Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Californian Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is for a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Center (NRCASC) competitive research award to a CESU partner.

Projects supported under this cooperative agreement should advance Administration priorities, including, but not limited to, American energy dominance, critical mineral development, water security, infrastructure resilience, and natural hazard preparedness. Research and activities may incorporate scientific expertise in areas such as hydrology, geology, geospatial science, biosecurity, and near-earth space science, including extreme events such as drought, flooding, wildland fire, coastal erosion, severe storms, and geologic hazards, to develop actionable science, data, and tools that support informed decision-making by resource managers and stakeholders.

Invasive species pose a significant threat to biodiversity across the United States, undermining many ecosystem functions that communities depend on. Effectively addressing this threat requires understanding how invasive species establish, spread, and function with ecosystems across multiple scales - from local habitats to regional and national landscapes. A cross-scale perspective enables managers to detect and interpret local changes in a broader context, apply strategies that have proven to be successful across more locations, and coordinate management activities for maximum effectiveness. To address invasive species questions at the national scale, this project will integrate local and regional data, expertise, and management needs to generate actionable information on the distribution and impacts of invasive species and potential management effectiveness. This project will leverage the synthesis expertise of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and more than 20 invasives species experts through the CASC's CAP post-doctoral research to conduct national level syntheses and amplify regional research for greater impact across the U.S. The resulting datasets, analyses, and summaries will support decisions such as risk assessment, prioritization, and adaptation planning. Because the work is national in scope and built on open, transferable approaches, it will be broadly applicable to resource management across regions. In addition, NCEAS will convene a series of workshops to integrate fisheries management databases, improving their long-term operability and interoperability, and identifying high-value analytical and informatics applications to support fisheries conservation and management. This project advances multiple priorities related to invasive species impacts on the economy, public safety, and ecosystem services. This project advances multiple priorities related to invasive species impacts on the economy, public safety, and ecosystem services. Insights can help safeguard timber resources, fisheries, and hunting opportunities, supporting EO 14225 Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production (March 1, 2025); EO 14276 Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness (April 17, 2025); and SO 3447 Expanding Hunting and Fishing Access, Removing Unnecessary Barriers, and Ensuring Consistency Across the Department of the Interior Lands and Waters (January 7, 2026). By increasing national preparedness for hazards that are worsened by invasive species, the project also supports EO 14239 Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness (March 19, 2025). Lastly, it supports EO 14313 Establishing the President's Make America Beautiful Again Commission (July 3, 2025); EO 14303 Restoring Gold Standard Science (May 23, 2025), and SO 3441 Implementing the Requirements of EO 14303 (August 29, 2025) by strengthening science informed conservation of natural resources, the capacity of agencies and communities to safeguard vulnerable ecosystems from degradation, and American leadership in adaptation science.