Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Funds a Pacific Northwest CESU partner to analyze and synthesize long-term aquatic monitoring data for the Northwest Forest Plan to assess watershed condition trends, thresholds, and adaptive management needs.
⚑ Eligibility limited to participating partners of the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). · Cooperative Agreement; project is collaborative with interagency Northwest Forest Plan partners. · Funds analysis/synthesis of existing monitoring data rather than primary field collection or experiments.
This is an environmental monitoring/evaluation project on aquatic and watershed condition, but it is not the team’s core public-opinion, hazard-communication, energy, or education-policy portfolio. The closest fit is only adjacent through evaluation methods and environmental framing, so it sits at the low end of plausible team interest.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-10-31
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 58 good | portfolio topics: environment, water_resources (primary); social/behavioral work is minor; funds evaluation research; university can only partner, not lead |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 25 weak | technical depth: substantial; funds evaluation research (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 10 none | deep-tech content; no commercialization signal |
Description
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research to analyze, synthesize, and interpret the latest aquatic monitoring data to quantify management-related changes in in-stream and upslope indicators of instream and watershed condition within the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) area. This project will use the best available science and reproducible analytical methods to evaluate long-term trends, identify ecological thresholds, and support adaptive management.
Project activities will be conducted in collaboration with interagency Northwest Forest Plan partners and be focused on long-term monitoring data collected and curated by the NWFP's Aquatic and Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Program (AREMP). The project will build on the foundation of data and analytical methods developed in the interagency 25-year report on watershed condition status and trends.
The proposed work will provide critical information about recreational opportunities, water quality, expanded hunting and fishing access, and help support goals in the following:
DOI Secretarial Order 3435 - Implementation of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act (June 25, 2025)
DOI Secretarial Order 3442 - Land and Water Conservation Fund Implementation by the U.S. Department of the Interior (September 4, 2025)
DOI Secretarial Order 3447 - Expanding Hunting and Fishing Access, Removing Unnecessary Barriers, and Ensuring Consistency Across the Department of the Interior Lands and Waters (January 7, 2026)
Eligibility
This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program. CESU"s are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Geological Survey <rachel_miller@ios.doi.gov>
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