Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00142

Opportunity Information: Apply for G23AS00142

This opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically through the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT), to support research and applied work that improves how federal public lands track and manage visitor use. The core purpose is to advance and evaluate newer, data-driven approaches to estimating visitation, especially in places where traditional counting methods are difficult to apply. Many public land areas do not have a single entrance gate or clear choke points, and some are remote, sprawling, or otherwise "porous," which makes standard tools like entrance counts, on-site surveys, or manual tallies expensive, time-intensive, and sometimes unreliable. Because visitation estimates influence planning, staffing, maintenance, resource protection, and visitor experience decisions, the USGS is looking to strengthen the evidence base behind alternative methods.

The project focus is on "novel approaches" to visitor monitoring, meaning nontraditional data sources and analytical techniques that can complement or, in some contexts, substitute for conventional counting programs. Examples explicitly highlighted include social media data (such as geotagged posts that can indicate where and when recreation happens), mobile device location data (aggregated signals that can be used to infer visitation levels and patterns), and mining online trip reports from websites where visitors document outings. While multiple federal agencies have begun experimenting with these tools, the opportunity emphasizes that there is still a gap in understanding when and where these approaches work well, what their limitations are, and how results compare across different land units, agencies, and recreation settings. A major aim is therefore to synthesize the current state of knowledge and document best practices that can be applied across agencies, rather than leaving each office to reinvent methods on its own.

Because this award is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, eligibility is limited to organizations that are already participating partners of the Pacific Northwest CESU. CESUs are structured partnerships designed to link federal agencies with universities, nonprofits, and other research organizations to deliver research, technical assistance, and educational support. The cooperative agreement structure also typically signals substantial involvement by the federal partner during the project, meaning USGS staff may collaborate closely on scoping, methodology, data interpretation, and deliverables rather than functioning only as a funder.

Key administrative details include the funding opportunity number G23AS00142 and a Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance listing of 15.808. The activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the agency is the Geological Survey. The award ceiling is listed as $190,000, and the original closing date for applications was February 6, 2023. Overall, the opportunity is meant to help USGS and other Department of the Interior agencies improve visitation estimation by rigorously assessing emerging data sources, clarifying the contexts where they are most valid and useful, and producing guidance that supports practical, defensible visitor monitoring and management decisions on federal lands.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit" 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 2023-01-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-02-06. (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 $190,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G23AS00142

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