The Bureau of Reclamation is offering the WaterSMART Applied Science Grant to support applied science projects for natural and cultural resource conservation in the Southern Rockies LCC.

a. States and territories identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902 as amended and supplemented—specifically Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands

b. Irrigation districts, water districts, and other organizations with water or power delivery in the Western United States or territories as identified in the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902 as amended and supplemented—specifically Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands

c. Tribes located in the Western United States

d. Universities located in the United States

e. Nonprofit research institutions located in the United States

f. Nonprofit organizations located in the United States

o Nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for funding under all three funding categories if the proposal addresses fish or wildlife habitat in wetland, riparian, or aquatic areas and there is a nexus to a Reclamation project or activity.

The LCCs are management-science partnerships that inform integrated resource management actions addressing climate change and other stressors within and across landscapes. LCCs bring together science and resource conservation to support and complement adaptation strategies addressing climate change and water conservation. Each LCC functions within a specific landscape, but it also will be a part of a national and, ultimately, international network. LCCs are true cooperatives formed and directed by land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources managers and interested public and private organizations.

Reclamation, as a partner within the Southern Rockies LCC, is providing cost-shared funding on a competitive basis for applied science projects within the Southern Rockies LCC in fiscal year (FY) 2013. The projects must be designed for use by resource managers to address natural and cultural resources issues that have a connection to water resources management in a changing climate. If appropriate, projects also should consider Native American ancestral knowledge and frameworks of understanding on cultural landscapes that allow resource managers to integrate cultural and natural resources into landscape conservation. Projects need not be focused solely on water resources and can focus on other natural resources issues that may affect water resources management (e.g., an endangered species issue that may impact water diversions) or be affected by water resources management (e.g., riparian habitat or archeological site that may be impacted by reservoir operations).

The process of developing project categories discussed below began with the Southern Rockies LCC Steering Committee establishing key resources of interest to the LCC. The Southern Rockies LCC Science Working Group then worked at developing priority science needs based on these resources. The science needs serve the purpose of guiding and organizing the LCC’s science delivery efforts related to priority resource management issues. Recognizing that the LCC is addressing natural and cultural resource issues that do not necessarily connect to water management, not all of the science needs listed below are applicable under this FOA. The full list is provided below to provide the reader with a full perspective of issues the Southern Rockies LCC is looking to address. The types of projects eligible for funding are more fully described below in section III.C.

FY 2013 Southern Rockies LCC Priority Science Needs:

Science Need 1: Development of models to inform management decisions related to habitat protection/preservation for desired population numbers of riparian obligate and wetland species.

Science Need 2: Assessment of the vulnerability of species and habitats to reduction in habitat size.

Science Need 3: Assessment of species or population vulnerability through identification of migration and connectivity corridors, and identification of adaptation strategies that mitigate vulnerability.

Science Need 4: Identification of changes in source-water runoff, and resultant changes to surface/groundwater interaction, resulting from climate change and other stressors.

Science Need 5: Incorporation of climate change projections and ecological flow needs into hydrological models in order to develop water supply scenarios that would inform decisions about water allocation to meet human and ecological needs.

Science Need 6: Data cataloging and acquisition of spatial data to aid in identification of LCC focal resources and associated needs.

Science Need 7: Identify Tribal information needs related to conservation and management of natural and cultural resources.

For further information as well as a geographic map on the Southern Rockies LCC, see: http://www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART/lcc/south.html.