Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G15AS00075) was a US Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding announcement supporting science and technology research through a cooperative agreement. It was designed to fund one award, with an estimated total funding amount of $37,086, and it did not require cost sharing or matching. The opportunity was posted and created on May 26, 2015, with an application deadline of June 12, 2015, and it was later archived on August 26, 2015. The associated CFDA number was 15.808 (USGS Research and Data Collection).

Eligibility was limited to organizations that were already participating partners in the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). CESUs are collaborative partnerships intended to streamline and strengthen research, technical assistance, and education work between federal agencies and partner institutions. In practice, that means applicants needed to be part of the Rocky Mountain CESU network to be considered for funding under this announcement.

The core purpose of the project was research on agro-ecosystem-based management approaches that could improve pollinator diversity and pollinator activity on croplands, especially in the context of modern intensive agricultural systems. The announcement highlighted growing concerns about the ecological impacts of intensive cropping and the expansion of herbicide-tolerant genetically modified (GM) crops on pollinator health and diversity. It pointed to findings from studies of herbicide-tolerant GM crop expansion (using canola as a key example) indicating that bee abundance has been observed to be lowest in fields planted with GM varieties in certain contexts.

Canola (Brassica napus) was central to the problem statement because it provides substantial nectar and pollen resources for honeybees, bumblebees, and native bees, while also being highly sensitive to weed competition and chemical applications. Herbicide-tolerant GM canola is framed as an agronomic solution that enables herbicide use to reduce weeds and improve crop performance. At the same time, the announcement emphasized a tradeoff: pollinating insects often rely on within-field weed vegetation for food resources and nesting habitat, so weed elimination and associated management practices can reduce habitat value for pollinators even when the crop itself offers floral resources.

To address that tension, the opportunity focused on agro-ecosystem management strategies that add or protect pollinator habitat in and around production landscapes. A highlighted approach was the use of pollinator strips planted with bee forage placed around crop fields, along hedgerows, and within buffer zones. The idea is that these managed flowering areas could promote and sustain pollinator populations by providing consistent forage and potentially nesting resources outside the crop interior, then generate a "spillover" effect where more pollinators move into adjacent crop fields. That spillover could improve pollination efficiency in crops like canola where cross-pollination contributes to seed production, potentially supporting both biodiversity outcomes and agricultural productivity.

The administering agency was the USGS (Agency Name: Geological Survey). The public listing referenced Grants.gov for full announcement access, and provided a point of contact for assistance: Faith Graves (703-648-7356, fgraves@usgs.gov).

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