OARS funding Environmental Sustainability

The objective of this project is to create a new macroinvertebrate bioassessment index that can be applied at both the regional and reach scales to make status determinations. A bioassessment index developed for use at multiple spatial scales would benefit multiple agencies, Federal, State, and local, as well as public and private organizations by giving them a tool that can help them identify sites/watersheds in need of protection, preservation and/or restoration. Use of aquatic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators of stream condition can be incorporated into a decision-support model (DSM) which can be used as a method towards assessing overall watershed condition. The capacity of the DSM to make accurate condition and trend determinations is dependent upon the sensitivity of the individual attributes used to define watershed condition. Therefore, in the case of macroinvertebrates, it is critical to identify the optimal bioassessment index, as well as the factors influencing index performance.

The Foundation is promoting Ray's legacy through its inspiration and funding of innovative, educational and project-based initiatives that advance the revolution in sustainable production and consumption. Through its Gray Notes Grants program, the foundation awards grants of between $2,000 and $25,000 for environmental conservation, preservation, education, and restoration initiatives; urban agriculture programs; clean water and clean air projects; environmental and economic think tanks; and grassroots initiatives that inform and inspire people to collaborate and take positive action to protect the planet. In addition, the program supports organizations and programs that are working with industry, government, and businesses to create environmentally sound planning practices to reduce the environmental footprint of urban development through energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energy, and the reduction of carbon intensity. We award grants in two categories: Grants to Environmental Initiatives and Nonprofits   Inquiries taken throughout 2013. Grants to Higher Education Research Programs (by invitation only).   Inquiries due March 28, 2013.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) Inc. is pleased to announce the 2013 Request for Proposals (RFP) for the SFI® Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. In 2013, SFI will award over $250,000 for projects supporting sustainable forestry, bringing total 2013 investments to $400,000 with previously awarded multi-year research grants. The SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program supports collaborative projects between non-profit organizations, SFI program participants and other stakeholders which support SFI objectives. Since 2010, SFI has awarded 33 grants for a total of over $1.32 million. Further, these funds are leveraged with other project partner contributions, for a total of just over $4.8 million in investments in these projects.

The objective of this project is to gather LiDAR data that will enable a multitude of agencies, organizations, and landowners to develop management plans that will minimize or eliminate degradation of public resources. Collected data will assist with the evaluation of silviculture and watershed restoration practices while also providing information on the potential impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner to collect and analyze water quality variables and zooplankton, promote the use of innovative monitoring approaches and provide opportunities to students to participate in Lake Ontario research projects. This CESU project will provide support for two to three Lake Ontario 2013 student projects.

The Idaho Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is announcing availability of Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is intended to support environmental health research in which an unpredictable opportunity has arisen to collect human biosample or exposure data (e.g., following natural or made-made disasters, health care policy changes, etc). The three distinguishing features of an eligible study are: 1) the unforeseeable nature of the opportunity; 2) the clear scientific value and feasibility of the study; and 3) the need for rapid review and funding (substantially shorter than the typical NIH grant review/award cycle) in order for the scientific question to be approached and for the research design to be implemented.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System consists of estuarine areas of the United States and its territories which are designated and managed for research and educational purposes. Each reserve within the system is chosen to represent a different bio-geographic region and to include a variety of ecosystem types in accordance with the classification scheme of the national program as presented in 15 CFR Part 921. By funding designated reserve agencies and universities to conduct land acquisition and construction projects that support the NERRS purpose, NOAA will strengthen protection of key land and water areas, enhance long-term protection of the area for research and education, and provide for facility and exhibit construction that meet the highest sustainable design standards possible.

The purpose of Pest Management Alternatives Program (PMAP) is to provide support for the development and implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) practices, tactics, and systems for specific pest problems while reducing human and environmental risks. This purpose addresses the broad goals outlined in the "National Roadmap for Integrated Pest Management," developed by federal and non-federal IPM experts, practitioners, and stakeholders in 2004. The successful management of pest problems in commercial production is facing severe challenges due to regulatory changes, emergence of new pest problems, and the development of pest resistance to present management technologies. The greatest impact on current management technologies is in the production of specialty crops; however, other crops, including grain, forage and fiber, as well as animal health, are also being impacted by these changes.

To provide environmental education programs to local area youth that meet state education benchmarks and standards.

The GPLCC Steering Committee has identified several key issues of concern and science priorities for prairie rivers and streams in the Great Plains. Specifically, three categories of science needs have been identified as priorities for the GPLCC for Fiscal Year 2013 funding. The first science category focuses on the need for applied research to fill critical knowledge gaps on the status and trends of priority species (see Table 1 below) and habitats in prairie rivers and streams of the Great Plains. This includes studies that examine the ecological requirements of priority species (and community-level interactions) that will help lead to the development of improved conservation strategies that support the long-term sustainability of populations of priority species. The second science category focuses on the need to fill critical knowledge gaps that support the development of water conservation and management strategies consistent with the ecological requirements of priority species. Examples include studies that examine the effects of climate change on hydrology and the functional processes that support maintenance of habitats for priority species, as well as studies that examine reservoir storage and release strategies and the related effects on populations of priority species in fragmented river segments. The third science category focuses on the need to fill critical knowledge gaps related to the effects of watershed alteration and fragmentation on the long-term sustainability of populations of priority species. This includes studies that examine projected trends in land use and related effects on species and habitats, and studies that support the development of improved habitat restoration techniques and strategies (e.g., restoration of springs, riparian buffers, and in-stream habitats, including in-stream connectivity and fish passage).

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing availability of Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies.

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department or may offer interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. (2) REU Supplements may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements or may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects.

The Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) is an applied conservation science partnership; see http://www.greatplainslcc.org/about/ for a map of the GPLCC geographic area. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is soliciting Letters of Intent (LOI) on behalf of the GPLCC for applied scientific work to inform resource management decisions that address landscape-scale stressors to fish, wildlife, and plants of the Great Plains.

The purpose of the NIH Summer Research Experience Program (referred to as the Summer Research Program) is to provide a high quality research experience for high school and college students and for science teachers during the summer academic break. The NIH expects that such programs will: help attract young students to careers in science; provide opportunities for college students to gain valuable research experience to help prepare them for graduate school; and enhance the skills of science teachers and enable them to more effectively communicate the nature of the scientific process to their students. The programs would also contribute to enhancing overall science literacy. Summer Research Programs that expand and complement existing summer educational and training programs are encouraged.

The Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (EESE) program funds research and educational projects that improve ethics education in all fields of science and engineering that NSF supports, with priority consideration given to interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, and international contexts.  Although the primary focus is on improving ethics education for graduate students in NSF-funded fields, the proposed programs may benefit advanced undergraduates as well.

Pollution Prevention Information Network (PPIN) grant program seeks to improve development and dissemination of P2 information by funding regional P2 information centers. These centers serve state, tribal, and local government needs in addition to providing P2 information directly to businesses. The regional centers collaborate and coordinate on P2 information development and dissemination activities nationally in order to decrease duplication of effort and promote efficiency. Information and training are used to assist businesses in identifying better environmental strategies for reducing or eliminating waste and conserving natural resources. Grantees of this program have created a national network called the Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) which provides information and services on their websites (see: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/p2home/pubs/p2rx.html ).

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) is a Presidential award established by the White House in 1995. The purpose of the award is to recognize U.S. citizens or permanent residents and U.S. organizations that have demonstrated excellence in mentoring individuals from groups that are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce. Groups that are underrepresented in STEM include women, people with disabilities, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, as well as individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds and some geographic regions such as urban and rural areas. The PAESMEM program is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Nominations, including self-nominations, are invited for Individual and Organizational PAESMEM awards. Individuals and organizations in all public and private sectors are eligible including industry, academia, primary and secondary education, military and government, non-profit organizations, and foundations. Nominations are encouraged from all geographical regions in the U.S., its territories or possessions, particularly jurisdictions designated by Congress under NSF's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

The Combustion, Fire, and Plasma Systems program supports fundamental research and education relevant to these subjects.  Among the broader societal impacts of the program are cleaner global and local environments, enhanced public safety, improved energy and homeland security, useful new materials, and more efficient manufacturing. This program is not an applied program, but rather it endeavors to provide basic knowledge that is needed to develop useful combustion and plasma applications and for mitigating the effects of fire.  Broad-based tools - experimental, diagnostic, and computational - that can be applied to a variety of problems in combustion, fires, and plasma systems are the major products of this program. 

The goal of this NOAA Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG) Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) is to build the capacity of informal educators (including interpreters and docents) and/or formal educators (pre- or in-service) to use NOAA data and data access tools to help K-12 students and/or the public understand and respond to global change. Successful projects will enhance educators' ability to use the wealth of scientific data, data visualizations, data access technologies, information products, and other assets available through NOAA (plus additional sources, if desired) to engage K-12 students and/or other members of the public in a minimum of two U.S. states or territories. Partnerships with NOAA entities and/or involvement of NOAA scientists to facilitate the use of such assets by educators are strongly encouraged. As an ultimate outcome, successful projects should aim to increase educators' effectiveness in promoting stewardship and increasing informed decision making by a diverse pool of K-12 students and/or other members of the public. The impact of the proposed project on the target educators must be measurable during the award period.