Cooperative Agreement with a Partner of the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) | G21AS00293

Opportunity Information: Apply for G21AS00293

This grant opportunity is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement offered through the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) to evaluate whether efforts to eradicate invasive American bullfrogs in south-central Arizona actually produced the ecological outcomes managers were aiming for. The work is framed around a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study design, which is a common and rigorous way to measure change by comparing conditions before and after an intervention, while also comparing impacted sites to control sites that did not receive the intervention. In practical terms, the project focuses on measuring how aquatic communities and disease risks respond when bullfrogs are removed, using environmental DNA (eDNA) as the main monitoring tool.

The background for the project comes from a large, landscape-scale bullfrog eradication campaign funded in 2016 under the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Cooperative Recovery Initiative (CRI). Bullfrogs are a major invasive threat across much of the western United States because they prey on native amphibians and reptiles and can contribute to the spread or persistence of emerging wildlife diseases. This is especially important in the Southwest, where several native species are already under pressure from habitat change, drought, and disease. In 2016, just before eradication actions were carried out, USGS collected eDNA samples to characterize aquatic species and pathogen presence across a network of sites. That initial sampling included 21 sites slated for eradication work and 17 control sites, with the controls split between locations where bullfrogs were present (8 sites) and absent (9 sites). Results from those pre-eradication samples suggested a strong negative association between bullfrogs and the Chiricahua leopard frog, meaning sites with bullfrogs were very unlikely to contain Chiricahua leopard frogs. The same samples also indicated that bullfrog sites were more likely to show evidence of amphibian chytrid fungus (Bd) and ranaviruses (RV), both of which are serious pathogens for amphibians and are considered threats to Chiricahua leopard frogs.

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support analysis of additional eDNA filters that were collected later, in 2020 to 2021, from the same overall set of sites originally sampled in 2016 (39 total sites, as described in the opportunity). By analyzing these later samples, the project can provide a true before-versus-after comparison and help confirm whether bullfrog eradication was successful and sustained over time, rather than relying only on short-term observations. It also enables a clearer measurement of how native aquatic species and disease agents responded after bullfrog removal. This matters because managers have already observed Chiricahua leopard frogs quickly recolonizing some sites where bullfrogs were eradicated, which is an encouraging sign, but eDNA-based analysis can provide broader, more systematic evidence across the entire study network and can also capture information about pathogens that might not be obvious from visual surveys alone.

Administratively, the award is issued as a discretionary cooperative agreement under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, specifically tied to the Pacific Northwest CESU. CESUs are partnership networks that connect federal agencies with universities, nonprofits, and other research organizations to deliver research, technical assistance, and education. Because it is a CESU opportunity, eligibility is limited: applicants must be active partners in the Pacific Northwest CESU. The funding activity falls under science and technology and other research and development, with CFDA number 15.808. The opportunity number is G21AS00293, the agency is the Geological Survey (USGS), the posting date was February 2, 2021, and the original closing date was February 19, 2021. The maximum award amount listed is $28,200, and the opportunity indicates an expected award count field but does not clearly specify a number in the provided text.

Overall, the grant is aimed at producing defensible, management-relevant evidence about invasive bullfrog eradication outcomes using a structured BACI approach and modern eDNA methods. The deliverable value is twofold: confirming whether bullfrogs were truly removed or reduced across the eradication sites, and documenting whether native imperiled herpetofauna and key amphibian pathogens (notably Bd and ranavirus) changed in ways consistent with improved conditions for sensitive native species like the Chiricahua leopard frog.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement with a Partner of the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-02-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-19. (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 $28,200.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G21AS00293

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