The Service intends to award a single source cooperative agreement to Western EcoSystems Technology Inc.
(WEST).
This funding opportunity is to help meet the U.
S.
Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service) need for focused, applied science directed at high impact
questions surrounding threats to fish and wildlife resources for which management and/or mitigation is required to maintain species at healthy, sustainable, desired levels.
The Service must base its decisions on the best science available, in order to defend its regulatory decisions, biological opinions and species conservation recommendations to land managers.
Over the past several years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of terrestrial wind energy projects that have been proposed or are being constructed and operated within the range of the Indiana bat.
The Service is often engaged with these projects through the Endangered Species Act Section 7 consultation or Section 10 incidental take permitting processes.
A challenge for biologists is to evaluate the impact of these wind projects on migrating bats.
This funding opportunity is for the development of a bat migration risk assessment tool.
Authorizing statutes include the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1531-1544, 87 Stat.
884).