BLM CA Insects of Restored Coastal Dunes | L17AS00110

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00110

The "BLM CA Insects of Restored Coastal Dunes" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L17AS00110) is a Bureau of Land Management, California-focused grant intended to support work connected to coastal dune restoration and the ecological outcomes that follow from it, especially in Humboldt County. The project context is that BLM-managed dune areas in this part of coastal northern California have undergone restoration that has increased native plant diversity, and those restored dunes are now viewed as strong examples of functioning native dune ecosystems. The opportunity is framed around understanding and supporting restoration-driven recovery processes in these dune systems, where changes in vegetation can have major downstream effects on habitat quality and broader biodiversity, including insects and other ecological components tied to native plant communities.

A central driver for this work is the conservation and recovery of two federally endangered plants: beach layia (Layia carnosa) and Humboldt Bay wallflower (Erysimum menziesii). The grant description highlights that increasing plant diversity through dune restoration is considered an instrumental part of these species' recovery, meaning the restored plant community is not just a general improvement but a key mechanism that helps these endangered plants persist and expand. Because insects are often tightly linked to native flowering plants through pollination, herbivory, and food-web relationships, the title signals that the funded work is meant to address the insect component of restored dunes, likely by documenting insect communities, evaluating how they respond to restoration, and helping land managers understand how insect dynamics align with endangered plant recovery goals.

The opportunity also emphasizes that restored dunes frequently sit right next to dunes still dominated by invasive European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria). This matters because European beachgrass reshapes dune morphology by trapping sand and building taller, steeper dunes, which can alter wind patterns, sand movement, moisture, and the types of microhabitats available. Those physical changes then influence what plants can establish and persist, and by extension which insects can use the area. The description points out one specific vegetation shift that can occur under these altered conditions: the establishment of yellow bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus). This plant is significant because it fixes nitrogen, enriching soils that are normally nutrient-poor in dune environments. Nitrogen inputs can push the plant community toward different species compositions, sometimes favoring fast-growing plants and changing competitive relationships among natives. Over time, that can lead to further changes in the dune plant community, potentially affecting the habitat characteristics that restoration is trying to maintain for rare native plants and the insects associated with them.

Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, using a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument. It was categorized under natural resources (CFDA 15.231), with eligibility listed as unrestricted, meaning it was broadly open to any applicant type as long as they met any additional conditions described elsewhere in the full announcement. The opportunity was posted on May 18, 2017, with an original closing date of July 17, 2017. BLM anticipated making a single award, with an award ceiling of $250,000, indicating one recipient would lead the proposed work in coordination with BLM, consistent with how cooperative agreements typically involve substantial federal involvement in project design, implementation, or oversight.

In practical terms, the grant can be read as supporting applied ecological work in restored coastal dunes: linking restoration actions and invasive species pressures to changes in plant communities and the insect communities they support, while keeping the recovery needs of federally endangered dune plants at the center of the effort. The overall message is that restored dunes are functioning well, but they exist in a landscape where invasive beachgrass and nitrogen-fixing lupine can continue to reshape conditions, so careful study and management attention are needed to understand and sustain the ecological gains made through restoration.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM CA Insects of Restored Coastal Dunes" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 18, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 17, 2017. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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