Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Florida Caribbean CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This grant opportunity, titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Florida Caribbean CESU" (Funding Opportunity Number 08HQPA0043), is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding announcement for a single cooperative agreement focused on understanding and managing the impacts of invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) in South Florida, particularly in and around Everglades National Park and lands tied to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP). The core problem driving the project is that Burmese pythons are now established and breeding in the region and could potentially spread across the full CERP footprint, creating broad ecological consequences that threaten restoration goals. The project is positioned as applied research meant to directly support science-based control, containment, and removal strategies.

The opportunity emphasizes that effective management of an established invasive predator requires more than general concern about potential harm; it requires concrete evidence about where the species is present, what it is doing ecologically, and how removal efforts can be targeted for the greatest benefit. A key motivation cited is preliminary diet work from the Mazzotti lab at the University of Florida (Ft. Lauderdale), which found that pythons removed from the Everglades had consumed a wide range of native wildlife, including mammals and birds, and even the endangered Key Largo wood rat. The announcement highlights additional high-profile concerns, such as the risk of predation at or near wading bird colonies (with specific mention of wood stork rookeries near Paurotis Pond and Tamiami West), potential impacts to species like the Mangrove Fox Squirrel and Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, and possible competition with native snakes such as the Indigo Snake. In short, the funding is aimed at moving from anecdotal or preliminary observations toward defensible, publishable findings that can guide management decisions.

The proposed work is organized around four connected research goals. The first goal is to evaluate impacts on native biodiversity by determining the diet of Burmese pythons collected from Everglades National Park. This includes identifying prey items found inside pythons by species, number, and size, producing a clearer picture of which native species are being taken and how often. The main deliverable tied to this diet work is a peer-reviewed manuscript targeted for submission by December 2008, indicating the project expects results to be formalized and communicated in the scientific literature, not just kept as internal documentation.

The second goal expands the understanding of python impacts by studying their thermal biology, because temperature strongly influences snake metabolism, movement, and feeding frequency, and therefore affects how much wildlife pythons can consume and when they are most active or detectable. This component relies on instrumenting individual snakes with surgically implanted miniature temperature-sensitive data loggers and tracking radio-tagged snakes in the field. It also includes collecting parallel environmental temperature data using biophysical snake models designed to mimic the thermal properties of live snakes, allowing researchers to interpret how snakes use different microhabitats and thermal environments. The deliverable for this thermal biology work is another peer-reviewed manuscript, due by September 30, 2009.

The third goal is to develop a preliminary conceptual bioenergetic model for Burmese pythons using the diet and thermal biology results. The intent is to translate observed prey consumption and body temperature patterns into estimates of energy needs and feeding rates, which can then be used to forecast predation pressure on native fauna at larger scales. This is important because knowing a python ate a particular endangered species is useful, but knowing how frequently pythons must eat, and how that scales across a population, is what helps managers estimate ecosystem-level impact and prioritize interventions. The deliverable for this goal is a report describing the conceptual bioenergetic model, due September 30, 2009.

The fourth goal is explicitly management-facing: it calls for synthesizing the diet and thermal biology findings to inform snake removal programs. The logic is that understanding what pythons eat and when they are active or exposed improves predictions about when and where pythons are most visible and therefore most susceptible to capture. This synthesis is meant to translate research into operational guidance for removal efforts. The announcement lists a report deliverable connected to this synthesis work, also due by September 30, 2009, reinforcing that the project is intended to culminate in practical outputs timed to support management decisions.

From an administrative standpoint, the funding is capped at a total of $60,000, with an award ceiling and floor both set at $60,000, meaning the agency anticipated a single award at that amount. No cost sharing or matching is required. Only partners of the Florida Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) are eligible to apply, reflecting the CESU model as a structured partnership mechanism for research, technical assistance, and education involving federal agencies and affiliated institutions. The opportunity was posted on July 22, 2008, with a closing date of July 31, 2008, and it was archived on August 30, 2008. The CFDA listing is 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection), and the activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Overall, this announcement is best understood as a targeted, time-sensitive applied research award intended to turn field and lab data into actionable insight: documenting python diet to confirm which native species are being impacted, measuring thermal biology to understand behavior and energetic demands, building a bioenergetic framework to estimate ecosystem-level predation effects, and then synthesizing those results into guidance that improves the effectiveness of python capture and removal programs in support of Everglades restoration success.

Browse more opportunities from the same agency: Geological Survey

Browse more opportunities from the same category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development

Next opportunity: Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU

Previous opportunity: Alternative Development Program

USGrants.org Applicant Portal:

Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.

Apply for 08HQPA0043

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (08HQPA0043) also looked into and applied for these:

 

Grant application guides and resources

It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!

Apply for Grants

 

 

Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers

Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.

If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.

Subscribe to Leads

 

Request more information:

Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "08HQPA0043", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:

Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.