Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00216
The grant opportunity titled "BLM-(MT), Botanical and Biotic Crust Information, Eastern District" is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement intended to improve botanical knowledge in Eastern Montana, with a particular emphasis on non-vascular plants and biotic soil crust communities. The project grew out of a 2016 effort in Musselshell County, Montana, where BLM was asked to help with a non-vascular plant inventory. That county was selected after a review of the Montana Natural Heritage Program (MT NHP) biological database showed a major data gap: there were no existing records for lichens, mosses, and other key elements of biotic soil crust. The same review identified an even broader problem across the region, finding 11 counties in Eastern Montana with no non-vascular plant records at all and generally limited, incomplete coverage for both vascular and non-vascular plant diversity.
The main purpose of the project is to fill those information gaps by collecting and organizing better data on both vascular plants (typical flowering plants, grasses, shrubs, etc.) and non-vascular organisms (including mosses, lichens, and other biotic crust components) across public, private, and state lands in Eastern Montana. The work is meant to directly strengthen the MT NHP database and its online field guide by adding new observations and improving the overall completeness of species records for the region. A central theme is making the resulting information broadly accessible, not just for federal land managers but for all landowners who may benefit from having clearer, more reliable information about the species present on their lands and the ecological functions they support.
The public value of the project is framed around better land management and greater ecological awareness. By improving documentation of vascular and non-vascular plants and biotic soil crust, the project supports more informed decision-making about land use, conservation, restoration, grazing management, and disturbance response. Biotic soil crusts, in particular, can play important roles in soil stability, water infiltration, nutrient cycling, and overall ecosystem resilience, yet they are often under-documented and easily overlooked in standard vegetation surveys. The opportunity also calls for the development or use of simple and consistent monitoring approaches tied to functional roles, with the idea that land managers and partners can track these resources in a practical way over time rather than relying on one-time inventories alone.
Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, under CFDA 15.231, and it uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, signaling an expectation of collaboration between BLM and the award recipient during project execution. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply (subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full notice). The opportunity number is L17AS00216. The anticipated award is a single award with an award ceiling of $15,000. The original posting date was July 17, 2017, and the original application closing date was September 14, 2017.Apply for L17AS00216
- The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-(MT), Botanical and Biotic Crust Information, Eastern District" 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 Jul 17, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 14, 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 $15,000.00 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "BLM-(MT), Botanical and Biotic Crust Information, Eastern District."
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
This is a funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
What type of funding instrument is being used?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which indicates BLM expects to collaborate with the recipient during the project.
Is this a discretionary grant opportunity?
Yes. It is described as a discretionary funding opportunity.
What is the opportunity number?
The opportunity number is L17AS00216.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 15.231.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The purpose is to fill major information gaps in Eastern Montana by collecting and organizing better data on vascular plants and non-vascular organisms (including mosses, lichens, and other biotic soil crust components). The goal is to improve botanical knowledge and strengthen the Montana Natural Heritage Program (MT NHP) database and online field guide.
What geographic area does the project focus on?
The focus is Eastern Montana, including work connected to BLM's Eastern District context. The description highlights Musselshell County as an early driver of the effort and notes additional data gaps across multiple counties in Eastern Montana.
Why was Musselshell County mentioned in the project background?
The project grew out of a 2016 effort in Musselshell County, Montana, when BLM was asked to help with a non-vascular plant inventory. A review of the MT NHP biological database showed a major data gap there, with no existing records for lichens, mosses, and other key elements of biotic soil crust.
What problem is this project trying to address?
It addresses missing and incomplete species records in Eastern Montana. The MT NHP database review found 11 counties in Eastern Montana with no non-vascular plant records at all and generally limited, incomplete coverage for both vascular and non-vascular plant diversity.
What kinds of organisms are included in the project?
The scope includes both vascular plants (such as flowering plants, grasses, and shrubs) and non-vascular organisms, specifically including mosses, lichens, and other components of biotic soil crust communities.
What are biotic soil crusts, in the context of this opportunity?
Biotic soil crusts are communities that can include non-vascular organisms like lichens and mosses. The opportunity emphasizes that they are often under-documented and overlooked in standard vegetation surveys.
Why does the opportunity emphasize non-vascular plants and biotic soil crust communities?
The emphasis exists because the region has major data gaps for non-vascular plants, and biotic soil crust resources are both ecologically important and frequently missing from typical survey records.
What ecological functions are biotic soil crusts said to support?
The description notes that biotic soil crusts can play important roles in soil stability, water infiltration, nutrient cycling, and overall ecosystem resilience.
How will the collected information be used?
The information is intended to directly strengthen the MT NHP database and its online field guide by adding new observations and improving the overall completeness of species records for the region.
Who is expected to benefit from the results?
The opportunity frames benefits for federal land managers and also for all landowners who may benefit from clearer, more reliable information about species on their lands and the ecological functions those species support.
What types of lands are included in the work?
The work is intended to occur across public, private, and state lands in Eastern Montana.
How does this project support land management decisions?
By improving documentation of vascular and non-vascular plants and biotic soil crust, the project supports more informed decision-making related to land use, conservation, restoration, grazing management, and disturbance response.
Is monitoring part of the project, or only one-time inventory work?
The opportunity calls for the development or use of simple and consistent monitoring approaches tied to functional roles. The intent is to enable practical tracking over time rather than relying only on one-time inventories.
What does "simple and consistent monitoring approaches tied to functional roles" mean here?
Based on the description, it refers to monitoring methods that are practical for land managers and partners to apply over time, focused on the functional roles these resources play (for example, the ecological functions associated with biotic soil crust).
How many awards are anticipated?
The opportunity indicates an anticipated single award.
What is the maximum funding amount available?
The award ceiling is $15,000.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full notice.
What is the posting date for this opportunity?
The original posting date was July 17, 2017.
What was the application closing date?
The original application closing date was September 14, 2017.
Is this opportunity focused on making the results accessible?
Yes. A central theme is making the resulting information broadly accessible, not only for federal land managers but for landowners and other users who benefit from better species information.
What is the overall public value described for this project?
The public value is described as improved land management and greater ecological awareness through more complete documentation of vascular and non-vascular plants and biotic soil crust resources.
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