Marine and Mammal Habitat Monitoring: Cook Inlet Beluga Whale (CIBW) Prey - Salmon Monitoring for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, is seeking a cooperative agreement partner to conduct marine mammal and habitat monitoring activities focused on Cook Inlet Beluga Whale prey salmon monitoring at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. The project requires applicants to be members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program in either the Alaska or Colorado Plateau Regions and involves four primary tasks: Eagle River and Otter Lake system salmon productivity monitoring using sonar and camera systems, Sixmile Lake fishery salmon productivity assessment through smolt and adult weir operations, invasive species surveillance using environmental DNA monitoring, and preparation of post-field-season reports. Personnel qualifications include a valid U.S. driver's license with REAL ID, a minimum bachelor's degree in biology or comparable scientific field, capability working in extreme cold and bear country, and completed swiftwater rescue training. All applicants must submit a two-page Statement of Interest by noon CDT on April 17, 2026, demonstrating available qualifications and capability through biographical sketches of the Principal Investigator, descriptions of past projects, available staff expertise, and organizational capabilities including equipment and field facilities. Questions may be directed to the government contacts no later than noon CDT on March 27, 2026, and both the intended recipient and any subrecipients or contracted vendors must have an active NIST SP 800-171 DoD assessment performed within the last three years.

The base period award is anticipated at approximately $355,000, with additional funding potentially available for optional tasks and follow-on work in subsequent years, with an 18-month performance period and an established CESU indirect rate of 17.5%. The project will be performed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, involving work across multiple lake systems and river locations within the Cook Inlet region. After Statements of Interest are posted on Grants.gov, the government will conduct a 30-day review period before requesting full proposals from selected organizations, with priority consideration given to Federal and State agencies responsible for fish or wildlife conservation and management under the authority of 16 USC 670c-1 (Sikes Act).