Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU | G18AS00096

Opportunity Information: Apply for G18AS00096

This grant opportunity, issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (Rocky Mountain CESU), supports a focused research effort to improve understanding of where alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) still occur at the edge of their range in parts of the central United States. The project centers on surveying waterways in western Tennessee, southwestern Kentucky, southern Missouri, and northeastern Arkansas, especially places with historical records of the species. The broader goal is to determine whether these peripheral populations have continued to decline, have stabilized, or may be showing signs of recovery, using modern detection tools that can reveal animals that conventional methods might miss.

A major emphasis is western Tennessee, where the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency previously released captive-reared alligator snapping turtles at 16 stream sites in an attempt to reestablish local populations. Those sites are already being sampled using traditional trapping methods by the Tennessee Aquarium and Southeast Missouri State University to see whether released turtles persisted over time. To date, trapping has not detected alligator snapping turtles in most of these locations, which raises concerns that the reintroduction effort may not be succeeding or that remaining turtles are present at such low densities that trapping is unlikely to encounter them. This opportunity aims to complement that ongoing work by applying environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches, which involve sampling water for trace genetic material shed by organisms. Because eDNA can sometimes detect rare or elusive species even when direct captures fail, it may provide evidence of small, hard-to-find populations that are not showing up in trapping data.

Across the full four-state region, the work would expand beyond the reintroduction sites to include roughly 70 sampling locations, combining historical alligator snapping turtle localities with additional randomly selected sites where there are no known records. Including both known historical sites and sites without records is meant to give a more realistic and comparable picture of current distribution. In practical terms, this design helps distinguish areas where the turtle has likely been lost from areas where it may persist undetected, and it also helps evaluate whether absence from records reflects true absence or simply a lack of past survey effort. The resulting dataset is intended to provide a broad snapshot of occupancy patterns across the region, which is particularly important for peripheral populations that can be more vulnerable to habitat change, fragmentation, and localized extirpation.

The project is also positioned as a way to leverage and build upon existing research programs using capture-mark-recapture and radio telemetry. Those approaches provide detailed, individual-level information (such as survival, movement, habitat use, and population size) but are often limited to a smaller number of study sites because they are labor- and time-intensive. eDNA sampling, by contrast, can be deployed across many sites relatively quickly. By combining these tools, the work supported through this award is meant to strengthen inference about distributional change: where the species is still present, where it is likely gone, and whether reintroduction sites show any lingering signals of persistence even when traps do not.

Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity from the Department of the Interior, USGS, offered as a cooperative agreement under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category (CFDA 15.808). The funding opportunity number is G18AS00096. The opportunity anticipated a single award with an award ceiling of $19,682. The posting was created on July 31, 2018, with an original closing date of August 14, 2018. Eligibility was listed broadly as "Others" with further clarification expected in the full eligibility text, consistent with CESU opportunities that often involve partnerships with eligible network members and collaborating institutions.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU" 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 Jul 31, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 14, 2018. (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 $19,682.00 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).

Apply for G18AS00096

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: