Evaluation of Grazing Effect to Applegates Milkvetch at Collins Tract | Apply Online

Grant Opportunity FAQs (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Applegate's Milkvetch Grazing Study)

1) What is this grant opportunity about?

This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) grant supports a field research project to quantify how cattle grazing affects Applegate's milkvetch (Astragalus applegatei), one of the rarest and most endangered plants in Oregon. The intent is to replace mostly anecdotal information with measured, multi-year data that can guide grazing management for the plant's long-term recovery.

2) Why is Applegate's milkvetch the focus of this project?

Applegate's milkvetch survives in only a handful of locations clustered in and around Klamath Falls, Oregon. Many of the remaining sites appear to be declining because habitat is being degraded or fragmented. This project targets a key remaining location to improve the science behind management decisions.

3) Where will the study take place?

The study is centered on the Collins Tract, a privately owned property managed by the Collins Company and leased for grazing. It is one of the key remaining locations where Applegate's milkvetch occurs.

4) What problem is the grant trying to solve?

Herbivory (plants being eaten by animals) has long been listed as a threat to Applegate's milkvetch in major conservation documents (including the 1993 final rule, the 1998 recovery plan, and the 2008 draft five-year status review), but the evidence for grazing impacts has largely been anecdotal rather than based on systematic measurements. The project is designed to determine how serious a threat cattle grazing is at this site and whether changes to grazing access would likely improve outcomes for the plant.

5) What evidence exists that grazing may affect the plant?

At the Collins Tract, cattle are present and have been documented eating Applegate's milkvetch. In addition, the plant appears to do best where it grows under rabbitbrush cover (Ericameria nauseosus and E. viscidiflorus), which may provide some protection from grazing animals.

6) Has grazing occurred at the Collins Tract for a long time?

Yes. Grazing has a long history at the site. Older photos suggest grazing may have occurred as far back as the late 1920s, and annual grazing by horses and cattle has been documented since the mid-1980s.

7) Are stocking levels or grazing intensity known for the site?

No. The opportunity description notes that actual stocking levels (how many animals and for how long) were not provided. This is identified as a major information gap in understanding grazing pressure over time.

8) If the plant persisted despite decades of grazing, why study grazing now?

The plant was not recorded at the Collins Tract until 2002, so it is known to have persisted despite decades of grazing. However, persistence alone does not answer the management question the Service needs to address: whether the species would do better if grazing were reduced or excluded in key areas. This grant is meant to generate data that can inform those decisions.

9) What is the stated goal of the grant?

The stated goal is to quantify the effects of cattle grazing at the Collins Tract and determine how serious a threat grazing is to Applegate's milkvetch.

10) What kind of study design is described?

The project is described as a field study comparing areas accessible to cattle with areas protected from cattle. The comparison is enabled by constructing multiple barbed-wire fence exclosures in places where the milkvetch occurs, so plant performance in grazed vs. ungrazed conditions can be measured over multiple years.

11) What are fence exclosures, and why are they included?

In this project, fence exclosures are barbed-wire fenced areas built in locations where Applegate's milkvetch occurs, designed to keep cattle out. They are included so the study can directly compare conditions and plant responses in areas with cattle access versus areas protected from cattle.

12) Who will build and maintain the exclosures?

A contractor would be hired to construct the barbed-wire fence exclosures. The Collins Company site manager would assist with ongoing maintenance.

13) What is the grant recipient responsible for?

The recipient is responsible for the scientific work: designing the study, setting up sample plots, collecting data over multiple years, and producing required reports (annual progress reports and a final report).

14) What is the expected project timeline?

The project was planned as a five-year effort running from 2008 through 2012. In spring 2008, work would begin with project clearances, finalizing the study design, and constructing the fence exclosures. In early summer 2008, sample plots would be established and baseline data collection would begin. Data collection would continue during summers 2009 through 2012, followed by reporting.

15) When are reports due?

Annual progress reports are required throughout the study. A final report compiling findings and conclusions is due to FWS by December 31, 2012.

16) What is the funding mechanism for this opportunity?

The opportunity uses a discretionary cooperative agreement.

17) Is cost-sharing or a match required?

No. The opportunity states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.

18) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning any type of entity can apply as long as it meets any additional qualifications described in the full announcement.

19) What are the activity categories for this opportunity?

The opportunity falls under the activity categories of agriculture, environment, and natural resources.

20) What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is FWS R8 KFALLSFWO 1.

21) When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was posted on April 30, 2008, and the application closing date was May 14, 2008.

22) Is this opportunity still open?

No. The opportunity was later archived on June 13, 2008.

23) Who should be contacted for help accessing the announcement?

The listed FWS contact is Joni Drinkwater, Administrative Officer. Phone: 541-885-8481. Email: jonidrinkwater@fws.gov.

24) What is the relationship of the landowner to the project?

The Collins Tract is privately owned and managed by the Collins Company and leased for grazing. The description states the landowners do not have plans to develop the site and are working with FWS on a conservation agreement, while FWS seeks better science to guide grazing management in support of the plant's recovery.