should expect substantial involvement with BLM staff to align priorities, field approaches, analytical methods, and deliverable formats with agency needs and standards.
How many awards does BLM expect to make?
The opportunity anticipates making a single award.
What is the maximum funding amount available?
The award ceiling is $50,000.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, subject to any additional clarifications in the full posting.
When was the notice created and what was the original closing date?
The notice was created on July 28, 2016, with an original closing date of September 26, 2016.
What public benefits are expected from completing ESDs and STMs in western Montana?
The opportunity describes ESDs and STMs as foundational tools that help managers balance multiple uses of public lands (including grazing, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and recreation) while maintaining or improving long-term soil and vegetation health. They also support consistent ecological interpretations across ownership boundaries, which can benefit permittees, conservation groups, NGOs, and private landowners.
How do ESDs and STMs help with "defensible, consistent management decisions"?
According to the announcement, they provide locally tailored references for what conditions are achievable on a given soil-landscape unit, what reference or desired conditions look like, and how disturbances or management actions may shift a site into alternative states, including states that are harder to recover from.
What kinds of deliverables are implied by the opportunity?
Deliverables implied include completed ESDs with STM components, supporting field datasets and organized information used for STM development, and technical written products prepared to interagency standards and suitable for operational use by BLM and inclusion in NRCS systems.
Does this project have training or workforce development value for the recipient?
Yes. The announcement notes benefits to the recipient, especially academic or training-oriented organizations, including opportunities to train students for land management careers, conduct applied research with federal end users, and support the technical assistance needs of federal field offices.
What is the main reason BLM is investing in this project now?
The stated driver is urgency and capacity: many ESDs/STMs are incomplete or out of date in the Western Montana District, NRCS is backlogged locally, and BLM needs usable, quality-controlled ecological site information on a timeframe that supports current management decisions.
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