Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast CESU | G18AS00117

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) funding opportunity for the Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast region. It is a US Geological Survey (USGS) research-focused cooperative agreement intended to address a specific management and science gap related to oil and gas extraction impacts on terrestrial wildlife on or near National Wildlife Refuges.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number?

The Funding Opportunity Number listed is G18AS00117.

Which federal agency is offering the award?

The opportunity is issued by the Department of the Interior (DOI), US Geological Survey (USGS).

What type of award instrument will be used?

The instrument is a cooperative agreement. This typically means the federal agency expects substantial involvement during the project, such as collaboration on study design, aligning data collection with management needs, coordinating access, and/or interpreting results for practical use.

Is this a research grant or an implementation/operations grant?

Based on the description, this is research-focused funding. The intent is to produce empirically derived, field-based evidence that managers can use to evaluate, mitigate, monitor, and make decisions about the impacts of oil and gas extraction activities.

What management problem is the project trying to solve?

The project is framed around a common land-management complication on federal lands: the surface may be federally managed while subsurface mineral rights remain privately held due to prior ownership. This can allow non-federal rights holders to access and extract oil and gas resources, while federal agencies must manage surface impacts in a way that still meets the Department of the Interior mission to protect natural resources. Refuge managers may need species-specific evidence to understand consequences for sensitive wildlife when development-related disturbance occurs.

What is the main purpose of the funded work?

The purpose is to generate empirically derived data that refuge and resource managers can use when evaluating, mitigating, or monitoring the impacts of conventional or unconventional oil and gas operations, especially as they relate to terrestrial wildlife on National Wildlife Refuges.

What species or taxa are the primary focus?

The opportunity places particular attention on amphibians and reptiles, recognizing them as potentially sensitive to multiple stressors associated with oil and gas extraction activities.

Why does the opportunity emphasize amphibians and reptiles?

Amphibians and reptiles are highlighted because they are often especially sensitive to habitat fragmentation, changes in hydrology and microclimate, contamination, noise and vibration, altered prey availability, and increased road traffic. The opportunity also notes that there is relatively little field-based information linking these stressors to real outcomes for individuals and populations at extraction sites.

What kinds of oil and gas activities are covered?

The description references both conventional and unconventional oil and gas operations and is focused on understanding how extraction activities on or near National Wildlife Refuges affect terrestrial wildlife.

What kinds of impacts is the study expected to examine?

The opportunity points to a range of potential stressors and effects, including habitat fragmentation, hydrology and microclimate changes, contamination, noise and vibration, altered prey availability, and increased road traffic. It also specifically calls out displacement patterns and measurable physiological and ecological outcomes.

What is meant by temporary versus permanent displacement?

The project description identifies a key uncertainty: whether oil and gas activities cause temporary displacement (animals avoid an area during active operations but later return) or permanent displacement (long-term loss of occupancy).

What physiological effects are mentioned as examples?

Examples given include stress responses, altered body condition, and other health indicators that could be measured in relation to exposure to oil and gas activities.

What ecological effects are mentioned as examples?

Examples include changes in survival, reproduction, movement patterns, and population trends associated with oil and gas extraction activities.

Why is this research important for National Wildlife Refuges?

The stated end goal is to provide defensible, field-based evidence about how oil and gas extraction affects amphibians and reptiles on National Wildlife Refuges, enabling refuge and resource managers to make better-informed decisions about managing surface impacts when they do not control subsurface development rights.

Does the opportunity mention where this work will be relevant geographically?

It is identified as a Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast CESU opportunity. The description also notes that areas underlain by shale or kerogen-rich formations attractive for development can overlap with high-quality terrestrial habitats.

What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA (Assistance Listing) 15.808.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to CESU partners. The opportunity notes eligibility as “Others” with clarification in an additional eligibility field, which is described as common for CESU-restricted competitions. Applicants generally must be members of the CESU network and specifically aligned with the Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast CESU.

How many awards are expected?

The opportunity anticipates one expected award.

What is the maximum funding amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $35,000.

What does the budget and single-award structure suggest about project scope?

Based on the description, the funding level and single-award structure suggest a limited-scope effort, such as a pilot study, focused field sampling, targeted analysis, or development of baseline data and monitoring approaches that could be expanded later.

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was created on August 6, 2018, and had an original closing date of August 20, 2018, indicating a short application window.

Is this opportunity competitive or discretionary?

It is described as a discretionary funding opportunity issued by DOI/USGS.

What practical use will the deliverables have for managers?

The funded work is intended to deliver defensible, empirically derived evidence that can support refuge and resource managers as they evaluate impacts, consider mitigation, and design monitoring related to oil and gas operations affecting terrestrial wildlife on refuges.

Does the opportunity explain why data are needed now?

It notes a lack of robust, species-specific evidence about the consequences of development-related disturbance for sensitive wildlife, especially for amphibians and reptiles, despite multiple plausible stressors and overlapping high-quality habitat with areas attractive for oil and gas development.