Section 6 Funding for Research on Threatened and Endangered Arizona Plants
DEADLINE: 28 May 2013
INTRODUCTION
The Herbarium at the University of Arizona is collaborating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Arizona Department of Agriculture to manage and allocate the Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 6 funding for plants in Arizona. Proposals for studies on threats, demography, monitoring, systematics, status reviews, etc. of threatened and endangered plant species, or plant species of other special concern, are solicited. Plants that are listed as threatened, endangered, or have candidate status will rank higher than sensitive or rare plants. Researchers are encouraged to contact Julie Crawford, FWS (phone: 520-670-6150; email: Julie_Crawford@fws.gov), to discuss potential submissions. She can also answer questions regarding the applicability of the submission. We anticipate supporting three to five projects per year at levels of approximately $5000 to $20000 per project.
PROPOSAL REVIEW
Proposals are reviewed by a committee for the importance of the species, intellectual merit and feasibility of the proposed research, appropriateness of the budget, and clarity of the proposal. Projects that are recommended for funding are ranked and funded as funds allow. Contracts are then sent to the selected researchers by the Arizona Department of Agriculture, usually in early Fall, with a full project report due one year after the contract is signed.
PROJECT COMPLETION (effective as of Segment 17, award year 2013; please contact us for reporting requirements for previous segments)
A final report including introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and literature cited sections is an expected deliverable of this research. Prior to approval and release of funding, reports will be reviewed by the section 6 grant committee and FWS species leads for completeness, clarity, and usefulness to the FWS for species management and recovery.
PROPOSAL PREPARATION
Proposals should be prepared according to the following outline. If an item is not applicable to this project, write "NA" for that item. Projects should be designed to be complete within one year. Funding beyond one year will require submission of additional competitive proposals. Proposals can be single-spaced but should be prepared with a font no smaller than 11 point. Questions on grant preparation should be directed to Shelley McMahon (phone: 520-621-7243; email: mcmahonm@email.arizona.edu).
1. Project Title:
2. Species: List all species that will be investigated as part of this project; for each give:
2a. Federal Rank:
2b. State Heritage Rank:
3. Name of Investigator(s): Please specify a Prinicipal Investigator and any additional investigators.
4. Mailing Address of Principal Investigator: For investigators associated with more than one institution, this must be the address of the institution that would be receiving the contract. Also provide:
4a. Phone number for PI:.
4b. Email address for PI:.
4c. Institutional affiliation for PI. If submitting as an individual, please indicate.
4d. Institutional contact information. Name and address of official who is authorized to sign the contract and process reimburesments.
5. Proposed Start Date: Give month, day, and year.
6. Proposed End Date: Give month, day, and year.
7. Funding History and Needs: Is this a request for continued funding for work already started under a previous Section 6 request?
8. Joint Project with Another State: Provide details, if applicable.
9. Recovery Plan Task Numbers:
10. Recovery Plan Task Priorities:
11. Threatened or Endangered Species Permit Required: A Section 10(a)(1)(A) permit from FWS may be required if listed plants, parts of plants, and/or seeds will be collected.
12. Other Threatened or Endangered Species in Project Area:
13. Projected Conducted within Designated Critical Habitat:
14. Objectives:
15. Expected Results or Benefits: One half page maximum.
16. Approach: Describe the general approach; e.g., herbarium study, plot monitoring, etc. One paragraph maximum.
17. Current Year Procedures: Describe in detail the methodology of the proposed study. Two pages maximum.
18. Divergence from Original Approach:
19. Location:
20. Present Year Funding Request:
21. Budget: Budget should be broken down into anticipated costs for personnel, travel, and supplies. Matching costs should be identified, and should constitute 40% to 50% of the total costs. Matching costs can be in any category of expenditures-personnel, travel, supplies, or equipment.
22. Previous funding performance: If you have received Federal or other grants, please list references to contact. Have you ever defaulted on a previous grant?
WHAT AND WHERE TO SUBMIT
Proposals should be sent electronically to Shelley McMahon (mcmahonm at email.arizona.edu). Include a 2-page Curriculum Vitae for the Principal Investigator. If electronic submission is not possible, send three hard copies to Herbarium, Herring Hall, School of Plant Sciences, PO Box 210036, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ 85721.