Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a discretionary research funding opportunity under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically the Californian CESU. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically means the USGS expects to have substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordination on study design, data standards, or reporting), rather than simply issuing a grant with minimal agency interaction. The focus of the work is science and technology research and development aimed at improving how researchers detect and track an endangered marsh bird, the California Clapper Rail, in challenging wetland environments.

At its core, the project is about making presence/absence surveys more reliable and more practical, especially in marshes that are difficult to access. The opportunity emphasizes improving survey methods, modeling occupancy (a statistical approach used to estimate where the species occurs while accounting for the fact that animals can be present but not detected), and increasing the ability to detect the rail in remote or logistically difficult tidal marsh habitats. A key tool highlighted in the announcement is the use of autonomous recording units (ARUs), which are unattended acoustic devices that can be deployed in the field to record vocalizations over long periods. The intent is to use ARUs to increase detection probability, reduce the need for repeated human visits into sensitive habitats, and generate data suitable for occupancy modeling.

Another central objective is documenting colonization of new marsh restoration sites. In practical terms, that means using improved detection methods to determine whether California Clapper Rails move into and begin using newly restored or created marshes. This is a common question in restoration science: whether habitat restoration translates into real biological outcomes such as species presence, site use, or population expansion. By pairing ARU-based monitoring with occupancy modeling, the project aims to produce more defensible conclusions about whether absence of detections reflects true absence, or simply limited detectability.

The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G12AS20011) anticipated a single award, with an estimated total funding amount of $64,025. No cost sharing or matching was required. The announcement was posted and created on January 25, 2012, with an application closing date of February 3, 2012, and it was later archived on April 25, 2012. The CFDA listing associated with this program is 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection), aligning it with USGS-supported research and monitoring efforts.

Eligibility was restricted to organizations that are official participating partners in the Californian CESU Program. CESUs are formal partnerships intended to streamline collaboration among federal agencies, universities, and other eligible entities by supporting research, technical assistance, and education tied to resource management needs. In this case, only Californian CESU partners could apply, and applicants outside that network would not be eligible under the terms of the announcement.

For administrative details and access to the full announcement, the listing referenced Grants.gov and provided a contact for assistance: Faith Graves (703-648-7356, fgraves@usgs.gov).

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