Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) | G27AS00078

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary cooperative agreement offered through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program to support research focused on chronic wasting disease (CWD) prevention and long-term management.

What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA listing?

The funding opportunity number is G27AS00078, and it falls under CFDA 15.808.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to applicants that are already participating partners of the Pacific Northwest CESU.

How many awards does USGS expect to make?

USGS plans to make one award under this opportunity.

What is the maximum funding amount available?

The maximum federal funding level (award ceiling) is $200,000.

What is the application deadline?

The application deadline is November 14, 2026.

What is the main purpose of the project?

The core purpose is to strengthen long-term, strategic CWD planning in areas where CWD is not yet widespread or endemic, so agencies are better positioned before impacts become severe.

What geographic areas are emphasized?

The opportunity emphasizes the northeastern United States, while also aiming for relevance to western states.

How does the project frame CWD management?

The project frames CWD as an ongoing management challenge involving repeated, linked decisions over time, rather than a one-time emergency response.

What are the two major disease conditions considered in the planning approach?

The planning approach spans two major disease conditions: a disease-free state and a disease-present state.

What kinds of recurring management decisions are included?

Recurring decisions include surveillance intensity and design, regulatory actions (such as harvest policy changes, restrictions on moving harvested animals, and carcass disposal requirements), and targeted interventions (such as hunter outreach, focused culling, and other actions meant to reduce transmission or limit spread).

What are the major deliverables expected?

A major deliverable is the continued development and improvement of decision support tools that help natural resource agencies anticipate CWD arrival, model how the disease may spread and grow after introduction, and evaluate which management actions are likely to reduce long-term impacts.

What decision support tools are referenced in the notice?

The notice references a set of linked modeling and decision tools that USGS already has in use in some locations, designed to connect disease dynamics with practical outcomes and tradeoffs.

What metrics do the tools aim to model?

The tools are described as modeling key metrics such as CWD prevalence, management and program costs, and participation levels (including numbers of active hunters) under different disease scenarios and alternative management strategies.

Why is tool refinement part of the work?

While the tools are already useful, the opportunity highlights the need to refine tool structure, reduce uncertainty in critical parameters, and expand availability and usability for managers across regions.

What is a specific modeling emphasis for the northeastern U.S.?

The proposed work emphasizes improving model-based estimates of how quickly CWD might be introduced into the northeastern U.S. through multiple pathways, rather than assuming a single route of introduction.

Does the opportunity address surveillance and communication?

Yes. The notice calls for testing the effectiveness of surveillance approaches and public communication strategies, with the intent that better surveillance and better messaging can increase compliance and participation in disease-related actions.

What types of public participation or compliance outcomes are mentioned?

Examples include participation and compliance related to proper carcass disposal, hunter-harvest strategies aligned with disease goals, and culling where appropriate.

What outcomes is the project trying to improve for agencies?

The work is intended to help agencies identify earlier and more targeted opportunities to prevent or reduce long-term ecological, recreational, and economic impacts, particularly before CWD becomes entrenched.

How does this project connect to broader federal priorities?

The notice describes alignment with federal priorities and planning frameworks emphasizing preparedness, risk-informed approaches to hazards, and improving governmental efficiency, noting that wildlife diseases have imposed substantial costs on taxpayers.

How does the opportunity relate to recreation and public lands?

The notice ties the work to goals of maintaining and improving the recreational experience on public lands (including National Parks, National Forests, and National Wildlife Refuges), supporting healthy and abundant wildlife, sustained hunting opportunities, and the economic health of communities reliant on natural-resource-based recreation and livelihoods.

What science practices does the opportunity emphasize?

The project is positioned as supporting "gold standard" science practices, emphasizing open access outputs, reproducibility, transparency, and unbiased data collection and analysis when modeling future CWD scenarios and communicating results.

What does it mean that this award is a cooperative agreement?

Because it is a cooperative agreement, the selected CESU partner is expected to collaborate closely with USGS and other natural resource agency partners during the project, rather than operating entirely independently.

What is the overall goal of the funded work?

The overall goal is to produce practical, risk-informed, and widely shareable decision support capacity that improves how agencies plan for CWD introduction and respond over the long term, especially in the Northeast before CWD becomes widespread.