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

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00117

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) opportunity for the Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast region (Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00117) is a US Geological Survey (USGS) research-focused cooperative agreement aimed at filling a specific management and science gap: understanding how oil and gas extraction activities on or near National Wildlife Refuges affect terrestrial wildlife, with particular attention to amphibians and reptiles. The project is framed around a common land-management complication on federal lands where oil and gas development occurs: even when the surface is federally managed, the subsurface mineral rights can remain privately held due to prior ownership. That situation allows non-federal rights holders to access and extract oil and gas resources, while federal agencies must manage the surface impacts in a way that still meets the Department of the Interior mission to protect natural resources. In practice, that means refuge managers may have to accommodate or respond to development-related disturbance without having robust, species-specific evidence about the consequences for sensitive wildlife.

The main purpose of the funded work 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. The opportunity highlights that many areas underlain by shale or kerogen-rich formations, which are attractive for oil and gas development, are also high-quality habitats for terrestrial species. Amphibians and reptiles are called out 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, yet there is relatively little field-based information describing how these stressors translate into real outcomes for individuals and populations at extraction sites. A key uncertainty the project seeks to address is whether oil and gas activities lead to temporary displacement (animals avoid an area during active operations but later return) or more permanent displacement (long-term loss of occupancy), and whether exposure is associated with measurable physiological effects (such as stress responses, altered body condition, or other health indicators) and/or ecological effects (such as changes in survival, reproduction, movement patterns, or population trends).

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the Department of the Interior, USGS, under CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) 15.808. The instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project, such as collaboration on study design, data needs, access coordination, or interpretation for management use. Eligibility is limited to CESU partners, meaning applicants generally must be members of the CESU network and specifically aligned with the Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast CESU; the posting notes eligibility as “Others” with clarification in an additional eligibility field, which is common for CESU-restricted competitions.

In terms of scale and timing, the opportunity was created on August 6, 2018, with an original closing date of August 20, 2018, reflecting a short application window typical of targeted CESU calls. The anticipated award structure is small and focused: one expected award with an award ceiling of $35,000. Taken together, the budget and single-award structure suggest a limited-scope project such as a pilot study, focused field sampling effort, analysis of targeted metrics, or development of baseline data and monitoring approaches that can be expanded later. The end goal is practical: deliver defensible, field-based evidence about how oil and gas extraction affects amphibians and reptiles on National Wildlife Refuges so that federal land managers can make better-informed decisions about managing surface impacts where they do not control subsurface development rights.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 06, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 20, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $35,000.00 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).

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