Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00389

FAQs: USGS Pacific Northwest CESU Cooperative Agreement (Blitzen River, Oregon)

What agency is offering this grant opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

What type of funding mechanism is being used?

This opportunity is for a cooperative agreement. That means substantial involvement is expected between USGS and the recipient during the project period, such as coordination on study design, data needs, analysis approaches, and/or integration with ongoing monitoring.

What program is this opportunity issued under?

It is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

Which CESU Network is eligible for this opportunity?

This solicitation is specifically limited to partners affiliated with the Pacific Northwest CESU.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is restricted to participating partners of the Pacific Northwest CESU. While the federal posting may list eligible applicants as "Others," the key eligibility requirement is Pacific Northwest CESU partnership status.

What is the main purpose of the project?

The project supports scientific research and technical analysis linking landscape features detectable through remote sensing to on-the-ground stream conditions. The emphasis is on how riparian corridors and upland wetlands relate to stream temperature and streamflow in a high-value watershed in southeastern Oregon.

What research questions or relationships are being studied?

The work aims to quantify relationships among remotely sensed riparian and wetland extent (both along stream corridors and in upland areas) and key stream metrics, specifically stream temperature and streamflow. The intent is to improve understanding of how landscape water storage and vegetation patterns influence thermal and hydrologic buffering.

What environmental issue is motivating the research?

The opportunity highlights climate and drought vulnerability. Recent regional work suggests drought can rapidly undermine even resilient fish populations through warming water temperatures, reduced summer baseflows, and the loss of cold-water refugia.

Where is the study area located?

The study area is the upper Donner und Blitzen River basin in the Harney Basin in southeastern Oregon.

What larger landscape does the basin drain?

The basin drains Steens Mountain, described as a prominent fault-block mountain rising to about 2,968 meters (9,738 feet).

What river system is the focus of the study?

The river system is referred to in the notice as the Blitzen River (upper Donner und Blitzen River basin).

Why is the Blitzen River considered ecologically important?

It supports one of the strongest remaining populations of Great Basin redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss newberri) and is noted as the first and only designated redband trout reserve.

What management designations or priorities are mentioned for the river and surrounding lands?

The notice states the river intersects Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wilderness and wilderness study lands, is designated as a Wild and Scenic River, and provides water that ultimately supports Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and Malheur Lake.

How does this watershed connect to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and Malheur Lake?

Water from the river system ultimately supports Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and Malheur Lake. The notice emphasizes that changes in upstream hydrology and temperature can cascade into broader habitat conditions.

Why is Malheur Lake highlighted in the opportunity?

Malheur Lake is described as one of the largest stopover and breeding areas for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl in western North America, making upstream hydrology and temperature relevant to broader habitat conditions important for migration.

What outcomes is the project intended to support for management and conservation?

The work is meant to help identify which watershed features contribute most to maintaining cooler stream temperatures and more stable flows. The notice frames this as useful for conservation, restoration, and drought planning.

What role does remote sensing play in this project?

Remote sensing is used to detect and quantify landscape features (such as riparian corridors and wetlands) and relate them to measured stream conditions like temperature and flow.

What are the key on-the-ground stream conditions of interest?

The notice specifies stream temperature and streamflow as the key stream metrics being linked to remotely sensed landscape features.

What is the activity category listed for this opportunity?

The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this opportunity?

The listing is 15.808.

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is G23AS00389.

What is the maximum award amount?

The maximum award amount (ceiling) is $55,000.

How many awards does USGS expect to make?

The excerpt provided does not specify the number of expected awards.

What are the key dates mentioned in the notice?

The opportunity was created on June 7, 2023, and the original closing date was July 7, 2023.

Is this opportunity competitive or discretionary?

The notice describes it as a discretionary funding opportunity.

What does it mean that this is a CESU opportunity?

As described, it is intended to support collaborative work between USGS and an eligible CESU partner, leveraging the CESU network to deliver research, technical assistance, and education that inform public-land and resource management.

What kind of collaboration with USGS should applicants expect?

Because it is a cooperative agreement, substantial involvement is expected. The notice gives examples such as coordination on study design, data needs, analysis approaches, or integration with ongoing monitoring.

Why does the opportunity emphasize riparian corridors and upland wetlands?

The notice emphasizes these features because they may influence landscape water storage and vegetation patterns that can buffer streams against warming and reduced flows, affecting cold-water refugia and drought resilience.

What species is specifically mentioned as a conservation and management priority?

The Great Basin redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss newberri) is specifically mentioned, along with the watershed's status as a designated redband trout reserve.

What broader risk to aquatic ecosystems is described?

The notice describes that drought can quickly degrade conditions by warming water temperatures, reducing summer baseflows, and diminishing cold-water refugia, which can undermine even strong fish populations.

What makes this a targeted or project-specific opportunity?

The excerpt suggests it is targeted due to the narrow eligibility (Pacific Northwest CESU partners) and the specified award ceiling, with an applied focus on producing management-relevant findings for the Blitzen River system and associated habitats.