Cooperative Agreement for Affiliated Partner with the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) seeks a CESU‑affiliated partner to develop, demonstrate, and quantify lidar‑based workflows that estimate flood‑plain connectivity and assess riverscape health across the Great Basin. The effort will produce a scalable, open‑source workflow, comparative analyses against existing methods, and continuous connectivity metrics for use by federal, state, and NGO stakeholders. The award is a cooperative agreement with up to $90,000 total funding, spread over a five‑year period (base year plus four optional years contingent on performance). The selected partner must be an existing Colorado Plateau CESU participant and will collaborate with USGS scientists, submit annual technical and financial reports, and adhere to USGS data‑management and geospatial data standards. • Develop lidar‑based workflow for flood‑plain connectivity mapping. • Demonstrate advantages over field‑data‑only approaches. • Produce continuous connectivity estimates for the Great Basin. • Deliver technical reports, data sets, and publications. • Coordinate with USGS, state agencies, and NGOs; comply with reporting, data‑management, and geospatial standards.