Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)
USGS is funding research with a CESU partner to study how free-roaming horses, livestock, and native wildlife share and compete for resources in Utah using GPS data and modeling to inform land management.
Funder: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Due Dates: September 20, 2025 (11:59 PM ET)
Funding Amounts: $49,585 total | Single award | 1-year project period
Summary: Supports research on spatial dynamics and resource partitioning among livestock, wildlife, and free-roaming horses in Utah, focused on competition and management implications for public lands.
Key Information: Applicant must be a current partner in the Rocky Mountain CESU; not open to general applicants.
Description
This funding opportunity from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is for a cooperative agreement with a partner organization of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). The project seeks to model and evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution of resource partitioning and potential competition between free-roaming horses, livestock, and native ungulates (mule deer and pronghorn) in Utah. The research will combine data-driven modeling, GPS telemetry, and field-based data collection to inform public land management, support rural economies, and advance wildlife and habitat conservation.
Key research objectives include:
- Modeling seasonal resource selection of free-roaming horses, mule deer, pronghorn, cattle, and sheep, both before and after horse gathers.
- Assessing the influence of perennial water and high-quality forage on movement and resource use.
- Measuring home range size/configuration for each species pre- and post-gather.
Findings will help land managers understand competition dynamics and improve management of horses, livestock, and wildlife on public lands.
