Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Hawaii Pacific Islands CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Hawaii Pacific Islands CESU grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G15AS00078) was a US Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding announcement issued as a cooperative agreement for science and technology research and development. The opportunity was posted on May 26, 2015, with an application closing date of June 12, 2015, and it was later archived on August 26, 2015. USGS anticipated making one award, with an estimated total funding amount of $115,000. The notice listed no cost sharing or matching requirement, and it did not specify an award ceiling or floor (both shown as $0, which typically means applicants must refer to the full announcement for any practical limits or that the amount is determined by the proposed scope and available funds). The relevant CFDA listing was 15.808, U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection.

The core purpose of the project was to support research tied to hydrologic restoration, specifically improving the quantity, quality, timing, and spatial distribution of water delivered to major landscape features that define a functioning south Florida ecosystem. The announcement explicitly highlighted landscape types such as cypress forests, sawgrass sloughs, marl prairies, and mangrove estuaries. At the same time, the research was framed around a real-world constraint: restoration must be balanced with ongoing human and operational needs including drainage, flood control, water retention, municipal and agricultural water supply, irrigation, and transportation. In practice, that framing signals that USGS was looking for applied, management-relevant science that could help decision-makers understand tradeoffs and design water operations that better mimic natural hydrology without compromising essential infrastructure and services.

The opportunity also emphasized the broader context that restoring the south Florida natural system is large, complex, and shaped by intertwined social and ecological challenges. Rather than focusing on a narrow laboratory study, the announcement connected the work to a major field-based effort called the DECOMP Physical Model (DPM). The DPM was described as a large-scale field study intended to address scientific, hydrologic, and water management questions linked to uncertainties within DECOMP. Two specific uncertainties were called out as central: the ecological need to backfill canals and the ecological benefit of flow. In plain terms, the project sought research that could help resolve whether and how canal backfilling supports ecosystem recovery, and how changes in flow patterns translate into measurable ecological improvements. Because these questions sit at the intersection of engineering decisions and ecosystem response, the work implied by the announcement likely involved integrated hydrology-ecology thinking, field monitoring, and analysis capable of informing restoration design and operations.

Eligibility was restricted to organizations that are formal participating partners in the Hawaii Pacific Islands CESU Program. CESUs are partnership networks designed to link federal agencies with universities, nonprofits, tribes, and other research and technical organizations to deliver research, technical assistance, and education. The listing categorized eligible applicants broadly as "Others," but clarified that eligibility depends on being a recognized partner within that specific CESU network. This structure often streamlines collaboration and contracting by using established partnership agreements, and it tends to prioritize applicants with demonstrated capacity to work cooperatively with federal scientists and resource managers.

Administrative and access details were handled through Grants.gov, and the listed point of contact for assistance with the full announcement was Faith Graves at USGS (phone 703-648-7356, email fgraves@usgs.gov). Overall, the announcement described a targeted, single-award cooperative agreement meant to generate actionable science supporting hydrologic restoration and water-management decisions, with a particular focus on resolving key uncertainties being tested through the DECOMP Physical Model field study.

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