PROJECT TITLE IDENTIFYING SUSTAINABLE GRAZING REGIMES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY THAT PREVENT CHEATGRASS INVASION…

Assistance award details

Assistance award identifier

ASST_NON_G22AC00341_014

FAIN

G22AC00341

Recipient

MARSHALL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CORPORATION

Awarding agency

Department of the Interior

Funding agency

Department of the Interior

Assistance listing (CFDA)

15.808

Total obligated

$84,016

Period

Sep 7, 2022 – Sep 6, 2025

Fiscal year

2022

Place of performance state

WV

Source file

FY2022_All_Assistance_Full_20261006.zip

Description

PROJECT TITLE IDENTIFYING SUSTAINABLE GRAZING REGIMES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY THAT PREVENT CHEATGRASS INVASION AND MAINTAIN WILDLIFE HABITAT ACROSS THE BIG SAGEBRUSH REGIONPROJECT PERIOD 9 7 22 9 6 24AWARD PURPOSE BIG SAGEBRUSH PLANT COMMUNITIES PROVIDE VITAL HABITAT FOR A RANGE OF WILDLIFESPECIES AND SUPPORT LIVESTOCK GRAZING, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTOR TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OFRURAL WESTERN ECONOMIES HOWEVER, BIG SAGEBRUSH PLANT COMMUNITIES ARE IN DECLINE AND ARE BEINGTRANSFORMED BY MULTIPLE THREATS INCLUDING INVASIVE SPECIES AND CHANGING CLIMATE CLIMATE CHANGEWILL INFLUENCE THE CAPACITY OF THESE PLANT COMMUNITIES TO PROVIDE INTACT WILDLIFE HABITAT AND TOSUSTAIN RANCHING OPERATIONS THROUGHOUT THE 21ST CENTURY THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE IS TO EVALUATE THEPOTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND INVASIVE GRASSES ON GRAZING SUSTAINABILITY IN BIG SAGEBRUSHECOSYSTEMS THROUGHOUT THE 21ST CENTURY ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED THIS PROJECT WILL UTILIZE ECOLOGICAL SIMULATION MODELING TO ASSESS HOWGRAZING COULD BE ALTERED TO BOTH MINIMIZE THE RISK OF CHEATGRASS INVASION AND SUSTAIN LONG TERMGRAZING OPERATIONS UNDER A FUTURE CLIMATE SIMULATIONS WILL BE CONDUCTED FOR CURRENT CLIMATE ANDFOR 52 FUTURE CLIMATE SCENARIOS FOR 200 BIG SAGEBRUSH SITES THAT REPRESENT THE RANGE OF CURRENTCLIMATIC CONDITIONS PRESENT ACROSS THE BIG SAGEBRUSH REGION WE WILL SIMULATE FOUR GRAZINGINTENSITIES LOW, MODERATE, HEAVY, AND VERY HEAVY GRAZING FOR CURRENT AND ALL FUTURE CLIMATICSCENARIOS DELIVERABLES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES AT LEAST ONE PUBLICATION EVALUATING THE SUSTAINABILITY OFCURRENT GRAZING REGIMES UNDER A FUTURE CLIMATE THROUGHOUT THE BIG SAGEBRUSH REGION, AND ASSOCIATEDDATA, WHICH WILL BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE VIA SCIENCEBASE IN ADDITION, WE WILL PRESENT KEYFINDINGS AT THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA ANNUAL MEETING AND VIA A WEBINAR DESIGNED TOCOMMUNICATE THESE RESULTS TO RESOURCE MANAGERS AND CONSERVATION PLANNERS WITHIN THE BIGSAGEBRUSH REGION OUTCOMES WILL INCLUDE 1 SCENARIO B