Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Hawai-Pacific Islands (HPI) Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
The Geological Survey seeks a Hawai-Pacific Islands ecosystem studies partner to research how wind drives mosquito incursions into Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.
Funder: Geological Survey
Due Dates: December 7, 2026 (Applications, 11:59 PM ET)
Funding Amounts: $1–$49,844 per award; $49,844 total funding; one anticipated 17-month award
Summary: Supports research on how wind carries mosquitoes into Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaiʻi.
Key Information: Applicants must be participating partners of the Hawai-Pacific Islands Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
Description
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a cooperative agreement to study how wind influences mosquito incursions into Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. Hakalau supports the most intact community of native Hawaiian birds remaining in Hawaiʻi, partly because disease-carrying Culex mosquitoes are absent from higher-elevation portions of the refuge. The research seeks to identify temporal patterns, sources, and corridors through which mosquitoes may be blown upslope.
The project will deploy wind anemometers, collect continuous wind records quarterly over 15 months, and assess elevation, landscape, canopy, corridors, season, and time of day as predictors of wind speed and direction. USGS and the recipient will work in close partnership, with substantial federal involvement. Results will be shared through presentations, journal publications, and communications with federal natural-resource management partners.
