Monitoring Freshwater Fish and Macroinvertebrates in the Florida Everglades to Establish CEPP Baseline Conditions | W81EWF 24 SOI 0021

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 24 SOI 0021

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is offering a discretionary cooperative agreement to support monitoring of freshwater fish and macroinvertebrates in the Florida Everglades, specifically in Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA3), to establish baseline ecological conditions ahead of implementation of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP). This work sits under the broader Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), which was authorized by the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000 and includes an explicit mandate for adaptive assessment and monitoring. CEPP is a major CERP component expected to deliver roughly 370,000 acre-feet of additional freshwater to the Everglades each year, so the Corps is looking to ensure there is a strong pre-project benchmark to measure ecological change and restoration performance over time.

The scientific focus is on aquatic fauna at the base of the Everglades marsh food web: small and large freshwater fish as well as macroinvertebrates. These groups are not just biodiversity indicators; they are the primary prey base for higher trophic levels, including wading birds and alligators, and their abundance and community composition respond quickly to shifts in hydrology and water quality. Because water management changes associated with CEPP and related projects can alter timing, depth, duration, and distribution of marsh inundation, tracking fish and invertebrate assemblages is considered essential for understanding whether added freshwater is translating into improved ecological function and prey availability. The opportunity emphasizes the value of long-term monitoring, noting that sustained datasets are needed to distinguish restoration-driven changes from natural seasonal and interannual variability.

The anticipated work centers on continued field sampling at established monitoring sites in WCA3, processing and managing those samples, and analyzing the resulting data to evaluate status and trends. The project aims to leverage and extend an existing long-term dataset so the outcome is not a one-off snapshot, but a defensible baseline that can support future impact evaluation. Sampling is expected at approximately 10 to 12 established sites, with visits occurring as many as five times per year. The monitoring explicitly includes both large fish (greater than 8 cm) and small fish (less than 8 cm), along with macroinvertebrates, so that the dataset captures different components of the prey community that can vary in sensitivity to drying events, water depth, and habitat connectivity.

A major deliverable is the establishment and reporting of baseline conditions for aquatic faunal abundance and biomass that will be used later in a Before, After, Control, Impact (BACI) assessment framework once CEPP implementation effects can be evaluated. In practical terms, the Corps is seeking a pre-implementation benchmark that is statistically and operationally suitable for comparisons across time and space, enabling managers to attribute changes in prey communities to CEPP-related hydrologic alterations rather than to background variation alone. Reporting requirements are straightforward but regular: quarterly status updates, annual reports, and a final report that synthesize results and document progress toward objectives.

The public benefit case is tied directly to restoration decision-making and the regional importance of the Everglades. By documenting how fish and macroinvertebrate communities behave under pre-CEPP conditions in WCA3, the project supports adaptive management actions and helps determine whether CEPP and other concurrent water operations are improving ecological productivity and prey availability. The opportunity also frames this work as relevant to broader pressures, including climate change, because hydrologic shifts and extreme events can affect marsh communities and, by extension, wildlife, recreation, tourism, and water management outcomes across South Florida.

Administratively, this is a cooperative agreement (not a procurement contract), with one expected award up to an award ceiling of $130,000. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 12.630 and is categorized as science and technology/research and development. Eligibility is restricted to non-federal partners of the South Florida - Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU), meaning applicants generally must be part of that CESU network to be considered. The funding opportunity number is W81EWF 24 SOI 0021, and the original closing date listed is 2024-06-05.

• The Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Monitoring Freshwater Fish and Macroinvertebrates in the Florida Everglades to Establish CEPP Baseline Conditions" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-05. (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 $130,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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