Biodiversity

U.S. OFFSHORE WIND: REMOVING MARKET BARRIERS

USAID'S SUSTAINABLE FINANCING FOR REGIONAL CONSERVATION ACTIVITY

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION FACILITY 2009 - 2011

USAID'S UGANDA BIODIVERSITY FUND ACTIVITY

STEREO-OPTIC HIGH DEFINITION IMAGING: A NEW TECHNOLOGY TO UNDERSTAND BIRD AND BAT AVOIDANCE OF WIND TURBINES

TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA (GOI) IN RESTRICTING HG SUPPLIES. THROUGH AMENDING THE DRAFT NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (NIP).

MID -ATLANTIC DIVING BIRD SATELITTE TRACKING STUDY (BOEM)

GAINING COMMON LOON YEARS IN MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, AND RHODE ISLAND: AN APPROACH USING RESCUE, REHABILITATION, OUTREACH, AND INCREASING LOON PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH ACTIVE RAFT MANAGEMENT

COLLISION RISK MODELS ARE OFTEN USED TO ESTIMATE RISK OF AVIAN COLLISIONS WITH OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY TURBINES. TO ESTIMATE RISK OF AVIAN COLLISIONS WITH OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY TURBINES IN THE U.S. ATLANTIC A STOCHASTIC COLLISION RISK MODEL USING MOVEMENT DATA FROM AUTOMATED RADIO TELEMETRY MOTUS STUDIES WAS DEVELOPED FOR SEVERAL FEDERALLY PROTECTED BIRD SPECIES. AN ONLINE WEB APPLICATION OF THE MODEL CALLED STOCHASTIC COLLISION RISK ASSESSMENT FOR MOVEMENT SCRAM AND ACCOMPANYING REPORT AND USER MANUAL WERE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE IN 2022 TO IMPROVE CONSISTENCY AND TRANSPARENCY IN COLLISION RISK ESTIMATES FOR OFFSHORE WIND FARMS IN THE U.S. ATLANTIC. THISNEW PROJECT WILL FURTHER IMPROVE AND EXPAND UPON THE EXISTING SCRAM MODELS AND WEB APPLICATION TO FURTHER SUPPORT RISK ASSESSMENTS AND EFFECTS DETERMINATIONS FOR OFFSHORE WIND FACILITIES IN THE US ATLANTIC. THE CURRENT VERSION OF SCRAM RUNS A STOCHASTIC COLLISION RISK MODEL THAT WAS DEVELOPED USING MOVEMENT DATA FROM AUTOMATED RADIO TELEMETRY STUDIES FOR THREE FEDERALLY PROTECTED BIRD SPECIESTHE ROSEATE TERN PIPING PLOVER AND RED KNOT. THE COLLISION RISK ESTIMATION PROCESS INCLUDES FOUR MAIN COMPONENTS1 MOVEMENT MODELING TO DETERMINE MONTHLY OCCUPANCY RATES OVER THE NORTHEAST SHELF ECOSYSTEM NES 2 LINKING OF MONTHLY POPULATION ESTIMATESTO OCCUPANCY RATES TO ESTIMATE SPECIES DENSITY ACROSS THE NES 3 FLIGHT HEIGHT ESTIMATION FROM MOTUS DATA TO FURTHER REFINE THE PROPORTION OF THE POPULATION AT RISK FOR COLLISION AND 4 A COLLISION RISK MODEL THAT USES DENSITY ESTIMATES AT SPECIFIC FLIGHT HEIGHTS ALONG WITH A SUITE OF OTHER SPECIES AND LOCATIONSPECIFIC PARAMETERS TO ESTIMATE COLLISION FOR A SPECIFIED TURBINE ARRAY. PHASE 3 OF SCRAM BEGINNING IN AUTUMN OF 2024 WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE MOVEMENT AND FLIGHT HEIGHT MODEL STRUCTURES AND EXPAND THE MODEL TO INCLUDE OTHER DATASETS AND SPECIES. IN ADDITION THIS EFFORT WILL INCLUDE COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS TO HELP DEVELOP A COMMON APPROACH FOR OBTAINING BIOLOGICALLY DEFENSIBLE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ESTIMATES TO MEET REGULATORY NEEDS. DELIVERABLES FROM THIS EFFORT WILL INCLUDE UPDATED PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AND FULLY ANNOTATED MODEL CODE WEB APPLICATION USER MANUAL AND FINAL REPORT. THESE PRODUCTS CAN BE USED TO INFORM RISK ASSESSMENTS AND EFFECTS DETERMINATIONS AT ALL OFFSHORE LEASE AREAS IN THE US ATLANTIC.

MARINE TURTLES MONITORING AND PROTECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO

THE MIDWEST BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE WILL PERFORM A STATISTICALLY VALID ASSESSMENT OF THE CONDITION OF LARGE NON-WADEABLE RIVERS IN NEW ENGLAND. THIS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DIGITIZATION TCN: IDIGBEES NETWORK, TOWARDS COMPLETE DIGITIZATION OF US BEE COLLECTIONS TO PROMOTE ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH IN A KEYSTONE CLADE -BEES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT POLLINATORS IN BOTH MANAGED AND NATURAL LANDSCAPES, AND CONCERNS ARE QUICKLY GROWING ABOUT DECLINES IN BEE DIVERSITY AND NUMBERS. ONLY A FRACTION OF THE CA. 4,000 KNOWN BEE SPECIES IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE ADEQUATE DATA FOR ASSESSING THEIR PRESENCE OR ABSENCE IN AN ECOSYSTEM. THE IDIGBEES THEMATIC COLLECTIONS NETWORK ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM BY TRANSCRIBING SPECIMEN LABEL INFORMATION FOR THOUSANDS OF BEE SPECIMENS IN US INSECT COLLECTIONS INTO A SHARED GLOBAL DATABASE. AS A RESULT, BEES WILL BECOME THE FIRST MAJOR INSECT GROUP TO HAVE SPECIMEN DATA SUFFICIENTLY DIGITIZED TO PROMOTE RESEARCH PROJECTS AND SUPPORT CONSERVATION EFFORTS. SPECIFICALLY, THE IDIGBEES PROJECT WILL (1) MAP DISTRIBUTIONS FOR THOUSANDS OF BEE SPECIES AND QUANTIFY PATTERNS OF BEE BIODIVERSITY; (2) IDENTIFY DATA GAPS TO INFORM FUTURE INVENTORY AND MONITORING EFFORTS; (3) REVEAL CHANGES IN SPECIES DISTRIBUTIONS OVER TIME THROUGH HISTORIC RECORDS; (4) DOCUMENT THE IMPACTS OF A CHANGING CLIMATE ON BEES; (5) IDENTIFY CRITICAL TAXA AND GEOGRAPHIC AREAS FOR CONSERVATION; AND (6) ESTABLISH A NETWORK OF RESEARCHERS, CONSERVATIONISTS, AND LAND MANAGERS TO RAPIDLY UTILIZE DATA FOR RESEARCH, EDUCATION, PUBLIC POLICY, AND LAND MANAGEMENT. THE EDUCATION PROGRAM WILL COORDINATE AN ARRAY OF EXISTING PROGRAMS AND CREATE A NEW TECHNOLOGY-MEDIATED LEARNING TOOL, SMARTBEES, TO SERVE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS. OBTAINING SPECIMEN-LEVEL DATA ON US BEE SPECIES AND COMMUNITIES, AND INTEGRATING FINDINGS INTO EDUCATION PROGRAMS, ARE ESSENTIAL STEPS TOWARD ADDRESSING THE POLLINATOR CRISIS. IDIGBEES REPRESENTS AN IN-DEPTH INSECT BIODIVERSITY DIGITIZATION INITIATIVE THAT WILL MOBILIZE AT LEAST 350,000 BEE SPECIMEN RECORDS, AND 6,600 HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGE SUITES. OBTAINING SPECIMEN-LEVEL DATA ON US BEE SPECIES AND COMMUNITIES IS AN ESSENTIAL STEP TOWARD ADDRESSING THE POLLINATOR CRISIS. VIA THE NOVEL NETWORKS PROPOSED HERE, SPECIES DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS AND ?EXTENDED SPECIMEN? DATA WILL EMERGE, LEADING TO TESTABLE HYPOTHESES AS TO UNDERLYING MECHANISMS AND PREDICTIONS ON HOW BEES WILL RESPOND TO FUTURE GLOBAL CHANGES. INTEGRATED DATA WILL ALSO SHED LIGHT ON HOW PARTICULAR LIFE-HISTORY TRAITS LIFE-HISTORY TRAITS RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. IDIGBEES WILL HELP TO HIGHLIGHT CANDIDATE POLLINATOR RESTORATION OPTIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL, URBAN, AND OTHER MANAGED LANDSCAPES. THIS PROJECT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RESEARCHERS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, WILL PROVIDE OPEN-SOURCE DATASETS FOR POLICY, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATION. THE IDIGBEES MODEL WILL BE PROMOTED THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA AND OTHER CONTINENTS TO FOSTER DEEP GLOBAL DIGITIZATION?. THE IDIGBEES NETWORK INTEGRATES EDUCATIONAL AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES TO WORK WITH THE BIODIVERSITY LITERACY IN UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION (BLUE) RCN TO BUILD AND IMPLEMENT NOVEL BIODIVERSITY DATA-CENTRIC OPEN EDUCATION RESOURCES THAT PROMOTE STUDENT-ORIENTED LEARNING. SMARTBEES WILL SERVE AS A DIGITAL PLATFORM FEATURING LEARNING MODULES DESIGNED TO SERVE CULTURALLY DIVERSE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO ARE TRANSITIONING INTO COMMUNITY COLLEGE AS WELL AS FIRST YEAR UNDERGRADUATES. BUILDING ON THE EXTENDED SPECIMEN MODEL EXEMPLARY DIGITAL BEE SPECIMENS WILL TEACH STUDENTS HOST PLANT RELATIONSHIPS, KEY EVOLUTIONARY CONCEPTS AND THE IMPORTANT ROLE POLLINATORS HAVE IN SUSTAINING THE BIODIVERSITY OF OUR PLANET. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

PROJECTS TO REDUCE MERCURY USE IN ASGM CAN TAKE DIFFERENT APPROACHES, BUT GENERALLY WORK TO REDUCE MERCURY DEMAND FROM THE ASGM SECTOR THROUGH TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING ON MERCURY-FREE PROCESSING TECHNIQUE AND/OR RESTRICTING THE SUPPLY OF MERCURY R

LIFE ON EARTH: BIODIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION

IN THE UNITED STATES, THE CURRENT ANALYSIS OF AVIAN RISK COLLISION TO PROPOSED OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT IS DONE BY BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT BOEM USING THE ORIGINAL OFFSHORE VERSION OF THE BAND MODEL BAND 2012 DUE TO LIMITATIONS OF THE BAND 2012 MODEL, SUMMARIZED BY MASDEN 2015 , THIS ANALYSIS IS NEITHER TRANSPARENT TO THE PUBLIC NOR ACCOUNTS FOR FUNDAMENTAL UNCERTAINTIES THE DATA USED IN RISK ANALYSES INCLUDE ESTIMATED QUANTITIES E G , BIRD FLIGHT SPEED AND HEIGHT THAT HAVE MEASURES OF UNCERTAINTY E G , STANDARD ERRORS, CONFIDENCE OR CREDIBLE LIMITS , WHICH MUST BE FULLY PROPAGATED INTO RISK ANALYSES TO PROPERLY CAPTURE UNCERTAINTY IN LIKELY OUTCOMES IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER NATURAL STOCHASTICITY IN ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES TO PROPERLY CAPTURE THE RANGE OF POSSIBLE OUTCOMES I E , THE PROBABILITY OF COLLISION RISK AND THE PROJECTED NUMBER OF BIRD COLLISIONS PER UNIT TIME FURTHER, THE CURRENT ANALYSIS IS NOT FLEXIBLE IN ITS ABILITY TO CAPTURE REALISTIC RANGES OF SCENARIOS FOR OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING, FOR EXAMPLE, CONSIDERING THE SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT OF CLUSTERED WIND TURBINES THROUGHOUT THE BROADER U S ATLANTIC OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OCS , AS WELL AS THE SPATIAL PROXIMITY OF AVIAN NESTING HABITAT AND MIGRATORY STAGING AREAS WITHOUT THESE CONSIDERATIONS, THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT ACROSS ALL WIND FARMS MAY BE UNDERESTIMATED THESE ISSUES LIKELY CURRENTLY IMPEDE THE ABILITY OF THE FWS TO MAKE APPROPRIATE EFFECTS ANALYSES USING BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE IMPROVING THE CRM PROCESS IS CRITICAL FOR ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL FOR TAKE OF LISTED SPECIES RESULTING WIND ENERGY PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AN IMPROVED COLLISION RISK MODEL WILL GIVE THE WIND ENERGY APPLICANT OR BOEM THE ABILITY TO DESIGN WIND ENERGY PROJECTS THAT WILL BE PROTECTIVE OF MIGRATING OR LOCALLY TRANSITING AVIAN SPECIES MASDEN AND COOK 2016 OUR GOAL IS TO IMPROVE THE MODELING PROCESS TO SUPPORT EFFECTS ANALYSES FOR THREE LISTED SPECIES ROSEATE TERN, PIPING PLOVER, RED KNOT IN THE U S ATLANTIC REGION WE WILL DO SO BY I IMPROVING THE TRANSPARENCY OF THE COLLISION RISK MODELING, II BEGINNING TO CONSIDER THE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO MULTIPLE OFFSHORE WIND LEASES, AND III PROPERLY ACCOUNTING FOR MULTIPLE SOURCES OF UNCERTAINTY WE WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ONLINE WEB APPLICATION I E , RSHINY, HTTPS SHINY RSTUDIO COM THAT ADAPTS AND IMPROVES UPON THE MCGREGOR 2018 VERSION OF THE BAND MODEL FOR USE IN THE U S ATLANTIC OCS THE WEB APPLICATION WILL BE IMPLEMENTED USING MOTUS TELEMETRY DATA FOR THE THREE FOCAL SPECIES, WHICH ARE CURRENTLY BEING USED FOR RISK ASSESSMENTS BY THE BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT BOEM LORING ET AL 2018, LORING ET AL 2019 , AND RESULTS FROM THIS APPLICATION WILL BE REPORTED AS CASE STUDIES THE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE WILL BE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO FACILITATE THE COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS, INCLUDING ESTIMATION OF UNCERTAINTY, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR DECISION MAKERS CONROY AND PETERSON, 2013 NICHOLSON AND POSSINGHAM, 2007 FURTHER, THE WEB APPLICATION WILL HELP TO INFORM EFFECTS DETERMINATION THROUGH REPORT GENERATION OF DOWNLOADED PDFS AND MODEL OUTPUTS AS RDATA FILES THAT WILL CONTAIN ALL RELEVANT MODEL INPUTS AND OUTPUTS A USER MANUAL WILL BE DEVELOPED TO COMMUNICATE THE BASICS OF THE MODEL AND TO GUIDE USERS IN THE EXECUTION OF THE MODEL

COMMUNITY-BASED SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION ON MAIO ISLAND, CAPE VERDE

MIGRATORY PATTERNS AND HABITAT USE OF SEA DUCKS IN THE ATLANTIC FLYWAY

BRYOPHYTE AND LICHEN STUDIES, DOCUMENTATION AND EDUCATION

DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE GOLD MINER TRAINING RESOURCES FOR REDUCING MERCURY USE AND RELEASE IN SOUTH AMERICA

SEA DUCK STUDIES IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA

DEVELOPMENT OF MONITORING PROTOCOLS FOR NANOTAG STUDIES AT OFFSHORE WIND FARMS

OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IS CRITICAL FOR TRANSITIONING THE UNITED STATES FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE. THE OVERALL GOALS OF THIS STRATEGY ARE ENTICING BUT IMPACTS TO WILDLIFE MUST BE ACCOUNTED FOR AND MINIMIZED FOR THESE POLICIES TO BE EFFECTIVE. . OFFSHORE TURBINES PRESENT A RISK OF COLLISION AND DISPLACEMENT FOR BIRDS THAT MUST BE ACCOUNTED FOR THROUGHOUT DEVELOPMENT. TO ASSESS THESE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES THE PROJECT TEAM WILL DEVELOP A SPATIALLY EXPLICIT AVIAN RISK ASSESSMENT AND VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO. THIS PROJECT WILL BE BUILT FROM SIMILAR EFFORTS IN NORTH AMERICA AND ADAPTED TO THE SPECIFIC ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT FOUNDED WITHIN THE GULF. THESE RESULTS WILL BE IMMEDIATELY USEFUL TO A VARIETY OF CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS THAT THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN THE REGION.

COMMUNITY-BASED SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION IN MAIO ISLAND, CAPE VERDE: INCREASING THE SENSE OF OWNERSHIP IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO FURTHER REDUCE THE POAC

TO CONDUCT ACTIVITIES THAT WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR FEDERAL AND STATE NOXIOUS WEED DETECTION PROGRAMS.

MAPPING FOREST FIRE RISKS IN GEORGIA

COAST ALIVE---LAND-SEA INTERFACE (PROGRAM AND TEACHER INSTITUTE)

ACTIVITIES AND HABITAT PREFERENCES OF REMNANT POPULATIONS OF MYOTIS BATS IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, MAINE

BOSTON HARBOR ISLAND COMMON EIDER SATELLITE TRACKING STUDY

INTERNATIONAL TELEMETRY STUDY OF YELLOW BILLED LOONS TO IDENTIFY MIGRATORY PATHWAYS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ABI DEVELOPMENT: SYMBIOTA2: ENABLING GREATER COLLABORATION AND FLEXIBILITY FOR MOBILIZING BIODIVERSITY DATA -BIOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE AMASSED OVER 500 MILLION SPECIMENS BUT ONLY 14% OF THESE HAVE BEEN DIGITIZED; THUS WE NEED TO GREATLY EXPAND EXISTING TOOLS AND METHODS TO EFFICIENTLY DIGITIZE SPECIMEN DATA. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THIS NEED BY TRANSFORMING SYMBIOTA, ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY USED SOFTWARE PLATFORMS FOR MOBILIZING SPECIMENS IN US RESEARCH COLLECTIONS. SYMBIOTA IS AN ONLINE BIODIVERSITY DATA MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE PLATFORM THAT INTEGRATES DATA AND IMAGES FROM NETWORKS OF DATA PROVIDERS. IT HAS HELPED MOBILIZE OVER 37 MILLION SPECIMEN RECORDS FROM 766 NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS AND IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PLATFORMS FOR CREATING LARGE COLLABORATIVE DATA COMMUNITIES FOR SHARING AND DISPLAYING BIODIVERSITY DATA. SYMBIOTA IS USED BY 74% OF THE PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE NSF ADVANCING DIGITIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS PROGRAM AND IS THUS A KEY PLATFORM TO HELP DIGITIZE THE ESTIMATED 430 MILLION SPECIMENS IN US COLLECTIONS THAT HAVE YET TO BE DIGITIZED. SYMBIOTA'S SUCCESS IS LARGELY DUE TO ITS LOW LEARNING CURVE AND POWERFUL SET OF TOOLS FOR DOCUMENTING SPECIES OCCURRENCES AND INTEGRATING THEM WITH IMAGES AND DETAILED TAXONOMIC DESCRIPTIONS. BUT ITS WIDESPREAD USE HAS YIELDED SIGNIFICANT FEEDBACK ON HOW IT COULD BE MADE MORE EFFECTIVE. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS AND AID ITS FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, SYMBIOTA NEEDS A FUNDAMENTAL RESTRUCTURING. THIS PROJECT WILL TRANSFORM SYMBIOTA INTO A NEW VERSION, SYMBIOTA2, TO CATALYZE CONTRIBUTIONS, EXPAND RESEARCH USE, ENRICH EDUCATION-OUTREACH ACTIVITIES, AND INCREASE SUSTAINABILITY. SYMBIOTA2 WILL ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO ADDRESS A BROAD SPECTRUM OF BIODIVERSITY-RELATED RESEARCH QUESTIONS BY FACILITATING DATA VISUALIZATION, LINKING MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES (E.G., PUBLICATIONS), CREATING BETTER TOOLS FOR DATA QUALITY ASSESSMENT, AND MONITORING DATA USAGE. THE TRANSFORMATION OF SYMBIOTA INTO SYMBIOTA2 WILL COMPLETELY REFACTOR ITS CODE STRUCTURE TO EMPHASIZE MODULARITY AND IMPROVE USABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY. THIS TRANSFORMATION WILL ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING GOALS, DERIVED THROUGH DIRECT MANAGEMENT OF SYMBIOTA DATA PORTALS AND CONCERTED AND DEDICATED INTERACTIONS WITH THE SYMBIOTA USER COMMUNITY: 1) PROVIDE RESTFUL WEB SERVICES SO THAT DATA CAN BE EASILY INCORPORATED INTO A SCIENTIFIC WORKFLOW, 2) BUILD A PLUGIN ARCHITECTURE TO EASE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW FEATURES, 3) CREATE A DATABASE ABSTRACTION LAYER TO INCLUDE A WIDE VARIETY OF BACKEND DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, 4) INCREASE DATA UTILITY BY SUPPORTING ANALYTICAL AND VISUALIZATION TOOLS, 5) SEPARATE THE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI) FROM OTHER PROCESSING SO THAT NEW GUIS CAN BE USED, AND 6) ENHANCE THE DATA COLLECTION BY MAKING IT EASIER TO ADD NEW KINDS OF DATA AND WORK OFFLINE. WITH THESE GOALS MET, SYMBIOTA2 WILL BE A POWERFUL BIODIVERSITY DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FULFILLING THE NEEDS OF DEVELOPERS, DATA PROVIDERS, RESEARCHERS, AND EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS, AS WELL AS BEING INTEROPERABLE WITH OTHER BIODIVERSITY INITIATIVES. PLEASE VISIT THE PROJECT'S HOME PAGE AT SYMBIOTA.ORG TO LEARN MORE. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

MYOTIS BATS IN ACADIA

IDENTIFYING LATE SUMMER ACTIVITIES AND HABITAT PREFERENCES OF REMNANT POPULATIONS OF MYOTIS BATS IN ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, MAINE

MARINE TURTLE MONITORING AND PROTECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO

UNTIL RECENTLY, THE BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT (BOEM) IN THE UNITED STATES CARRIED OUT THE ANALYSIS OF AVIAN RISK COLLISION TO PROPOSED OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT USING THE ORIGINAL OFFSHORE VERSION OF THE BAND MODEL TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS (I.E., NO EFFECT, NOT LIKELY TO ADVERSELY AFFECT, OR ADVERSE EFFECT). MASDEN (2015) OUTLINED THIS MODEL, WHICH INCLUDE A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND INADEQUATE CONSIDERATION OF UNCERTAINTY ASSOCIATED WITH ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES. TO THIS END, THE BAND (2012) MODEL WAS UPDATED TO BETTER ACCOUNT FOR UNCERTAINTY AND MIGRATED TO TRANSPARENT SCRIPTS IN THE R PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE. THIS WAS FURTHER ADAPTED AND ENHANCED TO AN R LANGUAGE STATISTICAL PACKAGE (STOCHLAB), WHICH HAS BECOME THE RECOMMENDED METHOD FOR COLLISION RISK MODELLING IN THE UK SECTOR. RECENTLY, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE (FWS) AND THE BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (BRI) CREATED A NEW COLLISION RISK MODEL, STOCHASTIC COLLISION RISK ASSESSMENT FOR MOVEMENT (SCRAM), TO BETTER INFORM OFFSHORE WIND ASSESSMENTS IN THE US BASED ON THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE. THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO ENHANCE THE COLLISION RISK MODELING PROCEDURE TO FACILITATE EFFECTS STUDIES FOR THE THREE LISTED SPECIES IN THE ATLANTIC REGION OF THE UNITED STATES: THE RED KNOT, PIPING PLOVER, AND ROSEATE TERN. THIS WAS ACHIEVED VIA THREE METHODS: I) ENHANCING THE MODELS TRANSPARENCY REGARDING COLLISION RISK II) STARTING TO CONSIDER THE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF BEING EXPOSED TO SEVERAL OFFSHORE WIND LEASES AND III) APPROPRIATELY ACCOUNTING FOR VARIOUS SOURCES OF UNCERTAINTY, SUCH AS STOCHASTICITY, PARAMETRIC VARIABILITY, AND MODEL UNCERTAINTY. THESE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE ALLOWED FOR THIS NEW TOOL SET TO BE APPLIED BY BOEM FOR CASE STUDIES. HOWEVER, FURTHER WORK IS REQUIRED TO ENSURE THAT THESE APPROACHES ARE ALIGNED WITH INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BEST PRACTICE, ARE BASED ON THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND DATA, AND ARE CAPABLE OF FEEDING INTO CUMULATIVE IMPACT ASSESSMENTS THAT FULLY CAPTURE ALL PROJECTS SPECIES MAY ENCOUNTER AS PART OF THEIR ANNUAL CYCLES. THIS PROPOSAL WILL SUPPORT COLLABORATION BETWEEN BRI, FWS AND DR AONGHAIS COOK, PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT AT THE BIODIVERSITY CONSULTANCY, AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED EXPERT ON COLLISION RISK MODELING. DRAWING FROM HIS EXPERIENCE OF APPLYING COLLISION RISK MODELS IN THE UK, EUROPE AND AUSTRALIA, DR COOK WILL REVIEW THE THEORETICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF THE SCRAM MODEL, AND WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE ASSOCIATED SENSITIVITY ANALYSES. RECOGNIZING THAT THIS IS A RAPIDLY EVOLVING FIELD, WITH SIGNIFICANT POLICY IMPLICATIONS, DR COOK WILL SUPPORT FWS AND BRI IN DEVELOPING A PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT NEW EVIDENCE AND DATA, FOR EXAMPLE DENSITY DATA FROM DIGITAL AERIAL SURVEYS, CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE REGULATORY PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITHIN COLLISION RISK MODELING IN A TIMELY FASHION. AT PRESENT, COLLISION RISK MAY ONLY BE CONSIDERED IN RELATION TO A SMALL PART OF THE SPECIES ANNUAL RANGE, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN AN UNDERESTIMATE OF THE RISK POSED TO THE POPULATION BY OFFSHORE WIND FARMS. IN ADDITION TO PROJECTS PLANNED ON THE US EAST COAST, MULTIPLE PROJECTS ARE PLANNED IN COUNTRIES INCLUDING COLOMBIA AND BRAZIL. THIS PRESENTS MANY CHALLENGES, PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO THE AVAILABILITY OF DATA IN DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS. DRAWING FROM HIS EXPERIENCE OF PRODUCING SIMILAR GUIDANCE FOR ORGANIZATIONS LIKE IUCN, DR COOK WILL LEAD ON DEVELOPING GUIDANCE FOR PRODUCING CUMULATIVE ESTIMATES OF COLLISION RISK, TAKING THE VERY DIFFERENT LEVELS OF DATA IN DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS INTO ACCOUNT. RECOGNIZING THAT THIS IS A GLOBAL CHALLENGE, DR COOK WILL CO-LEAD AN INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP ON COLLISION RISK MODELING TO FACILITATE THESE DISCUSSIONS IN MORE DETAIL WITH INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS.THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPORT BOEM AND FWS IN DELIVERING OFFSHORE WIND IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE MANNER THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TOOLS AND GUIDANCE THAT ENABLE THE ASSESSMENT OF AVIAN COLLISION RISK IN AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT MANNER.

BIODIVERSITY COUNCIL SCORECARD

BAT MISTNETTING AT NORTHEAST NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGES

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO SUPPORT A SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION PROGRAM IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO. THE INTENT IS TO CONDUCT NESTING BEACH MONITORING AND NEST PROTECTION WITHIN AND OUTSIDE CONKUATI-DOUALI NATIONAL PARK AND SEA TURTLE BYCATCH REDUCTION PROGRAMS WITH ARTISANAL FISHERMAN. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:1) DAILY EARLY MORNING AND NIGHTTIME NEST SURVEYS ALONG FIVE 10 KM STRETCHES OF BEACH WITHIN CONKUATI-DOUALI NP; 2) DAILY EARLY MORNING AND NIGHTIME MONITORING OF THREE 10 KM STRETCHES OF NESTING BEACHES ON DJENO, BELLELO, AND MVASSA BEACHES OUTSIDE OF THE NP; 3) EARLY MORNING MONTORING OF 42 KM OF ADDITIONAL NESTING BEACHES OUTSIDE OF CONKUATI-DOUALI NP; AND 4) CONDUCTING A SEA TURTLE RELEASE PROGRAM FOR ACCIDENTALLY CAPTURED TURTLES WITH ARTISANAL GILL NET FISHERMAN IN RETURN FOR PROVIDING NET REPAIR BOBBINS AND NET PIECES.

COMMUNITY BASED CONSERVATION IN MAIO ISLANS, CAPE VERDE: PARTICIPATORY APPROACH AS KEY TO REDUCE NESTING AND IN-WATER SEA TURTLE MORTALITY.

AVIAN AND BAT SURVEYS

COMMON EIDER SATELLITE TRACKING STUDY

54 U.S.C. 101702B COOPERATIVE STUDY UNITSTO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN COOPERATIVE STUDY UNITS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, TRIBES, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, TO FACILITATE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY SCIENCE AND INTEGRATED INFORMATION PRODUCTS RELATED TO THE RESOURCES OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM. TO MAINTAIN A COMPREHENSIVE NETWORK COOPERATIVE STUDY UNITS AS WILL PROVIDE FULL GEOGRAPHIC AND TOPICAL COVERAGE FOR RESEARCH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE RESOURCES CONTAINED IN UNITS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM AND THEIR LARGER REGIONS.THIS PROJECT WILL ASSESS CURRENT HABITAT USE OF IMPERILED BATS AT KATAHDIN WOODS AND WATERS NATIONAL MONUMENT (PARK). THIS WILL IDENTIFY KEY AREAS AND HABITATS UTILIZED BY BATS SO THAT THE PARK CAN MAKE APPROPRIATE DECISIONS TO PROTECT BATS DURING A PERIOD OF INCREASING VISITATION AND DEVELOPMENT. THIS PROJECT WILL SPECIFICALLY INFORM PARK PLANNING DECISIONS ABOUT PUBLIC ACCESS TYPES AND LOCATIONS AS THE PARK DEVELOPS A GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN. BENEFICIARIES: STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS, PUBLIC PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, AND INDIVIDUALS (INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC).

MARINE TURTLE MONITORING AND PROTECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO & SUPPORT OF THE GORILLA CONSERVATION PROJECT OF ESI CONGO

REDUCING THE MORTALITY OF NESTING TURTLES AT MAIO ISLAND, REPUBLIC OF CAPE VERDE

THROUGH A HANDS-ON CURRICULUM FOCUSED ON WATERSHED AND ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS AND HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS THOSE ECOSYSTEMS, THE RECIPIENT WILL USE THE

OUR CURRENT RESEARCH HAS FOCUSED ON DESIGNING AN IN-SITU SALMON DEVELOPMENT MONITORING SYSTEM THE FIRST OF ITS KIND. PHASE II OF OUR RESEARCH FOR THIS GRANT WILL FOCUS ON USING THIS SYSTEM AND CONDUCTING FIELD AND LAB WORK TO GENERATE TEMPERATURE AND DEVELOPMENTAL DATA NECESSARY FOR ESTIMATING THE TIMING OF SOCKEYE DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES FOR DIFFERENT THERMAL REGIMES. THESE DATA ARE VALUABLE FOR REFINING THERMAL DEVELOPMENTAL MODELS (TDMS) FOR SALMON UNDER NATURAL CONDITIONS, AND IN SITU THERMAL REGIMES. SPARKS ET AL. (2019) RECENTLY APPLIED NON-LINEAR FUNCTIONS TO DEVELOPMENTAL RATES ACROSS A RANGE OF TEMPERATURES DEVELOPING SOCKEYE EMBRYOS MAY EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD TO PREDICT THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON SALMON STOCKS IN THE BRISTOL BAY WATERSHED. HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING DATA ON DEVELOPMENTAL RATES USED FOR SUCH MODELS (VELSEN, 1987) IS GENERALLY BASED ON AVERAGE INCUBATION TEMPERATURES AND RESULTS IN HIGHLY VARIABLE ESTIMATES WHEN USED IN TDM PREDICTIONS. OUR DATA WILL BE MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF ACTUAL FIELD CONDITIONS AND THEREFORE IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF HATCHING AND EMERGENCE PREDICTIONS THAT CURRENTLY SPAN FROM OCTOBER TO APRIL AND JANUARY TO JUNE, RESPECTIVELY (SPARKS ET AL., 2019).TO COLLECT THESE DATA, WE WILL DEPLOY SEVERAL INCUBATION BOXES IN AND AROUND LAKE ILIAMNA IN THE BRISTOL BAY WATERSHED WITH SOCKEYE SALMON EGGS. THE SYSTEM WILL TRACK DEVELOPMENT USING TIME LAPSE PHOTOGRAPHY AND RECORD TEMPERATURE DURING THE ENTIRE INCUBATION PERIOD FROM AUGUST TO LATE WINTER OR EARLY SPRING.

MAINTAINING THE ACHIEVED LOW MORTALITY RATE AND BUILDING LOCAL CAPACITY FOR SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION IN MAIO, CAPE VERDE.

STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION PROJECT IN THE ISLAND OF MAIO

CONDUCT RESEARCH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EDUCATION TO PROTECT BATS IN ACAD

QUANTIFYING MERCURY EXPOSURE IN NORTH AMERICAN ARCTIC BREEDING SHOREBIRDS

INCREASE FUNDING FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF LOONS IN WALDO COUNTY IN 2012, YEAR 2 OF THE STUDY

PROJECT TITLE: SEDIMENT SCREENING DASHBOARD TOOL: BETA VERSIONPROJECT PERIOD: 07 28 2025 - 7 27 2027THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A USER-FRIENDLY, EXCEL-BASED SEDIMENT ASSESSMENT TOOL TO DETERMINE INJURY BASED ON THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SEDIMENT SAMPLES.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED:DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK FOR BUILDING A SEDIMENT ASSESSMENT TOOL. REVIEW AVAILABLE THRESHOLDS AND MODELS RELEVANT TO ASSESSING INJURY TO SEDIMENTS FOR A SUBSET OF CHEMICAL CLASSES. COMPILE THRESHOLDS AND MODELS AND GENERATE AN ASSESSMENT TOOL THAT PROVIDES GUIDANCE ON POTENTIAL TOXICITY AND ESTIMATES INJURY TO SEDIMENTS AND ASSOCIATED NATURAL RESOURCES.EXPECTED DELIVERABLES OR OUTCOMES:A BETA VERSION OF AN EXCEL-BASED SCREENING TOOL TO ESTIMATE INJURY BASED ON SEDIMENT CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES:THIS TOOL IS INTENDED TO BE UTILIZED BY NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT (NRDA) PRACTITIONERS. THESE COULD INCLUDE PRACTITIONERS WORKING FOR TRUSTEES OR THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY(S) WHO ARE USING SEDIMENT CHEMISTRY TO QUANTIFY INJURY.

RESTORATION OF PIPING PLOVER ON PRIVATE LANDS ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD

MANAGING PREDATORS LIMITING PIPING PLOVER PRODUCTIVITY ON PRIVATELY OWNED BEACHES: AN ADAPTIVE APPROACH ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD

MAINTAINING THE COSTA RICAN BIRD ROUTE TO ENSURE HABITAT PROTECTION

THE MIDWEST BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE (MBI), IN CONJUNCTION WITH MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, WILL ENHANCE STATE MONITORING AND ASSESS

FORMERLY A COMMON SPECIES, THE NORTHERN LONG-EARED BAT (MYOTIS SEPTENTRIONALIS) IS NOW RARELY ENCOUNTERED THROUGHOUT MUCH OF ITS RANGE DUE TO POPULATION DECLINES FROM WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME, A FUNGAL DISEASE THAT AFFECTS HIBERNATING BATS. HOWEVER, PERSISTING POPULATIONS OF NORTHERN LONG-EARED BATS HAVE BEEN FOUND ALONG THE NORTHEAST COAST. DESPITE THEIR PERSISTENCE, THERE REMAINS A LACK OF PROTECTED HIBERNATION SITES IN THE AREA. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO BUILD HIBERNATION SITES FOR COASTAL NORTHERN LONG-EARED BATS ON CURRENTLY OCCUPIED HABITAT AND PROTECTED LAND, PROVIDING SPACES THAT ARE PROTECTED FROM FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND DISTURBANCE. THIS PROJECT WILL OCCUR ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD, NANTUCKET, AND LONG ISLAND. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED INCLUDE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW HIBERNATION SITES, USE OF LURES TO DRAW BATS TO THE SITES, AND MONITORING BAT USE OF THE SITES USING ACOUSTIC BAT DETECTORS. EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT OF A MANAGEMENT TOOL (I.E. A CONSTRUCTED HIBERNATION SITE) THAT CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE SURVIVAL OF HIBERNATING BATS WITH A LOW-COST AND RELATIVELY SIMPLE DESIGN. THIS LONG-TERM STRATEGY CAN BE USED FOR CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT BY WILDLIFE MANAGERS ACROSS THE ISLANDS TO SUPPORT PERSISTENCE OF THESE UNIQUE COASTAL POPULATION, ENSURING THE SURVIVAL OF HIBERNATING COASTAL MYSE.

TO ENHANCE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE ISSYK-KUL REGION IN THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC THROUGH DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TOURISM NICHE IN KYRGYZSTAN CENTERED ON WILDLIFE WATCHING AND NATURE CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES RUN BY WOMEN

MARINE TURTLE MONITORING AND PROTECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO.

MARINE TURTLE MONITORING AND PROTECTION IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO

ESTIMATING SEA DUCK FECUNDITY AND SURVIVAL USING AGE-AT-DEATH DATA

INTEGRATING MULTIMEDIA MEASUREMENTS FO MERCURY THROUGHOUT WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN, 02/03/2012

MIGRATORY CONNECTETIVITY FOR NEOTROPICAL MIGRANT SONGBIRDS

THIS PROJECT WILL (1) CONDUCT A REVIEW OF THE EXISTING UNEP DOCUMENT AND (2) CREATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS AND ADDITIONS TO THE GUIDANCE DO

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WITH THE ATLANTIC SEABORD DATABASE

DEVELOPING A MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR BREEDING COMMON LOONS

COLLECT DATA TO INFORM THE PUBLIC & POLICY MAKER MERCURY CONTAMINATION LEVEL

TO IMPLEMENT THE PROJECT COMMUNITY RANGERS OF ERUSHETI NATIONAL PARK THROUGH ALUMNI GRANTS PROGRAM.

SURVEY POST WHITE-NOSE BAT SYNDROME IN BATS AT MABI AND SAGA

LONGLEAF PINE HABITAT RESTORATION ON PROPERTY OF ASHTON BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND PRESERVATION INSTITUTE

SALT MARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS

ASCEND NEST TREES, COLLECT BLOOD SAMPLES & BAND BALD EAGLES IN ME

TO SURVEY A FOREST RESERVE DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE BEST PRACTICES FOR LOCAL VILLAGERS AND PROVIDE MOBILE EDUCATION.

MASTER CA FOR BRI

THIS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT WILL FOCUS ON ASSISTING STATES AND TRIBES IN DEVELOPMENT TIERED AQUATIC LIFE USES. THE GRANTEE WILL WORK WITH U. S. EPA,

COLLECT AND ANALYZE NEW AND EXISTING BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING DATA FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEVELOPING AND TESTING TIERED DESIGNATED USES. EVALUATE AND COMPARE

THIS PROJECT WILL EXAMINE THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THE PRESENCE AND ABUNDANCE OF VARIOUS MUSSEL SPECIES AND AMBIENT LEVELS OF AMMONIA WHILE ACCOUNTIN

TO COLLECT AND ANALYZE ON WADEABLE STREAMS IN REGION V. THE WORK WILL SERVE TO PROVIDE DATA FOR AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE CONDITION OF WADEABLE S

PHASE 1 WILL ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP A PRIORITIZATION PROCESS FOR MAJOR AND SIGNIFICANT POINT SOURCES. PHASE 2 WILL ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP A SIMILAR PROCESS

THIS PROJECT IS TO ENHANCE IMPORTANT METHODOLOGICAL, INDICATOR, AND SAMPLING DESIGN DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TIERED AQUATIC LIFE

NE: THE COSTA RICAN BIRD ROUTE: SECTION SAN JUAN - LA SELVA

MONITORING AND SPATIAL MAPPING OF MIGRATORY BIRD AND BAT HABITAT USE IN THE THOUSAND ISLANDS REGION OF WESTERN NEW YORK STATE

HEADWATER WETLANDS OF CROSSWICKS CREEK