Opportunity Information: Apply for FWS R5 ES 12 016
Apply for FWS R5 ES 12 016
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent to Award" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.650 Research Grants (Generic).
- This funding opportunity was created on Aug 1, 2012 and posted on Aug 1, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 8, 2012. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $92,995.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $92,995.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
This funding notice is a Notice of Intent to Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for a single, specific grant agreement with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). There is no full competitive announcement attached to this notice, which signals that the agency has already identified the intended recipient and project team. The work focuses on water quality threats in the Upper Tennessee River system, with emphasis on the Clinch River (CR) and the North Fork Holston River (NFHR) in Virginia and Tennessee. These rivers are especially important because they support a high concentration of imperiled freshwater mussels, including 18 federally listed species and 4 candidate species.
The overall purpose of the project is to determine how contaminants and other water quality stressors are affecting the health and reproductive condition of adult freshwater mussels, and to translate those findings into practical conservation and management actions. The notice explains that Virginia Tech personnel are named in the research plan because they have specialized expertise in mussel histology and contaminant assessment and have decades of direct experience with the mussel communities in the Clinch and North Fork Holston rivers. The selection rationale is described as consistent with internal policy (referenced as 505DM 2), reflecting a determination that this team is uniquely qualified to carry out the highly specialized work.
Scientifically, the project assesses mussel health using quantitative histology, meaning microscopic examination and measurement of tissue condition in key organs. The vital organs targeted include the digestive gland, gills, kidneys, and gonads, which together provide indicators of general health, stress, and reproductive potential. The research is organized into two main components. In the first component, adult mussels will be caged at multiple sites in the Clinch River that fall into two contrasting categories: zones where mussel populations are increasing and zones where they are decreasing. After the caging period, organ tissues will be examined and statistically compared between these zones. The histological results will then be statistically correlated with water quality measurements being collected through other ongoing Clinch River investigations, with the goal of linking observed biological effects to specific environmental conditions.
The second component uses controlled exposure studies to evaluate the effects of particular contaminants or stressor mixtures at environmentally relevant concentrations. Adult mussels will be exposed to high and low concentration mixtures of common ions (sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride). Separate exposures will test unionized ammonia, using the highest levels measured at currently investigated Clinch River sites and at seepage points associated with the Saltville chemical holding ponds in the North Fork Holston River. Following approximately three months of exposure, tissues from exposed mussels and control mussels will be evaluated and compared using the same quantitative histological approach. This design is intended to clarify whether ion mixtures and ammonia levels similar to those found in the field are likely to cause measurable organ damage or reproductive impairment.
The project’s objectives are laid out in five concrete steps centered on the rainbow mussel (Villosa iris), a non-listed species used as a surrogate for understanding conditions that may also affect threatened and endangered mussels at the same sites. The objectives are to: (1) assess the health of caged adult V. iris across four sites in each of the two Clinch River zones (increasing versus decreasing) using histological evaluation of gill, digestive gland, kidney, and gonad tissues; (2) correlate the quantitative histology results with water quality data collected at the same sites through ongoing monitoring; (3) rank the surveyed Clinch River sites based on mussel health outcomes to help set management priorities; (4) evaluate health effects of exposure to high and low mixtures of sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride using the same organ-tissue endpoints; and (5) evaluate health effects of exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of unionized ammonia measured in the Clinch and North Fork Holston rivers, again using histological endpoints in the same organs.
From a management perspective, the notice emphasizes that ranking sites by measured mussel health could help decision-makers focus limited resources on the places where intervention is most urgent or most likely to be effective. Because the work relies on a non-listed mussel that occurs in the same river reaches as listed species, the findings are meant to support reasonable inferences about the condition of rarer, legally protected mussels without requiring intensive handling of those species. The results are also framed as a way to produce outcome-based monitoring information within the Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) framework, serving both as baseline data for future comparisons and as an early warning system for detecting emerging threats before large-scale population declines occur. While the immediate application is the Clinch and North Fork Holston systems, the notice states that the approach and findings may be broadly useful for mussel conservation and water-quality management in other eastern U.S. river systems with similar stressors.
Administratively, this opportunity is listed as discretionary funding in the environmental category and uses a grant instrument. It anticipates one award with an estimated total funding amount of $92,995, and both the award floor and ceiling are also stated as $92,995, indicating a fixed award amount. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The eligible applicant category is public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, consistent with the intended awardee being Virginia Tech. The funding opportunity number is FWS R5 ES 12 016, and the CFDA program listed is 15.650 (Research Grants (Generic)). The notice was posted on August 1, 2012, with an original and current closing date of August 8, 2012, and an archive date of August 9, 2012. A grants officer contact is provided for access issues: Christal Cutler, phone 413-253-8233.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding notice?
This is a Notice of Intent to Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for a single, specific grant agreement. It signals that FWS has already identified the intended recipient and project team for this work.
Is this a competitive grant opportunity?
No. The notice states there is no full competitive announcement attached, and the agency has already identified the intended recipient and project team.
Who is the intended award recipient?
The intended recipient is Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).
Why was Virginia Tech selected for this work?
The notice explains that Virginia Tech personnel are named in the research plan because they have specialized expertise in mussel histology and contaminant assessment, along with decades of direct experience with the mussel communities in the Clinch River and North Fork Holston River. The selection rationale is described as consistent with internal policy (referenced as 505DM 2) and based on a determination that this team is uniquely qualified to perform the highly specialized work.
What rivers and geographic areas are covered by the project?
The work focuses on water quality threats in the Upper Tennessee River system, with emphasis on the Clinch River and the North Fork Holston River in Virginia and Tennessee.
Why are the Clinch River and North Fork Holston River a focus?
These rivers support a high concentration of imperiled freshwater mussels, including 18 federally listed species and 4 candidate species.
What is the overall purpose of the project?
The project aims to determine how contaminants and other water quality stressors affect the health and reproductive condition of adult freshwater mussels, and to translate those findings into practical conservation and management actions.
How will mussel health be evaluated?
Mussel health will be assessed using quantitative histology, which involves microscopic examination and measurement of tissue condition in key organs. The organs targeted are the digestive gland, gills, kidneys, and gonads, which provide indicators of general health, stress, and reproductive potential.
What are the two main scientific components of the research?
The project is organized into two components: (1) field caging studies in the Clinch River across sites in zones where mussel populations are increasing versus decreasing, followed by histological comparisons and correlation with water quality measurements; and (2) controlled exposure studies in which adult mussels are exposed to specific contaminants or stressor mixtures at environmentally relevant concentrations, followed by histological comparison to control mussels.
How will the field caging study in the Clinch River be set up?
Adult mussels will be caged at multiple Clinch River sites that fall into two contrasting categories: areas where mussel populations are increasing and areas where they are decreasing. After the caging period, tissues from key organs will be examined and statistically compared between the two zone types.
How will field results be linked to water quality conditions?
The histological results from caged mussels will be statistically correlated with water quality measurements collected through other ongoing Clinch River investigations, with the goal of linking observed biological effects to specific environmental conditions.
What contaminants or stressors are tested in the controlled exposure studies?
The controlled exposure studies evaluate: (1) mixtures of common ions (sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride) at high and low concentrations, and (2) unionized ammonia at environmentally relevant concentrations, including the highest levels measured at currently investigated Clinch River sites and at seepage points associated with the Saltville chemical holding ponds in the North Fork Holston River.
How long are the controlled exposure studies expected to run before tissue evaluation?
The notice describes tissue evaluation occurring following approximately three months of exposure.
What species is used for the project’s core objectives, and why?
The objectives are centered on the rainbow mussel (Villosa iris), a non-listed species used as a surrogate for understanding conditions that may also affect threatened and endangered mussels at the same sites. This approach supports reasonable inferences about listed mussels without requiring intensive handling of legally protected species.
What are the project’s stated objectives?
The notice lists five objectives: (1) assess the health of caged adult Villosa iris across four sites in each of two Clinch River zones (increasing versus decreasing) using histological evaluation of gill, digestive gland, kidney, and gonad tissues; (2) correlate histology results with water quality data collected at the same sites through ongoing monitoring; (3) rank surveyed Clinch River sites based on mussel health outcomes to help set management priorities; (4) evaluate health effects of exposure to high and low mixtures of sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride using the same organ-tissue endpoints; and (5) evaluate health effects of exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of unionized ammonia measured in the Clinch and North Fork Holston rivers using the same histological endpoints.
How will the project’s results be used for management and conservation?
The notice emphasizes that ranking sites by measured mussel health can help decision-makers focus limited resources on locations where intervention is most urgent or most likely to be effective. The work is also framed as producing outcome-based monitoring information within the Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) framework, providing baseline data for future comparison and an early warning system for emerging threats before large-scale population declines occur.
Is the approach intended to be useful beyond these two river systems?
Yes. While the immediate application is the Clinch and North Fork Holston systems, the notice states that the approach and findings may be broadly useful for mussel conservation and water-quality management in other eastern U.S. river systems with similar stressors.
What type of funding instrument is being used?
The notice states the opportunity uses a grant instrument.
Is this discretionary funding, and what category is it listed under?
Yes. It is listed as discretionary funding in the environmental category.
How many awards does the notice anticipate?
The notice anticipates one award.
What is the estimated total funding amount for the award?
The estimated total funding amount is $92,995.
Are there stated award floor and ceiling amounts?
Yes. The award floor is $92,995 and the award ceiling is $92,995, indicating a fixed award amount.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
Who is eligible to apply, based on the notice?
The eligible applicant category is public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, which aligns with the intended awardee being Virginia Tech.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is FWS R5 ES 12 016.
What CFDA program is referenced?
The notice lists CFDA 15.650, Research Grants (Generic).
When was the notice posted, and what are the closing and archive dates?
The notice was posted on August 1, 2012. The original and current closing date is August 8, 2012, and the archive date is August 9, 2012.
Who is the grants officer contact listed for access issues?
The notice provides a grants officer contact for access issues: Christal Cutler, phone 413-253-8233.
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