BLM-WY, Watershed Health Study Using Amphibian and Bat Presence-Absence Distribution | L17AS00176

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00176

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), within the U.S. Department of the Interior, offered a discretionary cooperative agreement opportunity titled "BLM-WY, Watershed Health Study Using Amphibian and Bat Presence-Absence Distribution" (Funding Opportunity Number L17AS00176). The program sits in the natural resources category under CFDA 15.231 and was created on June 16, 2017, with an original application closing date of August 15, 2017. The BLM anticipated making a single award with a maximum federal funding amount (award ceiling) of up to $900,000.

The core purpose of the opportunity is to build and strengthen cooperative relationships that lead to practical, on-the-ground work aimed at improving the viability of fish, wildlife, and other living (biotic) resources across three Wyoming watershed systems: the Upper Green River, the Bighorn River, and the Platte River watersheds. Rather than focusing solely on a one-time data collection effort, the announcement emphasizes watershed health as a broader management objective, using targeted biological indicators to inform where and how conservation, restoration, and management actions might be most effective.

A central technical focus is the continued study of native amphibians and bats using presence-absence distribution information, meaning field and/or monitoring work designed to determine where these species are detected and where they are not detected across the landscape. The intended outcome is the further development and refinement of known distribution maps for these species. In practice, this kind of mapping can help land managers identify important habitats, track shifts in species occupancy over time, and prioritize areas for protection or improvement. Amphibians and bats are often treated as sensitive indicator groups because they can respond strongly to changes in water availability, habitat condition, disease pressures, and broader environmental stressors, making them useful for evaluating watershed condition and ecological integrity.

The BLM also highlights partnership as a defining feature of the project. The work is expected to be carried out in close collaboration with the State of Wyoming and to include coordination with additional stakeholders, which may include private land interests, other federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations. This reflects a landscape-scale approach where species distributions and watershed processes cross jurisdictional boundaries, so effective conservation and monitoring typically require shared methods, compatible data, and coordinated planning across multiple entities.

Eligibility was broad and included state, county, and local governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions). Because the funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, recipients should generally expect substantial involvement by the BLM during project implementation, such as collaboration on planning, methods, data standards, deliverables, and coordination with other ongoing efforts in the region.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-WY, Watershed Health Study Using Amphibian and Bat Presence-Absence Distribution" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 16, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 15, 2017. (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 $900,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for L17AS00176

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