Opportunity Information: Apply for USGS FA 17 8370
This Notice of Intent describes a small cooperative agreement the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Fort Collins Science Center, planned to make with the Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) in Durango, Colorado. The core purpose is to get help piloting and evaluating an integrated climate adaptation planning framework for southwestern Colorado. The framework is meant to blend several approaches that are often used separately: iterative scenario building (using plausible future conditions to test decisions), climate modeling (projecting climate-related stressors), and institutional analysis (understanding governance, capacity, and constraints that affect whether adaptation actions can actually be carried out). The end product USGS is aiming for is a set of practical, usable climate adaptation plans that stakeholders can implement rather than purely academic analyses.
A major emphasis of the opportunity is turning the project into something that can be repeated by others. USGS notes that it is currently limited in its ability to transfer lessons learned from this work to stakeholders in a way that builds long-term local capacity. The proposed collaboration is therefore not only about producing adaptation plans for this region, but also about developing a process and supporting materials (such as workshops and guidance) that help partners learn the method and eventually create their own plans independently. USGS also intends to use the outputs to provide information to the USGS North Central Climate Science Center (NC CSC) so adaptation plans and the approach behind them can be disseminated and applied more broadly.
The work is framed around climate change adaptation that supports social-ecological resilience, conservation of ecosystems and species, and the sustainability of human communities in southwestern Colorado. By explicitly integrating social science dimensions alongside ecological and climate science, the project is positioned to improve public land management decisions, especially where human institutions, cross-jurisdictional coordination, and community priorities shape what is feasible. USGS and MSI are both expected to benefit by strengthening their capacity to develop and apply climate adaptation data and planning methods, while producing foundational information that public land managers and scientists could potentially adapt for use in other regions beyond southwestern Colorado.
The description also provides context from an ongoing effort (referenced as SECR) that had ambitious original goals: producing adaptation plans for four conservation targets, coordinating two separate efforts across geographically isolated communities and watersheds, and engaging two tribes, while integrating social, ecological, and climate disciplines. Even though nine of eleven deliverables had been completed, the team identified a need for additional funding to finish one remaining original deliverable and to add a new task focused on transferring learning and methods to additional adaptation efforts. The challenges driving this need are practical and logistical: long distances between team members that increased the time and travel required for coordination, the complexity of running a consistent process across two isolated watersheds, and turnover among federal and tribal staff that required repeated orientation and additional organizing, particularly in the San Juan Basin.
A key expansion opportunity described in the notice is leveraging interest in the SECR and NC CSC partnership to create replicable workshop materials and test whether the process works well in other partner settings. The team reports being approached by three watershed-oriented groups that want to apply the process to concrete problems: an update to the Mancos River Watershed Plan focused on resilient restoration, work with the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership focused on climate-smart wildfire risk reduction, and an Upper Dolores River assessment focused on cold-water fish vulnerability. In other words, the grant is as much about packaging and stress-testing the adaptation planning approach as it is about completing remaining items from the original work.
Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity under the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, offered as a cooperative agreement (indicating substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project). The funding opportunity number is USGS FA 17 8370 and the CFDA program number listed is 15.808. Eligibility is stated as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and the notice anticipated a single award with an award ceiling of $29,000. The posting date was August 11, 2017, with an original closing date of August 24, 2017.Apply for USGS FA 17 8370
- The Department of the Interior, Geological Survey in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent" 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 11, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 24, 2017. (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 $29,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This notice describes a planned small cooperative agreement from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Fort Collins Science Center, to support piloting and evaluating an integrated climate adaptation planning framework in southwestern Colorado.
Who is the federal agency behind the opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically the USGS Fort Collins Science Center.
Who is the intended partner for the cooperative agreement?
The notice states USGS planned to make the cooperative agreement with the Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) in Durango, Colorado.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The core purpose is to get help piloting and evaluating an integrated climate adaptation planning framework that can produce practical, usable climate adaptation plans that stakeholders can implement (not purely academic analyses).
What region does the project focus on?
The work is focused on southwestern Colorado, including contexts such as the San Juan Basin and two geographically isolated watersheds referenced in the description.
What does the integrated climate adaptation planning framework include?
The framework is meant to blend approaches that are often used separately: iterative scenario building (using plausible future conditions to test decisions), climate modeling (projecting climate-related stressors), and institutional analysis (understanding governance, capacity, and constraints affecting implementation).
Why does the project emphasize scenario building?
Scenario building is included so decisions and adaptation options can be tested against plausible future conditions, rather than relying on a single assumed future.
Why is climate modeling part of the framework?
Climate modeling is included to project climate-related stressors that adaptation plans must account for.
What is meant by institutional analysis in this opportunity?
Institutional analysis refers to examining governance structures, local capacity, and real-world constraints that determine whether adaptation actions can actually be carried out.
What kinds of outcomes is USGS aiming for?
USGS is aiming for a set of practical climate adaptation plans that stakeholders can implement, along with a repeatable process and supporting materials (such as workshops and guidance) that enable others to apply the method.
Is the goal only to create plans for southwestern Colorado?
No. The notice emphasizes developing a process and materials that can be repeated by others, and sharing outputs so the approach and resulting information can be disseminated and applied more broadly.
What is the role of capacity building in this project?
A major emphasis is improving USGS's ability to transfer lessons learned to stakeholders in a way that builds long-term local capacity, so partners can eventually create their own adaptation plans independently.
How will results be shared beyond the local project area?
USGS intends to use outputs to provide information to the USGS North Central Climate Science Center (NC CSC) so adaptation plans and the approach behind them can be disseminated and applied more broadly.
What broader goals does the adaptation work support?
The work is framed around climate change adaptation that supports social-ecological resilience, conservation of ecosystems and species, and the sustainability of human communities in southwestern Colorado.
How does the project integrate social science and ecological/climate science?
The notice describes explicitly integrating social science dimensions alongside ecological and climate science to improve public land management decisions, especially where institutions, cross-jurisdictional coordination, and community priorities shape what is feasible.
What is SECR, and how does it relate to this opportunity?
The notice references an ongoing effort called SECR that had ambitious original goals (including multiple adaptation plans, coordination across isolated communities and watersheds, engagement with tribes, and integration of social, ecological, and climate disciplines). This opportunity is connected to completing remaining work and expanding transfer of learning and methods.
Why was additional funding described as necessary?
The description cites a need for additional funding to finish one remaining original deliverable and to add a new task focused on transferring learning and methods to additional adaptation efforts.
What challenges affected the original effort described in the notice?
Challenges included long distances between team members (increasing time and travel needed for coordination), the complexity of maintaining a consistent process across two isolated watersheds, and turnover among federal and tribal staff requiring repeated orientation and additional organizing (particularly in the San Juan Basin).
How much of the prior work had been completed?
The notice states that nine of eleven deliverables had been completed, with one remaining original deliverable needing support to finish (along with the additional new transfer-focused task).
What is the "expansion opportunity" described in the notice?
The expansion focuses on leveraging interest in the SECR and NC CSC partnership to create replicable workshop materials and to test whether the process works well in other partner settings.
What kinds of partner applications were mentioned for testing the approach?
Three watershed-oriented applications were mentioned: an update to the Mancos River Watershed Plan focused on resilient restoration; work with the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership focused on climate-smart wildfire risk reduction; and an Upper Dolores River assessment focused on cold-water fish vulnerability.
Is this funding opportunity a grant or a cooperative agreement?
It is described as a cooperative agreement, which indicates substantial involvement by the federal agency during the project.
Was this a competitive opportunity or discretionary funding?
The notice describes it as a discretionary funding opportunity.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number listed is USGS FA 17 8370.
What is the CFDA program number associated with the opportunity?
The CFDA program number listed is 15.808.
Who was eligible to apply, according to the notice?
Eligibility is stated as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
How many awards were anticipated?
The notice anticipated a single award.
What was the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling was $29,000.
When was the opportunity posted?
The posting date was August 11, 2017.
What was the original closing date?
The original closing date was August 24, 2017.
What types of deliverables or support materials were highlighted?
The notice highlights developing a repeatable process and supporting materials such as workshops and guidance to help partners learn the method and apply it independently over time.
Who is expected to benefit from the collaboration?
USGS and MSI are both expected to benefit by strengthening their capacity to develop and apply climate adaptation data and planning methods, while producing foundational information that public land managers and scientists could potentially adapt for use in other regions.
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