Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G22AS00198

Opportunity Information: Apply for G22AS00198

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through its Western Ecological Research Center, announced a discretionary funding opportunity to support a single CESU-affiliated partner via a cooperative agreement. The project is titled "Analysis of Spatial Use and Animal Movements to Assess the Impact of Anthropogenic Activity on Ungulates in Arid Ecosystems," and it is designed to generate applied science that can directly inform management decisions for large ungulates living in desert landscapes where human activity and legacy contamination can shape wildlife behavior, population health, and potential human exposure risks.

This opportunity is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is a partnership framework used by federal agencies to work with a network of universities, non-profits, and other organizations on research, technical assistance, and education. Only organizations that are official participants in the Great Basin CESU are eligible to apply. Because the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, USGS is expected to have substantial involvement in the project as it is carried out, which often means close coordination on study design, data collection priorities, analysis approaches, and delivery of products that meet agency needs.

The proposed work has two major components that share a common theme: using spatial ecology and animal movement data to understand how external pressures affect ungulates in arid systems. The first component focuses on desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) in Joshua Tree National Park. It targets two intertwined pressures that are increasingly common across desert protected areas: reduced availability of water sources and rising visitor use. The intent is to evaluate whether growing recreation on trails and around water sites is changing when and where bighorn sheep move, feed, and drink, and whether those behavioral shifts could translate into negative population-level consequences. In practical terms, this kind of work can support decisions about visitor management, trail use patterns, timing or placement of access restrictions, and strategies to protect or augment critical water resources.

The second component centers on mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) on and around the Nevada National Security Site, formerly known as the Nevada Test Site. This portion combines wildlife movement and habitat-use analysis with measurement and interpretation of radionuclide levels in animals using the area. The goal is to understand where these animals range, how they move through the landscape, and how that movement relates to potential exposure pathways. A key applied outcome is estimating the possible dose to hunters who may consume these animals, tying wildlife ecology to human health and safety considerations. By linking radionuclide measurements with spatial use and movement patterns, the project aims to clarify whether certain areas, seasons, or behaviors elevate risk and how that information should shape monitoring or communication strategies.

Overall, the research is positioned as an adaptive management tool: it is meant to provide evidence that helps land and wildlife managers respond to changing conditions and human pressures in arid ecosystems. For Joshua Tree, that means balancing recreation and wildlife needs in a drying environment; for the Nevada National Security Site, it means understanding the intersection of animal movement ecology with legacy contamination and potential off-site exposure through harvested game. The funding opportunity (G22AS00198) lists an award ceiling of $197,446 under CFDA 15.808, was created on February 3, 2022, and had an original closing date of March 3, 2022, with the expectation of making a single award.

• 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 Great Basin 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 2022-02-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-03-03. (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 $197,446.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G22AS00198

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