Opportunity Information: Apply for L16AS00244
Apply for L16AS00244
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-MT, Pryor Mountain Bladderpod Monitoring" 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 07, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 06, 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 $9,000.00 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 Pryor Mountain Bladderpod Monitoring grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L16AS00244) is a Bureau of Land Management cooperative agreement focused on understanding how wild horse use, especially trampling, affects steep, semi-arid habitats in the Pryor Mountain Wilderness Study Area (PMWSA) of south-central Montana. The PMWSA spans roughly 4,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation and includes a mix of arid shrublands, woodlands, semi-arid grasslands, and higher-elevation subalpine forests and grasslands. While prior wild horse research in the Pryor range has largely concentrated on gentler terrain at the lowest and highest elevations, this opportunity is aimed at the more rugged middle-elevation slopes, which are sparsely vegetated and thought to be particularly vulnerable to disturbance and degradation. A key gap the project targets is that the effects of wild horse grazing and trampling on these steep slopes have not been well determined, even though they make up a substantial portion of the horse range and may respond differently than flatter sites.
A central conservation concern driving the project is the Pryor Mountain bladderpod (Lesquerella lesicii, also referenced as Physaria lesicii), a short-lived perennial mustard that is endemic to the Pryor Mountains and found nowhere else. The plant is known from three areas within the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, generally in sparsely vegetated soils in grasslands and in mountain mahogany and juniper woodlands. The largest documented population occurs on Sykes Mountain in a location already affected by horse trampling, while two smaller populations occur at higher elevations in less disturbed settings. Because the species is designated as a Montana species of concern and considered highly threatened by state-level assessment bodies, the opportunity emphasizes the need to clarify whether horse trampling is harming the bladderpod, indirectly affecting it by altering associated vegetation (such as bunchgrasses and shrubs that may provide microhabitat benefits), or potentially creating the kind of intermediate disturbance conditions that some ruderal mustard species can tolerate or even favor.
The project is grounded in well-established ecological concepts about ungulate impacts in semi-arid systems. Grazing can reduce plant biomass and litter, shift competitive relationships among plant species, and concentrate or redistribute nutrients, while trampling can directly increase erosion, damage soil surface stability, and disrupt biotic soil crusts. The opportunity highlights that trampling effects are often evaluated on flat terrain, even though impacts are expected to be more severe on steep slopes where soil movement and erosion risk are higher. It also notes that, for related bladderpod species, heavy trampling has reduced survival in at least one case (human trampling effects on Missouri bladderpod), and that some bladderpods perform better when protected by bunchgrasses in stressful environments, implying that trampling-related loss of protective cover could be a serious indirect threat. At the same time, the Pryor Mountain bladderpod’s occurrence in areas with a high proportion of bare ground suggests it may be adapted to low-competition environments and might respond in more complex ways depending on the intensity of disturbance.
The stated objectives are twofold. First, the project seeks to determine how different levels of horse trampling influence steep, semi-arid habitats generally and the Pryor Mountain bladderpod specifically, helping separate light or moderate disturbance effects from severe impacts. Second, it calls for establishing permanent transects to support long-term monitoring of bladderpod abundance and trends. This monitoring component is explicitly tied to BLM management needs because the bladderpod is listed on the BLM Montana/Dakotas sensitive species list (referenced as IM MT-2014-067), and consistent, repeatable field measurements are needed to track population change over time and to detect whether conditions are improving, stable, or declining.
From a management and public benefit standpoint, the opportunity is designed to produce practical information that BLM can use to manage the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range. The anticipated outcomes include better guidance for setting appropriate herd sizes and pasture rotation strategies that maintain habitat quality, especially on fragile steep slopes, while also protecting a rare endemic plant. More broadly, the work is intended to complement existing inventory and monitoring efforts and directly inform the Appropriate Management Level (AML) decisions for wild horses in the area, linking ecological monitoring results to on-the-ground herd management.
Administratively, this was posted as a discretionary funding opportunity under the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, categorized under Natural Resources (CFDA 15.231) and offered as a cooperative agreement. Eligibility was listed as unrestricted (open to any entity type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full notice). The opportunity anticipated a single award with an award ceiling of $9,000. The original posting date was July 7, 2016, with an original closing date of September 6, 2016.
FAQs: BLM-MT Pryor Mountain Bladderpod Monitoring (Funding Opportunity Number L16AS00244)
What is the BLM-MT Pryor Mountain Bladderpod Monitoring grant opportunity?
This opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L16AS00244) is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement focused on monitoring and understanding how wild horse use, especially trampling, affects steep, semi-arid habitats in the Pryor Mountain Wilderness Study Area (PMWSA) in south-central Montana, with special attention to the Pryor Mountain bladderpod.
Which agency is offering the funding?
The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
What type of award is this?
The award type is a cooperative agreement.
What is the program category or CFDA listing for this opportunity?
The opportunity is categorized under Natural Resources and references CFDA 15.231.
How much funding is available?
The notice anticipated a single award with an award ceiling of $9,000.
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated a single award.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning it was open to any entity type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may have been included in the full notice.
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The original posting date was July 7, 2016, and the original closing date was September 6, 2016.
Where will the work take place?
The work is focused on the Pryor Mountain Wilderness Study Area (PMWSA) of south-central Montana, within the broader Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range.
What habitats and elevations does the Pryor Mountain Wilderness Study Area include?
The PMWSA spans roughly 4,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation and includes arid shrublands, woodlands, semi-arid grasslands, and higher-elevation subalpine forests and grasslands.
What is the main scientific and management question the project is trying to answer?
The project targets a key information gap: how wild horse grazing and trampling affect steep, rugged middle-elevation slopes that are sparsely vegetated and thought to be especially vulnerable to disturbance and degradation.
Why does this opportunity focus on middle-elevation, rugged terrain?
Prior wild horse research in the Pryor range has largely focused on gentler terrain at the lowest and highest elevations. This opportunity is aimed at the more rugged middle-elevation slopes, which make up a substantial portion of the horse range and may respond differently than flatter sites.
What species is the central conservation concern for this project?
A primary conservation concern is the Pryor Mountain bladderpod (Lesquerella lesicii, also referenced as Physaria lesicii), a short-lived perennial mustard that is endemic to the Pryor Mountains and found nowhere else.
Where is the Pryor Mountain bladderpod found?
The plant is known from three areas within the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, generally in sparsely vegetated soils in grasslands and in mountain mahogany and juniper woodlands.
Which bladderpod population is the largest, and what is its condition?
The largest documented population occurs on Sykes Mountain, where it is in a location already affected by horse trampling.
How do the other known bladderpod populations compare to the Sykes Mountain population?
Two smaller populations occur at higher elevations in less disturbed settings compared to the Sykes Mountain site.
Why is the bladderpod considered at risk?
The species is designated as a Montana species of concern and is described as highly threatened by state-level assessment bodies. It is also listed on the BLM Montana/Dakotas sensitive species list (referenced as IM MT-2014-067).
What kinds of wild horse impacts are being evaluated?
The opportunity emphasizes wild horse use, especially trampling, and how different levels of trampling influence steep, semi-arid habitats and the bladderpod specifically.
What ecological effects of grazing are noted in the opportunity?
Grazing can reduce plant biomass and litter, shift competitive relationships among plant species, and concentrate or redistribute nutrients.
What ecological effects of trampling are noted in the opportunity?
Trampling can directly increase erosion, damage soil surface stability, and disrupt biotic soil crusts.
Why is trampling on steep slopes a particular concern?
The opportunity notes that trampling impacts are often evaluated on flat terrain, even though effects are expected to be more severe on steep slopes where soil movement and erosion risk are higher.
What are the main hypotheses or concerns about how trampling could affect the bladderpod?
The project aims to clarify whether horse trampling is directly harming the bladderpod, indirectly affecting it by altering associated vegetation (such as bunchgrasses and shrubs that may provide microhabitat benefits), or possibly creating intermediate disturbance conditions that some ruderal mustard species can tolerate or even favor.
Does the opportunity mention evidence from related plant species?
Yes. It notes that, for a related bladderpod species, heavy trampling reduced survival in at least one case (human trampling effects on Missouri bladderpod). It also notes that some bladderpods can perform better when protected by bunchgrasses in stressful environments.
How could changes in surrounding vegetation indirectly affect the bladderpod?
The opportunity suggests bunchgrasses and shrubs may provide microhabitat benefits. If trampling reduces that protective cover, the bladderpod could be harmed indirectly even if trampling is not always directly damaging individual plants.
Why might the bladderpod respond to disturbance in complex ways?
The bladderpod occurs in areas with a high proportion of bare ground, suggesting it may be adapted to low-competition environments. That means responses may differ depending on disturbance intensity, with light or intermediate disturbance potentially having different effects than severe disturbance.
What are the stated objectives of the project?
The stated objectives are (1) to determine how different levels of horse trampling influence steep, semi-arid habitats generally and the Pryor Mountain bladderpod specifically, separating light or moderate disturbance effects from severe impacts, and (2) to establish permanent transects to support long-term monitoring of bladderpod abundance and trends.
What does the project mean by establishing permanent transects?
It calls for setting up permanent transects so that consistent, repeatable field measurements can be taken over time to track bladderpod population change and detect whether conditions are improving, stable, or declining.
Why is long-term monitoring important to BLM for this species?
The monitoring is tied to BLM management needs because the bladderpod is on the BLM Montana/Dakotas sensitive species list (IM MT-2014-067), and repeatable measurements are needed to track trends and inform management decisions.
How will the results be used for wild horse management?
The anticipated outcomes include practical guidance for setting appropriate herd sizes and pasture rotation strategies that maintain habitat quality on fragile steep slopes while protecting a rare endemic plant.
How does this work relate to Appropriate Management Level (AML) decisions?
The opportunity is intended to directly inform Appropriate Management Level (AML) decisions for wild horses in the area by linking ecological monitoring results to on-the-ground herd management.
What is the broader public benefit described in the opportunity?
The work is intended to complement existing inventory and monitoring efforts and provide information BLM can use to manage the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range in a way that maintains habitat quality and protects a rare endemic plant.
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