Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Funds a CESU-partner research cooperative agreement to develop co-produced ecological decision-support tools and spatial analytics for western rangelands and alpine ecosystems.
⚑ Eligible applicants must be a participating partner of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). · Cooperative Agreement; project is collaborative with USGS and emphasizes co-produced science and usable decision-support products. · Award ceiling is $495,000.
This is primarily ecological decision-support and spatial analysis for rangelands/alpine management, which is outside IPPRA’s core social-behavioral lines in risk, public opinion, warning communication, education policy, and energy/nuclear attitudes. While the project involves co-production and management tools, it is not the kind of survey/policy/risk research this team would likely pursue as PI.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-11-03
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 58 good | portfolio topics: environment, water_resources (primary); signature methods: community engaged; social/behavioral work is minor; funds applied research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | funds applied research; deep-tech content |
Description
U.S. Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research to advance co-produced science aimed at improving decision support capabilities for natural resource managers across western rangelands and alpine ecosystems. The research conducted on this project will builds upon long standing collaborations between USGS and university partners, which have demonstrated the value of jointly designed studies and shared analytical approaches. The overarching goal of this work is to enhance the understanding of how habitat conditions, ecological processes, and wildlife, interact across broad and changing landscapes, and to translate this understanding into tools that support management decisions. This project will develop analytical frameworks and spatial tools that help natural resource managers identify, prioritize, and respond to conservation and management challenges across extensive landscapes. As land managers confront changing vegetation patterns, shifting disturbance regimes, disease pressures, and competing land use demands, there is a critical need for science that is developed jointly with practitioners, ensuring that data products, models, and evaluations are directly usable in operational planning. The emphasis of this opportunity is on tools that synthesize ecological data, management objectives, and partner input to generate transparent decision support products that can be adapted to diverse management contexts.
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 Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Geological Survey <Rachel_miller@ios.doi.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.