Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G18AS00083

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00083

This grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00083) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement offered through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) network, specifically the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU. It falls under the Department of the Interior and is classified as discretionary funding for science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 15.808). The funding is intended for a CESU partner organization rather than the general public, and it supports a single expected award with an award ceiling of $30,000.

The project focus is applied watershed research in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area, centered on Apple Creek in the Lower Fox River Basin. Apple Creek drains about 54 square miles and is already part of an existing Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and watershed management plan that targets two key pollutants: total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS). The creek has 24 miles of stream segments listed on Wisconsin's impaired waters list for TP and TSS, meaning water quality conditions are not meeting designated standards and reduction strategies are required.

A main motivation for the study is the strong possibility that sediment and associated phosphorus are not coming only from upland sources like fields and surface runoff, but also from within the stream corridor itself, particularly from eroding streambanks. The opportunity points to recent stream inventory work in a nearby watershed, Plum Creek, where local assessments found actively eroding banks along 24 of the 43 miles surveyed. Early estimates suggest those eroding banks could account for roughly 45 percent of the annual TSS load measured at a USGS streamgage. The grant rationale is that if Apple Creek behaves similarly, then meeting the TMDL target of a 70 percent reduction in TSS may not be realistic through upland soil conservation practices alone, because a large share of the problem could be generated by channel and bank processes that require different management approaches.

The expected deliverables emphasize practical, management-ready information products rather than purely academic outputs. Specifically, the study is expected to produce GIS maps and accompanying spreadsheets that identify and characterize stream corridor sources and sinks of sediment and total phosphorus. In effect, the work would help pinpoint where sediment and phosphorus are entering the stream system (sources, such as unstable banks or other eroding features) and where they may be deposited or retained (sinks), providing a spatial framework that can guide restoration planning, prioritize interventions, and refine assumptions used in TMDL implementation.

The opportunity was created July 31, 2018, with an original application closing date of August 14, 2018. Only one award was anticipated, reinforcing that this is a targeted, small-scale research effort aimed at filling a specific planning and decision-support gap for water quality management in the Apple Creek watershed and the broader Lower Fox River Basin context.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU" 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 Jul 31, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 14, 2018. (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 $30,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for G18AS00083

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