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

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/g21as00287-cooperative-agreement-with-partner-of-the-rocky-mountains/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/331181

> Geological Survey offered grants of up to $500,000 (at least $170,069) to the applicants described in the notice. Applications closed on February 26, 2021.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | G21AS00287 |
| Agency | Geological Survey |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | February 26, 2021 |
| Award ceiling | $500,000 |
| Award floor | $170,069 |
| Expected awards | not stated |
| Total funding | not stated |
| Cost sharing | not required |
| Assistance Listings | 15.808 |

## Who can apply

- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. CESU’s are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

## What the grant funds

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for developing research to investigate multiple aspects of white-tailed ptarmigan biology (e.g., habitat use, demography, genetics) that are important for the management of this species that has been petitioned to be listed under the ESA. The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura) is the world’s smallest grouse species and a year-round resident in alpine habitats across the western United States, ranging from as far south as Colorado and New Mexico to Washington, extending across the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia and Alberta to Alaska. Species such as white-tailed ptarmigan that live in alpine habitats are vulnerable to changing climates because climate extremes can directly affect vital rates that underlie population persistence. Further, species residing on mountain tops have no opportunity to advance their range upward in elevation, in response to temperature changes. The southern subspecies has been studied at two long-term sites in Colorado (Rocky Mountain National Park and Mt. Evans) since the 1960s, and the Rocky population has been in severe decline. Spring densities and reproductive performance have remained extremely low through 2019 for the Rocky population, and reproductive declines have resulted in a population that is one third of historic highs observed in the 1970s. Research is needed to better understand how ptarmigan resource conditions are affected by elk and human use in the alpine, assessing how ptarmigan may respond. Specifically, questions related to 1) developing a resource selection study that would identify crucial habitat for two populations in Colorado (Mt Evans, and Trail Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park), 2) examining the impacts of elk and human recreational use on ptarmigan in Rocky Mountain National Park, and 3) evaluating the ability of ptarmigan to adapt for future environmental change. Further, these populations have already responded to warming springs by breeding earlier. It is unclear whether this is simply due to phenotypic plasticity or microevolution due to selection on heritable traits for earlier breeding. Thus, research is also required to examine whether variation in timing of reproductive behavior, resource quality within a given territory, and molt patterns is simply due to phenotypic plasticity or microevolution due to natural selection on heritable traits associated with those characteristics.

## Questions people ask

### Is G21AS00287 still open?

No. It closed on February 26, 2021. A newer notice is open: G27AS00066, closes December 7, 2026 (30 days left).

### Who can apply for Cooperative Agreement with Partner of the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.?

Geological Survey accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

### What is the deadline for Cooperative Agreement with Partner of the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.?

Closed February 26, 2021. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

### How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $500,000 each.

### Who has won U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines, University of Alaska Fairbanks, California Institute of Technology. The program made 1,128 awards worth $629 million in that time.