“Natural Resources and Endangered Species Research and Support at Fort Hood, Texas” | W81EWF 22 SOI 0011

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 22 SOI 0011

The grant opportunity "Natural Resources and Endangered Species Research and Support at Fort Hood, Texas" is a Department of Defense (Army Corps of Engineers) cooperative agreement aimed at helping Fort Hood manage its training mission while meeting federal conservation requirements. Fort Hood is one of the Army's busiest training installations, supporting activity comparable to two mechanized divisions, yet it also contains important habitat for a federally endangered species (the golden-cheeked warbler), a recently delisted but still closely monitored species (the black-capped vireo), many migratory birds, and at-risk pollinators. The work is framed around the Army's obligations under laws such as the Sikes Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, with the broader goal of keeping training lands sustainable while staying in full legal compliance.

The government is looking for a partner to provide research, field surveying, monitoring, analysis, and logistical support across multiple natural resource priorities on the installation. Study design and selection of specific field sites are not fully pre-set; they will be finalized collaboratively with Fort Hood staff, the Engineer Research and Development Center - Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL), and Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) partners. Although the work is Fort Hood-focused, the intent is that findings will be useful for species management across the broader range of these species, not just on the installation itself. The anticipated performance period is roughly 18 months.

A major component is turning existing information into actionable status and trend reporting. Under Task 1, the recipient will analyze data from the 2022 avian breeding season to describe distribution, abundance, and population status for endangered and migratory bird species on Fort Hood. These datasets include point count surveys, nest locations, nest monitoring results, and productivity metrics. The expected outputs include summarized results, trend and population estimates for the installation, and interpretation of how management actions are influencing progress toward regional population objectives. These analyses will directly feed Fort Hood's annual reporting on endangered species status.

The opportunity then shifts into on-the-ground monitoring to fill key demographic and management questions. Task 2 focuses on detailed demographic monitoring of the golden-cheeked warbler and black-capped vireo during the 2023 breeding season (generally March through July). The work includes surveys to measure occurrence and density (using established point count routes), and intensive nest work to measure reproductive success, particularly through locating and repeatedly monitoring vireo nests. The project also includes banding activities: banding vireo nestlings and capturing and banding adult warblers, which requires trained staff familiar with mist-netting and passerine handling or the ability to be trained under permitted supervision. Importantly, the fieldwork is to be conducted under existing federal and state permits held by Fort Hood personnel and must follow protocols in Fort Hood's Endangered Species Management components (referenced as the ESMC). After the breeding season, the collected demographic data are expected to be analyzed to update population estimates, trends, and the effects of management on regional goals.

Task 3 expands monitoring beyond the listed species to migratory birds more generally during the 2023 breeding season (approximately March through August). The recipient will collect required demographic information on occurrence, density, and nest placement, including locating and monitoring nests across migratory species at designated monitoring plots. A notable feature is the comparison of sites with and without maneuver lane habitat modifications, tying the ecological monitoring directly to how training-land modifications may influence bird use and nesting behavior. The deliverable here is analysis of temporal and spatial patterns in abundance and reproductive effort that can be used to adjust management and conservation actions while still supporting training needs, again under Fort Hood-held permits and installation protocols.

Task 4 addresses pollinators, with an emphasis on establishing baseline data for butterflies in spring and summer 2023, particularly monarch butterflies. The work involves transect surveys in grassland habitats, recording butterfly detections alongside milkweed stem counts to evaluate how host plant density relates to monarch abundance and distribution. Any monarchs observed are to be netted and tagged for participation in the Monarch Watch Program, linking Fort Hood monitoring to a broader continental tracking effort. Survey locations and methods are to be coordinated with Fort Hood Natural Resources staff and ERDC-CERL to ensure the data meet management needs.

Task 5 targets an invasive species issue that directly affects habitat condition: feral hogs. Because feral hog rooting and trampling can severely degrade sensitive habitats, Fort Hood actively monitors and controls them, especially where endangered or sensitive species occur. This task covers fall 2022 through spring 2023 and includes surveying for hog presence and damage using multiple approaches such as visual ground surveys for animals and rooting, aerial surveys, and trapping. The recipient is expected not only to support operations but also to analyze and compare the effectiveness of different survey and control methods to improve Fort Hood's feral hog management strategy over time.

Task 6 covers public-facing and community support work to strengthen natural resources awareness and engagement both on the installation and in surrounding communities. The specific outreach products and events are meant to be chosen collaboratively, but examples include supporting Christmas Bird Count and Breeding Bird Count activities, coordinating outreach with local schools about Fort Hood natural resource efforts, creating educational materials for different age groups, and hosting nature walks on the installation. This outreach component reflects the practical reality that successful conservation on military lands often depends on communication, transparency, and community relationships, not just field data.

Administratively, this is a discretionary opportunity using a cooperative agreement instrument (meaning substantial involvement and coordination with the government is expected, not a hands-off grant). It is listed under CFDA 12.630, with one anticipated award and a stated award ceiling of $977,000. The opportunity was posted March 17, 2022, with an original closing date of May 13, 2022, and eligibility is broadly listed as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full eligibility text. Overall, the work is designed to give Fort Hood defensible, up-to-date science on species status, habitat pressures, and management effectiveness so the installation can keep training at a high tempo while meeting its legal and stewardship responsibilities.

• The Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "“Natural Resources and Endangered Species Research and Support at Fort Hood, Texas”" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 17, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 13, 2022. (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 $977,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for W81EWF 22 SOI 0011

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