Oyster Pads and Wave Trip at Long Bird Island, Houston Ship Channel

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, is seeking a cooperative agreement partner to conduct oyster research and monitoring at Long Bird Island in the Houston Ship Channel. The project requires comprehensive oyster surveys utilizing Texas Parks and Wildlife Department protocols, reef dimension mapping via side-scan sonar, and ecological assessments to evaluate oyster density, size-frequency distribution, and reef health. Applicants must be members of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) with a Principal Investigator holding a bachelor's degree in biology, ecology, limnology, or related natural resources field, plus a minimum of five years of bivalve species identification and monitoring experience. Evaluation will be based on technical merit, capability to achieve program objectives, and alignment with USACE missions, with highest-rated respondents invited to submit full proposals. The Statement of Interest submission deadline is February 23, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central Time, and direct inquiries should be directed to Maria Lopez (maria.e.lopez@usace.army.mil, 817-886-1881) or Emily Woodruff (emily.t.woodruff@usace.army.mil, 417-213-3245).

The base period award is approximately $100,000 for a 12-month performance period, with potential additional funding available for optional tasks and up to four optional follow-on periods of 12 months each, contingent upon funding availability. Deliverables include draft and final project reports with survey maps, GPS data, photographs, and GIS-compatible digital shape files, with a required kick-off meeting within 15 business days of award. All recipients and proposed subrecipients must have an active NIST SP 800-171 DoD assessment completed within the last three years, and the established CESU indirect rate is 17.5%. The place of performance is Long Bird Island in the Houston Ship Channel, with the project falling under the Conservation and Rehabilitation of Natural Resources on Military Installations program (CFDA 12.005).