Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Southern Appalachian Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G24AS00342

Opportunity Information: Apply for G24AS00342

This funding opportunity (G24AS00342) is a US Geological Survey cooperative agreement intended for an eligible partner within the Southern Appalachian Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network. It supports applied research and field work focused on rebuilding native bird populations on Guam by improving strategies for reintroduction in places where the invasive brown treesnake (BTS) is being actively controlled. The need for the project is tied to the well-documented ecological damage caused by BTS after its introduction to Guam following World War II, when the snake spread across the island and drove most of Guam's native forest birds to extinction in the wild. With only two native forest bird species still persisting on Guam, the broader conservation goal is to make snake-controlled areas suitable enough to support birds again and to develop practical tools that help birds survive and reproduce despite ongoing predation risk.

The core work is centered on an intensively managed BTS control site called the Control Population (CP) located on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The project asks for systematic documentation of bird presence and use in and around this CP area, essentially establishing how birds are currently using the landscape near a high-effort snake control zone and whether bird activity changes over time. The field component is expected to include periodic bird surveys over a full year, which implies repeated monitoring across seasons to capture variation in bird movement, habitat use, and detectability. The intent is not just to create a snapshot, but to build a yearlong picture of bird use patterns that can guide future reintroduction planning and on-the-ground management decisions.

Beyond monitoring, the opportunity also emphasizes developing and testing ways to encourage native birds to move into the managed area from neighboring habitats. That includes exploring attraction methods that could help birds discover, enter, and remain in the CP, supporting the longer-term objective of reestablishing stable bird populations where snakes are suppressed. A major applied research deliverable is the design, construction, and deployment of artificial nesting and roosting structures intended to reduce vulnerability to BTS predation. These structures are meant to function as protective technology in the field, and the project includes assessing whether birds actually use the structures during the first year after deployment. In practice, this combines engineering or design considerations (how to build structures that deter snakes and suit target bird behavior) with biological evaluation (whether target species adopt them, when, and under what conditions).

Administratively, the award uses a cooperative agreement instrument, signaling substantial involvement or collaboration with the federal partner compared to a more hands-off grant. The activity falls under science and technology and other research and development, and it is issued under CFDA 15.808. The award ceiling is $59,000, with the original application closing date listed as May 13, 2024, and the opportunity was created on April 11, 2024. Eligibility is limited to organizations that are already participating partners of the Southern Appalachian Mountains CESU, consistent with CESU's purpose of leveraging partnerships for research, technical assistance, and education in support of federal resource management needs.

• 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 Southern Appalachian Mountains 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 2024-04-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-13. (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 $59,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G24AS00342

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