Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | G17AS00036

Opportunity Information: Apply for G17AS00036

This funding opportunity, titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU" (Funding Opportunity Number G17AS00036), was offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK). It was structured as a discretionary cooperative agreement focused on science and technology research and development (CFDA 15.808). The opportunity was published on February 6, 2017, with an original closing date of February 21, 2017. The award ceiling was $12,000, and USGS anticipated making one award.

The core purpose of the project was to test whether high-resolution WorldView-3 (WV3) commercial satellite imagery could feasibly support wildlife population monitoring, with a specific emphasis on waterfowl and related large birds: ducks, geese, swans, and cranes. The grant centers on a long-standing management need across North America: regularly tracking population status and trends for migratory birds so that agencies can make informed decisions about conservation actions, habitat priorities, and harvest management. Monitoring is conducted through partnerships that include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Canadian Wildlife Service, and a network of U.S. states and Canadian provinces, coordinated in part through flyway-level governance groups such as the Central Flyway Committee (and comparable flyway collaborations elsewhere on the continent).

A major operational focus highlighted in the announcement is the set of aerial surveys conducted during migration staging periods in the southern Canadian provinces and northern U.S. states. These staging surveys matter because migration timing and movement patterns can be relatively predictable, and because staging areas can concentrate large portions of a population in ways that make counting more efficient and informative. At the same time, conventional visual aerial survey methods carry practical downsides: they expose biologists and crew to aviation-related risk, they can be expensive to conduct repeatedly over large areas, and they can be limited by observer fatigue, variable viewing conditions, and other factors that affect count precision and accuracy.

The project therefore aimed to determine whether WV3 satellite data can be used as a meaningful supplement to these traditional surveys. If WV3 imagery proved viable for detecting birds or supporting improved counts in key staging habitats, the expected benefits would include reducing risk to personnel by decreasing reliance on low-altitude visual flights, lowering some survey costs, and potentially improving both accuracy (how close estimates are to true values) and precision (how consistent estimates are across repeated efforts). Importantly, the opportunity makes clear that remote sensing is not expected to fully replace aerial surveys; instead, it is positioned as a complementary tool that could strengthen the overall monitoring program by filling gaps, providing cross-checks, or improving coverage in certain locations and time windows.

Beyond the immediate question of bird detection and survey support, the grant also explicitly encouraged exploration of modern data-handling approaches, particularly the use of cloud computing to streamline parts of the workflow. That includes partially automating satellite data acquisition, processing, analytical steps, and long-term archiving. In practical terms, this component points toward building a more scalable and repeatable pipeline for handling large volumes of imagery and derived products, which is often a limiting factor when trying to operationalize remote-sensing methods for routine wildlife monitoring rather than one-off research demonstrations.

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full posting, and the project was designed to be completed under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) framework, specifically the Rocky Mountain CESU. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a small, targeted feasibility study: a single, modest award intended to test whether a specific high-resolution satellite platform, paired with modern computing workflows, can practically enhance interagency waterfowl and crane monitoring efforts in North America.

• The Department of the Interior, Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 06, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 21, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $12,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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