Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G18AS00027

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00027

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Great Lakes Northern Forests opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G18AS00027) is a US Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary grant offered through a cooperative agreement to support applied research and development focused on water quality in Lake Ontario. The project is aimed specifically at Lake Ontario's New York nearshore zone, spanning the stretch from the Niagara River eastward to the Genesee Embayment. The central goal is to model nutrient dynamics in this nearshore corridor in order to better explain why nuisance algal growth and related water-quality problems have been increasing, and to identify the key physical, chemical, and loading factors that drive those conditions.

A major emphasis of the work is continuity and build-out from prior nearshore studies completed in 2008 and 2013. Those earlier efforts were conducted in support of binational management planning under the Lake Ontario Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP). This new effort is intended to deepen that foundation by strengthening the understanding of how tributary nutrient inputs connect to nearshore water-quality outcomes. In practice, that means the modeling is expected to help link what is coming into the lake from rivers and other tributaries (for example, nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, and potentially associated sediment-driven transport processes) to what is observed in the nearshore environment where algal blooms and other impairments tend to manifest. By focusing on the nearshore, the work targets the portion of the lake where human use is concentrated and where nutrient-driven impacts can be most visible, including shoreline recreation, drinking water intakes, ecosystem health, and coastal habitats.

The USGS also signals that the proposed research should be aligned with, and ideally complementary to, ongoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) priorities, specifically referenced as Annex 4 goals, as well as Lake Ontario LaMP nearshore monitoring and research. This indicates that the project is not meant to stand alone; it is expected to fit into a broader management and science framework where monitoring programs are collecting data and agencies are setting targets and evaluating progress. A well-positioned project under this opportunity would therefore be designed to integrate existing monitoring data, address known decision-making needs in the LaMP context, and produce outputs that can be used alongside other nearshore assessment tools. The end value is practical: improved scientific understanding that can support management actions aimed at reducing nuisance algae and improving nearshore water quality.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this opportunity was created March 21, 2018, with an original closing date of April 5, 2018. The award ceiling listed is $148,500, and USGS anticipated making one award. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial federal involvement during the project, such as collaboration on study design, data coordination, technical input, or shared interpretation of results. The activity category is listed as Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA number is 15.808, identifying the federal assistance program under which the funding is administered. Eligibility is limited to CESU partners under the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU network (with the broader eligibility details referenced as "Others" and clarified in the full announcement text), meaning applicants generally need to be part of that cooperative partnership framework rather than applying as an unaffiliated organization.

Overall, the opportunity is a targeted, single-award research effort meant to advance nutrient modeling for Lake Ontario's New York nearshore waters, building directly on previous LaMP-supporting studies and designed to plug into ongoing binational lake management and EPA-aligned nearshore goals. The deliverables are implicitly expected to be actionable modeling insights that clarify drivers of nearshore nuisance algae and help connect tributary nutrient loading to observed water-quality conditions, strengthening the scientific basis for monitoring interpretation and future management decisions.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests 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 Mar 21, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 05, 2018. (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 $148,500.00 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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