Evaluation and Coordination of Pacific Lamprey Activities in the Yakima River Basin | BOR PN 19 N016

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR PN 19 N016

The Bureau of Reclamation funding opportunity titled "Evaluation and Coordination of Pacific Lamprey Activities in the Yakima River Basin" (Funding Opportunity Number BOR PN 19 N016) centers on supporting coordinated assessment and planning work to protect and restore Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) in the Columbia River Basin, with a focus on the Yakima River Basin. Pacific Lamprey is described as a prehistoric anadromous fish native to the Pacific Coast of North America and Asia, and it holds major subsistence, ceremonial, and medicinal importance for Columbia River Basin tribes. The notice emphasizes that lamprey numbers are now only a small fraction of historical abundance and that their range has been shrinking, with populations increasingly limited to lower portions of the basin. The work is framed as a proactive effort to prevent further declines, local extirpations, and the possibility that the species could require protections under the Endangered Species Act.

The opportunity aligns with a broader multi-party conservation response led by Columbia River Basin tribes and partner agencies, many of which formalized commitments through the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Agreement signed in 2012. Within that context, this specific effort is aimed at understanding and addressing how Bureau of Reclamation projects and facilities may affect lamprey at different life stages. A key part of the work is evaluation: identifying Reclamation projects that could impact lamprey, investigating potential effects of Reclamation facilities on juvenile and adult lamprey, and then using the results to recommend either additional study or practical actions that could reduce harm. In other words, it is both an impact-assessment effort and a pathway toward concrete mitigation or operational changes where warranted.

A second major component is coordination and planning. The notice calls for the joint development of a lamprey implementation plan specifically for Reclamation projects. That plan is to be informed by the project assessments, an existing tribal draft restoration plan, and any other relevant information available. The implementation plan is expected to include prioritized actions and to explicitly address practical constraints such as legal authorities and funding considerations, which often determine what can actually be implemented and on what timeline. Reclamation indicates the plan will be updated annually and that the agency will seek to carry out recommended actions laid out in the plan, signaling that the planning deliverable is intended to drive ongoing implementation rather than sit on a shelf.

Administratively, this is a discretionary opportunity using a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, reflecting an expectation of substantial involvement and collaboration between the federal agency and the recipient during project execution. The CFDA number associated with the program is 15.517, and the listed eligible applicants are federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The posted award ceiling is $533,424. The notice was created on June 3, 2019, with an original closing date of June 18, 2019, but it also clearly states it is not a request for applications. Instead, it serves as a public notice of Reclamation's intention to fund specified project activities without full and open competition, meaning the agency is signaling an intent to make a noncompetitive award for this work rather than soliciting proposals broadly.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Evaluation and Coordination of Pacific Lamprey Activities in the Yakima River Basin" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.517.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-06-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-06-18. (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 $533,424.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for BOR PN 19 N016

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: