Opportunity Information: Apply for F12AS00257
Apply for F12AS00257
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Effects of Grazing on the Endangered Autumn Buttercup" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.657 Endangered Species Conservation Recovery Implementation Funds.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 29, 2012 and posted on Jun 29, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 30, 2012 This Cooperative Agreement is being awarded to Weber State University under the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $25,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $25,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- This Cooperative Agreement is being awarded to Weber State University under the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity titled "Effects of Grazing on the Endangered Autumn Buttercup" is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discretionary funding award focused on endangered species recovery implementation. Issued as a Cooperative Agreement (Funding Opportunity Number F12AS00257) under CFDA 15.657, it supports applied field research and management testing aimed at improving conservation outcomes for the endangered autumn buttercup. The project is structured to produce practical, on-the-ground guidance for rebuilding and maintaining a self-sustaining population, rather than only documenting ecological conditions.
At the core of the project is a set of linked questions about what is limiting autumn buttercup survival and reproduction at a preserve site. The work is designed to tease apart whether small mammals are directly suppressing the plant by preferentially grazing on it, or whether habitat management actions like cattle grazing and mechanical mowing indirectly help the buttercup by reducing competition from other plants (particularly accumulated wire grass thatch). A second indirect pathway is also tested: grazing and mowing may make the site less suitable for small mammals by altering cover and food resources, which could reduce herbivory pressure on the buttercup. In other words, the project examines both direct consumption of buttercup by small mammals and habitat-mediated changes that could shift small mammal abundance and behavior.
The planned tasks follow a clear experimental and monitoring sequence. First, researchers will survey the preserve for small mammals using live trapping to identify which species are present and estimate their relative densities. That baseline is then complemented by diet assessment of the small herbivores, using either stomach content analysis or fecal pellet analysis, to estimate what they are actually eating and to gauge relative consumption rates of grasses versus forbs. This matters because it helps determine whether buttercup and similar broadleaf plants are being targeted and whether herbivory patterns might change when vegetation structure changes.
Next, the project reintroduces disturbance that has been absent since large grazers were removed in 1989. Disturbance will be applied through a combination of cattle grazing and mechanical mowing, explicitly aimed at reducing built-up wire grass thatches and reshaping the plant community. Alongside these actions, the research team will conduct vegetation surveys to document plant species composition and relative abundance, and will track how disturbance affects both the plant community and the small mammal community over time. Monthly surveys are included to provide relatively fine temporal resolution so that changes can be linked to seasons, disturbance events, and shifts in habitat conditions.
A key deliverable is a reintroduction trial: 200 autumn buttercup plants will be reintroduced to the preserve and monitored for two growing seasons. Survival and reproductive output will be tracked so that the study can connect management conditions to demographic performance, which is essential for developing a workable reintroduction protocol. The collected data will then be analyzed to determine whether disturbance (grazing/mowing) and/or protection from small herbivores leads to measurable differences in buttercup survival and reproduction. The project concludes with a final report that synthesizes results and provides management recommendations, with the explicit intent of turning findings into guidelines for maintaining a self-sustaining autumn buttercup population.
Administratively, this opportunity was posted on June 29, 2012, with an original and current closing date of June 30, 2012, and an archive date of July 30, 2012. The expected number of awards was one, and the total funding amount was fixed at $25,000 (award floor and ceiling both $25,000), with no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Eligibility was effectively limited because the Cooperative Agreement was being awarded to Weber State University under the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit. The listed project officer contact was Larry Crist (801-975-3330 ext. 124; larycrist@fws.gov).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Effects of Grazing on the Endangered Autumn Buttercup (F12AS00257)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Effects of Grazing on the Endangered Autumn Buttercup."
Which agency is offering this grant?
This is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discretionary funding award.
What type of award is it?
The award is structured as a Cooperative Agreement.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is F12AS00257.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 15.657.
What is the program focus of this opportunity?
The funding supports endangered species recovery implementation, specifically applied field research and management testing to improve conservation outcomes for the endangered autumn buttercup.
What is the overall purpose of the project being funded?
The project is designed to produce practical, on-the-ground guidance for rebuilding and maintaining a self-sustaining population of the endangered autumn buttercup, rather than only documenting ecological conditions.
What main conservation problem is the project trying to address?
The work centers on identifying what is limiting autumn buttercup survival and reproduction at a preserve site, including whether small mammals are directly suppressing the plant through grazing and whether habitat management actions can improve outcomes.
What direct impact from small mammals is being investigated?
The project investigates whether small mammals are directly reducing buttercup survival and reproduction by preferentially grazing on the autumn buttercup.
What indirect effects of grazing and mowing are being tested?
Two indirect pathways are tested: (1) cattle grazing and mechanical mowing may help the buttercup by reducing competition from other plants, particularly accumulated wire grass thatch; and (2) grazing/mowing may make the site less suitable for small mammals by changing cover and food resources, potentially reducing herbivory pressure on the buttercup.
Why is wire grass thatch mentioned in the project description?
Wire grass thatch is specifically highlighted because accumulated thatch can increase competition and alter habitat structure, and the planned disturbance (grazing and mowing) is explicitly intended to reduce built-up wire grass thatches.
What are the first field tasks described for the project?
The project begins with surveys of the preserve for small mammals using live trapping to identify which species are present and estimate relative densities.
How will the project determine what the small herbivores are eating?
Diet will be assessed using either stomach content analysis or fecal pellet analysis to estimate what small herbivores are eating and to gauge relative consumption rates of grasses versus forbs.
Why does the project compare consumption of grasses versus forbs?
Comparing grass versus forb consumption helps indicate whether autumn buttercup and similar broadleaf plants are being targeted, and whether herbivory patterns might shift when vegetation structure changes.
What management actions will be applied at the preserve site?
The project reintroduces disturbance that has been absent since 1989 through a combination of cattle grazing and mechanical mowing.
What is significant about the year 1989 in this project?
Large grazers were removed in 1989, and the project specifically reintroduces disturbance that has been absent since that time.
What monitoring will occur alongside grazing and mowing?
The team will conduct vegetation surveys documenting plant species composition and relative abundance, and will track how disturbance affects both the plant community and the small mammal community over time.
How often are surveys planned, according to the description?
Monthly surveys are included to provide relatively fine temporal resolution so changes can be linked to seasons, disturbance events, and shifts in habitat conditions.
Is there a reintroduction component for the endangered plant?
Yes. A reintroduction trial will place 200 autumn buttercup plants into the preserve for monitoring.
How long will the reintroduced autumn buttercup plants be monitored?
The reintroduced plants will be monitored for two growing seasons.
What outcomes will be measured for the reintroduced plants?
The project will track survival and reproductive output to connect management conditions to demographic performance.
How will the project use the collected data?
Data will be analyzed to determine whether disturbance (grazing/mowing) and/or protection from small herbivores leads to measurable differences in autumn buttercup survival and reproduction.
What is the final deliverable described for this project?
The project concludes with a final report that synthesizes results and provides management recommendations intended to become guidelines for maintaining a self-sustaining autumn buttercup population.
When was this opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on June 29, 2012.
What were the closing dates for applications?
The original and current closing date were both June 30, 2012.
When was the opportunity archived?
The archive date listed is July 30, 2012.
How many awards were expected?
The expected number of awards was one.
What was the total funding amount available?
The total funding amount was fixed at $25,000.
What were the award floor and ceiling?
Both the award floor and award ceiling were $25,000.
Was cost-sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity specified no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
Who was eligible to receive this award?
Eligibility was effectively limited because the Cooperative Agreement was being awarded to Weber State University under the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit.
Who is the listed project officer for this opportunity?
The listed project officer contact is Larry Crist.
What contact information is provided for the project officer?
Phone: 801-975-3330 ext. 124
Email: larycrist@fws.gov
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