Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, South Florida/Caribbean CESU | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the name of this funding opportunity?

This is the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, South Florida/Caribbean CESU funding opportunity. The Funding Opportunity Number is G15AS00085.

2) Which federal agency is offering this grant?

The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

3) What type of award is being offered?

The USGS is offering this as a discretionary grant in the form of a cooperative agreement.

4) What is the overall purpose of the project?

The project is intended to strengthen Everglades restoration planning and scenario evaluation by developing a clearer, long-term picture of how South Florida's coastal and estuarine environments have changed over time and what those changes imply for future management decisions.

5) What ecosystem or geographic area is the focus of the work?

The work is tied to restoration planning for the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, with emphasis on South Florida's coastal and estuarine regions.

6) What is the core research emphasis described in the announcement?

The research emphasis is reconstructing past environmental conditions by analyzing estuarine and coastal organisms preserved in sediment cores. The approach uses biological and geological indicators preserved in layered sediments to infer environmental change over time.

7) What time period is the research intended to cover?

The reconstructions are intended to cover roughly the last 100 to 5,000 years, focusing on the late Holocene period.

8) Why is the late Holocene period important for this opportunity?

The late Holocene is presented as especially relevant for understanding recent natural variability and establishing pre-development baselines that can inform restoration planning.

9) What kinds of environmental parameters or drivers is the study trying to interpret?

The study aims to distinguish signatures of natural forces (such as sea level rise, climate variability, and storm events) from human-driven changes (such as land use shifts and water management practices), and to evaluate how these forces have interacted to shape present-day coastal ecosystems and landscapes.

10) How is this work intended to support management and restoration planning?

A central management-oriented goal is to provide information restoration planners can use when comparing future scenarios and setting measurable restoration benchmarks. The announcement frames the analyses as supporting targets and performance measures by clarifying historical ranges of variability and identifying environmental thresholds or drivers that most strongly influenced ecological change.

11) What are the key scientific questions listed in the announcement?

The announcement lays out four key scientific questions:

• What the late Holocene history of sea level and climate change has been in South Florida's coastal regions.
• What role sea level rise and storms played in producing the geologic and ecological conditions seen today.
• How natural drivers and human activities have interacted over time.
• How projected future changes may affect South Florida's natural resources.

12) How many awards does USGS anticipate making under this opportunity?

USGS anticipated making one award.

13) What is the estimated total program funding amount?

The estimated total program funding amount is $175,000.

14) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is listed in the provided information.

15) What CFDA program is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity falls under CFDA 15.808, U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection.

16) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to organizations that are active partners in the South Florida/Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

17) Why is eligibility limited to CESU partners?

The limitation reflects the CESU model described in the announcement: collaborative research, technical assistance, and education between federal agencies and partner institutions.

18) When was the opportunity posted and created?

The posting date and creation date were May 26, 2015.

19) What were the closing date and archive date?

The original and current closing date was June 12, 2015. The archive date was August 26, 2015.

20) Where is the primary public reference point for this opportunity?

The primary public reference point provided is Grants.gov.

21) Who is the contact for help accessing the full announcement?

The contact listed for assistance accessing the full announcement is Faith Graves. Phone: 703-648-7356. Email: fgraves@usgs.gov.

22) What kind of evidence is the project expecting to use from sediment cores?

Based on the announcement description, the project expects to use biological and geological indicators preserved in layered sediments, including estuarine and coastal organisms preserved in sediment cores, to infer past environmental conditions.

23) What is the intended use of historical reconstructions for scenario evaluation?

The intended use is to inform comparisons of future scenarios and to support setting measurable restoration benchmarks by clarifying historical ranges of variability and identifying key thresholds or drivers of ecological change.