Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G22AS00350

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is this funding opportunity about?

This opportunity supports a cooperative agreement project led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to make public lands planning more inclusive and equitable. The work centers on improving how marginalized, underrepresented, and/or Tribal communities are represented in land management planning processes by using Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS).

What is the main goal of the project?

The main goal is to collect and apply spatially specific information about how different groups use, value, and relate to public lands and waters, so these perspectives are not overlooked in federal land use planning decisions. The project aims to make public input more place-based and usable within Resource Management Plans (RMPs).

Which agencies are involved?

The opportunity is issued by the USGS Fort Collins Science Center in partnership with the BLM. It is administered under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

What is PPGIS, and why is it important for this work?

PPGIS (Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems) is an approach for gathering public input that is tied to specific locations on a map. Unlike traditional public comment methods that often produce non-spatial feedback, PPGIS generates spatially explicit data showing where values, uses, or activities are concentrated. This makes public input more actionable for planning and easier to compare across groups and integrate with other land management and ecological datasets.

What is VaMPIRE?

VaMPIRE (Values Mapping for Planning in Regional Ecosystems) is an open-source, online PPGIS tool developed by the USGS Social and Economic Analysis (SEA) branch. It is designed to gather map-based public input about values and uses tied to specific places.

Is VaMPIRE the only method allowed for engagement and data collection?

No. While VaMPIRE is a key tool emphasized in the opportunity, the project also supports flexible engagement methods, including offline approaches such as workshops or focus groups. This flexibility is intended to reduce barriers to participation and better fit community preferences and cultural norms.

Why does the opportunity emphasize offline engagement options?

The opportunity recognizes that historically underrepresented communities may face barriers to online participation or may prefer community-based, facilitated settings. Offline methods like workshops and focus groups can better support trust-building, align with cultural norms, and address access constraints.

How does this project support public lands planning requirements?

Federal agencies such as the BLM are required to consider public input when developing or revising Resource Management Plans. PPGIS outputs can help translate public input into place-based planning information by showing where values and activities occur, improving how that input can be incorporated into planning decisions.

What kinds of information is the project trying to collect?

The project focuses on collecting spatially specific (map-based) information about how different groups use, value, and relate to public lands and waters. This can include identifying areas that hold particular importance to different communities and documenting patterns of use and values that may otherwise be missed in conventional processes.

How is equity addressed in this opportunity?

Equity is a central purpose of the project. By better understanding the uses and values of diverse visitors and communities, the work aims to make planning more fair by identifying whose priorities have been missing, undercounted, or mischaracterized in past planning and public input efforts.

Where will the project be piloted?

The methods developed through this effort are expected to be piloted first in Southeastern Utah.

Is the work intended to be usable beyond the pilot location?

Yes. The opportunity indicates the methods should be adaptable for use in other locations and potentially other scientific or planning contexts. This suggests deliverables should be transferable rather than narrowly tailored to a single case.

What type of award is this?

This is a discretionary funding opportunity that uses a cooperative agreement mechanism.

What does a cooperative agreement imply for how the project will be managed?

A cooperative agreement generally means the federal agency is likely to have substantial involvement during the project, rather than issuing funds with minimal interaction. In practice, this typically implies closer coordination with the agency during planning, implementation, and/or application of results.

What program is this opportunity issued under?

The opportunity is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is a network of partnerships that support research, technical assistance, and education related to public lands and natural resource management.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to organizations that are already participating partners in either the Colorado Plateau CESU or the Rocky Mountain CESU. This restricts the applicant pool to established CESU affiliates.

What is the funding opportunity title?

The title listed is "Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit."

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is G22AS00350.

What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $240,000.

What is the activity category for this opportunity?

It falls under the "Science and Technology and other Research and Development" activity category.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 15.808.

When was the opportunity created, and what was the original closing date?

The opportunity was created on 2022-05-05, and the original closing date was 2022-06-20.

How does PPGIS data improve decision-making compared to traditional comments?

Traditional comments are often not tied to specific locations, which can make them difficult to translate into land use allocations or place-based management actions. PPGIS produces map-based data that can show where certain values or activities are concentrated and can help agencies compare patterns across groups and integrate social information with other planning datasets.

Does the opportunity mention considering land use change scenarios?

Yes. The opportunity notes that PPGIS can help explore how uses and values might shift under different land use change scenarios, supporting more informed planning over large areas and long time horizons.

What broader capability is USGS trying to build through this cooperative work?

The cooperative work is intended to expand USGS capability and knowledge around PPGIS methods that are appropriate for engaging diverse and underrepresented populations, with an emphasis on approaches that can be applied in multiple settings.