Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau CESU | G19AS00134

Opportunity Information: Apply for G19AS00134

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau CESU opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G19AS00134) was a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Alaska Science Center (ASC) discretionary funding solicitation released by the Department of the Interior under CFDA 15.808. It was offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning the awardee would be expected to work closely with USGS scientists and staff during the project rather than operating entirely independently. The opportunity was created on September 16, 2019, with an original application closing date of September 30, 2019. USGS anticipated making a single award, with a maximum funding level (award ceiling) of $150,000.

The main purpose of the project was to support research on polar bear maternal denning in the southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation, with a particular focus on how human-caused (anthropogenic) activities might disturb denning females and their cubs. As sea ice has declined in this region, an increasing number of polar bears have been denning on land rather than on sea ice. While land denning can be a response to changing ice conditions, it also tends to place dens closer to areas where industrial development, transportation, and other human activities occur, potentially increasing the chance that bears are exposed to disruptive noise and ground vibration.

USGS framed disturbance as a serious conservation and management issue because interruptions during the denning period can lead to den abandonment or premature emergence. Either outcome can reduce cub survival and influence broader population vital rates, such as recruitment and overall population growth or decline. The project therefore aimed to generate practical, science-based information that could inform how land-use activities are planned and managed near denning habitat.

The specific research goal described in the announcement was to characterize the sound and vibration frequencies from anthropogenic sources that can be detected inside polar bear maternal dens. In other words, the work would focus on identifying what kinds of noises and vibrations (and at what frequencies) actually penetrate den environments in a way that a bear could plausibly perceive. Using those measurements, the project would then develop or support modeling to estimate the risk of disturbance to denning bears under different activity scenarios. The solicitation explicitly envisioned evaluating disturbance risk from a variety of human activities, which could include different types of industrial operations, vehicle traffic, aircraft, construction, or other noise- and vibration-producing actions that may occur in or near denning areas.

A notable feature of the opportunity was the availability of a substantial USGS data resource to support the research. USGS indicated it would make available roughly 30 years of data on polar bear denning locations and behavior. That long-term dataset would help the recipient place acoustics and vibration findings into a real-world ecological context, such as where dens have historically been located, how denning patterns may have shifted over time, and what behavioral information exists that could help interpret disturbance risk. In practice, this kind of historical den information can strengthen analyses by improving model realism, helping with site selection or stratification, and supporting risk mapping or scenario testing tied to known denning habitats.

Eligibility was limited to CESU partners (not open to the general public in the way many federal competitions are), listed under the notice as "Others" with clarification provided in the full eligibility text. Overall, the grant was structured to fund applied research and modeling that translate den-level exposure to sound and vibration into usable estimates of disturbance risk, with the broader intent of helping agencies and stakeholders reduce harmful impacts to maternal dens and improve outcomes for cub survival in a rapidly changing Arctic environment.

• 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, Colorado Plateau 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 Sep 16, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 30, 2019. (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 $150,000.00 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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