BLM CA Area Based Quality Index Assess Manage Biological Soil Crusts Mojave Sonoran Deserts

Post Date

May 19th 2015

Application Due Date

July 20th 2015

Funding Opportunity Number

L15AS00124

CFDA Number(s)

15.231

Funding Instrument Type(s)

Cooperative Agreement

Funding Activity Categories

Humanities

Number of Awards

1

Eligibility Categories

Public and State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
Private Institutions of Higher Education

Funding

• Estimated Total Funding:

  $100000

• Award Range:

  $500 - $100000

Grant Description

This project is for BLM to work with a University to conserve and restore biotic soil crusts biocrusts, which are a major source of environmental stability and stabilization for sequestration and cycling of carbon and nitrogen in plants and soils. While the scientific understanding of biocrusts has increased greatly in the last decade, research has outstripped the capacity of managers to apply new information into decision making for making arid and semi-arid ecosystems more efficient for these essential ecological processes. As yet, no standardized method or metric exists for evaluating the ecological significance of biocrust communities at particular sites or land units. This project will test in the field one or more quality indices for biocrust function. Results from this project will determine whether individual indices or a suite of indices have broad applicability in the evaluation of ecosystem function of biocrust communities in diverse desert landscapes in BLM southern California desert wilderness areas. Development and testing of metrics will have immediate value to land managers by providing them with a practical, easy, unbiased, and quantitative means of evaluating and monitoring biocrusts to inform restoration, enhancement, and conservation measures of biocrusts.

Contact Information

• Agency

  Department of the Interior

• Office:

  Bureau of Land Management

• Agency Contact:

  Leona B Parker, GMO, 530-252-5338
  lparker@blm.gov
  

• Agency Mailing Address:

  lparker@blm.gov

• Agency Email Address:

  lparker@blm.gov

• More Information:

  https://grants.gov