Methow Fish Tracking Study | BOR PN 18 N004

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR PN 18 N004

The Methow Fish Tracking Study is a Bureau of Reclamation funding opportunity focused on filling a major science and management gap for endangered spring Chinook Salmon in the Upper Columbia River Evolutionarily Significant Unit. Even though agencies and partners have invested heavily in monitoring and habitat restoration for these fish, there is still limited understanding of what juvenile Chinook do during the winter period, where they go, what habitats they rely on, and how well they survive. This matters because winter is often a bottleneck for salmonid survival, and without clear information on winter movement and habitat use, restoration efforts can miss the life stages and places that most strongly shape population recovery.

Through this cooperative agreement, the proposed project centers on juvenile Chinook emigrating from production areas within the Methow River. The study’s main purpose is to characterize winter movement patterns, distribution across habitats, habitat utilization, and overwinter survival. In practical terms, the work is intended to track juveniles as they leave their rearing areas and navigate winter conditions, then connect those observed behaviors and outcomes to specific habitat features and river conditions. By doing so, the project aims to identify population-limiting factors, such as where and when mortality risk is highest, whether fish are constrained by the availability of suitable winter refuge habitat, and how river dynamics and habitat complexity influence survival.

A key deliverable is decision-useful information that helps managers evaluate and prioritize restoration actions. The opportunity explicitly frames the results as a way to test how different types of habitat restoration might improve habitat capacity and/or increase survival for overwintering juveniles. Rather than treating restoration as a one-size-fits-all solution, the intent is to support more targeted investments by revealing which habitats are most important in winter, which restoration actions are likely to produce the biggest survival gains, and how juveniles respond to the current habitat mosaic in the Methow system.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant offered as a cooperative agreement by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, under CFDA 15.517. The funding opportunity number is BOR PN 18 N004. The posting was created on December 28, 2017, with an original closing date of January 11, 2018. The opportunity anticipated a single award, with a maximum award amount (ceiling) of $2,120,632. Eligibility is listed as “Others,” with further clarification intended in the full announcement’s additional eligibility information section.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Methow Fish Tracking Study" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.517.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 28, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 11, 2018. (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 $2,120,632.00 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 BOR PN 18 N004

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: