Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through its Western Ecological Research Center, announced a small, targeted funding opportunity under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically the Californian CESU. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which generally means the agency expects active involvement and collaboration during the project rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The opportunity was released as a discretionary science and technology/research and development activity and was intended to support one project partner to carry out applied conservation research focused on a sensitive native species in Southern California.

The project itself is titled "Southwestern Pond Turtle (Emys marmorata pallida) Genetics in Southern California" and is centered on understanding how Southwestern Pond Turtle populations are connected across the landscape. The core technical goal is to evaluate genetic dispersal and population structure by using genetic tools alongside local population size information. In practical terms, this kind of work can help determine whether populations are isolated or still exchanging individuals (and genes), whether certain waterways or habitat patches serve as corridors or barriers, and whether small populations may be suffering from reduced genetic diversity that could affect long-term resilience. By pairing genetics with population estimates, the project aims to move beyond presence/absence data and provide a clearer picture of which populations are viable, which are declining, and where management actions could have the most benefit.

The conservation context described in the announcement highlights that few local populations are showing successful recruitment, meaning there are limited signs that young turtles are being produced and surviving to join the breeding population. That recruitment bottleneck is a major concern for long-lived species like pond turtles, because adult populations can appear stable for a while even as reproduction fails, until a delayed but sharp decline occurs. The grant frames the research as directly supporting regional management priorities that focus on both improving existing populations and establishing additional populations to ensure long-term persistence.

A key management benchmark included in the description is an objective to protect and enhance existing occurrences to "self-sustaining levels," described as roughly 200 individuals with an even sex ratio and evidence of recruitment, in areas suited for long-term management. The announcement emphasizes that suitable areas are those with low human access and high naturalness, which typically correlates with reduced disturbance, fewer introduced predators or competitors, and better habitat integrity. In addition, the regional strategy includes creating new self-sustaining occurrences aimed at ensuring persistence over a long time horizon, explicitly stated as 100 years. The genetic and population data generated by the project would be directly relevant to decisions like where to prioritize habitat protection, where to restore or reconnect habitat, and how to design any potential translocation or augmentation efforts without unintentionally mixing highly distinct lineages or undermining local adaptation.

Administratively, this opportunity was identified on Grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Number G15AS00114, with a posted date of June 29, 2015, and it ultimately closed July 31, 2015 (with an original closing date of July 17, 2015). The announcement anticipated a single award, with an estimated total funding amount of $7,000. No cost sharing or matching was required. While the listing shows award ceiling and floor as $0, that typically reflects how some postings are configured rather than indicating no funds; the narrative estimated total provides the meaningful figure for scale.

Eligibility was limited to organizations that are official partners in the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. CESUs are structured partnerships that connect federal agencies with universities, tribes, and other research organizations to deliver research, technical assistance, and education aligned with public land and resource management needs. Because the opportunity was restricted to CESU members, applicants would need to be part of that established network to be considered.

For access to the full announcement and application materials, the opportunity directed applicants to Grants.gov, and it provided a USGS contact for assistance: Faith Graves (703-648-7356, fgraves@usgs.gov).

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