Biological Investigations, Monitoring and Restoration on Federal Lands | F19AS00199

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00199

The Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a discretionary cooperative agreement opportunity titled "Biological Investigations, Monitoring and Restoration on Federal Lands" (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00199). The notice, created April 29, 2019 with an original closing date of May 6, 2019, is explicitly a notice of intent to make a single-source award under 505 DM 2 (4) based on unique qualifications. In practical terms, that means the agency was not running an open competition for multiple recipients; it anticipated making one award to a specifically qualified partner. The stated ceiling for the award is up to $5,000,000, with one expected award. The activity areas are framed under natural resources and information/statistics (CFDA 15.678), reflecting that the work is largely field data collection, monitoring design, analysis, and planning support that can be used to guide on-the-ground management decisions on federal lands.

The core purpose of the project is to strengthen long-term biological monitoring and restoration capacity, with a strong emphasis on invasive species management and evidence-based land stewardship. A major component is noxious weed surveying and monitoring using standardized methods meant for long-term datasets, not just one-time assessments. This includes implementing weed control measures when appropriate and collecting the kinds of data that let managers compare treatment effectiveness over time, track containment success, and detect spread. The opportunity also calls for providing treatment services tailored to specific needs on the ground, suggesting a mix of field operations and technical support. Importantly, the work is expected to feed into broader planning tools by integrating weed monitoring results into comprehensive weed apps or comparable data platforms so the information is usable by land managers in day-to-day decision-making.

Beyond weeds, the project extends to broader biological resource management planning. The recipient would develop and/or update management plans that help natural resources staff manage both native and invasive biological resources efficiently, using the latest available research to select and justify management techniques. The scope includes inventories and monitoring for significant biological resources and for sensitive species, including Threatened and Endangered species, along with research related to pollination ecology. Together, these tasks point to a program that is not limited to a single species or site, but is designed to build an integrated understanding of habitat condition, species presence, and management outcomes across federal lands.

A substantial analytical and planning element is also embedded in the objectives. The opportunity calls for developing distribution models for priority species (including sensitive, Threatened, Endangered, and invasive species), as well as models for ecological systems and vegetation, landscape permeability, and other decision-support products. These models are intended to support planning under both current conditions and potential future climate scenarios, implying the use of spatial analysis, scenario planning, and predictive modeling to anticipate changes and prioritize management actions. In addition, the project includes reviewing Species Status Assessments and providing data development services that can inform critical habitat work, linking field and analytical outputs directly to regulatory and conservation planning needs.

On-the-ground restoration is another key pillar. The recipient is expected to develop site plans and assist with restoration of degraded landscapes, which typically involves translating monitoring and assessment information into concrete restoration designs, implementation support, and follow-up tracking to evaluate whether restoration actions are working. Vegetation mapping and monitoring are specifically included, reinforcing that the program is meant to produce spatially explicit, repeatable datasets that can be revisited and compared over time.

A notable species-specific focus is the Preble's meadow jumping mouse. Multiple objectives are dedicated to conducting sampling and studies to describe how the species uses habitat, identifying the habitat conditions that support populations, monitoring persistence in appropriate habitats, and improving understanding of population dynamics, movement patterns, and natural history. Taken together, this signals sustained field sampling and monitoring designed to answer both basic ecological questions (how the species moves and uses habitat) and applied management questions (what conditions support persistence and what actions may help maintain or recover populations).

Finally, the opportunity ties biological monitoring to operational risk reduction through support for the Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Strike (BASH) prevention program. It specifically calls for wildlife and vegetation monitoring to inform BASH, which typically means collecting data that helps reduce wildlife-aircraft collision risks by understanding wildlife use patterns and habitat features that attract birds or other animals near airfields on federal installations. Overall, the grant is structured to produce practical, management-ready outputs: long-term monitoring datasets, treatment comparisons, integrated data tools, updated management plans, predictive models for planning under climate change, restoration site plans, and targeted research and monitoring for priority species, including a strong focus on the Preble's meadow jumping mouse.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the information and statistics, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Biological Investigations, Monitoring and Restoration on Federal Lands" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.678.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 29, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 06, 2019 This is a notice of intent to issue a single source award IAW 505 DM 2 (4) Unique qualifications.. (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 $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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