Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G20AS00037

Opportunity Information: Apply for G20AS00037

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G20AS00037) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary grant offered through the Department of the Interior. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the USGS expects to be substantively involved during the project period (for example, collaborating on study design, data standards, analysis approaches, or deliverables) rather than simply issuing funds with minimal federal engagement. The opportunity falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category and is associated with CFDA number 15.820.

The purpose of the award is to support research that improves understanding of how fish populations in lakes across the Midwestern United States are responding to climate change, and why those responses vary from lake to lake and species to species. A central theme is heterogeneity: instead of assuming fish respond uniformly to warming temperatures, shifting ice cover, altered stratification, or changing oxygen regimes, the project is meant to identify the environmental and ecological factors that explain different outcomes in different systems. In practical terms, the work is aimed at building evidence that can help natural resource managers anticipate which species and fisheries are most at risk, where, and under what conditions.

The selected CESU partner is expected to carry out a full research workflow that includes data collection (focused on fish abundance), data management, and data analysis. Beyond assembling and maintaining usable datasets, the recipient must model relationships between fish populations and climate-relevant environmental variables. While the announcement does not list specific variables, this generally implies linking fish abundance patterns to factors influenced by climate such as water temperature profiles, ice duration, thermal habitat availability, dissolved oxygen, lake morphometry interacting with warming, hydrology, and other environmental covariates that shape habitat suitability and population performance. The modeling component is intended to move beyond description and toward explanation and prediction, clarifying which drivers matter most and how strongly they influence population trends.

In addition to the analytical work, the recipient is responsible for developing a prioritization scheme to identify high-priority species. This suggests a structured method for ranking or categorizing species based on criteria relevant to climate vulnerability and management importance, such as sensitivity to warming, dependence on coldwater habitat, observed declines, ecological significance, recreational or subsistence value, and feasibility of management intervention. The prioritization is not just an internal exercise; it is meant to guide where monitoring, research, and adaptation actions should be focused first when resources are limited.

The project also requires production of synthesis products intended to inform climate adaptation responses at multiple scales. This implies deliverables that translate technical findings into usable guidance for decision-makers, potentially supporting actions at the lake level (individual waterbodies), regional level (state or multi-state fisheries management), and broader programmatic levels (strategic climate adaptation planning). Synthesis products could include interpretive reports, decision-support summaries, or other integrative outputs that distill patterns, identify key drivers of vulnerability or resilience, and provide a foundation for adaptation strategies such as habitat protection, fishing regulations adjustments, targeted restoration, or monitoring redesign.

Financially, the opportunity lists an award ceiling of $327,773, with one expected award. The posting was created on February 18, 2020, and originally closed on March 4, 2020. Eligibility is limited to partners within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit framework for the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU, with the formal eligibility description referenced as “Others” and clarified in the additional eligibility text of the full notice. Overall, the grant is geared toward a single CESU partner capable of handling multi-lake, climate-relevant fisheries data and producing both rigorous statistical modeling and management-oriented synthesis to strengthen climate adaptation planning for Midwestern lake fisheries.

• 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, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.820.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 18, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 04, 2020. (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 $327,773.00 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).

Apply for G20AS00037

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