Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | G18AS00107

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00107

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) grant opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU" (Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00107) is a US Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary funding competition intended to support science and technology research through a cooperative agreement. Although the title references the Rocky Mountain CESU, the described project is specifically aimed at the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, and eligibility is limited to members of the South Florida and Caribbean CESU (with further details referenced in the opportunity's additional eligibility information). The award is modest in size, with a ceiling of $24,000 and an expectation of a single award.

The core purpose of the project is to improve understanding of what water conditions were like in the southwestern Greater Everglades before major 20th-century human alterations. In practical terms, the study focuses on reconstructing pre-20th century hydrology for several connected areas that are central to restoration planning: the Shark River Slough drainage within Everglades National Park, the park's coastal mangrove zone, and Big Cypress National Preserve. By clarifying how water moved through these landscapes historically, the research aims to provide a more credible "natural baseline" that can be used to evaluate restoration alternatives and define what "more natural" hydrologic functioning should look like.

Methodologically, the work builds directly on approaches developed in earlier Everglades studies rather than starting from scratch. The planned technique couples two main information sources. First, it uses linear regression models derived from observed hydrologic station records (instrumental data that capture measured water levels or flows). Second, it ties those relationships to paleoecologic evidence preserved in sediment cores, drawing on core records already used in central and southeastern Everglades National Park and in Florida Bay. Sediment cores contain biological and chemical indicators that reflect past water conditions over long time periods, allowing researchers to infer hydrologic patterns that predate modern monitoring networks. To represent day-to-day variability and create a realistic daily hydrologic signal, the project also leverages the South Florida Water Management District's Natural Systems Model, a simulation framework designed to approximate hydrologic behavior under less altered, more natural system conditions.

What is new in this funding opportunity is the extension of that established reconstruction framework into the lower Shark River Slough, the adjacent coastal mangrove region, and Big Cypress. These areas are critical because they sit at the downstream end of the Everglades system where freshwater meets estuarine and coastal environments, and where changes in timing, depth, and duration of water can strongly affect mangroves, marshes, salinity patterns, and habitat quality for wildlife. By applying the previously validated method to these southwestern landscapes, the project is intended to fill a key knowledge gap that can otherwise limit confidence in restoration targets.

The intended users of the results are the agencies responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). The opportunity explicitly notes that the reconstructed hydrology will support resource managers at the National Park Service (NPS), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). The practical deliverable is not just a historical narrative, but actionable information that helps these agencies develop performance measures and numeric or conceptual targets for restoration, enabling scenario evaluation and helping managers judge whether planned projects are moving the ecosystem toward more natural hydrologic function.

Administratively, the opportunity was created on July 31, 2018, with an original closing date of August 14, 2018. It is listed under CFDA 15.808, and it is offered by the Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey. The structure as a cooperative agreement signals that substantial involvement by the federal agency is expected during the project, which commonly includes coordination on study design, data use, technical review, and alignment with agency restoration science needs.

• 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 Mountain 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 31, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 14, 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 $24,000.00 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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