Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS), Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), is offering a funding opportunity to improve assessments of floodplain connectivity and riverscape health. Current approaches to identify floodplain connectivity across the western United States rely on field data, limiting inference and spatial extent of data. However, existing lidar datasets through the USGS provide unique opportunities to develop approaches using lidar elevation data to provide robust estimates of floodplain connectivity. The ultimate use of these data would be to identify factors limiting healthy riverscapes across the Great Basin. The CESU partner in collaboration with NOROCK's research fisheries biologist will advance the ability to evaluate riverscape health by addressing one or more of the following considerations to improve assessments of riverscape health: • Develop a workflow for using lidar to estimate floodplain connectivity within riverscapes in the Great Basin. • Demonstrate the benefits this approach in comparison to existing methods. • Quantify continuous estimates of floodplain connectivity across portions of the Great Basin. Results will be useful to the broader community working to assess and restore the health and ecosystem services of riverscapes in the Western US in relation to drought, land management activities, and fish and wildlife populations. Biologists and geomorphologists from NOROCK and the CESU Partner will collaborate with federal and state agencies and NGO partners to ensure their approach and data are accessible, scalable, and transferable to encourage the uptake by the broader scientific community involved with riverscape health assessments and restoration actions. This project focuses on using remote sensing products to efficiently direct resources to restoration of rivers and riparian areas. Using lidar data to map the health of riverscapes supports: • SO 3435 - Implementation of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act (June 25, 2025) • SO 3442 - Land and Water Conservation Fund Implementation by the U.S. Department of the Interior (September 4, 2025) Improving methods beyond field data by leveraging available lidar data will provide continuous, robust measures of riverscape health, thus supporting and restoring Gold Standard Science approaches: • EO 14303 – Restoring Gold Standard Science...

This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program. CESUs are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program.

Scientists within the Geological Survey will review and evaluate all applications consistent with authorized USGS program purposes. Criteria for judging applications will include scientific excellence and relevance to the solution of important problems within the mission of the Geological Survey. Applications will be funded only to the extent permitted by available funds.

Fiscal year 2025: Some examples of 2025 project are - The support and improvement of the Shakealert System - Regional and Urban Seismic Monitoring - Establishing a Radiocarbon Instrument at University of Alaska Fairbanks - Hawaii and Alaska Volcano Hazard Assessment and Monitoring - Development of tools for forecasting and Monitoring Agroclimatic conditions -