Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the California Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- G26AS00100
- Agency
-
US Geological Survey
Department of the Interior
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $270,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Science and Technology and other Research and Development
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Katie Calder kcalder@usgs.gov (703) 648-7349
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is seeking a California Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) affiliated partner to conduct research aimed at reducing mercury concentrations in recreational and sports fish across hydroelectric reservoirs, managed wetlands, and lakes. The project requires data collection and interpretation to advance understanding of methylmercury formation in water and sediments, with emphasis on how key environmental processes respond to management actions. Applicants must demonstrate expertise in aquatic biogeochemistry, ecosystem processes, or related fields, with qualifications and past performance accounting for 25 points of the evaluation rubric. The technical approach (25 points), budget justification (25 points), and project purpose/objectives/relevance (25 points) will also be evaluated. The proposal deadline is April 30, 2026, and applicants should direct technical questions to Collin Eagles-Smith (ceagles-smith@usgs.gov) and administrative questions to Katie Calder (kcalder@usgs.gov).
This cooperative agreement offers $270,000 for a one-year performance period with full obligation at award, structured using a negotiated indirect cost rate of 17.5%. The research project encompasses three primary ecosystems: hydroelectric reservoirs, managed subtropical wetlands such as the Florida Everglades, and mine-impacted lakes with elevated selenium levels. Recipients must submit annual progress reports within 90 days of each agreement year, a final technical report within 120 days of project completion, and make all publications and geospatial data available to USGS in compliance with federal standards, with work to be performed at the CESU partner institution and associated study sites throughout the nation.
Synopsis
This work will support our ongoing collaborations with numerous partners representing America"s energy generation and recreations and commercial fishing industries. The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner to collect data and interpret data to help reduce the concentrations of mercury in recreational and sports fish in hydroelectric reservoirs, managed wetlands, and lakes. In these three freshwater environments, mercury biomagnification in aquatic food webs is prevalent and reducing mercury concentrations in fish remains one of the biggest issues facing management efforts.The goal of this project is to provide data in support management actions to reduce mercury concentrations in recreational and sports fish through understanding how methylmercury is formed in water and sediments. Understanding both synergistic and antagonistic effects of key processes is necessary to have a robust ability to forecast changes in the risk mercury poses to aquatic food webs due to management of reservoirs, wetlands, and lakes. The scientific community recognizes the importance of water quality conditions of dissolved organic matter chemistry and microbial processes on mercury methylation, but key knowledge gaps remain to forecast how mercury methylation will respond to management actions and how this will cascade to mercury levels in recreational and sports fish. This project aims to address these management needs using freshwater systems currently studied by the USGS, selected because they are representative of settings across the nation with urgent needs to decrease mercury levels in fish.This funding opportunity aims to develop a research effort between the USGS and a CESU partner that brings together expertise and capabilities, respectively, to address the overall needs of the management community. The results of the project on water and sediment from a CESU partner will be used with ecological data from the USGS to provide an understanding of the risk posed by mercury to diverse freshwater environments.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| ATTACHMENT D - Geospatial Data instructions.docx | DOCX document | |
| ATTACHMENT C - Project Abstract Summary Requirement.docx | DOCX document | |
| ATTACHMENT B - Common-form-current-and-pending-support-doi-omb-3145-0279 3.pdf | ||
| ATTACHMENT A -Biographical-sketch-common-form-doi-omb-3145-0279 3.pdf | ||
| Full Announcement.docx | DOCX document |
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