Description
The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center is offering a cooperative-agreement funding opportunity to a CESU partner to conduct research and studies related to the long-term demography of bumble bees, with a focus on imperiled species. The research will focus on Bombus affinis (rusty patched bumble bee), and the project will leverage collaborations to incorporate expertise in bumble bee ecology into a large existing project supporting the recovery of endangered and imperiled bumble bees. The outcome of a successful agreement will be research products that help DOI and other land-management partners better understand and implement recovery strategies for imperiled bumble bees. Some key objectives of the project include:
* Conducting surveys of imperiled bumble bees using methods that can be maintained over many years
* Conducting studies on novel bumble bee monitoring methods
* Conducting statistical analyses to estimate sampling effort for long-term bumble bee monitoring
* Establishing protocols for data management on long-term bumble bee trends
The project is expected to last for 5 years, with an estimated total funding of $399,000.