BLM-(SD), Western South Dakota Riparian Complex Research and Technical Guidance Development | L17AS00221

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What agency offered this funding opportunity?

This opportunity was offered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), through the U.S. Department of the Interior, specifically referencing BLM's South Dakota Field Office (SDFO).

2) What type of award is this?

The notice describes this as a cooperative agreement and a discretionary funding opportunity.

3) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number listed in the notice is L17AS00221.

4) What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The notice lists CFDA 15.231.

5) What category does this opportunity fall under?

The notice identifies the opportunity as being in the Natural Resources category.

6) What geographic area is the project focused on?

The focus is on prairie riparian systems in northwestern South Dakota, tied to BLM's South Dakota Field Office (SDFO) area of interest.

7) What is the main problem this grant is trying to solve?

The opportunity targets gaps in how prairie riparian systems are understood and managed, especially where existing Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) do not capture the complexity of riparian soil complexes or provide strong state-and-transition models. This makes it harder for managers to judge current condition, understand site capability, and choose actions that lead to recovery or long-term stability.

8) Why are existing Ecological Site Descriptions (ESDs) considered insufficient for these systems?

According to the notice, ESDs do not adequately represent the real-world complexity of riparian soil complexes and do not provide robust state-and-transition models for prairie riparian systems, limiting the usefulness of ESDs for assessment and management decisions in these areas.

9) What ecological concerns are highlighted in the notice?

The notice highlights concerns that past and present land uses may have altered riparian function and that naturally occurring soil salts may interact with land management and climate patterns (including wet years and drought cycles). These interactions may influence vegetation, erosion, sediment deposition, and overall watershed health.

10) What kinds of management-relevant questions is the project expected to address?

The notice emphasizes practical questions, including:

• How stock dams and water developments might influence salinity, erosion, and sediment deposition
• Whether woody vegetation was historically more common along prairie streams in the region, and what realistic restoration might look like today
• Which management practices could reduce salinization at riparian sites
• What the biophysical potential of prairie riparian complexes is under different settings
• How riparian health affects rangeland production for vegetation and livestock (economic and working-land outcomes)
• How day-to-day management decisions may influence riparian development and hydrology in small prairie streams

11) Does the project address both ecology and working-land outcomes?

Yes. The notice explicitly connects riparian ecology to working-land outcomes, including the economic impact of riparian health on rangeland production for vegetation and livestock, and how management decisions can influence riparian development and hydrology.

12) Is collaboration required or encouraged?

Collaboration is a key feature of the project. The notice notes that BLM is already working with multiple partners and that the recipient is expected to work alongside BLM and partners and build on existing work rather than start from scratch.

13) Which partner organizations are mentioned in the notice?

The notice mentions partners including The Nature Conservancy (TNC), NRCS, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (BCR), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

14) How does this opportunity relate to ongoing work led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC)?

The notice states that TNC was leading related work funded by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) grant, including riparian health and conservation prioritization maps and technical guidance for assessing stream and riparian health in western South Dakota. The recipient of this BLM award is expected to build on that foundation.

15) What is the project expected to produce (deliverables)?

Deliverables are framed around strengthening watershed and riparian assessment tools and translating research into guidance. The notice highlights deliverables such as:

• Describing locally relevant prairie stream types
• Identifying reference conditions (or reference states) and likely trajectories of change
• Outlining stream evolution pathways in prairie systems
• Identifying causal factors that drive degradation or recovery
• Developing technical guidance and educational materials usable by a broad audience

16) Who is intended to use the final guidance and educational materials?

The notice emphasizes that the end products should be usable not only internally, but also by private landowners, conservation groups, interested members of the public, and BLM permittees to support better-informed management choices.

17) What is meant by "reference conditions" or "reference states" in the context of this project?

Based on the notice, reference conditions (or reference states) are intended benchmarks for understanding what prairie riparian systems can look like under less-degraded or more functional conditions, helping managers interpret current condition and anticipate trajectories of change.

18) What does the notice mean by "likely trajectories of change" and "stream evolution pathways"?

The notice calls for identifying how prairie riparian and stream systems may change over time (trajectories) and for outlining stream evolution pathways, which are meant to describe patterns and sequences of change (degradation or recovery) in prairie systems.

19) What public benefits does BLM expect from this project?

The notice describes public benefits including better information and tools for managing riparian systems critical to working rangelands, leading to more credible assessments of riparian condition, clearer prioritization for conservation or restoration, and more consistent recommendations across agencies and partners in the same landscapes. BLM also notes expected support for land health as well as public use.

20) How many awards did BLM anticipate making?

BLM anticipated making one award.

21) What was the maximum (ceiling) award amount?

The notice states an award ceiling of $51,000.

22) Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility was listed as unrestricted, meaning it was open to any type of applicant, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may have been included in the full notice.

23) When was the opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on July 21, 2017.

24) What was the original closing date?

The original closing date listed in the notice was September 18, 2017.

25) What makes this a cooperative agreement rather than a simple research report?

The notice emphasizes working with BLM and existing partners and building on ongoing mapping and research efforts. It also stresses producing practical technical guidance and educational materials for real-world decision-making, rather than producing an internal report alone.

26) Is the project expected to address salinity and soil salts?

Yes. The notice specifically raises concerns about naturally occurring soil salts and highlights questions about how management actions (including stock dams and water developments) may influence salinity, as well as what practices could reduce salinization at riparian sites.

27) Does the notice mention erosion and sediment deposition as issues to investigate?

Yes. The notice includes examples of questions about how infrastructure such as stock dams and water developments might influence erosion and sediment deposition in these prairie riparian systems.

28) Does the opportunity address climate variability such as wet years and drought cycles?

Yes. The notice indicates interest in how climate patterns, including wet years and drought cycles, may interact with land management and soil salts to affect vegetation, erosion, and watershed health.

29) Is woody vegetation along streams part of the scope?

Yes. The notice includes a question about whether woody vegetation was historically more common along prairie streams in the region and what realistic restoration could look like today.

30) What is the overall goal of the project in plain terms?

The notice describes an overall goal of improving understanding, assessment, and management of prairie riparian systems in northwestern South Dakota by filling key knowledge gaps, strengthening assessment tools, and producing clear, practical guidance that land managers and stakeholders can use to support riparian health and watershed function.