Marine Mammal and Habitat Monitoring-Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Prey at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W9126G262SOI8775) is a request for interest tied to a cooperative agreement to support a multi-year marine mammal and habitat monitoring effort focused on Cook Inlet beluga whales and their prey resources in and around Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) in Alaska. The work will be performed in support of the U.S. Air Force, specifically Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center and the 673d Civil Engineering Squadron at JBER, and is intended to generate consistent, defensible field data that can be used for day-to-day environmental management on the installation as well as broader conservation needs in Cook Inlet. The central aim is to improve understanding of the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale (CIBW), with an emphasis on habitat conditions and prey-related monitoring that can help explain beluga distribution, behavior, and habitat use near JBER.

A key point in this announcement is that it is not asking for a full technical proposal or a proposed budget at this stage. Instead, it is essentially an early step in the acquisition and partner-selection process, used to identify qualified partners and shape the eventual cooperative agreement approach. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard contract, which generally signals that the federal partner anticipates substantive involvement during project execution (for example, coordination on study design refinements, access and logistics at JBER, data standards, and alignment with compliance needs).

The project is framed around supporting compliance and stewardship obligations under two major federal wildlife statutes: the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). In practical terms, that means the monitoring results are expected to help JBER understand and manage potential impacts from base activities (such as training, operations, shoreline access, and other actions that could affect belugas or their habitat), document conditions over time, and provide information useful for consultations and environmental decision-making. The announcement also notes that the collected data should contribute to the overall recovery effort for the Cook Inlet beluga whale population, which implies an expectation that the work product will be scientifically credible, consistent over multiple years, and suitable for use by natural resource managers and regulators beyond the installation boundary.

The planned period of performance is structured as an 18-month base period, with the work broken into roughly 12 months of technical support and 6 months that account for administrative setup and realistic project constraints such as onboarding, field-season timing and seasonal delays common in Alaska, analysis, and reporting. On top of the base period, the opportunity allows for up to six additional 18-month follow-on periods, contingent on future funding availability. The announcement explicitly notes that some overlap between periods is expected and acceptable, mainly to keep field planning, subcontracting, and reporting moving without gaps, which is often necessary for multi-year monitoring programs where field seasons, permitting, equipment deployment, and data processing do not align neatly with award-year boundaries.

Eligibility is limited and quite specific. Only participants within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) network under the Alaska and Pacific Northwest Units can apply, which narrows the field primarily to eligible universities, research institutions, tribes, nonprofits, and other partners that are already part of those CESU regions. The project will be awarded under the authority of 16 USC 670c-1 (the Sikes Act), which is commonly used for natural resources work on military lands and for implementing Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans. The notice also highlights a Sikes Act priority: for projects implementing and enforcing these plans, preference is given to federal and state agencies with responsibility for fish and wildlife conservation or management. Even though the project will be executed through a cooperative agreement with a non-federal entity, this priority language signals the government may favor proposals that clearly align with the responsibilities and expertise of recognized wildlife management bodies or that include strong partnerships with such agencies.

From the administrative details provided, the issuing agency is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, and the opportunity is categorized under "Other" with an activity category of science and technology and other research and development. The CFDA number listed is 12.005. The estimated award ceiling is $4,126,859, and the government anticipates making one award. The posting indicates an original closing date of 2026-05-04, with a creation date of 2026-04-02. Interested parties are directed to submit responses and questions by the deadlines listed in the attached timeline (RSOI), and two points of contact are provided for communication: Yvonne Howard (yvonne.howard@usace.army.mil) and David Leptien (david.b.leptien@usace.army.mil).

In summary, this is a CESU-restricted cooperative agreement opportunity to support a long-term, multi-year monitoring effort centered on Cook Inlet beluga whales and prey/habitat conditions near JBER, designed to strengthen compliance with ESA and MMPA requirements and to produce actionable data for installation environmental management and species recovery. The government is not requesting a full proposal or budget yet, but it is signaling an intent to fund one partner for a potentially extended series of 18-month performance periods, with substantial emphasis on continuity of monitoring, rigorous reporting, and alignment with military natural resource management under the Sikes Act.

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