Cooperative Agreement with Partner of the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. | G21AS00287

Opportunity Information: Apply for G21AS00287

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a discretionary funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G21AS00287) in the form of a cooperative agreement to support new research on white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura). The purpose is to build science that directly helps managers understand and conserve a species that has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The project is positioned within the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) framework, meaning it is intended to be collaborative, applied, and management-relevant, with close coordination between the research team and the federal partners.

This opportunity focuses on the white-tailed ptarmigan, described as the smallest grouse species in the world and a year-round resident of alpine habitats across the western United States and into Canada and Alaska. Because these birds live at high elevations, they are especially exposed to climate-related pressures. Climate extremes can affect survival and reproduction, and alpine species have limited options for shifting their ranges upward as temperatures warm because they are already living near mountaintops. The notice emphasizes that the southern subspecies in Colorado has a long history of monitoring at two major sites, Rocky Mountain National Park and Mt. Evans, dating back to the 1960s, and that the Rocky Mountain population has shown a severe, long-running decline. Spring densities and reproductive performance remained very low through 2019, and the population is now roughly one third of the historic highs observed in the 1970s. In other words, the grant is framed around an urgent conservation problem with decades of baseline context, but with key gaps in understanding what is driving ongoing declines and what management actions might help.

The research needs laid out in the announcement revolve around three main lines of inquiry. First, USGS is seeking a resource selection study to identify crucial habitat for two Colorado populations, specifically at Mt. Evans and at Trail Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park. This implies work that links ptarmigan presence, movements, and demographic performance to habitat features and conditions, producing maps or models managers can use to identify priority areas and habitat attributes that matter most. Second, the opportunity calls for examining how elk and human recreational use in alpine areas affect ptarmigan in Rocky Mountain National Park. The intent here is to clarify whether grazing, trampling, disturbance, or habitat alteration associated with elk and recreation changes resource availability or behavior in ways that reduce nesting success, chick survival, adult survival, or overall habitat quality. Third, the announcement highlights the need to evaluate the species ability to adapt to future environmental change, which is a forward-looking component aimed at understanding resilience under continued warming and shifting seasonal conditions.

A major scientific theme in the opportunity is determining whether observed shifts in ptarmigan breeding timing are mainly short-term flexibility or longer-term genetic change. The populations have already been breeding earlier in response to warming springs, but it is unclear whether that shift reflects phenotypic plasticity (individuals adjusting timing based on conditions) or microevolution (natural selection acting on heritable traits that favor earlier breeding). The announcement specifically notes interest in research that can separate these explanations by examining variation in timing of reproductive behavior, resource quality within territories, and molt patterns, and then evaluating whether those traits are heritable and under selection. This points toward integrated studies that may combine field observations, demographic data, habitat and resource measurements, and genetics, with the goal of clarifying whether the species has enough adaptive capacity to keep pace with rapid environmental change.

From an administrative standpoint, the award is issued under the CESU Program, which is designed to link federal agencies with partner institutions to deliver research, technical assistance, and education. Eligibility is limited: applicants must be participating partners of the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. The agency is USGS, the assistance listing is CFDA 15.808, and the activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development. The posted award ceiling is $500,000, the original closing date was February 26, 2021, and the opportunity was created on January 28, 2021. The notice does not specify the exact number of expected awards in the provided text, but it makes clear the funding is intended to support a coordinated research effort that produces actionable information for managing a declining alpine grouse population under increasing climate and human-use pressures.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement with Partner of the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program." 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 2021-01-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-26. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G21AS00287

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