Little Colorado River Humpback Chub Monitoring | USGS 18 FA 0094

Opportunity Information: Apply for USGS 18 FA 0094

The "Little Colorado River Humpback Chub Monitoring" grant opportunity (USGS 18 FA 0094) is a Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) discretionary cooperative agreement focused on supporting long-term monitoring of the endangered Humpback Chub (Gila cypha) in the Little Colorado River (LCR), particularly within the lower 13.57 km of the river. The project sits under the broader Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program that was launched after completion of the Glen Canyon Dam Operations Environmental Impact Statement. Within that program, the Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG) sets management objectives for downstream resources and recommends how monitoring should be designed over the long term, while the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) is tasked with carrying out the monitoring and making sure it continues to meet AMWG needs. Because the Humpback Chub is federally listed as endangered, keeping track of its population status is treated as a high priority for both conservation and dam-related resource management decisions.

The opportunity is grounded in decades of population monitoring and research in the LCR, where abundance estimates have been conducted since the early 1980s. Early work in the 1990s used structured sampling approaches such as monthly hoop-netting, and those efforts helped establish the feasibility of more rigorous population estimation. Starting in 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) implemented a closed mark-recapture approach in the lower LCR to estimate population size for specific size classes of fish, and that methodology continued through 2016. These repeated mark-recapture efforts have supported the development and refinement of population models used to interpret trends and assess management actions. The monitoring described in this grant is also tied to conservation measures referenced in the Long-Term Experimental Management Plan Final Biological Opinion, reinforcing that the work is not just research for research's sake, but part of ongoing compliance and recovery-related decision support.

For 2018 specifically, the project objectives emphasize field assistance to USFWS to collect data needed to produce statistically defensible population estimates and to feed broader modeling efforts. A major deliverable is length-stratified closed-population estimates using the Chapman-modified Petersen method for multiple Humpback Chub size classes (for example, fish at or above 100 mm total length, and additional strata such as 150 mm and 200 mm total length) during both spring and fall sampling periods in the lower 13.57 km of the LCR. Another key objective is a Chapman Petersen population estimate focused on age-0 fish (40 to 99 mm total length) during the fall, which is important for understanding recruitment and year-class strength. The project also seeks to compile and report data on fish implanted with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, supporting multistate or other analytical models that rely on individual encounter histories over time. In addition to Humpback Chub-specific metrics, the work includes collecting broader fish community and condition information such as size, species identification, sexual condition and other biological characteristics, and documentation of external parasites, including Lernaea cyprinacea, which can be relevant to fish health assessments and interpretation of survival or condition trends.

Administratively, the award is capped at $30,000 with one expected award, and eligibility is limited to federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The opportunity was posted April 9, 2018, with an original closing date of April 23, 2018, and it is associated with CFDA number 15.808 under an environmental activity category. Overall, the grant is best understood as targeted support for on-the-ground monitoring that sustains an established, long-running dataset and produces population estimates that directly inform endangered species management and adaptive operations downstream of Glen Canyon Dam.

• The Department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Little Colorado River Humpback Chub Monitoring" 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 Apr 09, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 23, 2018. (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 $30,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for USGS 18 FA 0094

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