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.Apply for F18AS00207
- 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).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Overwintering Microclimate Selection of Western Monarch Butterflies."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is F18AS00207.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
This is a U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) funding opportunity.
What conservation issue is this project trying to address?
The project targets an urgent conservation problem for western monarch butterflies. The notice cites an approximate 75 percent decline over the past two decades and notes the population is being reviewed for possible protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). It also references a long-term demographic model estimating a 72 percent probability of quasi-extinction within 20 years.
Why is overwintering habitat a focus for western monarch conservation?
Overwintering monarchs cluster in specific coastal groves, and survival in those groves can be strongly influenced by local, fine-scale habitat conditions. The opportunity emphasizes that improving conservation and management of overwintering habitat requires a better understanding of the microclimates monarchs rely on.
What does "microclimate" mean in the context of this project?
Microclimate refers to fine-scale local conditions within a habitat, such as temperature, humidity, wind exposure, and related localized factors. The notice highlights that these conditions within overwintering groves can affect monarch survival by influencing energy conservation and weather-related mortality risk.
What kinds of site conditions are mentioned as important to overwintering groves?
The notice points to temperature, humidity, wind exposure, and other localized conditions. It also references practical site features that managers may influence, including vegetation structure, canopy density, wind breaks, and related grove characteristics.
What is the main goal of the work described in this opportunity?
The core goal is to produce a quantitative diagnostic tool that can be applied at individual overwintering groves to assess microclimate conditions in a standardized and comparable way, and to translate measurements into management guidance.
What is meant by a "quantitative diagnostic tool" for groves?
As described in the notice, the tool is intended to go beyond simply describing conditions. It is expected to provide a standardized method for assessing microclimate at individual sites and help convert measured conditions into prescriptive decision-making support for habitat management.
How is the tool expected to help land managers and grove stewards?
Land managers and grove stewards often must decide how to manage vegetation structure, canopy density, wind buffering, and other features. The notice emphasizes a need for a more comprehensive and unbiased way to evaluate which microclimate attributes matter most and how to manage for them consistently across the overwintering range.
What types of management actions does the notice suggest this tool could inform?
The notice specifically points toward microhabitat-based interventions within groves, meaning adjustments to features such as vegetation arrangement or structural elements that influence shade, moisture retention, and wind buffering, with the intent of producing measurable microclimate modifications.
Is this project intended to support only individual grove management, or broader conservation planning too?
Both. The notice describes benefits at the site level (supporting day-to-day management decisions in individual groves) and at broader scales by informing range-wide Habitat Management Plans and site-specific management plans.
How could the results relate to the Endangered Species Act (ESA)?
The notice states that if the western monarch butterfly is listed under the ESA, the information from this work could contribute to regulatory and recovery processes such as developing a Species Recovery Plan and helping define critical habitat.
What is the award type for this opportunity?
The opportunity is described as a discretionary award using a Cooperative Agreement.
What activity category does this opportunity fall under?
The notice lists the activity category as Natural Resources.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number provided is 15.678.
When was this opportunity created?
The notice states it was created on June 27, 2018.
Is this an open competition that organizations can apply to?
No. The posting functions as a Notice of Intent rather than an open competition, and it identifies that the opportunity has already been awarded.
Who is the identified awardee?
The notice states the award has already been made to California Polytechnic State University.
How many awards are expected under this opportunity?
The notice indicates one expected award.
What is the award ceiling?
The award ceiling listed is $48,667.
Who is eligible to apply, based on the notice?
The eligibility is listed as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced elsewhere in the full posting. However, because this is a Notice of Intent with an identified awardee and the notice indicates it has already been awarded, it is not presented as a standard application-driven competition.
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