Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This grant opportunity, titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU" (Funding Opportunity Number 08HQPA0038), is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary research award intended to support amphibian research in the western United States, a region recognized as a major hotspot for amphibian declines. The work is being advanced through the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NoRock), which focuses on producing practical, unbiased scientific information to support natural resource decision-making across Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Idaho, in collaboration with federal and state agencies, tribes, universities, and other partners.

The central scientific emphasis is on understanding and tracking amphibian population status and declines in the Rocky Mountains, including declines that occur even in protected landscapes like national parks and wilderness areas where obvious drivers such as direct habitat destruction may be less apparent. While well-known pressures such as habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and disease are acknowledged as contributors, the opportunity highlights that some amphibian losses have occurred without clear causes, making sustained monitoring and targeted research especially important.

A core feature of this effort is the Great Divide Transect, a long-running monitoring network established by Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) biologists at two USGS Science Centers in partnership with Idaho State University. The transect spans four major national parks along the Continental Divide corridor: Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Rocky Mountain National Parks. It covers an unusually broad geographic range of roughly 8 degrees of latitude, allowing researchers to examine how amphibian presence and population trends vary across large gradients in climate, elevation, and habitat conditions. Because data collection began at the start of ARMI in 2000 and has continued through sustained USGS, National Park Service (NPS), and university collaboration, the transect is described as one of the best-studied sets of mid-level monitoring sites within ARMI.

Findings to date indicate a clear north-to-south gradient in amphibian occupancy along the Continental Divide, with particularly low occupancy reported in Rocky Mountain National Park compared to the more northern parks. This matters because it suggests that declines cannot be explained only by the widely documented collapse of boreal toad (Bufo boreas) populations linked to chytrid fungus. Additional ARMI surveys in 2003 and 2004 found the chytrid pathogen to be common throughout the transect, implying that disease risk is broadly distributed and that other factors, interactions, or local conditions may be shaping where amphibians persist. The opportunity underscores that, while future outcomes are uncertain, there is a real possibility of serious amphibian declines even in iconic protected systems such as the Yellowstone ecosystem and Glacier National Park, and that the long-term datasets already collected are essential for judging how immediate and severe these threats may be.

From an administrative standpoint, the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, meaning the federal agency anticipates active involvement in the supported work rather than a hands-off grant. The funding activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA number listed is 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection). The announcement anticipates a single award with a total estimated funding amount of $35,930, which is also listed as both the award ceiling and the award floor, indicating a fixed expected award size. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

Eligibility is limited to partners within the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. CESUs are structured partnerships designed to deliver research, technical assistance, and education through collaboration among agencies and participating institutions, so applicants must already be part of the Rocky Mountain CESU network to be eligible. Key dates in the original posting show it was posted June 17, 2008, with a closing date of June 27, 2008, and an archive date of July 27, 2008. The listed point of contact for access issues or administrative questions is Faith Peters, Contract Specialist, at 703-648-7356.

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