Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

The consequences of climate variability and change are becoming more immediate and profound than previously anticipated. Over recent decades, the world has witnessed the onset of prolonged droughts on several continents, increased frequency of floods, loss of agricultural and forest productivity, degraded ocean and permafrost ecosystems, global sea level rise and the rapid retreat of ice sheets and glaciers, loss of arctic sea ice, and changes in ocean currents. These important impacts highlight that climate variability and change can have significant effects on decadal and shorter time scales, with significant consequences for plant, animal, human, and physical systems. The EaSM funding opportunity enables interagency cooperation on one of the most pressing problems of the millennium: climate change and??how it is likely to affect our world. It allows the partner agencies -- National Science Foundation (NSF) and??U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) -- to combine resources to identify and fund the most meritorious and highest-impact projects that support their respective missions, while??avoiding duplication of effort and fostering collaboration between agencies and the investigators they support.This interdisciplinary scientific challenge calls for the development and application of next-generation Earth System Models that include coupled and interactive representations of such??components as ocean and atmospheric currents, agricultural working lands and forests,?? biogeochemistry, atmospheric chemistry,?? the water cycle and land ice.?? This solicitation seeks to attract scientists from the disciplines of geosciences, agricultural sciences, mathematics and statistics. Successful proposals will develop intellectual excitement in the participating disciplinary communities and engage diverse interdisciplinary teams with sufficient breadth to achieve the scientific objectives. 

The purpose of the BRAG program is to support the generation of new information that will assist Federal regulatory agencies in making science-based decisions about the effects of introducing into the environment genetically engineered organisms (GE), including plants, microorganisms (including fungi, bacteria, and viruses), arthropods, fish, birds, mammals and other animals excluding humans. Investigations of effects on both managed and natural environments are relevant. The BRAG program accomplishes its purpose by providing Federal regulatory agencies with scientific information relevant to regulatory issues. 

Please review important information below about the EERE Exchange website as it relates to this FOA. This FOA supports Research and Development (R&D) partnerships leading to innovative designs and processes for the manufacturing and assembly of wind turbine blades in order to facilitate deployment of the next generation of multi-megawatt wind turbines. Supported projects will develop cost-competitive integrated solutions that address the challenges of fabricating, transporting overland, and assembling rotor blades longer than 60m, with design concepts scalable to greater lengths, and installing them at wind turbine hub heights of at least 120m. This FOA is intended to be forward-looking in addressing U.S. market dynamics and domestic manufacturing opportunities through innovative solutions to constructing and assembling larger blades directly applicable to mitigating U.S. transportation constraints. Awards under the FOA will support partnerships between DOE and research and development (R&D) teams, including manufacturers. The objectives of this FOA are to: 1. Reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of land-based wind power in appropriate wind regimes by enabling the use of taller towers over their entire lifecycle, allowing wind turbines to capture stronger wind resources aloft. 2. Increase the wind turbine deployment opportunities in lower wind speed regions across the country where wind energy has previously been more expensive to deploy. 3. Increase U.S. competitiveness in alignment with the EERE Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative (CEMI). Single Topic Area: This FOA is focused solely on R&D projects intended to raise the technology readiness level of large wind turbine blade manufacturing and installation concepts. New innovations in blade design as well as improvements in manufacturing and assembly processes are expected outcomes of this FOA. Solutions may include, but are not limited to, modular, segmented or site-fabricated blade technologies. Resulting

The purpose of this modification is to publish questions and responses regarding the FOA and to provide a link to the Webinar download. The questions and responses can be found in Attachment 002. A copy of the March 18, 2015 webinar and its slides can be downloaded from the CERC website: http://www.us-china-cerc.org/Energy_Water.html The Department of Energy is soliciting applications for the formation of a Consortium to pursue five identified R&D topics at the nexus of energy and water. These topics are: 1) water use reduction at thermoelectric plants; 2) treatment and management of non-traditional waters; 3) improving sustainable hydropower design and operation; 4) climate impact modeling, methods, and scenarios to support improved energy and water systems understanding; and 5) data and analysis to inform planning, policy, and other decisions. Each responsive proposal will address all five topics; DOE is offering a mechanism to facilitate partnering during the Application process. The Consortium that is funded through this solicitation will form a new technical track under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, which is a bilateral initiative to encourage R&D collaboration and accelerate technology development and deployment in both countries (see: http://www.us-china-cerc.org). This DOE funding opport unity will support the U.S. Consortium. In parallel, and with equivalent resources, Chinese funding will support a counterpart Chinese Consortium.

REQUEST FOR INTEREST FORPOTENTIAL PROJECT TO BE INITIATED THROUGHNational Park ServiceHeartland NetworkFunding Opportunity Number: FY2015-HTLN-YVMT-0001Project title: Park-based Youth Vegetation Management Team - HTLNPark: Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network 6424 W. FR 182 Republic, Missouri 65738Proposed Project Date: October 1, 2014 - December 31, 2015 Estimated funding available: $155,000 Number of Positions Available: Crew consisting of 1 crew leader & 3 crew membersSummary: The Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network has an opportunity for a youth crew to participate in a unparalleled opportunity participating with members of the National Park Service (NPS) Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network (HTLN) to learn about natural resources practices, interact with nature, learn about natural systems and the attending scientific disciplines, and work in challenging outdoor environments in a variety of parks that encompass the HTLN. In order for this partnership to be effective, the NPS seeks an organizational partner with expertise in youth conservation programs, to work collaboratively with NPS HTLN staff to train and provide a four-person crew that will be based at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. The NPS will provide the educational experiences and natural resource projects for a four-person youth crew (ages 18-24), that will work closely with the HTLN Inventory and Monitoring program and exotic plant management team. The organizational partner also needs to train and provide a crew leader to supervise the crew. The crew leader will be required to work to protect the crew's safety in mind; handle logistics related to organizing travel and expenditures; and advise the partner organization and the NPS on crew performance and morale.

The SunShot Initiative (SunShot) is a national collaborative effort to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by the end of the decade. The installed cost of solar photovoltaics (PV) has reduced significantly in recent years, spurring significant and accelerating deployment of PV systems. With the anticipated proliferation of solar power at the centralized and distributed scales, the variability and uncertainty of the solar resource poses challenges for reliably integrating photovoltaics (PV) with electric power systems, both at the distribution and bulk system levels. The goal of the Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, SHINES Funding Opportunity is to enable the development and demonstration of integrated, scalable, and cost-effective technologies for solar that incorporates energy storage and works seamlessly to meet both consumer needs and the needs of the electricity grid. Such an integrated solution should utilize smart inverters, and be capable of working with smart buildings, smart appliances, and utility communication and control systems. The solutions thus developed will enable widespread sustainable deployment of low-cost, flexible, and reliable PV generation, and provide for successful integration of PV power plants with the electric grid. The full Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. Applications must be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE website to be considered for award. The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE eXCHANGE website. A User Guide for the EERE eXCHANGE can be found on the EERE website https://eere- exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system. Information on where to submit questions regarding the content of the announcement and where to submit questions regarding submission of applications is found in the full FOA posted on the EERE eXCHANGE website.

The purpose of the SCRI program is to address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems. Projects must address at least one of five focus areas: Research in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and other methods to improve crop characteristics; Efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases, including threats to specialty crop pollinators; Efforts to improve production efficiency, handling and processing, productivity, and profitability over the long term (including specialty crop policy and marketing); new innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or inhibit ripening; and methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards in the production efficiency, handling and processing of specialty crops.

The purpose of the BRAG program is to support the generation of new information that will assist Federal regulatory agencies in making science-based decisions about the effects of introducing into the environment genetically engineered organisms (GE), including plants, microorganisms (including fungi, bacteria, and viruses), arthropods, fish, birds, mammals and other animals excluding humans.

 In this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), applications are solicited for: i.) systems biology studies on regulatory and metabolic networks of microbes, microbial consortia, and microbe-plant interactions involved in biogeochemical cycling of carbon, ii.) development and application of -omics approaches to investigate microbial community functional processes involved in carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems.

The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund was established to provide grants to individual species conservation initiatives, recognize leaders in the field, and elevate the importance of species in the broader conservation debate. To that end, grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded in support of plant, animal and fungi species conservation efforts without restriction on the basis of region or species. Priority will be given to in situ species conservation work, but the fund will consider an ex situ project where it is demonstrated to be critical to the survival of the species concerned. Anyone directly involved in species conservation can apply to the fund. See the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund for complete program guidelines, an FAQ, and application instructions.

Acres for America is the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's (NFWF) premier land conservation program, and was established to provide urgently needed funding for projects that conserve important large-scale habitats for fish, wildlife, and plants through land acquisitions and perpetual conservation easements. In 2005, Acres for America was launched as a partnership between Walmart Stores (www.walmart.com) and NFWF. As a founding partner, Walmart's goal was to offset the footprint of its domestic facilities on at least an acre by acre basis - a number then estimated at 100,000 acres - through permanent conservation of important wildlife habitats. The program has now helped to permanently protect over 1.4 million acres valued at $700 million, and connect more than 10 million acres of public and private conservation lands across the country.

The NRCS - Texas State Office, an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is seeking support from and opportunities to partner with like minded natural resource conservation partners. The overall intent of this solicitation is to solicit partnerships to help enhance the implementation of key conservation objectives and priorities outlined further in this document.Proposals will be accepted from eligible entities for projects located in Texas. NRCS anticipates that the total amount awarded under this announcement in Federal fiscal year 2018 will be approximately $150,000. Proposals are requested from eligible non- profit organizations, independent school districts, institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments for competitive consideration of grant awards for one year in duration.The Texas NRCS Urban Conservation Project is an effort to challenge community organizations, educational institutions and Indian tribes to establish community and school gardens across Texas. The simple act of planting a garden can help unite neighbors in a common effort and inspire locally-led solutions to challenges facing our state. Challenges that can be addressed with locally-led solutions can be diverse in an urban setting. Addressing hunger with an urban garden can bring communities together and initiate other positive outcomes for people. Pollinator habitat planned with urban gardens can provide an increase in harvest potential while providing food and habitat for declining insect communities in Texas.As part of the USDA's Urban Agriculture toolkit, the Texas NRCS Urban Conservation Project will provide technical and financial assistance to eligible entities to establish gardens for food production and for attracting and maintaining monarch butterflies and the establishment of seasonal high tunnels to extend the growing season of fruits and vegetables.

The goal of this program is to detect, prevent, eradicate, and/or control invasive plant species to promote resiliency, watershed stability, and biological diversity on federal, state, or private land.

The purpose of the BRAG program is to support the generation of new information that will assist Federal regulatory agencies in making science-based decisions about the effects of introducing into the environment genetically engineered organisms (GE), including plants, microorganisms - such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses - arthropods, fish, birds, mammals and other animals excluding humans. Investigations of effects on both managed and natural environments are relevant. The BRAG program accomplishes its purpose by providing federal regulatory agencies with scientific information relevant to regulatory issues

(1) This project will examine and test the feasibility of stabilizing large petrified redwood stumps using established methods of stone conservation. The petrified stumps at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (FLFO) are the fundamental resource of the park. Of the approximately 30 stumps, five of these are actively deteriorating due to cracking, spalling and the loss of large fragments of petrified wood. Several stumps have many deep multidimensional fractures apparently resulting from the use of dynamite during their original excavation, and subsequent weathering including freeze-thaw cycling. They are exposed to accelerated natural and man-made weathering processes. Currently, vulnerable portions of the stumps are held in place only by steel banding that keeps loose fragments together. Risks to the stumps persist due to the combined action of freeze-thaw (loosening of fragments and spalling), gravity (falling of fragments), biological interactions (fracturing and defacement as a result of factors such as plant growth, burrows, and excrement), and theft (loss of fragments that are within reach of visitors). Possible ground salts activated through moisture, may also be a factor.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is accepting pre-proposals for its Acres for America program. Acres for America is NFWF's premier land conservation program, and was established to provide urgently needed funding for projects that conserve important large-scale habitats for fish, wildlife, and plants through land acquisitions and perpetual conservation easements. It was founded in 2005 in partnership with Walmart Stores, which wished to offset the footprint of its domestic facilities on at least an acre by acre basis - a number then estimated at 100,000 acres - through permanent conservation of important wildlife habitats. The program has now helped to permanently protect over 1.3 million acres valued at $500 million, and connect more than 10 million acres of public and private conservation lands across the country. Approximately $3.1 million will be available to support projects in 2018. Based on prior year decisions, the foundation anticipates that between four and eight projects will be awarded funds. All grant awards require a minimum one-to-one match of cash or contributed goods and services. Due to the competitive nature of this program, successful Acres for America projects typically have matching funds at a five-to-one ratio or greater.

The Supplemental and Alternative Crops Competitive (SACC) Grants Program will support the development of canola as a viable supplemental and alternative crop in the United States. The goal of the SACC program is to significantly increase crop production and/or acreage by developing and testing of superior germplasm, improving methods of planting, cultivation, and harvesting, and transferring new knowledge to producers (via Extension) as soon as practicable. Extension, education, and communication activities related to the research areas above must be addressed in the proposal.

The Supplemental and Alternative Crops Competitive (SACC) Grants Program will support the development of canola as a viable supplemental and alternative crop in the United States. The goal of the SACC program is to significantly increase crop production and/or acreage by developing and testing of superior germplasm, improving methods of planting, cultivation, and harvesting, and transferring new knowledge to producers (via Extension) as soon as practicable. Extension, education, and communication activities related to the research areas above must be addressed in the proposal.

On behalf of the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, the Ohio State University, and the University of Toledo, we are requesting pre-proposals for one- to two-year research projects from Ohio colleges and universities seeking solutions to: (1) reduce nutrient loading to Lake Erie, (2) learn about algal toxins formation and human health impacts, (3) study bloom dynamics, (4) better inform water treatment plants how to remove toxins, and (5) aid the efforts of state agencies

This program was created to ensure that the National Climate Change andWildlife Science Center is responsive to the research and management needs of Federal and State agencies to provide science and technical support regarding the impacts of climate change in fish, wildlife, plants and ecological processes. National coordination of research and modeling at regional centers will ensure uniformity of downscaling and forecasting models and standardized information to support management of fish and wildlife resources and regional partnership collaborations. The ClimateScience Centers will provide access to the expertise at cooperating universities and supports the mission of the Climate Science CenterProgram.