Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G18AS00038

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00038

The Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced a discretionary funding opportunity under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, specifically the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU. The opportunity is intended to fund one CESU partner through a cooperative agreement to carry out targeted research and monitoring focused on Lake Ontario's lower aquatic food web. This work is tied directly to Lake Ontario's 2018 Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) year, which is a coordinated, basinwide effort to generate consistent scientific information that agencies can use to understand lake conditions and guide management decisions.

The core purpose of the project is to continue and strengthen long-term monitoring of foundational components of the Lake Ontario ecosystem. The U.S.-Canada Lake Ontario Action and Management Plan (LAMP) identifies sustained monitoring of the microbial loop, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and mysids as essential for detecting ecological change over time. These organisms sit at the base of the aquatic food web, and shifts in their abundance, community composition, timing, or productivity can cascade upward to influence water quality, nutrient dynamics, and fish populations. The monitoring data are also described as critical inputs for developing whole-system ecological models, which water quality and fishery managers use to test scenarios, anticipate ecosystem responses, and support coordinated decision-making across jurisdictions.

In addition to the long-term lower food web monitoring elements, the USGS added an opportunistic component for monitoring larval fishes. This addition is meant to complement other funded studies that are examining the status of native coregonid fishes (a group of historically important coldwater species in the Great Lakes). Larval fish information can help researchers understand recruitment conditions, early-life survival, and whether restoration or conservation efforts are translating into measurable responses in young fish presence and distribution.

Administratively, the opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00038, with a creation date of May 16, 2018, and an original application closing date of May 30, 2018. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates that USGS expects to have substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordination on study design, methods, field efforts, data management, or reporting) rather than issuing a hands-off grant. The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA listing provided is 15.808. The total available funding is capped at an award ceiling of $120,000, and USGS anticipated making one award.

Eligibility is limited to CESU partners, with the posting listing eligible applicants as "Others" and directing readers to additional eligibility text for clarification. In practice, that means the applicant typically must be an official member institution of the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU (often universities, tribal entities, nonprofits, or other research organizations that have joined the CESU partnership framework). Overall, the opportunity is narrowly scoped: it is designed to deliver actionable monitoring and research products for Lake Ontario managers by maintaining continuity in lower food web datasets, supporting ecosystem modeling, and adding timely larval fish observations that align with broader native fish assessment efforts.

• 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, Great Lakes Northern Forests 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 May 16, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 30, 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 $120,000.00 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).

Apply for G18AS00038

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