Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G24AS00246

Opportunity Information: Apply for G24AS00246

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a discretionary cooperative agreement funding opportunity, numbered G24AS00246, for a partner organization that is formally affiliated with the Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The project focus is the Denali ecosystem in Alaska and specifically examines how an ongoing spruce beetle outbreak is changing insect communities and influencing wildfire risk. This opportunity sits within the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category and is associated with CFDA number 15.808. Applications were due by February 29, 2024, and the announcement was created on January 29, 2024. The maximum possible award amount listed is $180,000, with the number of expected awards not specified in the source information.

The intent of the project is to generate research-based information about ecological impacts of the spruce beetle outbreak, with two closely linked themes. First, the work will document and evaluate changes in insect communities tied to outbreak conditions, which can include shifts in abundance, composition, and the presence of outbreak-associated or secondary insects. Second, the work will support assessment of fire risk by measuring and characterizing forest fuels, since beetle-driven tree mortality and changes in forest structure can alter fuel loads and fire behavior potential. By connecting insect community sampling with fuels sampling, the study is positioned to inform both ecological understanding and practical management considerations in and around Denali.

Under the cooperative agreement, the selected CESU partner is expected to take on hands-on field and analytical tasks. These responsibilities include selecting and evaluating study sites appropriate for comparing outbreak-affected and less-affected conditions, collecting insect community samples using suitable field methods, identifying collected insects to the needed taxonomic level, and conducting sampling of fire fuels (for example, measuring fuel types, quantities, and distributions relevant to fire risk assessments). The partner is essentially carrying the core data collection and identification workload that will allow USGS and collaborators to interpret how beetle impacts cascade into broader ecosystem and disturbance dynamics.

This funding is issued through the CESU Program, which is designed as a network of partnerships that support research, technical assistance, and educational activities addressing natural and cultural resource questions. A key eligibility constraint is that the applicant must already be an official participating partner within the Alaska CESU; the opportunity is not open to the general public or organizations outside that partnership. The use of a cooperative agreement (rather than a standard grant) also signals that substantial involvement by the federal agency is expected during the project, typically meaning closer coordination on study design, methods, deliverables, or interpretation compared with more hands-off grant mechanisms.

• 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 Alaska 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 2024-01-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-29. (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 $180,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G24AS00246

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