Interior Least Tern Monitoring on the McClellan Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in the Little Rock Corps District | W81EWF 25 SOI 0006

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 25 SOI 0006

This grant opportunity, titled "Interior Least Tern Monitoring on the McClellan Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in the Little Rock Corps District," is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). The award will be made as a cooperative agreement under CFDA 12.630 (science and technology and other research and development). The maximum award amount is $48,000, and the application deadline listed is August 13, 2025. Eligibility is limited to non-federal partners of the Great Rivers or Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU), meaning applicants generally need to be affiliated with those CESU networks to apply.

The project is focused on the Interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum), a fish-eating bird that nests on sparsely vegetated sandbars and other open, gravelly surfaces. The "interior" population is defined as least terns nesting more than 50 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, primarily along major river systems such as the Mississippi, Red, Arkansas, Canadian, Missouri, and Platte Rivers. Historically, this population was listed as endangered in 1985 due to widespread loss and degradation of nesting habitat tied to water resource development and river engineering. The opportunity text emphasizes that large dams, navigation projects, bank stabilization, and water withdrawals have altered river processes that create and maintain the bare sandbars least terns need for nesting, and that dam operations can also reduce reproductive success through flooding that destroys nests and chicks.

The Corps has been conducting habitat restoration and monitoring along the Arkansas River since 2016, using actions like placing dredged material to rebuild sandbars and removing vegetation from existing sandbars, while coordinating with state and federal partners. Although the Interior Least Tern was removed from the federal endangered and threatened species list in January 2021, that change came with assurances that the Corps would continue restoration and monitoring as described in the 2019 Southwestern Division Conservation Plan for the Interior Least Tern in the Arkansas, Canadian, and Red River basins. This funding opportunity is part of continuing that long-term commitment, with work concentrated on the Arkansas River reach between Fort Smith and the Mississippi River within the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS).

The main objective is continued, consistent field-based monitoring to evaluate population status, nesting success, and habitat conditions, especially given the long-standing impacts of navigation and hydropower operations on tern habitat and breeding outcomes. The anticipated work includes breeding-season colony monitoring, nest monitoring, inventorying (typically counts of adults, nests, eggs, and chicks, plus outcomes like fledging success when possible), and habitat assessments at established nesting areas. ERDC specifies coverage of at least 12 river colony locations and an additional 3 to 5 rooftop colonies within the Arkansas River Valley. The monitoring footprint is described geographically as spanning from downstream of Wilbur D. Mills Dam at approximately river mile 10 to roughly river mile 285 on the MKARNS in Arkansas. The inclusion of rooftop colonies reflects documented nesting on flat roofs covered with pea gravel or small river rock, which can resemble natural sandbar habitat; those sites would be monitored when appropriate permissions are obtained.

The public benefit rationale presented is that least terns, like many bird species, function as environmental indicators. Tracking their numbers and nesting performance is framed as a way to measure broader ecosystem and watershed health, not just whether the species is present. The grant emphasizes that understanding local and regional population trends can provide insight into habitat quality and the effects of river management, and that a healthier watershed supports cleaner water, recreation, and more resilient wildlife populations. Another expected outcome is broader data sharing with non-federal entities and other audiences to build public awareness and support for conservation and stewardship where tern habitat occurs. Finally, the opportunity highlights that project outputs are intended to contribute to the wider scientific knowledge base, with usefulness beyond the immediate study area and beyond USACE operations.

• The Engineer Research and Development Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Interior Least Tern Monitoring on the McClellan Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in the Little Rock Corps District" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-13. (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 $48,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for W81EWF 25 SOI 0006

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