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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the funding opportunity number for this grant?

The funding opportunity number is G11AS20035.

Which agency and office issued this opportunity?

This opportunity was issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK).

What program is this opportunity offered under?

The opportunity is offered under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, Rocky Mountain CESU.

What type of award is being offered?

The funding is offered as a cooperative agreement. This means the project work is expected to be conducted in collaboration with USGS rather than as a hands-off award.

Is this a discretionary funding opportunity?

Yes. It is described as a discretionary science and technology research funding opportunity.

Who is eligible to apply?

Only organizations that are officially participating partners in the Rocky Mountain CESU are eligible to apply.

What is the main purpose of the project?

The purpose is to improve understanding of what physical and hydrological conditions create or support successful bull trout spawning habitat in the North Fork of the Flathead River Basin (NFFRB).

Which species is the research focused on, and why?

The project focuses on bull trout, a federally threatened species native to the Pacific Northwest. Bull trout are especially sensitive to temperature, making them vulnerable to warming conditions and other environmental changes.

What part of the bull trout life cycle is emphasized in this opportunity?

The emphasis is on spawning habitat. Bull trout spawn in the fall and rely on cold, mountain-sourced streams with gravel streambeds for spawning and egg development.

What geographic area does the project cover?

The work is focused on the North Fork of the Flathead River Basin (NFFRB), including the North Fork of the Flathead River Basin river corridor and associated watershed-scale settings.

What is a “redd,” as used in this opportunity?

A redd is a bull trout spawning nest. The project looks at where bull trout choose to build redds and how suitable those locations remain over time.

What physical processes or characteristics is the project trying to understand?

The project centers on stream and valley processes that maintain cold, clean, and hydraulically suitable spawning conditions, including stream geomorphology (channel form, bed material, floodplain and valley structure), groundwater inputs, and hyporheic flow (exchange of water between the stream and the shallow subsurface beneath and alongside the channel).

How does groundwater relate to spawning habitat in this project?

The opportunity highlights groundwater inputs and groundwater-related mechanisms as important influences on cold-water conditions and spawning-site suitability, including potential cold-water refugia and the processes that maintain them.

What is “hyporheic flow,” and why does it matter here?

Hyporheic flow is the exchange of water between the stream and the shallow subsurface beneath and alongside the channel. In this project, hyporheic conditions are part of the hydrologic factors being evaluated for their influence on where redds occur and how spawning conditions persist.

Is the project starting new work from scratch, or building on prior studies?

The work is intended to test and validate findings from previous studies conducted in the NFFRB. The opportunity emphasizes checking whether earlier conclusions about the drivers of spawning-site selection hold up across locations and scales within the basin.

What scales of analysis are expected?

The opportunity expects both local-scale and watershed-scale evaluation. Local-scale examples include reach-scale channel characteristics, substrate, localized groundwater upwelling zones, and near-stream hyporheic conditions. Watershed-scale examples include broader geomorphic setting, valley confinement, geologic controls, and basin hydrology.

Does the opportunity expect the project to connect local and watershed processes?

Yes. The opportunity explicitly calls for evaluating how features are interconnected, reflecting that spawning habitat is shaped by linked processes across the river corridor and the broader watershed.

What analysis approach is described in the opportunity?

The central analysis described is correlating mapped or observed redd location data with physical and hydrologic characteristics to identify relationships and processes influencing spawning habitat distribution within the NFFRB.

What kinds of outputs or outcomes are expected?

The expected outcome is a clearer set of physical and hydrological indicators that help explain why redds cluster in certain areas, what conditions may be most important to protect, and how habitat suitability could shift under climate change or other disturbances.

How could the results be used by managers or conservation planners?

The results are intended to support vulnerability assessments and inform conservation or restoration planning aimed at maintaining or enhancing spawning habitat resilience, including understanding how conditions might change under climate change, altered flow regimes, channel changes, or impacts to groundwater recharge and cold-water refugia.

How many awards did USGS anticipate making under this opportunity?

USGS anticipated making one award.

What was the estimated total funding amount?

The estimated total funding was $17,979.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The listing indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number is 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection).

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

It was posted on May 11, 2011. The original and final closing date was May 16, 2011.

Is this opportunity still open?

No. The opportunity was archived on August 11, 2011, and the closing date was May 16, 2011.

Where could applicants find additional information or the full announcement?

An additional information link was provided through Grants.gov, and the opportunity references access to the full announcement through that channel.

Who was the contact person for access issues related to the full announcement?

The contact listed for access issues was Faith Graves. Phone: 703-648-7356. Email: fgraves@usgs.gov.