Monitoring, Assessing and Evaluating the Survival of Juvenile Snail Kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) on Lake Kissimmee, Lake Cypress, Lake Hatchineha, Kissimmee River and the Kissimmee River Floodplain | W9126G252SOI4561

Opportunity Information: Apply for W9126G252SOI4561

This funding opportunity is a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District, for a research and monitoring project focused on juvenile Snail Kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) in central and south Florida. The work is centered on understanding, monitoring, assessing, and evaluating juvenile survival across a set of connected habitats and waterways: Lake Kissimmee, Lake Cypress, Lake Hatchineha, the Kissimmee River, and the Kissimmee River Floodplain. The Snail Kite is a specialized raptor closely tied to wetland conditions and prey availability, so a project like this generally supports broader ecosystem management and restoration decision-making in these systems.

At this stage, the government is not asking for a full technical proposal or a detailed budget. Instead, applicants are asked to submit a statement of interest that demonstrates qualifications and a technically credible approach, with the understanding that USACE will use these initial submissions to decide who may be invited to provide a full proposal later. USACE indicates the selection will be merit-based and competitive, emphasizing the technical merits of the proposed research and development and how well it aligns with USACE and Department of Defense mission needs (for example, environmental compliance, natural resource stewardship, and the science needed to inform water management and restoration actions).

The anticipated award instrument is a cooperative agreement (not a standard procurement contract), which typically implies substantial involvement by the agency during project execution. The opportunity is limited to participants within designated Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) networks, specifically the South Florida-Caribbean and the Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast CESU Regions. The listing identifies the eligible applicant category broadly as "Others," but the CESU restriction is the key gatekeeper: only entities participating through those CESU regions are eligible to compete.

Funding is expected to start at approximately $171,533 for the base period. The base period of performance is 12 months from the date of award, and the government notes there may be up to four additional 12-month follow-on periods if funds remain available and the work warrants continuation. The total potential funding referenced in the posting includes an award ceiling of $925,000, with an expectation of one award, suggesting a single primary recipient may carry the effort across the base year and any optional or follow-on years.

The brief description of anticipated tasks is referenced as being in an attached Statement of Objectives (SOO), which is where the government would normally outline the specific study questions, expected field methods or telemetry/marking approaches, data management expectations, analysis and reporting requirements, and deliverables. While the posting does not restate those technical details directly, the title and scope make clear the focus is juvenile survival and monitoring in those specific lake and river/floodplain habitats, which often translates into field-based tracking and survival estimation paired with habitat or hydrologic context to support management implications.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is posted on Grants.gov for 30 days before USACE makes an initial decision about next steps and potential requests for full proposals. The opportunity number is W9126G252SOI4561, and the listed closing date is 2025-07-28. The CFDA (assistance listing) number is 12.005, and the funding activity category is described as science and technology and other research and development, which fits the monitoring and evaluation nature of the project.

For questions or submission-related communication, the posting provides two points of contact at USACE Fort Worth District: Nicholas Aprea, Grants Specialist (nicholas.a.aprea@usace.army.mil, 817-886-1925), and Brian Hesford, Project Manager (brian.d.hesford@usace.army.mil, 402-200-8268).

• The Fort Worth District in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Monitoring, Assessing and Evaluating the Survival of Juvenile Snail Kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) on Lake Kissimmee, Lake Cypress, Lake Hatchineha, Kissimmee River and the Kissimmee River Floodplain" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.005.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-07-28. (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 $925,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for W9126G252SOI4561

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