Grants / Department of the Interior / Geological Survey

Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

Open Closes November 14, 2026 (14 days left) Opportunity G27AS00080

• Award ceiling$90,000
• Award floor$1
• Expected awards1
• Total funding$90,000
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Add the deadline to your calendar

Who can apply

This opportunity is 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 Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

Is this a realistic fit?

• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS), Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), is offering a funding opportunity to improve assessments of floodplain connectivity and riverscape health. Current approaches to identify floodplain connectivity across the western United States rely on field data, limiting inference and spatial extent of data. However, existing lidar datasets through the USGS provide unique opportunities to develop approaches using lidar elevation data to provide robust estimates of floodplain connectivity. The ultimate use of these data would be to identify factors limiting healthy riverscapes across the Great Basin. The CESU partner in collaboration with NOROCK's research fisheries biologist will advance the ability to evaluate riverscape health by addressing one or more of the following considerations to improve assessments of riverscape health: Develop a workflow for using lidar to estimate floodplain connectivity within riverscapes in the Great Basin. Demonstrate the benefits this approach in comparison to existing methods. Quantify continuous estimates of floodplain connectivity across portions of the Great Basin. Results will be useful to the broader community working to assess and restore the health and ecosystem services of riverscapes in the Western US in relation to drought, land management activities, and fish and wildlife populations. Biologists and geomorphologists from NOROCK and the CESU Partner will collaborate with federal and state agencies and NGO partners to ensure their approach and data are accessible, scalable, and transferable to encourage the uptake by the broader scientific community involved with riverscape health assessments and restoration actions. This project focuses on using remote sensing products to efficiently direct resources to restoration of rivers and riparian areas. Using lidar data to map the health of riverscapes supports: SO 3435 - Implementation of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act (June 25, 2025) SO 3442 - Land and Water Conservation Fund Implementation by the U.S.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

How to apply

1. Read the full notice and attachments on Grants.gov. The notice is the official source for deadlines and requirements.
2. Make sure your organization has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID; registration can take several weeks.
3. Register on Grants.gov and submit through Workspace before the deadline and time given in the notice. Our application guide walks through each step.

Questions go to Geological Survey, katherine_calder@ios.doi.gov, 916-278-9331.

Open the official notice