Grants / Department of the Interior / Geological Survey

G23AS00388: Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with North Atlantic Coast CESU Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

Closed Closed July 7, 2023 Opportunity G23AS00388 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (G27AS00066). Status: Closes December 7, 2026 (30 days left). It is in our archive of Geological Survey notices from 2023.

• Award ceiling$100,000
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• 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 North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection awards averaged $557,251; this notice allows up to $100,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (84% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

US Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU Partner for research on the effects of continued deer reductions on tick and tick-borne pathogens in U.S. National Parks. Vector-borne illnesses are a growing public health concern in the United States, acting as both an occupational and recreational hazard. Ticks, specifically, carry pathogens that cause human illnesses including Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, anaplasmosis, and tularemia, among others. The CDC found that reported cases of tickborne bacterial and protozoan illness had increased from >22,000 cases in 2004 to >48,000 in 2016, with Lyme disease accounting for 82% of all cases. The number of actual Lyme disease cases is estimated to be ~329,000 annually. Deer play an important role in the blacklegged tick life cycle, which is the primary vector of the Lyme disease pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer management may have important ecological consequences for tick reproduction and subsequent tick density. Deer reduction has been shown to have a range of effects, from reducing tick density to no effect on tick density but amplification of questing (host-seeking) behavior. Further, deer reductions for purposes of vegetation restoration may promote growth of small mammal communities, such as mice, voles, and shrews, all of which are good Lyme disease pathogen reservoirs. Deer population reduction may have varying effects over time and across different ecological regions. The CESU Partner will assist with continued data collection efforts at several National Parks, disease diagnostics, and data analyses.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, G27AS00066, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.