Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G24AS00255

Opportunity Information: Apply for G24AS00255

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is soliciting proposals for a discretionary cooperative agreement under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically limited to partners affiliated with the Chesapeake Watershed CESU. The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G24AS00255; CFDA 15.808) supports science and technology research focused on the demography and movement patterns of the California leaf-nosed bat (Macrotus californicus), with the work framed around questions that matter for renewable energy development in California. In practical terms, the project is meant to generate applied ecological information that can be used to better understand how this bat species uses habitats, how individuals or populations move across the landscape, and what those patterns might imply for siting, operating, or mitigating impacts from renewable energy infrastructure.

This award is structured as a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, which typically signals substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project. That can include collaboration on study design, coordination around data needs, joint problem-solving as the research progresses, and alignment with USGS scientific priorities and management-relevant outcomes. The funding instrument also reflects the CESU model, where the federal government partners with a network of institutions to deliver research, technical assistance, and education that address public resource questions.

Eligibility is narrowly defined: applicants must be a participating partner in the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit Program. The listing identifies the eligible applicant category as "Others," but the controlling requirement is CESU partnership status within that specific unit. This is not an open competition for all universities or nonprofits unless they are already formal partners in the Chesapeake Watershed CESU network.

Key administrative details include an award ceiling of $80,000, with the opportunity posted on February 1, 2024, and an original application closing date of March 1, 2024. The opportunity is categorized under "Science and Technology and other Research and Development," reflecting its emphasis on field-based or analytical wildlife research with direct relevance to land and energy development decisions. Overall, the program is aimed at producing credible, management-relevant bat ecology information that can inform renewable energy planning and wildlife conservation considerations in California, while leveraging the CESU partnership framework to carry out the work collaboratively with USGS.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" 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 2024-02-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-01. (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 $80,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G24AS00255

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