OpportunityTitle: Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. CESU&#191;s are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education.  Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Great Lakes &#191; Northern Forest (CESU) Program.
Description: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner to quantify ecosystem services provided by agricultural lands using satellite data. Earth observation satellites offer an efficient medium to assess various characteristics of the USDAs Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) program; yet little work has been conducted in this field. Land tenure in the CRP fluctuates and there is little information on the environmental services provided by these fields after the CRP contract expires. Fields that do not return to cultivation may continue to provide some level of conservation benefits and habitat quality that is not fully captured by CRP acreage alone. The goal of this research is to link remotely sensed indicators with ground-collected data of habitat quality. This presents a unique opportunity to test new and efficient ways to evaluate environmental benefits of CRP lands. Partners, including the USDA, remain committed to a cooperative process to help insure that the data products and results we produce will inform management decisions. Research techniques developed in this effort may be integrated into other projects involving agricultural lands and DOI cooperators.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Contract Specialist
GrantorContactText: Faith Graves 703-648-7356&lt;br/&gt;fgraves@usgs.gov