Overwintering Microclimate Selection of Western Monarch Butterlies | F18AS00207

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00207

The grant opportunity titled "Overwintering Microclimate Selection of Western Monarch Butterlies" (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00207) is a U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service initiative focused on improving conservation and management of overwintering habitat for the western monarch butterfly. The program is framed around an urgent conservation problem: western monarchs have declined by roughly 75 percent over the past two decades, and the population is being reviewed for possible protection under the Endangered Species Act. Supporting that concern, a long-term demographic model cited in the notice estimates a 72 percent probability of quasi-extinction within 20 years, underscoring why better habitat protection and restoration strategies are needed now rather than later.

At the core of the opportunity is the idea that successful management of overwintering groves depends on understanding microclimate, the fine-scale local conditions within a habitat that can strongly affect monarch survival. Overwintering monarchs cluster in specific coastal groves where temperature, humidity, wind exposure, and other localized conditions influence their ability to conserve energy and avoid weather-related mortality. Land managers and grove stewards often have to make practical decisions about vegetation structure, canopy density, wind breaks, and other site features, but the notice emphasizes that they need a more comprehensive and unbiased way to evaluate which microclimate attributes matter most and how to manage for them consistently across the monarchs' overwintering range.

The proposed work aims to produce a quantitative diagnostic tool that can be applied at individual overwintering groves to assess microclimate conditions in a standardized, comparable way. In practice, this means developing a method that does not just describe conditions but helps translate measurements into management guidance. The tool is intended to support prescriptive decision-making, giving managers a clearer basis for deciding whether and how to modify habitat features to improve microclimate suitability. The notice specifically points toward microhabitat-based interventions, meaning adjustments to features within groves (such as vegetation arrangement or structural elements that influence shade, moisture retention, and wind buffering) that can lead to measurable microclimate modifications.

The expected conservation value extends beyond individual sites. By identifying and quantifying the microclimate characteristics associated with suitable overwintering habitat, the results are positioned to inform broader planning efforts, including range-wide Habitat Management Plans and site-specific management plans. The notice also makes clear that, if the species is listed under the Endangered Species Act, the information could feed directly into key regulatory and recovery processes such as a Species Recovery Plan and the definition of critical habitat. In other words, the project is designed not only to help day-to-day grove management but also to strengthen the technical foundation for larger policy and conservation decisions.

Administratively, this opportunity is listed as a discretionary award using a Cooperative Agreement, under the Natural Resources activity category (CFDA 15.678). It was created on June 27, 2018, and the posting functions as a Notice of Intent rather than an open competition. The notice states that it has already been awarded to California Polytechnic State University, with an award ceiling of $48,667 and one expected award. Eligible applicants are noted as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced elsewhere in the full posting, but because it is a Notice of Intent with an identified awardee, it is not presented as a standard application-driven funding competition.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Overwintering Microclimate Selection of Western Monarch Butterlies" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.678.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 27, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by This opportunity is a Notice of Intent and has been awarded to California Polytechnic State University. (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 $48,667.00 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 F18AS00207

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