Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00268
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through its Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC), is offering a discretionary cooperative agreement to support applied research and monitoring tied to the Gemini Solar Project footprint. The core purpose of the opportunity is to design and implement a microclimate monitoring approach that can document how solar panel infrastructure changes local environmental conditions and, in turn, affects soil and vegetation. By capturing these changes in a structured way, the work is meant to improve understanding of how solar development can influence plant communities and the habitat suitability of the federally listed desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), a species that depends on desert plant communities for food and broader ecosystem function.
A major focus of the project is the way solar panels and associated ground disturbance can alter microclimate drivers that shape desert ecosystems. The opportunity highlights temperature, hydrology, and albedo as key variables likely to shift under and around panels. These factors matter because they help control plant community dynamics, including which species establish, how productive vegetation is, and how plant communities respond over time to altered light, moisture availability, and heat. Since plant communities form the foundation of desert food webs, the monitoring is positioned as a practical tool for understanding indirect effects on wildlife, including the desert tortoise, where changes in vegetation structure, composition, or seasonal availability can translate into changes in habitat quality.
This funding is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically the Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit. CESUs are formal partnerships intended to connect federal agencies with universities, tribes, and other partner organizations to deliver research, technical assistance, and education that supports public land and resource management. Because the award is restricted to CESU participation, only organizations that are official partners within the Great Basin CESU are eligible to apply, and the award is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial involvement or collaboration with the federal agency during the project rather than a hands-off grant relationship.
Key administrative details include the opportunity title "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" and the funding opportunity number G23AS00268. The issuing agency is the U.S. Geological Survey. The opportunity is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, with CFDA number 15.808. The total funding amount available is listed with an award ceiling of $44,800. The posting was created on February 15, 2023, and the original closing date was March 21, 2023. The listing also notes expected awards but does not specify a number in the provided source data.Apply for G23AS00268
- The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-02-15.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-03-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $44,800.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is this funding opportunity?
This is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), through its Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC). The opportunity is titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" and has funding opportunity number G23AS00268.
2) What is the main purpose of the project?
The core purpose is to design and implement a microclimate monitoring approach associated with the Gemini Solar Project footprint. The monitoring is intended to document how solar panel infrastructure changes local environmental conditions and how those changes affect soil and vegetation.
3) What are applicants expected to design and implement?
Applicants are expected to design and implement a structured approach for monitoring microclimate conditions in areas influenced by solar panel infrastructure and associated ground disturbance, with the goal of capturing environmental changes and linking them to soil and vegetation responses.
4) What environmental variables are emphasized in the opportunity?
The opportunity highlights three key microclimate drivers that are likely to shift under and around solar panels:
- Temperature
- Hydrology
- Albedo
5) Why does the opportunity focus on microclimate changes from solar panels?
The project is focused on microclimate because changes in temperature, hydrology, and albedo can shape desert ecosystem dynamics. These shifts can influence which plant species establish, how productive vegetation is, and how plant communities respond over time to altered light, moisture availability, and heat.
6) How does this work relate to vegetation and plant communities?
The monitoring is meant to improve understanding of how solar development can influence plant community dynamics, including vegetation structure, composition, productivity, and seasonal availability. These plant community attributes matter because they are strongly influenced by local microclimate conditions.
7) What species is specifically mentioned, and why?
The opportunity specifically mentions the federally listed desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). The desert tortoise depends on desert plant communities for food and broader ecosystem function, so microclimate-driven changes to vegetation can translate into changes in habitat suitability.
8) How can microclimate monitoring help with understanding wildlife impacts?
By documenting microclimate changes and related vegetation responses, the monitoring can help clarify potential indirect effects of solar development on wildlife. For species like the desert tortoise, shifts in vegetation structure, composition, or seasonal availability can affect habitat quality.
9) What is the Gemini Solar Project footprint in this context?
In this opportunity, the Gemini Solar Project footprint is the area tied to the applied research and monitoring effort. The work is specifically framed around monitoring microclimate and related soil and vegetation changes associated with solar infrastructure within and around that footprint.
10) What type of award is being offered?
The award is a cooperative agreement. This typically indicates substantial involvement or collaboration with the federal agency during the project, rather than a hands-off relationship.
11) Which program is this opportunity issued under?
This funding is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically the Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
12) What is a CESU in practical terms (as described in the opportunity)?
CESUs are formal partnerships intended to connect federal agencies with universities, tribes, and other partner organizations to deliver research, technical assistance, and education that supports public land and resource management.
13) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is restricted to organizations that are official partners within the Great Basin CESU. Only CESU-affiliated partners in that unit are eligible to apply.
14) Which federal agency is issuing the opportunity?
The issuing agency is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
15) Which USGS center is associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered through the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC).
16) What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is G23AS00268.
17) What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 15.808.
18) What category does this opportunity fall under?
The opportunity is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development.
19) How much funding is available?
The total funding amount available is listed with an award ceiling of $44,800.
20) When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?
The posting was created on February 15, 2023, and the original closing date was March 21, 2023.
21) How many awards will be made?
The listing notes expected awards, but the number of expected awards is not specified in the information provided.
22) Is this opportunity focused on basic research or applied work?
The opportunity is framed as applied research and monitoring, with a practical goal of documenting microclimate changes from solar infrastructure and understanding resulting effects on soils, vegetation, and habitat suitability.
23) What kinds of impacts is the monitoring meant to capture?
The monitoring is meant to capture how solar panel infrastructure and associated ground disturbance can alter microclimate drivers (temperature, hydrology, and albedo), and how those shifts can influence soils and vegetation, including longer-term plant community responses.
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