OARS funding Conservation

The Hydrologic Sciences Program focuses on the fluxes of water in the environment that constitute the water cycle as well as the mass and energy transport function of the water cycle in the environment.  The Program supports studying processes from rainfall to runoff to infiltration and streamflow; evaporation and transpiration; as well as the flow of water in soils and aquifers and the transport of suspended, dissolved and colloidal components.  Water is seen as the mode of coupling among various components of the environment and emphasis is placed on how the coupling is enabled by the water cycle and how it functions as a process.  The Hydrologic Sciences Program retains a strong focus on linking the fluxes of water and the components carried by water across the boundaries between various interacting components of the terrestrial system and the mechanisms by which these fluxes co-organize over a variety of timescales and/or alter the fundamentals of the interacting components.  The Program is also interested in how water interacts with the solid phase, the landscape and the ecosystem as well as how such interactions and couplings are altered by land use and climate change.  Studies may address aqueous geochemistry and solid phase interactions as well as physical, chemical, and biological processes as coupled to water transport. These studies commonly involve expertise from basic sciences and mathematics, and proposals may require joint review with related programs.  The Hydrologic Sciences Program will also consider some synthesis activities.

NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS) is soliciting proposals for the FY 2015 NOAA's Marine National Monument Program Grants Funding Opportunity. In 2009, three Marine National Monuments (MNMs) were designated by Presidential Proclamation to protect the relatively undisturbed marine ecosystems that are flourishing with healthy coral reefs, large numbers of apex predators, fish biomass, and seabirds. Management plans for the Marianas Trench MNM, Rose Atoll MNM, and Pacific Remote Islands MNM are in preparation. These plans will guide management to preserve and protect the resources in these isolated locations. NOAA is soliciting proposals for projects to fulfill the objectives of the Proclamations and MNM management goals.

The Nation faces an increasing set of water resource challenges. Aging infrastructure, rapid population growth, depletion of groundwater resources, impaired water quality associated with particular land uses and land covers, water needed for human and environmental uses, and climate variability and change all play a role in determining the amount of fresh water available at any given place and time. Water shortages and water-use conflicts have become more commonplace in many areas of the United States, even in normal water years. As competition for water resources grows-for crop irrigation, growing cities and communities, energy production, and the environment-the need for information and tools to aid water resource managers also grows. Water issues and challenges are increasing across the Nation, but particularly in the West, due to prolonged drought. These water issues are exacerbating the challenges facing traditional water management approaches which by themselves no longer meet today's needs. The U.S. Department of the Interior's (Department) WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) Program establishes a framework to provide Federal leadership and assistance on the efficient use of water, integrating water and energy policies to support the sustainable use of all natural resources, and coordinating the water conservation activities of various Department bureaus and offices. Through the WaterSMART Program, the Department is working to achieve a sustainable water management strategy to meet the Nation's water needs.

FY 2015 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund. Please visit our web site at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/grants/index.html for a complete program description of each of the four unique grant opportunities offered through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act). The OMB Control Number for this funding opportunity is 1018-0109.

Central Africa is a globally important region for forest and biodiversity conservation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works closely with national governments, U.S. agencies, and a range of other partners to ensure a strategic, results-based approach to wildlife conservation in the region. In collaboration with U.S. Agency of International Development¿s (USAID) Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), the Service is providing this funding opportunity to reduce threats to key wildlife populations, and to develop the requisite individual and institutional conservation capacity to undertake long-term conservation programs.Funding will only be considered for projects that impact wildlife populations in the following countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Please review the Notice of Funding Availability for each funding opportunity for specific details.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (hereinafter, "NMFS") is soliciting competitive applications for the fiscal year 2015 Partnerships for Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery and Marine Mammal Response. Projects are being solicited to support specific programmatic activities related to promoting the recovery of endangered Hawaiian monk seals and supporting responses to marine mammal strandings in the main Hawaiian Islands and US Territories.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS) is soliciting competitive applications for the FY2015 Pacific Islands Region Marine Turtle Management and Conservation Program (MTMCP) to fund conservation, protection, or management actions supporting recovery of Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed sea turtle species occurring within the Pacific Islands Region (PIR) or of aggregations that may be shared between the PIR and other Pacific nations. NOAA/NMFS will consider internationally-based projects targeting sea turtle populations that originate from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (i.e., from areas outside U.S. jurisdiction) but migrate through or forage within the PIR, are impacted by PIR activities managed by NOAA/NMFS, or are otherwise relevant to NOAA/NMFS management and recovery obligations. The PIR is comprised of the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) adjacent to the State of Hawaii, U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and the U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIAs) of Jarvis, Johnston, Wake, Howland and Baker Islands, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra and Midway Atolls. Sea turtle species with documented linkages to the PIR include: leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), North and South Pacific loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Distinct Population Segments (DPS), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and green turtle (Chelonia mydas).

The USFWS uses a science-based, adaptive framework for setting and achieving cross-program conservation objectives that strategically address the problems fish and wildlife will face in the future. This framework, called Strategic Habitat Conservation, is based on the principles of adaptive management and uses population and habitat data, ecological models, and focused monitoring and assessment efforts to develop and implement strategies that result in measurable fish and wildlife population outcomes. In addition, by leveraging resources and strategically targeting science to inform conservation decisions and actions, Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) have created a network of partners working in unison to ensure the sustainability of America's land, water, wildlife and cultural resources. Financial assistance may be awarded for science projects and LCC-prioritized biological planning, conservation design and adaptive management projects to include: research; inventory design and implementation; monitoring; goal and priority setting associated with efficient and effective conservation; development of implementation strategies; and projects supporting all other FWS organizational efforts, including planning, establishment maintenance, and general business operations. Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated on a rolling basis subject to available funding.

Funds may be used to: Evaluate current landfill conditions to determine threats to water resources in rural areas; provide technical assistance and/or training to enhance operator skills in the maintenance and operation of active landfills in rural areas; provide technical assistance and/or training to help associations reduce the solid waste stream; and provide technical assistance and/or training for operators of landfills in rural areas which are closed or will be closed in the near future with the development/implementation of closure plans, future land use plans, safety and maintenance planning, and closure scheduling within permit requirements. Grant funds may not be used to: Recruit preapplications/applications for any loan and/or grant program including RUS Water and Waste Disposal Loan and/or Grant Program; duplication of current services, replacement or substitution of support previously provided such as those performed by an association's consultant in developing a project; fund political activities; pay for capital assets, the purchase of real estate or vehicles, improve and renovate office space, or repair and maintain privately-owned property; pay for construction or operation and maintenance costs of water and waste facilities; and pay costs incurred prior to the effective date of grants made under this subpart.

The Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund is soliciting proposals for the conservation of rhinoceroses and/or tigers throughout their ranges. The Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act was passed in 1994 to provide financial resources for conservation of rhinoceros and tiger populations. The Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund supports projects that promote conservation through: Enhanced protection of at-risk rhinoceros and tiger populations; Protected area/reserve management in important rhinoceros and tiger range; Veterinary care for wild populations; Habitat conservation and management; Reintroduction to former range; Restoration of habitat; Wildlife inspection, law enforcement, and forensics skills; Conservation education and community outreach; Efforts to decrease human-rhinoceros and human-tiger conflicts; Strengthening local capacity to implement conservation programs; Transfrontier rhinoceros and tiger conservation; Applied research on rhinoceros and tiger populations and their habitats, including surveys and monitoring; Development and execution of rhinoceros and tiger conservation management plans; and Compliance with applicable treaties and laws that prohibit or regulate the taking or trade of rhinoceros and tigers or regulate the use and management of their habitat; Reducing demand for illegal rhino and tiger parts, products and live animals in consumer countries; Combatting trafficking of illegal rhino and tiger parts, products and live animals. Proposed project work should occur within the rhinoceros or tiger range, or, if work is to be conducted outside of the range, the proposal should show clear relevance to rhinoceros or tiger conservation. If the project includes research, the applicant must provide a convincing argument that the research addresses priority threats and that the results are likely to result in management actions.

In September, Miami received notice from the government that our new F&A rates are: 44.5% for On Campus Organized Research 44.0% On Campus Sponsored Instruction 39.0% On Campus Other Sponsored Activities 26.0% Off Campus All Programs These rates are effective beginning September 1, 2014. Awards received beginning in September and all proposal submissions going forward will be required to use the new rates.

The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) is pleased to offer a limited number of conference grants. These grants will be used to subsidize the cost of attendance for individuals to attend either CUR Dialogues 2015: Climbing the Ladder to Funding Success: Diverse Sources, Diverse Pathways or Undergraduate Research Programs: Building, Enhancing, Sustaining. Nominees are asked to provide contact and demographic information, a statement of expenses, a statement describing financial need, and a statement on expected outcomes from attending the conference. Historically under-represented groups and first-time attendees will be given priority. The review committee will work to ensure awardees represent a diverse subset of the applicants, specifically across discipline/CUR Division and geographic location. Awardees will receive the conference grant as a rebate after their confirmed participation in the conference, and the submission of reimbursement paperwork.

The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program, as authorized under the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, provides matching grants of financial assistance through the Domestic Coral Reef Conservation Grant program to institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, commercial organizations, and local and Indian tribal government agencies. These awards are intended to support coral reef conservation projects in shallow water coral reef ecosystems, including reefs at mesophotic depths, in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and coral-dominated banks in U.S. 

The overarching purpose of the program is to help create and train the next generation of leading researchers needed for climate studies. Anticipating the large amounts of data that was gathered from NOAA efforts, such as TOGA and TOGA COARE field programs, the research community required the attention of an enlarged workforce here and abroad. In a larger context, it was necessary to attract new PhD's to the community in order to establish the seeds of scientific leadership needed in the field of climate and global change research. 

The purpose of this document is to advise the public that NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/CSCOR is soliciting research applications under the Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystems and Hypoxia Assessment Program (NGOMEX) for projects expected to last 2 years in duration. Research applications will propose pilot studies to test application of gliders to measure dissolved oxygen in the large hypoxic zone ("dead zone") along the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf and, within 2 years, complete a comprehensive plan to transition to operations the deployment of gliders for hypoxic zone monitoring east and west of the Mississippi delta, to complement shipboard and fixed (mooring/platform) observing system monitoring. Funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2015 Federal appropriations.

The purpose of this document is to advise the public that NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/CSCOR is soliciting proposals for the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms Program, the Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms Program and the Prevention, Control and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms Program. Funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2015 Federal appropriations. It is anticipated that projects funded under this announcement will have a September 1, 2015 start date. Total funding for this research: It is anticipated that up to $2,000,000 may be available in FY 15 for the first year of all HAB projects combined. Awards are expected to last 2 to 5 years.

The purpose of this document is to advise the public that NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/CSCOR is soliciting proposals under the Ecological Effects of Sea Level Rise (EESLR) Program to improve the management of regional and local ecosystem effects of sea level rise and coastal inundation through targeted research on key technologies, natural and nature-based infrastructure, physical and biological processes, and model evaluation. The overall goal of EESLR is to integrate dynamic physical and biological processes with sea level rise and coastal inundation to improve the prediction of coastal ecosystem effects to enable enhanced coastal resiliency.

This program will provide professional training, through the use of internships, mentoring, environmental education, and interpretive educational opportunities in order for young people to learn conservation and land management processes and policies as they relate to natural resources management of public lands. Furthermore, this program will achieve a variety resource management projects on public lands managed by the BLM¿s Eastern States Field Offices. Routine workload may include provision of outreach and interpretive services, visitor service patrol, facility maintenance, trail work, exotic species control or any other action supporting the implementation of BLMs approved plans.

The United States Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) established an annual, competitive grants program to support projects that promote the conservation of neotropical migratory birds and their habitats in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service¿s Division of Bird Habitat Conservation (DBHC) is responsible for managing the NMBCA grants program and administers all grants. Applicants submit project proposals, using Grants.gov, to the DBHC during the program¿s one funding cycle per year. The FWS Director selects the projects for funding.

USAID/Middle East is making a special call for the submission of Concept Papers focused on the Middle East Water Security Initiative (MWSI). The goal of the MWSI is to improve sustainable, long-term access to water for up to 20 million people living in the Middle East. The MWSI will target Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen and promote sharing of best practices and lessons learned among the five participating countries. To achieve its bold but doable goal, MWSI will engage both international and local actors from the private sector, civil society, public sector, and other organizations to (a) support dynamic young entrepreneurs, researchers, and consumers with opportunities to develop, test, scale-up and market "water-smart" technologies; and (b) increase awareness of and local ability to address water security challenges in the Middle East through behavior change and advocacy campaigns.