ATTACHMENT_C_-_Project_Abstract_Summary_Requirement..docx

This is a project abstract summary requirement template document for cooperative agreement proposals submitted to the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) under USGS funding. The document establishes formatting and content guidelines that applicants must follow when preparing their project abstracts for submission under the cooperative agreement opportunity focused on Bayesian statistical methods for bat acoustic monitoring data analysis. The template specifies the required structure, length, and key elements that must be included in the abstract to meet USGS evaluation standards.

The USGS is soliciting proposals from Great Rivers CESU network partners for research developing and applying Bayesian statistical methodologies to analyze passive bat acoustic monitoring data, with emphasis on estimating species occurrence and relative abundance at un-surveyed locations. Funding falls under 15.808 (U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection), with awards issued as Cooperative Agreements. Eligible applicants must be participating partners of the Great Rivers CESU. This research directly supports Department of the Interior strategic goals for species protection and land restoration while addressing the scientific challenge of converting large acoustic datasets into dynamic species distribution maps for conservation and land management purposes. Proposals should account for spatial correlation, multiple observer information, and misclassification processes inherent in acoustic data. The work will contribute to monitoring distributions of 47 North American bat species, supporting ecosystem services valued at $3.7 to $53 billion annually in agricultural pest control.