Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) partner for research on maximizing the return on investment of natural resource monitoring to efficiently and effectively manage invasive aquatic species. The project aims to develop an analytical approach that integrates invasive species dynamics and economic and ecological impacts to inform the effectiveness of control or management actions in the Mississippi River Basin. The award instrument for this project is a cooperative agreement, with an estimated funding of $48,500 for a two-year project period. Eligible recipients must be participating partners of the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. Key aspects of the project include: • Developing frameworks that iteratively update from accumulated monitoring efforts to adapt to what is learned and maximize the return on investment in evaluating the effectiveness of management actions. • Utilizing the framework to prioritize and inform monitoring efforts that maximize the return on investment in monitoring efforts by natural resource agencies in the Mississippi River Basin. • Integrating monitoring of invasive species dynamics with monitoring of concurrent economic and ecological impacts. • Providing research results and associated data in accordance with USGS policy on dissemination and sharing.