Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00056
The grant opportunity titled "Anthropogenic Water Body Mapping: Primary Historic Range of Topeka shiner" is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) discretionary funding notice focused on strengthening recovery work for the Topeka shiner by improving the habitat and landscape data that partners rely on for planning and decision-making. The funding is structured as a Cooperative Agreement, meaning the project is expected to be carried out in close coordination with USFWS and a broader group of conservation partners rather than as a hands-off pass-through award. The notice is essentially a targeted, single-source intent to fund Emporia State University through the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), justified under Department of the Interior policy for unique qualifications. It was created on December 8, 2016, and had an original closing date of December 15, 2016, with one expected award and a maximum award amount of $20,000.
At the core of the project is the creation of current, highly accurate spatial data that maps anthropogenic (human-made) water bodies across the Topeka shiner's primary historic range, with particular emphasis on Kansas. These water bodies can include features like ponds, impoundments, and other constructed or modified aquatic habitats that may influence where the species can persist. The deliverable is not simply a map for its own sake; it is intended to fill a practical data gap that affects how recovery actions are prioritized, where surveys are targeted, and how habitat conditions are interpreted across a large landscape.
The project is explicitly tied to the USFWS Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) business model, which organizes conservation work into four connected elements: Biological Planning, Conservation Design, Research/Monitoring/Evaluation, and Implementation/Project Delivery. This funding mainly strengthens the first steps of that cycle by improving baseline spatial information used in biological planning, while also feeding directly into later steps like modeling, program targeting, and monitoring design. The SHC emphasis matters because it frames the grant as part of an iterative process: partners gather better data, use it to make better decisions, implement actions, then measure results and refine strategies over time.
For biological planning, the anthropogenic water body dataset will support analyses being conducted by a Kansas State University Ph.D. candidate working on a separate, USFWS-funded effort. That broader work includes collecting survey and census data for the Topeka shiner, analyzing those data to refine population distributions, examining habitat relationships at both local and landscape scales, and translating findings into population-based habitat goals. The mapping effort described in this opportunity provides a key geospatial layer that can be combined with field observations and other environmental data to document habitat and landscape conditions, build spatially explicit habitat models, and improve GIS inventories of habitat status and Topeka shiner occurrence.
For conservation design, the mapped data are intended to be used to develop Topeka shiner distribution models across the species' primary historic range. The notice also points to supporting the practical capacity needed to do this work, such as GIS and modeling staff time and the hardware/software tools required to run analyses and manage datasets. The outputs are expected to feed into decision-support tools that help conservation programs operate more strategically, including evaluating existing programs to see where they apply across the landscape, determining eligibility or targeting criteria, and refining or creating new programs where current efforts do not address unmet conservation needs.
The opportunity also highlights research, inventory, and monitoring as ongoing needs that will be supported or coordinated through the broader partnership structure. These activities include collecting species occurrence data, inventorying habitat conditions, and analyzing both biotic and abiotic information to understand how habitat varies from year to year. The intent is to use these monitoring and inventory results to refine population goals and habitat targets for the region, rather than treating targets as static assumptions. The notice further emphasizes the value of projects that quantitatively assess the outcomes of restoration, management, and habitat enhancement practices, so partners can judge what is working and adjust accordingly. Finally, it notes coordination of efforts that document annual habitat conditions, evaluate climatology-habitat relationships, and track landscape-scale changes in habitat conditions, reinforcing that Topeka shiner recovery is being approached as a long-term, data-driven landscape management challenge.
In terms of partnership and purpose, the Cooperative Agreement is positioned as a support mechanism for collaborative recovery involving multiple USFWS programs (including Ecological Services, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, and National Wildlife Refuges), Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), the National Park Service (NPS), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and additional NGO partners. The overall logic is straightforward: better, more up-to-date spatial data on human-influenced water resources improves the accuracy of distribution and habitat models; better models improve targeting of surveys and conservation investments; and better targeting improves the effectiveness and accountability of restoration and management actions aimed at recovering the Topeka shiner.Apply for F17AS00056
- The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Anthropogenic Water Body Mapping: Primary Historic Range of Topeka shiner" 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 Dec 08, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 15, 2016 This is a notice of intent to award a single source cooperative agreement to Emporia State University through the Great Plains CESU in accordance with DOI policy 505 DM 2.14 (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 $20,000.00 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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FAQs: Anthropogenic Water Body Mapping: Primary Historic Range of Topeka shiner (USFWS)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Anthropogenic Water Body Mapping: Primary Historic Range of Topeka shiner."
Which federal agency is offering this funding?
The funding notice is issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a discretionary funding opportunity.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The project is intended to strengthen recovery work for the Topeka shiner by improving habitat and landscape data used by conservation partners for planning and decision-making. The core deliverable is an accurate, current spatial dataset that maps anthropogenic (human-made) water bodies across the species' primary historic range.
What type of award is it?
The funding is structured as a Cooperative Agreement, meaning the work is expected to be carried out in close coordination with USFWS and a broader partnership of conservation organizations.
What does a Cooperative Agreement imply for how the work is carried out?
Based on the notice description, the project is not framed as a hands-off pass-through award. Instead, it is designed for close coordination with USFWS and conservation partners, reflecting a collaborative approach to recovery planning, data development, and application of results.
Is this a competitive grant opportunity?
The notice is described as a targeted, single-source intent to fund Emporia State University through the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), justified under Department of the Interior policy for unique qualifications.
Who is the intended recipient?
The notice indicates an intent to fund Emporia State University through the Great Plains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU).
How many awards are expected?
One award is expected.
What is the maximum award amount?
The maximum award amount stated in the notice is $20,000.
When was the opportunity created?
The notice was created on December 8, 2016.
What was the original closing date?
The original closing date listed for the opportunity was December 15, 2016.
What geographic area does the mapping focus on?
The mapping is intended to cover anthropogenic water bodies across the Topeka shiner's primary historic range, with particular emphasis on Kansas.
What does "anthropogenic water bodies" mean in this context?
In this notice, anthropogenic water bodies are human-made or human-modified aquatic features. Examples mentioned include ponds and impoundments, along with other constructed or modified aquatic habitats that may affect where the species can persist.
What is the main deliverable expected from the project?
The central deliverable is a current, highly accurate spatial dataset that maps anthropogenic water bodies. The notice emphasizes that this is meant to fill a practical data gap used in recovery planning rather than being a map produced only for display purposes.
Why is this dataset important for Topeka shiner recovery?
The dataset is intended to improve how partners prioritize recovery actions, decide where surveys should be targeted, and interpret habitat conditions across a large landscape. Better spatial information is expected to improve habitat and distribution modeling and, in turn, improve the strategic targeting of conservation investments.
How does this project fit within USFWS Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC)?
The opportunity is explicitly tied to the USFWS Strategic Habitat Conservation (SHC) business model. SHC is described as having four connected elements: Biological Planning, Conservation Design, Research/Monitoring/Evaluation, and Implementation/Project Delivery. The mapping effort is positioned as strengthening the early parts of the cycle (especially biological planning) while feeding into later steps like modeling, program targeting, and monitoring design.
Which SHC elements are most directly supported by this funding?
The notice indicates the funding mainly strengthens biological planning by improving baseline spatial information, and it also supports conservation design by enabling distribution modeling across the primary historic range. The improved data are also intended to inform research/monitoring/evaluation activities by supporting inventory, monitoring design, and interpretation of habitat conditions over time.
How will the dataset be used for biological planning?
The dataset is intended to support analyses being conducted by a Kansas State University Ph.D. candidate on a separate USFWS-funded effort. The mapped layer can be combined with field observations and other environmental data to document habitat and landscape conditions, build spatially explicit habitat models, and improve GIS inventories of habitat status and Topeka shiner occurrence.
How will the dataset be used for conservation design?
The notice describes using the mapped data to develop Topeka shiner distribution models across the primary historic range. It also notes the practical capacity needed to do this work, including GIS and modeling staff time as well as hardware and software tools for analysis and data management.
How might these outputs influence conservation programs?
The outputs are expected to feed into decision-support tools that help conservation programs operate more strategically. Examples described include evaluating existing programs to determine where they apply across the landscape, informing eligibility or targeting criteria, and refining existing programs or developing new programs where current efforts do not address unmet conservation needs.
What related research and monitoring needs are mentioned?
The notice highlights ongoing needs for research, inventory, and monitoring, including collecting species occurrence data, inventorying habitat conditions, and analyzing biotic and abiotic information to understand year-to-year habitat variation. It also emphasizes quantitatively assessing outcomes of restoration, management, and habitat enhancement practices so partners can evaluate effectiveness and adjust strategies over time.
Does the notice describe the recovery approach as iterative?
Yes. The SHC framing emphasizes an iterative process where partners gather better data, use it to make better decisions, implement actions, measure results, and refine strategies over time.
Who are the key partners mentioned for coordination and implementation?
The Cooperative Agreement is positioned to support collaborative recovery involving multiple USFWS programs (including Ecological Services, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, and National Wildlife Refuges) and partners such as Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), the National Park Service (NPS), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and additional NGO partners.
What overall outcome is USFWS trying to achieve with this funding?
The notice presents a chain of intended outcomes: better and more up-to-date spatial data on human-influenced water resources improves habitat and distribution model accuracy; better models improve targeting of surveys and conservation investments; and better targeting improves the effectiveness and accountability of restoration and management actions aimed at recovering the Topeka shiner.
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