Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00365

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the funding opportunity number for this grant?

The Funding Opportunity Number (FON) is G23AS00365.

Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

What type of award is being offered?

This funding is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement. This structure typically involves active participation by federal staff during the project.

What does the cooperative agreement mechanism imply for project involvement?

Because this is a cooperative agreement, the notice indicates substantial federal involvement. In practice, this can mean USGS scientists may collaborate on items such as technical direction, data and methodological decisions, interpretation of results, and planning for publications, rather than serving only as a pass-through funder.

What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling listed in the notice is $300,000.

What is the CFDA number and program category?

The notice lists CFDA 15.808 and places the project in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category.

What is the main purpose of this project?

The core purpose is to identify and validate a remote sensing methodology that can reliably detect and characterize long-term land use changes in coastal tidal wetlands over the past several decades across the conterminous United States (CONUS).

What kinds of land use changes is the project especially focused on?

The opportunity emphasizes changes that matter for wetland hydrology and ecology, particularly hardscape or built infrastructure such as roads, bridges, causeways, berms, and similar features that can alter tidal exchange and salinity conditions.

Why is built infrastructure in tidal wetlands a priority for detection and mapping?

These built features can fragment marshes, restrict tidal exchange, and shift salinity gradients. Those hydrologic changes can lead to broader impacts such as habitat conversion, vegetation changes, altered sedimentation patterns, and other ecological effects. The work is intended to capture these specific types of modifications rather than mapping development in a generic way.

What geographic area should the mapping and analysis cover?

The mapping is intended to cover the entire CONUS coastal tidal wetland extent. This implies the need for a method that is consistent and scalable across different U.S. coastlines and wetland types.

What time period of change is the project expected to address?

The notice describes a focus on long-term, multi-decadal change spanning the past several decades.

What deliverables are expected from the award?

Expected deliverables include:

• National-scale mapping products showing where and how coastal tidal wetland land use has changed over the multi-decadal period.
• Regional summaries accompanying the national products.
• Publishable scientific outputs such as peer-reviewed papers or formal science reports documenting the methodology, validation approach, and key findings.

Is the project only about creating maps?

No. In addition to producing geospatial mapping products, the project is expected to produce scientific documentation of the method and its validation, including outputs suitable for publication (for example, peer-reviewed papers or formal science reports).

What role does validation play in the scope of work?

Validation is explicitly part of the project purpose: the work is expected to identify and validate a remote sensing methodology that can reliably detect and characterize long-term land use changes in coastal tidal wetlands.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to a partner organization affiliated with the North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The notice states that applicants must be active, participating partners in the North Atlantic Coast CESU network.

Why is eligibility restricted to North Atlantic Coast CESU partners?

The opportunity is issued through the CESU framework, which is a formal partnership structure used by federal agencies to collaborate with academic and other research institutions on science, technical assistance, and education. Because it is a CESU opportunity, the notice limits eligibility to organizations within the relevant CESU network.

How is the eligible applicant type described in the notice?

The notice summarizes eligible applicants as "Others", with the key qualifier that the applicant must be a CESU partner within the North Atlantic Coast CESU.

What is the application due date listed in the notice?

The original application closing date listed is June 8, 2023.

What is the creation date of the opportunity?

The notice lists a creation date of May 8, 2023.

What is the overall goal or value of the project to USGS and partners?

The funding is aimed at producing a defensible, scalable remote sensing approach and concrete national and regional products that help USGS and partners understand how human-built features have altered coastal tidal wetlands over recent decades, particularly through changes that affect tidal flow and salinity conditions.