WS NWRC NOFO 26-74CW-2036 Work Plan.docx

POP

9/30/26-9/29/27

Agreement Funding

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WORK PLAN

FISCAL YEAR 2026

BETWEEN NWRC AND XXX

APHIS AGREEMENT No. 26-74CW-2036-CA

Agreement Title: Spatial Ecology and CWD Dynamics of Wild White-tailed and Mule Deer in Northern Colorado

I. PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE

The project, as part of a collaboration between XXX and USDA APHIS, will focus on the capture, GPS tracking, disease sampling and mortality monitoring of wild white tail and mule deer living in the greater Fort Collins, Colorado area. The project provides support for deer GPS collars, deer field capture operations and CWD sampling, four personnel (lab coordinator, lab technician, data technician and field technician) and related expendables. The project will involve field data collection, sample analysis, data curation and organization and data summarization of the deer monitoring effort.

The project shall provide oversight, resources and financial support for a post-doctoral researcher who will:

1. Capture wild deer, deploy GPS collars on the deer and sample them for CWD and other pathogens.

1. Monitor deer in the field and conduct mortality and post mortem data upon deer death

1. Organize GPS tracking data collected

1. Provide support for analysis of project samples from live and dead animals

1. Provide support for spatial analyses of GPS collar data

1. Prepare annual reports of project progress and status.

II. PLAN OF ACTION

USDA/APHIS/WS/NWRC will provide funds to support collaborative CWD research in Colorado white-tailed deer and mule deer.

This study will be coordinated with targeted CWD surveillance studies in Wyoming and Nebraska so that similar designs are used and the data can be analyzed as one large dataset.

CSU will conduct targeted surveillance at one study site as follows:

1) Capture and monitor ~30-40 mule and 30-40 white tailed deer from the same population. Collect oral swabs, fecal samples and blood from each individual following the National Wildlife Disease Program (NWDP) protocol. Place GPS collars on each captured deer (30-minute fix rate, at least 1 year of battery life).

2) Conduct necropsies with NWRC personnel.

3) Ship all samples to NWRC for diagnostics and support laboratory work on all samples collected and in storage.

4) Collect surveillance data, including sample locations, using the same datasheet by each partner. NWRC will enter diagnostic results into a single database and compile sample information. NWRC will share each partner’s respective diagnostic results with them for reporting to their respective DNRs.

5) GPS data from each partner will be formatted for upload to Movebank.org and made available to NWRC to link to surveillance data.

III. PRODUCT/DELIVERABLES

1) Oral swabs, fecal samples and blood shipped to NWRC for each deer captured and re-sampled during the study with datasheets describing dates, location, age, and sex of the sampled deer.

2) Carcasses from mortality events brought to NWRC

3) GPS locations collected at 30-minute time intervals for each deer tested, until natural mortality or the end of the project occurs, or some other endpoint determined by the collaborative team.

IV. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

A. ACTIVITY REPORTS: The performing agency (i.e., the agency receiving the funds) will provide an annual report of accomplishments. Reports will be submitted via ezFedGrants.

B. FINANCIAL REPORTS: The performing agency (i.e., the agency receiving the funds) will provide an annual financial report. Reports will be submitted via ezFedGrants.

V. CONTACT INFORMATION

Designated NWRC Program Manager Name: Jennifer Malmberg Address: 4101 LaPorte Avenue Phone: (970) 266-6286 Email: Jennifer.Malmberg@usda.gov

Designated NWRC Backup Program Manager Name: Kim Pepin Address: 4101 Laporte Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80521 Phone: 970-266-6162 Email: kim.m.pepin@usda.gov

Designated Cooperator Principle Investigator

TBD

Designated Cooperator Administrative Contact

TBD

Designated APHIS Agreements Contact Name: TBD Address: 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521 Phone: (970) 266-6133 Email: NWRC.Agreements@usda.gov

Designated APHIS Fiscal Contact Name: Rhett Harper Address: 4101 LaPorte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521 Phone: (208) 236-6920 Email: Rhett.Harper@usda.gov

VI. AGREEMENT DETAILS:

Dates of applicable agreement:

Begin Date: 9/30/2026 End Date: 9/29/2027

Cooperative agreements are put into place for one year, with the possibility of a one year No Cost Extension.

For Cooperative Agreements and Grants, will a vehicle owned or leased by APHIS be loaned to the cooperator in this agreement? ☐ Yes ☒ No

For Cooperative Agreements and Grants, will you be housing animals at the NWRC Headquarters Facility? ☐ Yes ☒ No

For Cooperative and Reimbursable Agreements, please provide billing frequency. Claims will be approved and processed for payment via ezFedGrants.

☒ Quarterly ☐ Monthly ☐ Advance ◻ One Time Payment

Wildlife Services Agreement Initiative Cited (select one only)

☐Airport Wildlife Hazard Management ☐Health and Human Safety X Methods Development ☐Protection of Agriculture ☐Protection of Natural Resources ☐Protection of Property

Is the work under this agreement:

International ☐Yes ☒ No Politically Sensitive ☐Yes ☒ No Ceremonial ☐Yes ☒ No Precedent Setting ☐Yes ☒ No Benefits minority, tribal, low income ☐Yes ☒ No Property Being Purchased (reportable property) ☐Yes ☒ No

In what geographic location(s) will this work take place (list the state or states)

Utah, Colorado

For Cooperative Agreements, using outgoing appropriated funds from Methods Development only, please identify if the agreement is extramural R&D (for SBIR reporting and 3.2% additional overhead)

X Yes, Extramural ☐ No, not Extramural

Extramural R&D is defined as:

Extramural performers are organizations outside the Federal sector that perform R&D with Federal funds under contract, grant, or cooperative agreement. Only those costs associated with actual R&D performance are reported, but these costs would include costs of materials and supplies to carry out R&D activities. Note, however, that the costs of off-the-shelf supplies and equipment required to support intramural R&D and procured from extramural suppliers are considered as part of the costs of intramural performance and not as part of the costs of extramural performance.

AGREEMENT No 26-74CW-2036-CA

Extramural performers are identified as follows:

· Industrial firms;

· Universities and colleges;

· Other nonprofit institutions;

· Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs);

· State and local governments;

· Foreign performers;

· Private individuals.

APHIS/WS/NWRC assumes no liability for any actions or activities conducted under this Agreement except to the extent the recourse or remedies are provided by Congress under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), 28 USC 1346(b), 2401(b), 2671-2680.