Contractual Opportunitiy: Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
mke...@westga.edu
UWG’s Campus Contact for the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit has solicited a contractual opportunity through the Division of Environmental Assessment (DEA) of the Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
Background
This cooperative agreement opportunity is for conducting research in topics that serve the public interest in safe and environmentally sound marine mineral development on the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The BOEM is authorized via the OCS Lands Act (OCSLA) to award cooperative agreements to qualified State agencies and State controlled institutions of higher education only.
BOEM, through its Marine Minerals Program (MMP), conveys the rights to OCS sand, gravel, or shell resources for in shore protection projects. BOEM must analyze and minimize to the extent practicable the effects of these activities under the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental laws, such as the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The bureau seeks to balance economic development, energy independence, and environmental protection through marine mineral development and environmental reviews and studies. Section 1346 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) mandates the conduct of environmental and socioeconomic studies needed for the assessment and management of environmental impacts on the human, marine, and coastal environments which may be affected by mineral development. OCSLA Section 1345 authorizes the use of cooperative agreements with affected States to meet the requirements of OCSLA, including sharing of information, joint utilization of available expertise, formation of joint monitoring arrangements to carry out applicable Federal and State laws, regulations, and stipulations relevant to outer continental shelf operations both onshore and offshore. The source of the project funding is the post-Hurricane Sandy Authorization.
Following Hurricane Sandy, storm damage assessments indicated there were several critically-eroded areas in Virginia and Florida that would need access to BOEM managed OCS sand resources for beach nourishment and coastal restoration. Environmental monitoring of benthic and demersal fish habitat, resident biological communities, geomorphology, and other sensitive resources in the vicinity of the borrow area is necessary to ensure environmental risks from the use of these sources are well documented and, if needed, adaptively managed through subsequent stewardship actions, without causing undue delay in the start of dredging and construction.
The ecosystem services (bioenergetics, trophic transfer) of ridge-swale or shoal complex habitat, often targeted as borrow areas, and the relevance of that habitat to benthic communities, fishes, and trophic structure is poorly understood. To identify appropriate conservation and mitigation measures, a comprehensive understanding of the quality and function of the habitat and how it may contribute to different ecosystem services over storm, post-disturbance, and seasonal and inter-annual time scales is needed.
The study proposed is entitled, “Monitoring Ecological Function and Recovery of Biological Communities within Dredged Ridge-Swale Habitats and in the Mid- and South-Atlantic Bight.” The study field work must be initiated prior to the dredging operations which are likely to occur late fall to early winter 2014. The initial monitoring work will ideally completed within two years from the date of the award. This effort may lead to an adaptive long-term monitoring program should funding become available; therefore, long-term considerations should be factored into capability statements (and subsequent proposals, which are not requested at this time).
The project objectives are broad and the award process will consist of two parts. The first will be the submittal of a capability statement (described herein) indicating knowledge and understanding of the proposed project, the proposed objectives and possible methods, the proposed project partners and the ability of the proposed applicant to successfully manage and complete the proposed project (especially given the timeframe). Following a review of these capability statements, requests for full proposals (described herein) will be sent to up to three most-capable applicants.
Study Objectives:
Characterize the range and variability of physical and biological attributes of representative ridge-swale or shoal complex habitat in the Mid- and South Atlantic Bights and ecosystem services (bioenergetics, trophic transfer) supported by that habitat and determine the relative importance of this habitat type to keystone species.
• Develop an appropriate study design and sampling strategy for baseline characterization and subsequent long term monitoring of the ecosystem. Factor in spatial gradients and temporal and seasonal differences.
• Leverage legacy data or relevant data from other research programs that may contribute to the study objective and foster effective partnerships.
• Characterize key resident and transient biological communities, including phytoplankton/zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, demersal and pelagic fish, and other relevant shellfish and/or nekton. Relevant attributes to characterize may include density, distribution, movements, foraging/spawning behavior, etc. Must include key federally managed fish species.
• Identify and document relevant physical, hydrodynamic, chemical, or other parameters that are most relevant to describe and understand the use of this habitat (bathymetry, sediment type, water quality parameters, etc.).
• Identify and implement appropriate field, laboratory, and analytical methods. Possible field methods include telemetry, acoustics, stable isotopes, trawling, box core/grab samples, replicate bathymetric and side scan sonar surveys, benthic video/camera, demersal and pelagic trawls, diurnal nekton sampling, gut content analysis, reflectance analyses for plankton size distribution, plankton sampling (net, trap or tube), etc.
Characterize functional differences and ecosystem changes in dredged and non-dredged areas by comparing species composition and diversity, population dynamics, recruitment, and trophic structure. Relate observed biological differences to physical and biophysical characteristics of the habitat or other ecosystem attributes.
• Design and implement an appropriate Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) methodology. The method must be able to address relevant spatial and temporal gradients and be of appropriate duration.
• Leverage legacy data or relevant data from other research programs that may contribute to the study objective and foster effective partnerships.
• Effectively link the proposed monitoring to the ecosystem characterization previously described
• Establish and monitor sufficient proximal control sites with similar physical and oceanographic characteristics to differentiate natural ecosystem changes from dredge-related impacts
• Identify and implement appropriate field, laboratory, and analytical methods, including geospatial and statistical analyses.
If interested in this pursuing this opportunity or if you have any questions please contact your Pre-Award Services Specialist, Melissa Kelly mke...@westga.edu as soon as possible.