Evaluating the Population-level impacts of contaminants of emerging concern on Lake Sturgeon | F19AS00028

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00028

The funding opportunity titled "Evaluating the Population-level impacts of contaminants of emerging concern on Lake Sturgeon" (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00028) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Department of the Interior notice of intent to make a single, non-competitive award. It is issued as a discretionary cooperative agreement within research and development-related activity areas (including environment, natural resources, and science and technology) and is associated with CFDA numbers 15.662 and 15.678. The posting lists an anticipated single award with an upper funding amount of $170,000. Although it shows an original closing date of November 5, 2018, the notice makes clear that there is no application process because the agency is not seeking proposals from the public.

This notice is specifically a sole-source action intended for Ball State University, Venturelli Lab, justified under the Department of the Interior justification authority cited as 505 DM 2.14.B., items 2 and 4. The agency explains that competition is not practical because the Venturelli Lab is uniquely qualified for the work based on specialized technical expertise in fish population modeling, with particular strength in modeling sturgeon populations in the context of environmental toxicity. A major reason for the sole-source approach is continuity: the Venturelli Lab is already developing models of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) impacts on generic fish populations using USFWS CEC Team laboratory findings, and this project is positioned as a direct continuation and expansion of that existing modeling framework. The lab also has a strong working relationship with the USFWS CEC Team and has demonstrated the ability to collaborate professionally while maintaining high scientific rigor. In addition, the Venturelli Lab has prior experience modeling contaminant effects on European sturgeon, a close relative of lake sturgeon, which the agency views as further evidence that they can translate the existing approach successfully to lake sturgeon.

The project itself focuses on understanding how exposure to CECs could scale up from impacts on individual fish to measurable consequences at the population level for lake sturgeon, a species of particular interest to USFWS. The first objective is to develop a general population model for lake sturgeon that can be used to identify which individual-level effects of CEC exposure, such as changes to growth, survival, or reproduction, matter most when predicting population-level outcomes. This kind of modeling is meant to clarify which biological pathways are most influential so that risk assessment and management decisions can focus on the most consequential endpoints.

The second objective is to take an already-developed CEC effects model and adapt it to a more specific, real-world case or location. The intent is to answer a targeted research question tied to an existing USFWS project, rather than producing only a broad, theoretical model. In practice, this means customizing assumptions, parameters, and scenario design so the model can speak to conditions relevant to a particular system or management context, improving its usefulness for decision-making and environmental risk assessment applications.

The third objective centers on communication and knowledge transfer. Results are expected to be shared through scientific conferences, peer-reviewed publications, and outreach to interested stakeholders. This objective reflects that the work is not only about producing a model, but also about making sure the findings are interpretable, accessible, and usable both within the scientific community and for agencies and partners who may rely on the results.

The Venturelli Lab’s responsibilities are described in fairly concrete terms. They will compile and summarize existing scientific literature on lake sturgeon demographic and life history information, which is the foundation for building credible population models (for example, age structure, survival rates, growth patterns, maturation timing, and reproductive output). They will then develop, run, and refine modeling simulations across different contexts depending on the needs of the broader CEC project. Interpretation of results will be done collaboratively with the USFWS CEC Team project manager to ensure that model outputs align with agency questions and that conclusions are grounded in the best available biological and toxicological understanding. The lab will also provide USFWS with full access to underlying materials, including datasets, model code, and written reports, supporting transparency and reuse. Finally, they will prepare and submit peer-reviewed publications in collaboration with the USFWS CEC Team.

The anticipated outputs and outcomes are framed around delivering a practical, species-specific tool and ensuring the work is disseminated. Expected products include a lake sturgeon-specific population model suitable for assessing population-level effects of CEC exposure within an environmental risk assessment context, along with the associated modeling code and a compiled set of species-specific parameters (including parameter values and the sources used to justify them). On the dissemination side, the notice anticipates at least three presentations at national and/or international conferences and the production of one or more peer-reviewed journal publications. Overall, the opportunity is structured as a continuation of ongoing USFWS-related modeling work, designed to extend an existing CEC modeling framework into a lake sturgeon-focused application that can inform both scientific understanding and management decisions.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, information and statistics, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Evaluating the Population-level impacts of contaminants of emerging concern on Lake Sturgeon" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.662, 15.678.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 23, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 05, 2018 There is not an application process for this funding opportunity. This is a notice of intent to award a single source cooperative agreement to Ball State University under justification 505DM 2.14.B., 2 and 4.. (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 $170,000.00 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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