Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 08HQPA0048) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding announcement intended to support applied science and research that helps characterize and understand water resources and aquatic ecosystems in South Dakota. The work is anchored in the ongoing efforts of the USGS South Dakota Water Science Center (SDWSC), which routinely conducts hydrologic investigations and monitoring of the state s water and biological resources. A major theme of the opportunity is generating field based and analytical information that can be used to describe current conditions, identify stressors, and improve assessments of aquatic ecosystem health and water quality at multiple geographic scales.

A central driver for the research is the USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, a long running national effort that began in 1991 to evaluate water quality across the United States using consistent study designs and standardized sampling and analysis methods. NAWQA has compiled comparable datasets on chemistry, hydrology, land use, stream habitat, and aquatic life across nearly 50 states. Under this grant, the SDWSC is aligning with NAWQA priorities that include assessing the occurrence of chemicals in the environment and in sources of human drinking water, and examining the chemical and physical factors that shape aquatic ecosystems. The announcement also highlights NAWQA s continuing emphasis on major aquifer systems, specifically noting the glacial aquifer system in eastern South Dakota as one of the principal U.S. aquifers targeted for water quality characterization. In practical terms, this points to projects that could involve groundwater sampling strategies, aquifer vulnerability analyses, connections between land use and groundwater quality, and interpretation of chemical occurrence in relation to hydrogeology.

The opportunity also references the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) and its need to characterize physical and biological conditions statewide. That framing suggests that project outputs should be useful beyond a single study site and should support broader ecological assessments, including work that helps interpret biological condition, habitat quality, and stressor gradients across streams, rivers, wetlands, or connected groundwater dependent ecosystems. By emphasizing information needed for ecological assessments at a variety of spatial scales, the announcement signals interest in data and methods that can be scaled up from individual sampling locations to watersheds, ecoregions, or statewide summaries.

Methodologically, the announcement is intentionally broad and accommodates a wide range of hydrologic and ecological tools. It explicitly mentions isotope geochemistry, water quality monitoring and modeling, geophysics, engineering hydrology, statistics, climate change models, and groundwater monitoring and modeling. This indicates that proposed work could span field sampling and laboratory analysis, development or application of predictive models, geophysical surveys to improve understanding of subsurface conditions, statistical designs for statewide or regional inference, and assessments of how climate variability or projected climate change may influence hydrology, contaminant transport, or ecosystem condition. It also leaves room for integrated studies that connect groundwater and surface water processes, and for work that links physical measurements with biological observations to explain ecological responses.

Funding is provided as a cooperative agreement, which generally implies substantial involvement by the federal agency in the project during performance, such as collaboration on study design, data collection standards, or interpretation and reporting. The announcement anticipates a single award, with an estimated total funding amount of 490,000 and an expected award range between 97,500 (floor) and 100,000 (ceiling). No cost sharing or matching is required. The assistance listing is under CFDA 15.808, USGS Research and Data Collection. Key dates show the opportunity was posted July 31, 2008, with an original and current closing date of August 11, 2008, and an archive date of September 10, 2008.

Eligibility is restricted to organizations that are participating partners in the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. CESUs are partnership networks designed to provide research, technical assistance, and education, typically linking federal agencies with universities, nonprofits, and other partners. Applicants therefore must already be within the Great Plains CESU partnership structure to be considered eligible under this announcement.

The administering agency is the U.S. Geological Survey. For access issues or administrative questions related to the full announcement, the listed contact is Faith Graves, Contract Specialist, at 703 648 7356.

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: Rail Capacity Improvement Study

Previous opportunity: Barred Owl Lethal Control Case Study

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 08HQPA0048

 

[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?

Applicants also applied for:

Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (08HQPA0048) 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 "08HQPA0048", 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.