Grants / Department of the Interior / Geological Survey

G25AS00346: Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

Closed Closed September 22, 2025 Opportunity G25AS00346 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) (G27AS00079). Status: Closes November 14, 2026 (7 days left). It is in our archive of Geological Survey notices from 2025.

• Award ceiling$493,039
• Award floor$1
• Total funding$493,039
• 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 Units (CESU) Program. CESUs are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Great Lakes-Northern Forest 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 $493,039 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

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner to assist with assessing biophysical processes for coastal ecosystem restoration. CESU and USGS partners will work closely to understand, and help resource managers respond to, stressors that affect Great Lakes coastal ecosystems. An overarching goal of the work is to support success of native fish restoration programs and management of the nuisance algae Cladophora by characterizing the interactions among Cladophora algae, invasive dreissenid mussels, native fish, and nutrients in the Great Lakes basin. This CESU project will provide support for up to four years. The specific goals of this work are to (1) expand capacity in the use of eDNA for detection of beneficial and detrimental species, (2) support ongoing benthic data collection and improve collection of data needed for model development, leading to (3) hydrodynamic model development for the interpretation of eDNA detections and the spread of nuisance aquatic species This CESU will complement ongoing work conducted to describe the biological and chemical conditions leading to overgrowth of Cladophora algae, a common feature in the lower Great Lakes. Previous work (since 2018) has assessed Cladophora abundance at sentinel sites, showing associations between Cladophora biomass, light, nutrients, and invasive dreissenid mussels. These data have been used by Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Task Teams and various ecosystem modeling groups. The collaborative analyses undertaken through this cooperative agreement would bring innovative tools (e.g., environmental DNA, eDNA), in conjunction with traditional surveys, to improve assessment of native fish communities and help detect new arrivals of potentially invasive species. Current efforts to improve understanding of the interaction of coastal processes on nearshore communities include integrating ecological factors using chemical and biophysical modeling: for example, by modeling nutrient differences between surface waters and those trapped in a benthic boundary layer. Work outlined in this CESU research project will extend data application and modeling concepts to additional Great Lakes, urban coastal regions, and other areas greatly impacted by the abundance of Cladophora growth.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, G27AS00079, which is open now.

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