Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00007
The "Enhancement of Turtle Recruitment in the Kalamazoo River (Kalamazoo River NRDAR)" grant opportunity is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding initiative created as part of the natural resource damage assessment and restoration (NRDAR) process following the 2010 Enbridge Line 6B oil spill in southern Michigan. On July 25, 2010, the 30-inch Line 6B pipeline ruptured near Marshall, releasing crude oil into wetlands connected to Talmadge Creek and then into the Kalamazoo River, ultimately contaminating river and floodplain habitats for roughly 38 miles downstream to Morrow Lake. Because the spill affected both aquatic and floodplain environments, it also harmed wildlife that depends on those habitats, including multiple turtle species. During the emergency response, approximately 3,800 oiled turtles were rehabilitated and released back into the system, with notable impacts documented for common map turtles, snapping turtles, painted turtles, and eastern spiny softshell turtles.
This funding opportunity supports a restoration project specifically aimed at improving turtle recruitment (the successful production and survival of young turtles entering the population) in the affected Kalamazoo River system. The core work described centers on locating and protecting turtle nests to increase hatching success and bolster population recovery. Project activities are expected to include capturing female turtles, fitting or tracking them with radio telemetry to find nesting locations, and then building nest enclosures designed to keep predators out. After nesting, project staff return to the protected nests to assess outcomes such as hatching success, and then release hatchlings to help strengthen the next generation of turtles in the river corridor. This approach targets a common bottleneck for turtle populations: high egg and hatchling predation rates that can severely limit recruitment even when adult turtles survive.
A notable feature of this project is its connection to the earlier spill-response rehabilitation effort. Turtles that were cleaned, treated, and released during the response were marked (using internal tags and/or shell notching). Because of that marking, researchers working under this project can identify whether turtles captured and tracked today were among those rehabilitated after the spill. The opportunity states that capture and release records for rehabilitated turtles will be made available to project participants, which creates an unusually strong foundation for follow-up research and long-term evaluation. Beyond simply protecting nests, the project is intended to generate data that can be combined with the earlier rehabilitation dataset to answer broader scientific and management questions, including population structure, growth patterns, survivorship, and recruitment trends after environmental oil exposure. In other words, the work is designed not only to produce more hatchlings in the short term, but also to improve understanding of how turtle populations recover after a major contamination event.
Administratively, this opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, which signals that the federal agency will play an active role during the project instead of simply providing funds. The East Lansing Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is described as being "substantially involved" in implementation and evaluation. That involvement includes on-site monitoring to document that the project is being carried out as planned, ecological monitoring to measure outcomes (such as nesting success and recruitment indicators), and the development and delivery of outreach materials to communicate results to the public, stakeholders, and the Natural Resource Trustees overseeing restoration. The notice also indicates that, depending on staffing and funding, the Service may assist with implementation, reinforcing that this is meant to be a collaborative restoration effort with federal participation throughout.
In terms of basic funding details, the opportunity is listed under the Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, with CFDA number 15.658 and a funding activity focus on environment and natural resources. It is identified by Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00007. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the official notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). The listed award ceiling is $300,000, and the opportunity anticipated up to five awards. The opportunity was created on October 20, 2016, with an original closing date of January 13, 2017, and applicants were directed to the NOFO for specific submission instructions. Overall, the program is a targeted, science-based restoration investment meant to directly offset spill-related injuries to turtle populations by improving nesting success and generating long-term data that can guide continued recovery work in the Kalamazoo River watershed.Apply for F17AS00007
- The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enhancement of Turtle Recruitment in the Kalamazoo River (Kalamazoo River NRDAR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.658.
- This funding opportunity was created on Oct 20, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 13, 2017 See NOFO for application instructions.. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 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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FAQs: Enhancement of Turtle Recruitment in the Kalamazoo River (Kalamazoo River NRDAR)
What is the "Enhancement of Turtle Recruitment in the Kalamazoo River (Kalamazoo River NRDAR)" funding opportunity?
It is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding opportunity that supports a restoration project focused on improving turtle recruitment (successful production and survival of young turtles entering the population) in the Kalamazoo River system in southern Michigan.
What event led to this funding opportunity?
This opportunity was created as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) process following the 2010 Enbridge Line 6B oil spill.
When and where did the oil spill occur?
On July 25, 2010, the 30-inch Enbridge Line 6B pipeline ruptured near Marshall, Michigan. Crude oil entered wetlands connected to Talmadge Creek and then moved into the Kalamazoo River.
How far did contamination from the spill extend in the river system?
The contamination affected river and floodplain habitats for roughly 38 miles downstream to Morrow Lake.
Why are turtles a focus of this restoration effort?
Because the spill affected aquatic and floodplain habitats, wildlife that depends on those habitats was harmed, including multiple turtle species. Turtle populations can also be limited by low recruitment when eggs and hatchlings experience high predation.
Which turtle species were notably impacted during the spill response?
Impacts were documented for common map turtles, snapping turtles, painted turtles, and eastern spiny softshell turtles.
What happened to turtles during the emergency spill response?
Approximately 3,800 oiled turtles were rehabilitated and released back into the system during the emergency response.
What does "turtle recruitment" mean in the context of this project?
Recruitment refers to the successful production and survival of young turtles that enter the population. The project aims to increase the number of hatchlings that successfully emerge and contribute to population recovery.
What is the main restoration strategy described for improving turtle recruitment?
The core approach is to locate turtle nests and protect them to increase hatching success. The project expects to reduce a common bottleneck for turtle populations: high egg and hatchling predation.
What activities are expected to be part of the project work?
Expected activities include capturing female turtles, fitting or tracking them with radio telemetry to find nesting locations, building predator-resistant nest enclosures, returning after nesting to assess outcomes such as hatching success, and releasing hatchlings.
How will nesting locations be found?
The opportunity describes capturing female turtles and using radio telemetry (tracking) to locate nesting sites.
What are nest enclosures and why are they used?
Nest enclosures are protective structures placed over nests to keep predators out. They are intended to improve the odds that eggs hatch successfully and that hatchlings survive long enough to be released.
What happens after nests are protected?
Project staff are expected to return to protected nests to assess outcomes (including hatching success) and then release hatchlings to help strengthen the next generation of turtles in the river corridor.
How is this project connected to turtles rehabilitated after the 2010 spill?
Turtles rehabilitated and released during the response were marked using internal tags and/or shell notching. Researchers working under this project can identify whether turtles captured and tracked now were among those rehabilitated after the spill.
Will project participants have access to information about rehabilitated turtles?
Yes. The opportunity states that capture and release records for rehabilitated turtles will be made available to project participants.
What kind of longer-term research or evaluation can this project support beyond nest protection?
The project is intended to generate data that can be combined with the earlier rehabilitation dataset to address broader questions such as population structure, growth patterns, survivorship, and recruitment trends after environmental oil exposure.
Is this funding offered as a standard grant?
No. It is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, which indicates the federal agency will be actively involved during the project rather than only providing funds.
What does federal "substantial involvement" mean for this opportunity?
The East Lansing Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is described as being substantially involved in implementation and evaluation. This includes on-site monitoring to document that the project is carried out as planned, ecological monitoring to measure outcomes, and developing and delivering outreach materials to communicate results.
Which U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office is identified in the opportunity?
The East Lansing Field Office is specifically identified as the office substantially involved in implementation and evaluation.
What types of monitoring are mentioned as part of the federal role?
The opportunity mentions on-site monitoring to verify implementation and ecological monitoring to measure outcomes such as nesting success and recruitment indicators.
Does the opportunity mention outreach or communications?
Yes. It describes developing and delivering outreach materials to communicate results to the public, stakeholders, and the Natural Resource Trustees overseeing restoration.
Can the Service assist with implementation in addition to monitoring?
Yes. The notice indicates the Service may assist with implementation depending on staffing and funding, reinforcing that the project is intended to be collaborative.
Which federal department and agency offer this opportunity?
It is offered under the Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA number is 15.658.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is F17AS00007.
What is the focus area or funding activity category?
The funding activity focus is environment and natural resources.
Who is eligible to apply based on the information provided?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the official Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling) listed?
The listed award ceiling is $300,000.
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated up to five awards.
When was the opportunity created and what was the original closing date?
The opportunity was created on October 20, 2016, and the original closing date was January 13, 2017.
Where are the official submission instructions and any extra eligibility details located?
Applicants were directed to the official Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for specific submission instructions and for any additional eligibility clarifications.
How does this project align with NRDAR restoration goals?
It is a targeted restoration investment intended to offset spill-related injuries to turtle populations by increasing nesting success and producing data that supports longer-term recovery and management in the Kalamazoo River watershed.
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