Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountian CESU | G18AS00074

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00074

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00074) was a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center funding announcement intended to support applied research on river dynamics and riparian vegetation history in the western United States. Issued by the Department of the Interior under CFDA 15.808, the award was structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the USGS expected to have substantial involvement during the project rather than simply providing funds and receiving a final report. The opportunity sat within the "Science and Technology and other Research and Development" activity category and was offered as a discretionary award.

The project focus was on understanding channel change and forest age along three river systems: the Yampa River, the Green River, and the Little Snake River, spanning Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. The description highlights a key scientific and management context: free-flowing rivers in arid and semi-arid landscapes often move large sediment loads and experience periodic large floods. Those floods and sediment pulses can continually reshape channels, especially in multi-thread systems (for example, braided or anabranching reaches), producing rapid shifts in channel position, bar formation, and floodplain turnover. In practical terms, the research was meant to examine how these physically dynamic channel processes relate to the development, disturbance, and age structure of riparian forests along these corridors. By pairing channel-change analysis with forest-age information, the work would help clarify how often floodplains are reset, where stable surfaces persist long enough for older stands to develop, and how geomorphic change influences riparian habitat patterns over time.

Eligibility was limited to partners within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit network, specifically the Rocky Mountain CESU, with the announcement listing eligible applicants as "Others" and directing readers to additional eligibility language in the full notice. The funding parameters were straightforward: the anticipated total federal support was capped at an award ceiling of $120,000, and USGS expected to make one award. The opportunity was created on July 5, 2018, with an original application closing date of July 20, 2018, indicating a short submission window typical of targeted CESU research calls.

Overall, this was a small, focused, single-award research opportunity aimed at producing actionable scientific understanding of how flood-driven channel mobility in sediment-rich, free-flowing western rivers interacts with riparian forest establishment and succession. The intended outcome would be improved insight for river and floodplain management, including habitat conservation and interpretation of landscape change in these dynamic river corridors.

• 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, Rocky Mountian 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 Jul 05, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 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 $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).

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