LONG-TERM ECOSYSTEM MONITORING – VEGETATION COMPONENT ON BOARD MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CALIFORNIA | N62473 24 2 0012

Opportunity Information: Apply for N62473 24 2 0012

The grant opportunity titled "Long-Term Ecosystem Monitoring - Vegetation Component on Board Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California" is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest (CFDA 12.300). It supports continued long-term vegetation monitoring on Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in San Diego, an installation that has operated since the 1940s and has a long history of balancing military training needs with stewardship of natural resources. The effort is rooted in decades of natural resource monitoring influenced by the Sikes Act (1960), and it builds on a formal long-term monitoring protocol established in 1994 by the Center for Earth Systems Analysis Research at San Diego State University. The overall purpose is to maintain a consistent, long-running dataset that documents how military operations and training affect native vegetation and to use that information to inform land management decisions that keep training lands usable while supporting conservation goals.

The anticipated work is field- and analysis-heavy and centers on re-surveying 82 permanently established vegetation monitoring plots using MCAS Miramar's standardized ecosystem monitoring program. The recipient is expected to develop and carry out an updated work plan for the current monitoring cycle, then conduct plot-based re-measurements that allow direct comparison with prior survey efforts. A major deliverable is an analysis of ecological trends across time, using both the historical dataset and the newly collected information to detect changes in vegetation composition, structure, and overall condition. In addition to vegetation metrics, the project requires detailed site descriptions for each plot, including documentation of disturbance factors and erosion conditions, which are especially relevant on training lands where repeated use can influence soils, drainage patterns, and plant community stability.

Reporting expectations are substantial and are designed to preserve continuity with prior monitoring cycles. The project calls for individual plot summaries tied specifically to the 82 plots described in the 2003 Long-Term Ecosystem Monitoring (LTEM) report, as well as comparative summaries that group plots by major vegetation type and contrast results across three separate survey efforts (historical surveys plus the new field season). Beyond describing what changed, the recipient must interpret what the changes mean for management by providing an evaluation and discussion of management implications, such as how observed trends might affect training area sustainability, habitat condition, restoration priorities, or future monitoring needs. The opportunity also emphasizes strong documentation standards, including photographic records of the monitoring plots to support visual comparison over time.

A key technical requirement is delivery of complete GIS products and mapping outputs. The final package must include draft and final reports along with all associated GIS deliverables and maps for the monitoring effort, integrating results across all years of data collection. In other words, the recipient is not only expected to collect and summarize new data, but also to roll it into a unified spatial and analytical framework that preserves the long-term value of the dataset, supports repeatability, and helps the installation evaluate how effective the monitoring program has been over time.

Eligibility is limited to California Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) cooperative partners that qualify under DoD grants and agreements rules (DoDGARS Part 34) or the Uniform Guidance framework (2 CFR 200), as referenced in the attached terms and conditions. The opportunity anticipates a single award with a ceiling of $295,000. The funding opportunity number is N62473 24 2 0012, and the original closing date listed is 2024-09-03.

• The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "LONG-TERM ECOSYSTEM MONITORING – VEGETATION COMPONENT ON BOARD MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CALIFORNIA" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.300.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-08-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-03. (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 $295,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for N62473 24 2 0012

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