Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00086
The BLM OR/WA Biological Soil Crust Research and Restoration grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L17AS00086) is a Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement focused on improving restoration practices for biological soil crusts (BSC) in rangeland ecosystems, particularly in Oregon and Washington shrub-steppe landscapes. Biological soil crusts are the living surface layer made up of organisms like cyanobacteria, lichens, and mosses that help stabilize soil, reduce erosion, suppress invasive weeds, and potentially influence fire behavior by affecting fine fuels and ground-level continuity. The opportunity is designed to build practical, field-relevant knowledge that can be applied not only to BLM-managed lands but also to rangelands across different ownerships.
A central motivation for the project is that biological soil crusts are commonly damaged or lost after disturbances such as wildfire, agricultural conversion, heavy or repeated grazing, and other forms of physical disruption. Once the crust is broken up, soils can become more vulnerable to wind and water erosion, and disturbed open ground can be more easily colonized by invasive plants. Despite the importance of BSC, the notice highlights a key gap: there is limited information on whether BSC can be cultured (amplified) and then successfully used to enhance or rebuild crusts on damaged sites at a meaningful scale. This funding aims to address that gap by supporting research and applied experimentation that tests culturing methods and restoration use.
The project’s stated objective is to collaborate with a partner to gather additional information about biological soil crusts within a watershed context, including both the process of culturing BSC and the on-the-ground use of crust material in restoration treatments. The work is framed around two practical research questions tied directly to restoration decision-making. First, it seeks to determine how much open, disturbed ground needs to be seeded or inoculated with biological soil crust material in order to meet restoration goals, which could include improved soil stability, reduced bare ground, reduced erosion risk, and better resistance to weed invasion. Second, it aims to evaluate how effective BSC amplification (culturing) is at increasing the amount of disturbed area that can realistically be treated, which speaks to scalability, cost-effectiveness, and feasibility for land managers who must restore large burn scars or heavily impacted rangelands.
In terms of award structure and logistics, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement instrument, meaning BLM expects active involvement and collaboration rather than a hands-off grant. The funding activity category is Natural Resources, and the CFDA number listed is 15.231. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, indicating the competition is open to a wide range of entity types (subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full notice). The opportunity was created on May 4, 2017, with an original application closing date of July 3, 2017. BLM anticipated making a single award, with an award ceiling of $65,000.
The intended outcome is management-relevant information that improves how BLM and other rangeland managers approach post-disturbance recovery and long-term resilience. By identifying effective inoculation rates and testing whether culturing can expand restoration capacity, the project is expected to produce results that can be translated into real restoration guidance and more durable shrub-steppe ecosystems over time, especially in landscapes where recurring disturbance and invasive species pressure are persistent challenges.Apply for L17AS00086
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM OR/WA Biological Soil Crust Resarch and Restoration" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 04, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 03, 2017. (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 $65,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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