PACIFIC NORTHWEST COOPERATIVE ECOSYSTEM STUDIES UNIT

RENEWAL SELF-ASSESSMENT

A REVIEW OF 2015 – 2019 ACTIVITIES OF THE PNW CESU FOR FIVE-YEAR RENEWAL TERM

PNW CESU

School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

University of Washington

Box 352100 pnwcesu@uw.edu

Seattle, WA 98195 http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu

PNW CESU Renewal Self-Assessment of 2015-2019

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INTRODUCTION The Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (PNW CESU), established in 2000, supports the

collaboration between federal agencies and partners to support research, technical assistance, and education that

enhances the understanding and management of natural and cultural resources. Over the past nineteen fiscal years,

the PNW CESU’s federal agency members have supplied almost $130 million to our partners for nearly a

thousand projects, many of which include students pursuing an undergraduate course or graduate theses.

As the PNW CESU completes its fourth five-year term, this self-assessment provides an opportunity to share the

PNW CESU’s progress and identify challenges and potential solutions in consideration for its fifth term

agreement (8/2020 - 8/2025).

The PNW CESU membership has continued to grow over this fourth term. We welcomed one new federal

agency, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), another university, Seattle University, (SU), our first non-government

organization the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA), and two non-profits, the Institute

for Applied Ecology (IAE) and the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM).

The PNW CESU has had some changes in leadership in the University of Washington (host) Co-Leader position.

The School of Environmental and Forest Services has had three new Directors this term: Director Tom DeLuca

(2015), Interim Director Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh (2017), and our current Director Dan Brown (2018). We

have benefited from the continued support of PNW CESU Co-Leader, National Park Service Senior Science

Advisor Dr. Chris Lauver, during these transitions to retain history and guidance.

The PNW CESU continues to participate at the national CESU level, attending monthly CESU Director phone

calls and contributing to the national CESU working group. The PNW CESU supports the Great Basin’s National

Park Service agreements and provided NPS data and charts for the GB CESU 2016 renewal. The PNW CESU

also launched a new WordPress website in 2016.

The decrease in the PNW CESU Program Coordinator’s hours has effectively lowered the FTE support for the

PNW CESU from 50% to 40% for the past two years. This has had an unfortunate effect on the abilities of the

PNW CESU to meet its goals. Moving forward, an increase in the Program Coordinator’s hours would address

many of these problems, but ongoing issues may make that unrealistic at this time. As the sole administrative

support for the PNW CESU, the focus has been on renewal, new members (voting and amendment), funding

announcements, and teleconferences. The impact has been less outreach through newsletters or more complex

meeting preparations, and pending updates to the project library.

The government level changes may have impacted the PNW CESU’s use due to less time to process agreements.

In May 2017, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke issued new rules requiring projects over $100,000 to have an

additional layer of review. In addition, the government shut down from Jan 20 – 22, 2018 and Dec 22, 2018 – Jan

25, 2019, which hampered the ability of the PNW CESU to communicate with federal agency personnel. In

addition, the National Park Service processing deadlines were moved up to March in 2018 and then up again to

February for 2020.

The lack of administrative support for the National CESU Office is ongoing, with no replacement to Dr. Fish’s

previous assistant, Cheri Yost, since her departure in April 2016. This affects the national website being updated

and while the National Office receives some support with interns, having fully committed assistance would be

beneficial to the CESUs. Perhaps at the national level, a network technical representatives teleconference to

encourage their internal agency networking and sharing of knowledge of processes might help.

Future PNW CESU opportunities for improvements would be to increase the website’s SEO, perhaps set up a

Mailchimp funding announcements feed, and further posting of project final reports. A virtual network even more

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than an in-person department requires enhancing the relationships by outreach, and an in-person PNW CESU all-

members meeting would be very beneficial. Former PNW CESU Co-Leader Dr. DeLuca served as CESU

Director at Rocky Mountains CESU and is now the new College of Forestry dean for Oregon State University.

With OSU as the most funded PNW CESU partner at $40 million, we hope to suggest a collaboration on an in-

person PNW CESU meeting co-hosted by OSU. The Director of the Institute of Natural Resources at OSU, Lisa

Gaines, has been an active technical representative for the PNW CESU.

The PNW CESU has seen a great deal of activity since its inception with nearly three thousand (2,949) actions

processed, split in thirds by new projects initiated (982), cost modifications adding funding (983), and

administrative actions extending the end date or changing contacts (984).

With its first funded projects (34) in

fiscal year 2001 of over one

million, the PNW CESU has seen a

682% growth to $8.3 million in

2019.

Reflecting on term-by-term

changes, the PNW CESU

experienced nearly 150% growth

from first term to second, a 92%

increase from second to third, and a

2.3% decrease from third to fourth.

The PNW CESU opened its fourth term with a 35.5% decrease from FY14’s record-breaking year of $12.2

million to FY15’s $7.8 million. There was a 36% increase in FY16 to $10.7 million, followed by FY17’s new

record ($80,000 more than FY14) of $12.3 million. A 37% drop to $7.7 million in FY18 and a slight recovery

(8%) in FY19 with $8.3 million followed this.

CRITERIA AND QUESTIONS For each question listed below, indicate “YES” or “NO” (as appropriate) AND provide additional examples in

support of your answer.

(See Appendix A for PNW CESU membership list for abbreviations for reference).

CATEGORY A: FEDERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Did each federal agency in the CESU…

1. Provide opportunities for coordinated, collaborative scientific and scholarly activities (i.e. research, technical

assistance, and education) that inform stewardship of, and education about, public trust heritage resources in

alignment with CESU, agency, and partner mission goals, programmatic objectives, and authorities?

No, two of the federal agencies have not been active, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) and the

Department of Defense (DOD), but ten of our 12 federal agencies did supply funding to PNW CESU partners.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) has not initiated a project but does wish to remain a member

and is interested in making use of the CESU as a mechanism in the future.

$0

$5

$10

$15

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Mill

ion

sFIgure 1. FY01-FY19 Federal Agency Funding of

$130M

New Projects $63M Additional $67M Total Funding $130M

PNW CESU Renewal Self-Assessment of 2015-2019

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The Department of Defense has not reported any projects through the PNW CESU since the last term’s two

projects with the University of Vermont and State Agriculture College (Historic Ranch Stabilization and Santa

Margarita Ranch Complex and Provide Architectural Expertise and Conservation Work). We followed up with

the UVM PI regarding if either project received additional funding but did not receive a response. UVM’s

technical representative but may have retired; we are awaiting a reply from UVM on a replacement and if they

intend to continue membership. DOD’s Jeff Foster has not heard of any DOD projects through the PNW CESU.

There could be a challenge regarding if there is an internal mechanism in place for reporting of these projects.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) joined last term (2010) but initiated its first

project through the PNW CESU this term (FY15). NOAA supplied $3.3 million, split roughly each year over

FY15-FY19, for the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The PNW CESU follows up annually

with UAA’s internal representative to track annual funding and NOAA has not reported any other projects.

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) joined this term (2015) and have collaborated with the University of

Idaho on a project with the Nez Perce tribe. The PNW CESU is waiting for the executed agreement with funding

amount and other details.

The National Park Service (NPS) has supplied roughly 43% of the PNW CESU’s total funding at $56 million and

they continue to supply the most funding per year. From third term to fourth term, there was a 5% drop in overall

funding with $17 .3 million and a 28% decrease in the number of new projects from 170 to 122, bringing their

total to 553 projects, 56% of the PNW CESU’s total projects.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) joined in 2008, and has contributed 16% of total PNW CESU

funding with 23 projects, 18 of which were initiated in this fourth term. Down 18% from last term, they supplied

$9.2 million and were the second greatest funding agency in our fourth term, and the third highest contributor

overall to the PNW CESU. They recently initiated a project with our international partner, the University of

British Columbia (UBC), and new non-profit members the Institute for Applied Ecology and the Center for

Natural Lands Management. USACE has collaborated with nine total partners, seven this term with the majority

going to University of Idaho at nearly $4 million for Columbia River Basin Fish Monitoring and Evaluation

Studies, and Oregon State University (OSU), $2.5 for four projects, and Portland State University, $1.6 for six

projects.

AgencyYear

Joined

# Funding # Funding # Funding # Funding # Funding

BIA 2015 n/a n/a n/a 1 1 -$

BLM 2000 22 2,641,890$ 36 4,386,920$ 67 8,119,031$ 52 8,397,119$ 177 23,544,960$

BOEM 2006 n/a 0 0 0 0 -$

DOD 2013 n/a n/a 2 693,179$ 0 2 693,179$

NOAA 2010 n/a n/a n/a 1 3,307,131$ 1 3,307,131$

NPS 2000 124 6,897,815$ 137 13,708,982$ 170 18,188,699$ 122 17,300,480$ 553 56,095,976$

NRCS 2004 1 52,000$ 28 2,281,819$ 9 2,231,992$ 8 1,694,379$ 46 6,260,190$

USACE 2008 n/a 0 $ - 5 11,272,938$ 18 9,235,464$ 23 20,508,402$

USBR 2004 0 5 540,376$ 11 1,802,435$ 3 354,294$ 19 2,697,105$

USFS 2000 0 4 714,441$ 15 1,069,151$ 15 1,678,112$ 34 3,461,704$

USFWS 2000 1 21,000$ 7 1,616,501$ 27 1,369,684$ 38 3,149,743$ 73 6,156,927$

USGS 2000 4 389,677$ 10 1,685,305$ 22 3,186,626$ 20 1,713,943$ 56 6,975,551$

TOTAL 152 10,002,382$ 227 24,934,344$ 328 47,933,736$ 278 46,830,665$ 985 129,701,126$

Table 1. Agency Funding by Term

Agency fiscal year funding (new projects and cost modifications adding funding) and number of new projects issued by term.

First Term

FY05-FY09

Second Term

FY05-FY09

Third Term

FY10-FY14

Fourth Term

FY15-FY19

All Terms

FY01-FY19 Total

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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had a slight (3%) increase from last term with $8.4 million. There has

been a significant drop in funding from their all-time high in FY17 at $2.7 million to FY19’s $776,467. The

number of projects dropped 22% from last term’s 67 to 52. With $23.5 million in total funding for 177 projects,

the BLM is PNW CESU’s second highest contributor.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) had a significant drop (46%) from last term to fourth term but saw a 57%

increase in FY19 and the number of new projects (20) remained about the same. They have supplied 5% of total

PNW CESU funding at almost $7 million..

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has supplied 5% of PNW CESU’s total funding at $6 million. They

had an increase of 130% from last term to fourth term and a 41% increase in number of projects from 27 to 38,

over $3 million this term, roughly half of what their total PNW CESU funding, with a 160% increase from FY18

to FY19.

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Pacific Northwest Research Station, has contributed 3% of the total funding with

$3.5 million. They had a 57% increase from the last term for a total of nearly $1.7 million, but had the same

number of new projects (10) each term. They had a 52% decrease from FY18 to FY19, partnering with six

universities, one of which was our newest Seattle University.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) had a significant drop from last term, from $1.8 million and 11 new

projects, to $354,294 and three new projects. They reported no FY19 funding activity and their last action through

PNW CESU was supplying additional funding in FY18 for the University of Idaho on a project, 2014-2019

Lapwai Basin Steelhead Density Monitoring.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has not supplied project data for FY18 or FY19. They have

had 58 projects, over $6 million, and nearly every year had projects through FY17. This term, they have provided

at least $1.7 million.

There is limited data on what type and discipline the PNW CESU are since only NPS consistently provides this

detailed level information.

Agency FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19FY15-FY19 Total

Funding

%

of Total

BIA n/a pending

BLM 1,971,805$ 2,428,613$ 2,742,352$ 477,882$ 776,467$ 8,397,119$ 18%

BOEM -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

DOD -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$

NOAA 594,000$ 619,331$ 633,000$ 690,000$ 770,800$ 3,307,131$ 7%

NPS 3,300,468$ 3,105,341$ 4,050,659$ 3,821,367$ 3,022,645$ 17,300,480$ 37%

NRCS 26,345$ 1,118,034$ 550,000$ unknown unknown 1,694,379$ 4%

USACE 798,333$ 1,496,304$ 2,950,759$ 1,784,023$ 2,206,045$ 9,235,464$ 20%

USBR 203,246$ 62,319$ 53,413$ 35,316$ -$ 354,294$ 1%

USFS 291,097$ 458,382$ 563,867$ 246,376$ 118,390$ 1,678,112$ 4%

USFWS 395,724$ 950,160$ 460,927$ 371,984$ 970,948$ 3,149,743$ 7%

USGS 297,019$ 422,928$ 290,630$ 274,171$ 429,195$ 1,713,943$ 4%

TOTAL 7,878,037$ 10,661,412$ 12,295,607$ 7,701,119$ 8,294,490$ 46,830,665$

Table 2. Fourth Term Funding

Agency fiscal year funding (new projects and cost modifications adding funding) for fourth renewal term.

PNW CESU Renewal Self-Assessment of 2015-2019

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The trend this last term compared to the previous renewal remained mostly the same. For type, this terms had a

5% increase in research, an 8% decrease in technical assistance, and a 3% increase in education projects.

The discipline split saw an 11% drop in biological, a 15% increase in interdisciplinary, a 4% increase in cultural,

a 2% increase in social (was 4%) and a drop in physical from 11% to 1%.

2. PROVIDE FUNDS FOR BASIC SUPPORT AND SALARY FOR CESU HOST UNIVERSITY (OR OTHER

NONFEDERAL PARTNER INSTITUTION) FACULTY/PERSONNEL, AS APPROPRIATE? HOW HAVE FEDERAL

PARTNERS PROVIDED SUPPORT TO THE HOST UNIVERSITY OVER THE CURRENT FIVE-YEAR TERM (BOTH

FINANCIAL AND IN-KIND) SPECIFICALLY TO SUPPORT CESU OPERATIONS?

Host support funding has changed this term. Previously, the funding support was based on a one-time $10,000

federal agency joining fee with all remaining funding came from National Park Service. Starting in 2016, the

federal agencies began supplying $1,800 per CESU they are a member of, with the exception of the U.S. Forest

Service who does participate in providing funding. The funding is supplied via an agreement between the host,

University of Washington, and the National Park Service, with the CESU Network Director serving as the NPS

Agreement Technical Representative. The funds tend to be slow to process and burdensome on the CESU

Network Director to request, track, and process. Additionally, some federal agencies are not inclined to supply

new funding if all previous funding has not been spent down which can be difficult to do. The uncertainty of

future funds is ongoing as the funds trickle in. This term, $215,077 in total funding supported the PNW CESU

with the majority from National Park Service.

3. MAKE AVAILABLE FEDERAL PERSONNEL TO SERVE ON THE CESU FEDERAL MANAGERS COMMITTEE?

DID ALL FEDERAL TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVES ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN CESU FEDERAL MANAGERS

COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES, CESU PARTNER MEETINGS, AND OTHER CESU ACTIVITIES (E.G., COMMUNICATION, PLANNING, REPORTING)?

No, some federal agencies have not. Two federal agencies, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Natural

Resources Conservation Services have not responded regarding their intent to remain PNW CESU members.

Many of our federal agencies have participated in annual teleconferences and almost all cast votes for our three

new members. The challenge of receiving project data from our federal agencies remains. Some agencies do not

have strong internal tracking systems for CESU activity. The Bureau of Land Management continues to supply

PDFs of the agreements at regular intervals after getting an internal process restarted. The U.S. Geological Survey

found a work-around for finding and sending their project modifications. The Natural Resources Conservation

Services has not supplied any FY18 or FY19 project data. Our ongoing data efforts include supplying a

Research53%

Technical Assistance

39%

Education8%

Figure 2. Funding by Type (FY15-FY19)

Biological50%

Cultural20%

Interdisciplinary23%

Physical1%

Social6%

Figure 3. Funding by Discipline (FY15-FY19)

PNW CESU Renewal Self-Assessment of 2015-2019

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spreadsheet to the agencies with their project data so they can check for additional actions, and reviewing all

PDFs to check for any data and specific IDC and cooperative agreement language.

We also struggle to receive additional data, like funding amount, start or end dates, project contacts, especially

when we only receive spreadsheets rather than executed agreements. We have weeded out some projects that were

not technically CESU projects, usually just an error on a masking code.

The PNW CESU is grateful for the federal agencies continuing efforts to identify projects they have processed

through the PNW CESU. With their cooperation, we were able to identify two hundred thousand in funding

unreported in the previous self-assessment. Receiving additional contacts has been of tremendous help, and the

Program Coordinator will be increasing efforts to find OSP or administrative contacts and have technical

representatives coordinate with them

4. COMPLY WITH CESU NETWORK, HOST UNIVERSITY, AND NONFEDERAL PARTNER INSTITUTION RULES, REGULATIONS, AND POLICIES?

The participants of the PNW CESU program comply with all the regulations each agency requires.

5. DID FEDERAL AGENCY EMPLOYEES ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE HOST UNIVERSITY

AND NONFEDERAL PARTNER INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING SERVING ON GRADUATE STUDENT COMMITTEES

OR TEACHING COURSES?

Yes, the NPS PNW CESU Co-Leader and other NPS staff have participated in seminars, webinars, and

conference presentations.

6. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE AGENCY'S ROLE IN ADMINISTERING THE CESU

AGREEMENT, TRANSFERRING FUNDS, AND SUPERVISION OF AGENCY EMPLOYEES?

Yes, no problems regarding the transference of funds or supervision of employees have been reported. The

NPS Agreement Technical Representatives continue to supply project final reports and are attentive to project

end date notices.

7. PROVIDE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE, AS APPROPRIATE, NECESSARY TO EXECUTE THE CESU

AGREEMENT AND SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS OR MODIFICATIONS?

Yes. During this term, four Amendments were processed. One federal agency (BIA) and three new

partners joined. All federal agencies responded and submitted a vote in the affirmative for each of our

new partners, with these exception: USFS did not submit a vote for WAFWA (2017), USBR and USGS

did note submit a vote for CNLM (2018), and BOEM replied in the negative for CNLM noting a concern

that expanding membership outside universities and federal agencies could impact the integrity of the

program.

8. FEDERAL AGENCY RESPONSE ONLY: WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PROJECTS WERE CONDUCTED

SUCCESSFULLY (E.G., PROJECT TASKS COMPLETED? WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PROJECTS WERE

UNSUCCESSFUL? PROVIDE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE, AS APPROPRIATE, NECESSARY TO EXECUTE THE

CESU AGREEMENT AND SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS OR MODIFICATIONS?

The host has not heard of any projects that were not successfully completed, with the exceptions of a couple of

projects that were not able to deliver final reports due to outside issues.

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CATEGORY B: HOST UNIVERSITY RESPONSIBILITIES

Did the host university…

1. ALLOW AND ENCOURAGE ITS FACULTY TO ENGAGE IN PARTICIPATING FEDERAL AGENCY SPONSORED

RESEARCH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE CESU OBJECTIVES?

Yes. During this term the University of Washington partnered with six agencies on 77 projects worth

$5.2 million. There was a 12% drop in overall funding from last term but there has been an upward trend

over the last three years. In FY19, over one million was supplied by our federal agencies to the host.

Since the establishment of UW as host, there has been over $21 million for 254 projects They stand

second to Oregon State University as the most funded partner. The UW had their highest PNW CESU

funded year in FY16 with $1.8 million.

2. PROVIDE BASIC ADMINISTRATIVE AND CLERICAL SUPPORT OVER THE CURRENT FIVE-YEAR TERM (I.E., IN

SUPPORT OF CESU OPERATIONS)?

Yes. The host, the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, does not supply

funding but does provide other forms of support, detailed below.

A. HOW MUCH DID IT COST THE HOST INSTITUTION TO SUPPORT THE CESU OVER THE CURRENT FIVE-YEAR TERM?

The University of Washington hosts the PNW CESU and provides the time of the Director of the School of

Environmental Sciences who serves as the PNW CESU Co-Leader. Director Brown acts as the PNW CESU

Program Coordinator’s supervisor, with the work that entails (time sheets, annual review), as well as serving as

the Principal Investigator for the project agreement (approval of budget transaction). SEFS fiscal staff and UW’s

Office of Sponsored Projects provide staff time to assist with the internal UW mechanisms to process new master

agreements and amendments. They also provide office space, use of their copy machines for printing The UW

also provides the server host for the PNW CESU website.

B. WHERE IS THE CESU DIRECTOR’S OFFICE OFFICIALLY STATIONED WITHIN THE HOST INSTITUTION?

Director Brown’s office is located at the University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest

Sciences, 107 Anderson Hall, one floor above the PNW CESU office.

3. PROVIDE ACCESS FOR CESU FEDERAL AGENCY PERSONNEL (E.G., CESU RESEARCH COORDINATOR) TO

CAMPUS FACILITIES, INCLUDING LIBRARY, LABORATORIES, AND COMPUTER FACILITIES?

Yes, the National Park Service Senior Science Advisor, who serves as the PNW CESU Co-Leader, also has a

University of Washington affiliate appointment, which enables the use of the libraries and other facilities.

Count Funding Count Funding Count Funding Count Funding Count Funding

70 $3,293,985 52 $7,006,039 55 $5,939,353 77 $5,197,911 254 $21,437,289

TABLE 3. University of Washington Fourth Term Funding

Host University of Washington Funding through PNW CESU

First Term

FY01-04

Second Term

FY05-09

Third Term

FY10-14

Fourth Term

FY15-19

All Terms

FY01-19

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4. PROVIDE SUITABLE OFFICE SPACE, FURNITURE AND LABORATORY SPACE, UTILITIES, COMPUTER

NETWORK ACCESS AND BASIC TELEPHONE SERVICE FOR CESU FEDERAL AGENCY PERSONNEL (E.G., CESU RESEARCH COORDINATOR) TO BE LOCATED AT THE HOST UNIVERSITY?

Yes. The UW SEFS continues to support the PNW CESU by providing office space for the National Park

Service Senior Science Advisor Dr. Chris Lauver and the Program Coordinator. They also funded a standing-

desk to accommodate the Program Coordinator’s injury, along with office furniture, computer network access,

phone service, and copy machine use.

5. OFFER EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATING FEDERAL AGENCY

EMPLOYEES, AS APPROPRIATE?

The nature of the collaboration amongst the PNW CESU members leads to further knowledge sharing. Many of

the PNW CESU projects provide opportunities to develop databases and reports to share resources and findings,

which also increases the working experience for any students involved.

6. COORDINATE ACTIVITIES, AS APPROPRIATE, WITH THE CESU FEDERAL, TRIBAL, AND NONFEDERAL

PARTNERS AND DEVELOP ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES FOR SUCH COORDINATION?

Yes. The PNW CESU has continued to provide support to our members and facilitates the sharing of processes

through our website:

http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/administration/

http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/projectplanning/

A. WAS A CESU MANAGERS COMMITTEE MAINTAINED AND CONVENED, AT LEAST ANNUALLY?

No. During this term, four meetings were held: December 14, 2015, May 9, 2017, May 29, 2019, and December

4, 2019. Please see details in

B. WERE PERIODIC MEETINGS OF THE CESU PARTNERS CONVENED, AT LEAST ANNUALLY, FOR THE

PURPOSE OF COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION OF CESU ACTIVITIES?

No. During this term, four meetings were held: December 14, 2015, May 9, 2017, May 29, 2019, and December

4, 2019. The federal agencies and the non-federal partners of the PNW CESU join together at an annual

teleconference rather than separate meetings.

C. WHAT EFFORTS WERE MADE TO COMMUNICATE EACH TRIBAL AND NONFEDERAL PARTNER

INSTITUTION’S STRENGTHS AND EXPERTISE TO THE FEDERAL PARTNERS?

Our partners send their information to be shared on our website via their individual webpages:

http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/membership/

D. HOW WERE FEDERAL FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS AND/OR OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

COMMUNICATED TO PARTNERS ACROSS THE CESU?

PNW CESU Renewal Self-Assessment of 2015-2019

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The PNW CESU shares funding opportunities and employment opportunities through our website and through

email. This term, we had 122 website postings, many of which we later saw being awarded to our partners in

executed agreements. http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/news-2/announcements/

We also produced e-newsletters, Cooperative Ventures, with editions sent out in Jan 2016, May 2016, Feb 2017,

and May 2018: http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/news-2/newsletter/

And we share project final reports on our website: http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/news-2/recently-

completed-projects/

CATEGORY C: PARTICIPATION OF ALL PARTNERS

1. WHAT EFFORTS DID THE HOST UNIVERSITY, TRIBAL, NONFEDERAL, AND FEDERAL PARTNERS UNDERTAKE

TO ENGAGE STUDENTS IN PROJECTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES OF THE CESU?

At least five federal agencies provided funding to partners with student activity noted in the agreement. The other

agencies may have projects involving students but do not note it. PNW CESU projects have included internships,

fellowships, and the productions of masters and PhD student theses or reports and posters. The guidance and

work experience provided by the federal agencies and their personnel is beneficial to the students, as well.

The National Park Service supplied $13.5 million this term, with over two-thirds, 93 of 122 projects, indicating

student involvement. Of these, 60 noted graduate students, 39 indicated undergrad, and a dozen had both.

Some examples of other federal agency projects with student activity:

Bureau of Land Management: Strengthening Education and Employment for Diverse Students, and 4-H

International Summer Camp.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Models Multi-dimensional Surface Water Water Quality Model, and the

Development and Validation of Riverine Water Quality Models

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: The Pacific Region Fishery Resources PSU Graduate Assistant, and the

Cultural Resource Management Student Experience Program.

The U.S. Forest Service collaborated with our new university member, Seattle University which produced a

student poster, Designing Green Infrastructure to Improve Aquatic and Riparian Habitat in the Pacific Northwest.

2. DID ALL PARTNERS ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN CESU ACTIVITIES (E.G., MEETINGS, PHONE CALLS, SIGNING

AMENDMENTS, STRATEGIC PLANNING, REPORTING)?

No. The difficulty with the responsiveness of some technical representatives has been ongoing. This could

threaten the ability to meet a voting quorum on new member applications. The Alaska Department of Fish and

Game did not had an assigned technical representative in years but have identified one recently. The University of

Vermont’s technical representative was not active and appears to have retired without a new one being assigned.

We have reached out to UVM’s OSP contacts to see if a representative could be assigned and their intent to

remain members be submitted. The activity of our partners, while not reflected well in meeting attendance, has

been perhaps higher than the previous term due to the need to participate in four voting sessions and the

processing of new agreements within their internal institutions. Sharing the national network’s roles and

responsibilities PDFs with representatives has been helpful. See Appendix Renewal term meetings attendee list

for attendance details. Meeting presentations are available on our website:

http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/administration/annual-meetings/

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3. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PARTNERS RECEIVED FUNDING THROUGH THE CESU OVER THE CURRENT FIVE-YEAR TERM?

Twenty of our twenty-two partners (90%) have received funding from the PNW CESU federal agencies in our

last term. Heritage University has not partnered with an agency yet. Eastern Washington University has received

funding for an existing project but has not had a new project initiated this term. And new NGO member, Western

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies joined in 2018 and has not started a project yet.

Our two non-profits, the Center for Natural Lands Management and the Institute for Applied Ecology have

partnered with USACE on Willamette Valley pollinator studies projects. New partner Seattle University

partnered with the U.S. Forest Service on two student related projects with academic posters. The University of

British Columbia did not have activity during our previous term, but this term started a project with USACE on

fish passage alternatives with focus on the Middle Fork Willamette River. Previously UBC had partnered in

FY04 and FY05 with National Park Service.

Oregon State University with over $14 million (31% of the total funding) continues to be the most funded partner,

with a large portion of that from BLM for Sage Grouse projects, NRCS for lesser prairie chicken, and USACE for

Willamette River Instream projects. The host, University of Washington, remains second in overall funding but

dropped to fourth during this term. Portland State University and University of Idaho received substantial funding

from USACE to pursue projects Water Quality Model (PSU) and Columbia River Basin Fish Monitoring (UID).

The University of Oregon saw 130% increase to $1.5 million and University of Alaska Anchorage had a 380%

increase to over $4 million, most of it from NOAA for the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

project. The Alaska Department of Fish & Game has partnered with NPS on a new project each year.

PartnerYear

Joined

# Funding # Funding # Funding # Funding # Funding

ADFG 2000 5 $324,365 4 $396,071 6 $687,929 5 $784,885 20 $2,193,250

CNLM 2018 n/a n/a n/a 1 $55,995 1 $55,995

CWU 2010 n/a n/a 5 $170,405 4 $137,619 9 $308,024

EWU 2007 n/a 1 $7,245 0 0 $7,245 1 $14,490

HU 2000 0 0 0 0 0 $0

IAE 2018 n/a n/a n/a 1 $56,978 1 $56,978

OIT 2006 n/a 0 1 $26,783 4 $132,045 5 $158,828

OSU 2000 28 $4,018,468 74 $8,839,656 79 $13,004,783 72 $14,381,030 253 $40,243,937

PSU 2005 n/a 14 $790,304 62 $7,845,874 51 $8,238,102 127 $16,874,281

SMUMN 2006 n/a 11 $638,971 24 $2,489,416 4 $949,362 39 $4,077,749

SOU 2004 4 $309,994 9 $1,478,709 14 $1,996,945 5 $946,061 32 $4,731,709

SU 2017 n/a n/a n/a 2 $20,000 2 $20,000

UAA 2000 5 $415,462 3 $322,789 9 $864,625 2 $4,167,152 19 $5,770,028

UAS 2000 3 $194,797 5 $319,320 9 $593,533 6 $446,417 23 $1,554,067

UBC 2000 1 $10,255 1 $54,182 0 1 $98,978 3 $163,415

UID 2000 21 $929,075 17 $3,040,295 22 $8,993,639 15 $5,209,430 75 $18,172,439

UO 2000 3 $139,405 9 $448,368 9 $651,461 24 $1,498,070 45 $2,737,304

UVM 2000 3 $245,916 9 $766,998 13 $1,968,811 8 $1,191,795 33 $4,173,520

UW 2000 70 $3,293,985 52 $7,006,039 55 $5,939,353 41 $5,197,911 218 $21,437,289

WAFWA 2018 n/a n/a n/a 0 0 $0

WSU 2000 2 $21,972 13 $650,054 15 $1,066,183 26 $2,500,900 56 $4,239,109

WWU 2000 7 $98,687 5 $175,341 5 $1,633,995 6 $817,933 23 $2,725,956

TOTAL 152 $10,002,381 227 $24,934,342 328 $47,933,736 278 $46,837,910 985 $129,708,368

Table 2. Partner Funding by Term

Partner fiscal year funding (new projects and modifications adding funding) and number of new projects issued by term.

First Term

FY01-FY04

Second Term

FY05-FY09

Third Term

FY10-FY14

Fourth Term

FY15-FY19

All Term

FY01-FY19 Total

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4. WHAT EFFORTS WERE MADE TO ENCOURAGE AND BROADEN PARTICIPATION IN THE CESU BY ALL

PARTNERS (E.G., HBCUS, TRIBAL COLLEGES, SMALL ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, STATE AND LOCAL

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES)?

Heritage University has not had a project through PNW CESU yet. There could be opportunity with the Bureau

of Indian Affairs who recently joined. We noted last renewal that HU students face cultural challenges that make

difficult to engage in projects outside the immediate community and will follow up with HU’s technical

representative to connect him with our BIA technical representative.

5. WHAT IS THE DATE OF THE MOST CURRENT VERSION OF THE CESU’S STRATEGIC PLAN? HOW WELL DO

THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CESU REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIVES OUTLINED IN THE PLAN?

The Strategic Plan was last reviewed and slightly edited at the December 2019 meeting. We hope to get further

input from our partners on our strategy moving forward and plan to make it a priority for PNW CESU.

6. DID THE PARTICIPATING FEDERAL AGENCIES, HOST UNIVERSITY, TRIBAL, AND NONFEDERAL PARTNERS

DEVELOP AND FOLLOW ANNUAL WORK PLANS TO GUIDE THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CESU?

Yes, the PNW CESU creates and shares an annual work plan on their website here:

http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/administration/

We share agency processes on our Project Planning section of our website here:

http://depts.washington.edu/pnwcesu/projectplanning/

7. HAVE PARTNERS SUCCESSFULLY OBTAINED THE TRIBAL, FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT

PERMITS AND/OR PERMISSIONS FROM PRIVATE LANDOWNERS NECESSARY TO EXECUTE PROJECTS UNDER

THE CESU AGREEMENT OVER THE CURRENT FIVE-YEAR TERM?

Yes, the agencies review the project agreements for appropriate wording to incorporate the rules into agreements

and we have heard of no instances where the rules have not been respected.

8. WHAT INSTANCES EXIST WHERE PROJECTS, PROGRAMS, OR PARTNERS HAVE DERIVED BENEFIT AS A

RESULT OF THE ESTABLISHED CESU RELATIONSHIP, INDEPENDENT OF FEDERAL AWARDS ADMINISTERED

THROUGH THE CESU?

The opportunities created by partnerships through the development of PNW CESU projects likely enable the

facilitation of other activity or association. Students exposed to agency work processes gives them experience

that can be advantageous, and we suspect many engage in employment after their projects.

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PNW CESU FY2015-FY2019 SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR RENEWAL

APPENDIX

A. PNW CESU Membership List

B. Meeting documents

o Renewal term meetings attendee list

o December 14, 2015 PNW CESU Annual Partners Meeting Power Point

o June 2016 National CESU Network Meeting PNW CESU Power Point

o May 9, 2017 PNW CESU Annual Partners Meeting Power Point

o June 2018 National CESU Network Meeting PNW CESU Power Point

o May 29, 2019 PNW CESU Annual Partners Meeting Power Point

o December 4, 2019 PNW CESU Annual Partners Meeting Power Point

C. Voting on new members count

D. Newsletters

o Cooperative Ventures e-Newsletter, Jan 2016

o Cooperative Ventures e-Newsletter, May 2016

o Cooperative Ventures e-Newsletter, Feb 2017

E. Strategic Plan

F. Project List