# Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/g25as00343-cooperative-agreement-for-affiliated-partner-with-the-rocky/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/360321

> Geological Survey offered grants of up to $49,585 (at least $1) to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make $49,585 in total. Applications closed on September 20, 2025.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | G25AS00343 |
| Agency | Geological Survey |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | September 20, 2025 |
| Award ceiling | $49,585 |
| Award floor | $1 |
| Expected awards | not stated |
| Total funding | $49,585 |
| 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 Units (CESU) Program. CESUs are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

## What the grant funds

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research on the spatial dynamics and resource partitioning among livestock, wildlife, and free-roaming horses in the Western USA. The study will be comprised of data-driven modeling, field-based data collection, and a combination of both field-based and analytical modeling developed from GPS telemetry collars on cattle, domestic sheep, mule deer, elk, pronghorn, and wild horses in Utah USA.Feral horses (Equus caballus) exhibit high fertility and survival rates, which has led to rapid population growth and range expansions in parts of the western USA. The federal management units where horses occur fall disproportionately in fragile, arid landscapes managed under a multiple-use paradigm. These environments harbor a variety of native ungulate species, each with their own state or federal protections. Additionally, grazing permits and livestock production are statutory and regulated uses within most federal units delineated for the conservation of free-roaming equids. Previous research has examined how free-roaming horses grazing can influence floristic diversity, biomass production, soil structure, and riparian health. These effects have the potential to negatively affect livestock production and alter habitat sympatric wildlife species. This project is aligned with supporting rural economies and protecting wildlife to support recreational hunting. Because horses exhibit rapid population growth, a wide dietary niche, and require regular access to water, concerns about direct and indirect competition with sympatric ungulates are well-founded. Nonetheless, the degree to which horses and wildlife share or compete for space and resources is poorly understood. The project"s aim is to fill DOI data needs with collaborative research conducted jointly by USGS and University partners, capitalizing on the unique skillset and talents provided by modelers and data analysts who have experience modeling with extreme large datasets across multiple species. Specific research will model data collected over the first year in Utah USA, from 5 sympatric species. Results have implications for wild horses across the American west, that span the Rocky Mountain region and Great Plains ecosystems.

## Questions people ask

### Is G25AS00343 still open?

No. It closed on September 20, 2025. A newer notice is open: G27AS00066, closes December 7, 2026 (30 days left).

### Who can apply for Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)?

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 for affiliated Partner with the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)?

Closed September 20, 2025. 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 $49,585 each. About $49,585 in total.

### 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.