Description
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is pleased to announce the availability of funding in 2023 for research and conservation action to support the management of white-nose syndrome (WNS) and susceptible bat species. The Service provides financial and technical assistance to nongovernmental, university, and private researchers, as well as state and local governments, Native American tribes, and federal agencies, for the management of WNS and conservation of bats. Funded projects will investigate priority questions to improve our ability to manage the disease and implement management actions that will help to conserve affected bat species.As of April 2023, WNS is confirmed or suspected in bats in 39 states and eight Canadian provinces, and evidence of the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), has been detected in at least four additional states and two provinces without additional signs of the disease. Numerous North American and Eurasian species of bats have been confirmed with WNS or detected carrying Pd. For information on WNS and previously funded projects, please see: http://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/Funding through WNS Research and Conservation Grants provides critical resources for maximizing the benefits of conservation efforts for bats. These actions are focused on minimizing the impacts of WNS and compounding stressors on federally listed species, prioritizing actions to conserve species that are susceptible to the disease, including those that may be assessed for listing due to the impacts of WNS, and understanding how different species are likely to respond when exposed to the pathogen. Projects submitted to this opportunity should concentrate on efforts where there is the greatest need and benefit.Priorities for this funding opportunity are designed to develop and apply tools that maximize persistence of WNS-affected bat populations, minimize impacts from Pd, and support recovery of impacted species. Competitive projects will also support collaborative actions of the WNS National Response and inform management decisions for WNS and bats. Scientific research conducted in collaboration with management authorities is encouraged. Due to the urgency of this threat to bats and the rapid progress of related science, we seek to fund projects that are likely to produce impactful results within a two year project period.A. Objective: Assess disease dynamics and population impacts in areas on the leading edge of WNS.Priorities:Understand Pd invasion dynamics and effects of WNS on northern long-eared bat and tricolored bat in coastal and southeastern regions.Investigate mechanisms affecting rates of spread and severity of WNS in western bat populations recently or imminently exposed to Pd, including apparent regional differences.B. Objective: Improve critical knowledge relevant to WNS risk and management decisions for hibernating bats. Priorities:Test hypothesize related to evolutionary or behavioral resistance or tolerance to WNS in WNS-affected species.of bats.Understand mechanisms affecting variability in severity of WNS among species, regions, and localities.Understand effects of non-disease factors that introduce additive or compounding impacts to WNS-affected bat species (e.g. contaminants, wind energy, etc.).C. Objective: Conduct management activities aimed at building resiliency and promoting population growth in hibernating bat populations. PrioritiesImplement adaptive management programs to improve survival and persistence of bat populations currently being or soon to be impacted by WNS. (Management tools with ability to reach and benefit a large number of bats in at risk populations are a high priority.)Develop and implement strategies to support biological and ecological needs of hibernating bat populations, including management actions to promote resilience to climate change, invasive species and other future stressors.White-nose Syndrome Research and Conservation Grants complement three additional funding opportunities from the Service in support of the WNS National Response in 2023: 1) WNS Grants to States and Tribes 2023 (www.Grants.gov, F23AS00330); 2) Bats for the Future Fund (National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (www.nfwf.org/bats); and 3) Biotechnological Tools WNS Research for Conservation Grants-Biotechnology (www.Grants.gov, F23AS00037). Contact the Service’s WNS national assistant coordinator for more information about these funding opportunities.The use of grant funds requires adherence to established protocols and methodologies developed or espoused by the national WNS working groups for surveillance, diagnostics, population monitoring, conservation and recovery, and disease management (for more information contact the appropriate Service WNS coordinator), as well as the Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, National Environmental Policy Act. All proposed actions must be in line with the most current guidance, policies, and information related to the COVID-19 pandemic and SARS-CoV-2.The Service’s WNS program is coordinated and funded through the branches of Ecological Services and Science Applications and grants will be administered through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program (WSFR). Grants will be competitively awarded based on merit review of proposed projects for their applicability and feasibility to address priorities identified in this notice and for their overall contribution to meeting the objectives of the WNS national plan (White-Nose Syndrome Response Plans).