THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS-Park Restoration and Resource Education- INDU- THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS | NPS NOIP17AC00364

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP17AC00364

This notice describes a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement action tied to an existing master cooperative agreement with the Student Conservation Association (SCA), and it is explicitly labeled as not being a request for applications. In other words, it is not an open competition where new applicants are being solicited; instead, it documents a specific task agreement under Cooperative Agreement Number P15AC00031. The overall purpose is workforce and leadership development in conservation: building the next generation of conservation leaders and encouraging long-term stewardship by placing young people in hands-on service roles, paired with outdoor skills and leadership training.

The project itself is titled "Park Restoration and Resource Education Interns - INDU" and takes place at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (now Indiana Dunes National Park, though the document uses the lakeshore name). It has two main work components. The first is the Miller Woods Wetlands project, where SCA provides uniformed interns who arrive with baseline safety and work etiquette training, and NPS staff then provide site-specific training (including safety) focused on wetland restoration. Intern duties include applying herbicide, removing invasive plants by hand or with hand tools, collecting and cleaning seed, supporting greenhouse operations, and planting seeds and plants. The work is largely outdoors, with expected exposure to insects and poisonous plants, so practical field safety is a real emphasis. A key feature of this component is public-facing interpretation: interns are trained by NPS staff to explain their restoration activities to visitors and school groups, and they are expected to deliver several education programs under NPS supervision.

The second component is broader park restoration and maintenance work performed by SCA-provided crews. These crews are also uniformed and trained in basic safety, hand tool use, and outdoor work, with NPS adding additional safety training plus ongoing direction, periodic skill training, and work inspection. The tasks described include vegetation removal using both chemicals and hand tools, trail maintenance using hand tools, removal of river logjams, and greenhouse planting work. This portion is framed as a crew-based, field-intensive effort focused on maintaining and improving park resources and visitor infrastructure while developing conservation work skills.

Responsibilities are split clearly between SCA (the recipient) and NPS. SCA agrees to recruit and select two intern teams for the restoration and maintenance work, with each team made up of one crew leader plus four team members (so two teams of five people). SCA also agrees to recruit and select five individual interns for the Miller Woods Wetlands restoration and education project. Beyond recruitment, SCA is responsible for training, mentoring, and supervising the interns; providing financial and logistical support to participants through a living allowance, housing allowance, and travel allowance for relocation to and from Indiana Dunes; and providing workers compensation and liability insurance. For the restoration and maintenance crews specifically, SCA also provides transportation to the work sites. SCA is expected to maintain routine communication with park staff and designated project officials and to be available to resolve intern-related issues as they arise.

NPS, for its part, commits to supporting the interns educational and professional development and to working jointly with SCA to carry out the scope of work, which reflects the cooperative nature of the funding instrument. NPS provides technical support through an NPS technical representative as needed, and it plays a strong quality-control and safety oversight role by reviewing and approving work in stages before the project moves to the next phase. NPS also supplies the tools, equipment, and materials necessary to complete restoration tasks. Transportation is split by project type: NPS provides transportation for the Miller Woods Wetlands interns, while SCA provides transportation for the restoration and maintenance crews. The document also emphasizes substantial federal involvement: NPS maintains close monitoring and operational involvement, including oversight of how the recipient executes the work (scope, staffing, operations, and management processes) during performance of the task agreement.

From the funding opportunity metadata, this action is categorized as a discretionary cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.931, with activity areas spanning education, employment and training, and natural resources. The opportunity number is NPS NOIP17AC00364. The listed award ceiling is $200,000 with an expectation of a single award, consistent with the fact that it is not an open call but an issued task under an existing agreement. The posting dates (created May 8, 2017, closing May 18, 2017) function more as administrative timing for the notice rather than a typical competitive application window, reinforcing that the intended recipient is already established through the master cooperative agreement framework.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, employment, labor and training, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS-Park Restoration and Resource Education- INDU- THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.931.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 08, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 18, 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 $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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