Opportunity Information: Apply for L16AS00242
Apply for L16AS00242
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-MT, Soil Moisture Monitoring, Montana State Office" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.236.
- 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 $75,000.00 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, Soil Moisture Monitoring, Montana State Office grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L16AS00242) is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement aimed at expanding Montana's real-time soil moisture monitoring network and making the resulting data broadly useful for on-the-ground management and drought and climate research. The core idea is to add monitoring in places that currently have little or no reliable, locally calibrated soil moisture information, then feed those new measurements into a standardized, centralized database so BLM staff, other agencies, researchers, and the public can access consistent, quality-controlled information. The opportunity sits in the natural resources program area (CFDA 15.236), is listed as discretionary funding, and was open to unrestricted applicants (meaning many entity types could apply, subject to any added eligibility notes in the full notice). The total federal funding ceiling for the single anticipated award was $75,000, with an original closing date of September 6, 2016 (created July 7, 2016).
The project is framed around observed and expected climate shifts in Montana that are already affecting water and land management decisions. The notice points to warming trends over roughly the last half century, including higher spring and winter temperatures, and connects those changes to management-relevant outcomes like altered streamflow timing and duration, changes in forage production, shifting plant communities, and differences in the timing of green-up and senescence that matter for wildlife and livestock. Looking ahead, it notes projections of additional warming over coming decades, particularly in summer, alongside precipitation patterns that may trend toward fewer but more intense storms, fewer summer storms, more winter and spring precipitation events, and increased frequency and severity of drought. The practical concern running through the announcement is that these conditions can stress ecosystems, threaten water resources, and make it harder to maintain desired resource values without better information and more adaptive decision-making.
The funded work centers on building out soil moisture monitoring as a decision-support tool, because soil moisture is a key control on ecosystem structure and function and is also important for climate and drought modeling. The announcement emphasizes a current gap: in many parts of Montana, in situ soil moisture measurements are limited or absent, forcing managers and the public to rely on remote sensing products that can be relatively coarse and may not be well calibrated to local conditions. To address that, the recipient is expected to begin with a spatial analysis during the first year to evaluate existing data sources and landscape heterogeneity, stratify the landscape, and identify where the monitoring network has the biggest gaps. Using that gap analysis, the recipient then works with BLM over the life of the agreement to prioritize where new stations should go, with a particular focus on watersheds that have high densities of BLM-managed land.
A major operational requirement is that most, and ideally all, of the new or upgraded monitoring stations should transmit data in near real time to a centralized database managed by the Montana Climate Office (MCO). The primary measurements are soil moisture readings in the rooting zone of native plant communities, reflecting the goal of understanding conditions that directly influence vegetation and rangeland function. The notice also leaves room for adding complementary sensors if BLM and the recipient agree they support the project objectives, with NDVI-related instrumentation called out as an example. Station siting can occur on public or private land, but if a station is located on non-BLM land, any access agreement must still allow BLM staff to reach the immediate station location for maintenance and for collecting additional supporting observations as needed.
Beyond simply collecting point data, the opportunity explicitly pushes toward integrating those in situ measurements with spatially continuous products used for drought monitoring and planning. The logic is that station data provide high-accuracy, high-frequency ground truth, while remote sensing and modeled datasets provide broader spatial coverage but can carry uncertainty, especially in heterogeneous terrain. The announcement gives examples of this integration approach, including using soil moisture observations to refine evapotranspiration-related estimates and potentially improve the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI). It also describes a pathway for combining in situ NDVI sensors with soil moisture sensors and field measurements of plant vigor and production to evaluate uncertainty in tools like VegDRI and to better connect remotely sensed drought indicators to vegetation condition metrics that rangeland managers actually use during drought.
The stated objectives align with the National Drought Resiliency Partnership Federal Action Plan (2016), specifically Goal 1 (Data Collection and Integration) and Goal 3 (Drought Planning and Capacity Building). First, the project aims to provide timely, relevant data that helps optimize land management decisions under changing climate and drought conditions, supporting adaptive management for activities influenced by soil water availability such as vegetation treatments, livestock grazing decisions, and mine reclamation planning. Second, it aims to improve the accuracy and usability of spatial drought and soil moisture datasets by using point measurements to calibrate, validate, and quantify uncertainty in broader-scale products, which is especially valuable in remote or highly variable landscapes. Third, it emphasizes coordination among state and federal partners to build a single, standardized database with consistent methods for collection, quality assurance/quality control, and data management, so the resulting information is easier to find, analyze, and integrate with other research and operational tools.
The public benefit case is twofold. Directly, the expanded network and near real-time reporting are meant to give land managers, producers, and other stakeholders clearer visibility into current soil moisture conditions across Montana, improving their ability to adjust management as conditions change, which is particularly important for the states large agricultural community. Indirectly, the project is designed to strengthen gridded or otherwise spatially continuous soil moisture and drought products by anchoring them to reliable ground measurements, improving decision-support tools used during drought. Over the longer term, the compiled dataset is positioned as a foundation for research into hydrologic and ecological change tied to drought and climate trends, improving broader understanding of how Montanas landscapes and water resources are responding and how management can adapt.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the BLM-MT, Soil Moisture Monitoring, Montana State Office opportunity (L16AS00242)?
This is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement focused on expanding Montana's real-time soil moisture monitoring network and ensuring the resulting measurements are broadly useful for on-the-ground management and for drought and climate research. A central theme is filling major geographic gaps where little or no locally calibrated, in situ soil moisture information exists and then delivering those new observations into a standardized, centralized database for consistent access and use.
Which agency is offering the funding?
The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM), specifically tied to the Montana State Office (BLM-MT).
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is L16AS00242.
What program area and CFDA number does this opportunity fall under?
It is in the natural resources program area and is associated with CFDA 15.236.
Is this discretionary funding?
Yes. The notice lists the opportunity as discretionary funding.
Who was eligible to apply?
The opportunity was described as open to unrestricted applicants, meaning many entity types could apply, subject to any additional eligibility details that may have been included in the full notice.
How much funding was available?
The total federal funding ceiling for the single anticipated award was $75,000.
How many awards were anticipated?
The notice anticipated a single award (one cooperative agreement).
When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was created on July 7, 2016, with an original closing date of September 6, 2016.
What is the overall purpose of the project?
The project is intended to improve drought and climate decision-support in Montana by expanding in situ soil moisture monitoring, emphasizing near real-time data delivery and standardized data management. The intent is to provide high-quality ground measurements where monitoring is currently limited and then use those measurements to support both day-to-day land management and broader drought and climate research.
Why is soil moisture monitoring a priority in this notice?
The notice frames soil moisture as a key control on ecosystem structure and function, and as important input for climate and drought modeling. It also highlights a practical management need: many areas lack on-the-ground measurements, leaving managers and the public to rely on remote sensing products that can be coarse and not well calibrated to local conditions.
What climate and drought challenges in Montana does the notice highlight?
The notice points to observed warming trends over roughly the last half century, including higher spring and winter temperatures, and links these shifts to management impacts such as altered streamflow timing and duration, changes in forage production, shifting plant communities, and changes in green-up and senescence timing relevant to wildlife and livestock. It also describes projections of additional warming (especially in summer), possible shifts toward fewer but more intense storms, fewer summer storms, more winter and spring precipitation events, and increased frequency and severity of drought.
What problem is the project trying to solve with monitoring network expansion?
The project targets gaps in reliable, locally calibrated, in situ soil moisture information across Montana. By adding monitoring where measurements are limited or absent and standardizing how data are collected and managed, the project aims to provide consistent, quality-controlled information that can be used by BLM staff, other agencies, researchers, and the public.
What are the expected first-year activities?
During the first year, the recipient is expected to perform a spatial analysis to evaluate existing data sources and landscape heterogeneity, stratify the landscape, and identify where the monitoring network has the biggest gaps. This gap analysis is then used to support decisions about where new monitoring stations should be added or upgraded.
How are locations for new monitoring stations prioritized?
The recipient is expected to work with BLM over the life of the agreement to prioritize station placement, with particular emphasis on watersheds that have high densities of BLM-managed land. The prioritization is informed by the spatial gap analysis conducted in the first year.
What kind of data transmission is expected from new or upgraded stations?
Most, and ideally all, new or upgraded stations should transmit data in near real time to a centralized database managed by the Montana Climate Office (MCO). Near real-time reporting is emphasized so the information can support timely management decisions and drought monitoring workflows.
Who manages the centralized database for the monitoring data?
The centralized database is managed by the Montana Climate Office (MCO), and the project emphasizes standardized methods and consistent quality assurance/quality control so the data are broadly usable.
What are the primary measurements the stations are intended to collect?
The primary measurements are soil moisture readings in the rooting zone of native plant communities. This focus is intended to reflect conditions that directly influence vegetation, rangeland function, and management decisions dependent on soil water availability.
Can the stations include sensors beyond soil moisture?
Yes. The notice allows for adding complementary sensors if BLM and the recipient agree that those sensors support project objectives. NDVI-related instrumentation is specifically mentioned as an example of potential complementary monitoring.
Where can monitoring stations be installed?
Stations can be sited on public or private land. The key expectation is that station placement addresses monitoring gaps and supports the project goals, particularly in priority watersheds with significant BLM-managed land.
What access requirements apply if a station is on non-BLM land?
If a station is located on non-BLM land, any access agreement must still allow BLM staff to reach the immediate station location for maintenance and for collecting additional supporting observations as needed.
How will the collected soil moisture data be used beyond local station readouts?
A major emphasis of the notice is integrating in situ soil moisture observations with spatially continuous products used for drought monitoring and planning. The station data serve as high-accuracy, high-frequency ground truth, while remote sensing and modeled datasets provide broader spatial coverage but can have uncertainty, especially in heterogeneous terrain.
Does the notice mention specific drought tools or indices that could benefit from the data?
Yes. The notice provides examples such as using soil moisture observations to refine evapotranspiration-related estimates and potentially improve the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI). It also describes using a combination of in situ NDVI sensors, soil moisture sensors, and field measurements of plant vigor and production to evaluate uncertainty in tools like VegDRI and to better connect remote drought indicators to vegetation condition metrics used by rangeland managers.
What are the main objectives of the project as described in the notice?
The notice emphasizes objectives that include: (1) providing timely, relevant data to support adaptive management decisions affected by soil water availability; (2) improving the accuracy and usability of gridded or spatially continuous drought and soil moisture datasets by calibrating, validating, and quantifying uncertainty with point measurements; and (3) strengthening coordination among partners to build a single, standardized database with consistent collection methods, QA/QC, and data management.
How does the project support land management decisions?
The project is positioned as a decision-support tool for activities influenced by soil water availability, including vegetation treatments, livestock grazing decisions, and mine reclamation planning. Near real-time soil moisture information is intended to help managers adjust actions as conditions change under drought and shifting climate patterns.
How does the project relate to the National Drought Resiliency Partnership Federal Action Plan (2016)?
The objectives are described as aligning with the National Drought Resiliency Partnership Federal Action Plan (2016), specifically Goal 1 (Data Collection and Integration) and Goal 3 (Drought Planning and Capacity Building). The alignment is reflected in the emphasis on collecting timely data, integrating datasets, and building planning capacity through standardized and accessible information.
Who is expected to benefit from the expanded network and data products?
The notice describes benefits to BLM staff and other agencies, researchers, producers, and the broader public. The expanded network and near real-time reporting are intended to provide clearer visibility into current soil moisture conditions across Montana, which is especially relevant given the state's large agricultural community and the importance of drought planning.
What is the longer-term value of creating a standardized soil moisture dataset?
Over the longer term, the compiled dataset is positioned as a foundation for research into hydrologic and ecological change tied to drought and climate trends. By improving access to consistent, quality-controlled monitoring data, the project aims to strengthen understanding of how Montana landscapes and water resources are responding and how management can adapt.
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