The Nebraska Chapter of The Nature Conservancy will award up to five $1,000 grants in support of graduate student research that enhances our understanding of Great Plains species or ecosystems and their conservation.
Grant funds may be used to cover expenses related directly to the research project—including travel associated with data collection or to present results at a professional conference. Proposals funded will be technically sound and directly applicable to our conservation priorities in the Great Plains. Grants are offered to regularly enrolled graduate students, and they are based on scientific merit rather than need. Grant funds cannot be awarded to any institutions.
Eligible project categories:
- Grassland, wetland, and/or woodland ecology, management and restoration
- Great Plains migratory bird conservation and management
- Pollinator and invertebrate ecology and management
- Invasive species management
- Social science related to grassland conservation
Projects that meet the following objectives/questions for 2020 will be given particular priority:
- What factors influence ecological resilience and/or resistance to invasive species in grasslands?
- How is habitat loss and prairie fragmentation impacting plant and insect species?
- What are the impacts of tree encroachment and subsequent tree removal on plant communities?
- What management and restoration techniques benefit pollinator communities?
- Does prairie restoration serve to effectively defragment ecological landscapes?
- What kinds of fire and/or grazing management supports habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity?
- Can grazing systems that create good wildlife habitat also support strong livestock production?
- What alternatives exist for eastern redcedar plantings as windbreaks and shelterbelts?
- What are the production implications of grazing immediately after fire instead of delaying grazing?
- How does grassland plant diversity affect livestock production, invasive species resistance, and/or ecological resilience?
- What factors influence adoption of conservation practices by ranchers and farmers?
Proposals should have a cover page, no more than three pages of narrative (not including lit cited), a one-page budget, and two supporting letters (one from the Graduate Advisor). Proposals will be judged on clarity of writing, quality of project design and applicability of the project to priorities of the Weaver program. See the attached blank scoring sheet for more guidance.
Please note that reviewers will consist of a mix of scientists and non-scientists, so please keep your language and writing readable for a wide audience.
- Cover Page: Title, Author, Institution, Address, Date Submitted, Graduate Advisor, Non-Technical Abstract (one paragraph)
- Narrative (3 pages maximum): Significance of Proposed Work, Objectives, Methods, Design & Analysis, Expected Products, (single space/12 point type, Times New Roman font, 1 inch margins)
- Literature Cited Section (1 page maximum): A sampling of the literature most pertinent to your subject.
- Budget (1 page): The expected use(s) of the $1,000 award, and how it supplements other sources of support.
- Two Letters of Support (1 page each): (one from the Graduate Advisor) Please include with the proposal.
Successful applicants will agree to include the following acknowledgement in all publications and presentations resulting from research supported under this program. "The Nature Conservancy provided partial support for this work through the Nebraska Chapter's J.E. Weaver Competitive Grants Program."
Send a digital copy of proposal. All documents must be in either MS Word or as a PDF. Send to: Ms. Mardell Jasnowski (mjasnowski@tnc.org)
Application deadline is February 14, 2020.
Award recipients will be notified in March 2020.