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.Apply for NPS NOIP17AC00364
- 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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is this notice an open grant competition?
No. The notice is explicitly labeled as not being a request for applications. It documents a specific cooperative agreement action (a task agreement) under an existing master cooperative agreement between the National Park Service (NPS) and the Student Conservation Association (SCA).
Can new organizations or individuals apply for this funding?
Based on the notice, no new applicants are being solicited. The action is tied to an existing agreement framework and reflects an issued task agreement rather than an open application process.
What type of federal assistance is described?
The notice describes a discretionary cooperative agreement action (not a standard grant competition). A cooperative agreement indicates substantial federal involvement during performance of the work.
What is the opportunity number listed in the notice?
The opportunity number is NPS NOIP17AC00364.
What CFDA program is this associated with?
The notice identifies CFDA 15.931.
What is the project title and where does the work take place?
The project is titled "Park Restoration and Resource Education Interns - INDU" and takes place at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (now Indiana Dunes National Park, though the notice uses the lakeshore name).
What is the overall purpose of this cooperative agreement action?
The stated purpose centers on 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 supported by outdoor skills and leadership training.
How many main work components are included in the project?
Two. The first is the Miller Woods Wetlands restoration and resource education intern component. The second is broader park restoration and maintenance work performed by SCA-provided crews.
What work is included in the Miller Woods Wetlands component?
Interns support wetland restoration and related education activities. Tasks described include applying herbicide, removing invasive plants by hand or with hand tools, collecting and cleaning seed, supporting greenhouse operations, and planting seeds and plants.
Does the Miller Woods Wetlands component include public-facing education work?
Yes. Interns are trained by NPS staff to explain their restoration work to visitors and school groups, and they are expected to deliver several education programs under NPS supervision.
What work is included in the restoration and maintenance crew component?
The notice describes crew-based field work including vegetation removal using chemicals and hand tools, trail maintenance using hand tools, removal of river logjams, and greenhouse planting work.
How many participants does SCA recruit and select for the crew-based restoration and maintenance work?
SCA recruits and selects two intern teams. Each team consists of one crew leader plus four team members (two teams of five people total).
How many participants does SCA recruit and select for the Miller Woods Wetlands restoration and education project?
SCA recruits and selects five individual interns for the Miller Woods Wetlands component.
Who is responsible for recruiting and selecting interns and teams?
SCA (the recipient) is responsible for recruiting and selecting both the two restoration/maintenance teams and the five Miller Woods Wetlands interns.
Who provides intern training and supervision?
SCA is responsible for training, mentoring, and supervising interns. NPS staff also provide site-specific training (including safety training) and ongoing direction tied to park operations and the scope of work.
What training do interns receive before starting work on-site?
The notice states that SCA provides uniformed interns who arrive with baseline safety and work etiquette training. NPS then provides site-specific training, including safety training, tailored to the restoration work locations and tasks.
What safety and working conditions are highlighted for field work?
The work is largely outdoors and includes expected exposure to insects and poisonous plants. The notice emphasizes field safety and indicates that safety training is a significant component of preparation and oversight.
Who provides tools, equipment, and materials for the restoration tasks?
NPS supplies the tools, equipment, and materials necessary to complete the restoration tasks described in the scope of work.
Who provides transportation to work sites?
Transportation is split by project type. NPS provides transportation for the Miller Woods Wetlands interns, while SCA provides transportation to work sites for the restoration and maintenance crews.
What financial or logistical support is provided to participants?
The notice states SCA provides financial and logistical support through a living allowance, a housing allowance, and a travel allowance for relocation to and from Indiana Dunes.
Who provides insurance coverage for participants?
SCA provides workers compensation and liability insurance as described in the notice.
What is NPS responsible for during project performance?
NPS commits to supporting intern educational and professional development, providing technical support through an NPS technical representative as needed, and maintaining strong safety and quality-control oversight. The notice describes NPS reviewing and approving work in stages before the project advances to the next phase.
What does "substantial federal involvement" mean in the context of this notice?
In this notice, it means NPS maintains close monitoring and operational involvement during performance, including oversight of how the recipient executes the work (scope, staffing, operations, and management processes) while jointly carrying out the scope of work.
What activity areas does the notice associate with this action?
The notice lists activity areas spanning education, employment and training, and natural resources.
What is the maximum funding amount listed (award ceiling)?
The listed award ceiling is $200,000.
How many awards are expected?
The notice indicates an expectation of a single award, consistent with it being a documented task under an existing master cooperative agreement rather than an open competition.
What cooperative agreement number is referenced for the existing master agreement?
The notice ties the action to Cooperative Agreement Number P15AC00031.
Do the posted dates function as a normal application window?
Not in the typical competitive sense. The notice shows a created date of May 8, 2017 and a closing date of May 18, 2017, but it also emphasizes that it is not a request for applications and instead serves administrative notice purposes for an already-established recipient relationship under the master cooperative agreement.
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| Teaching Traditional Building/Landscape Skills Training Project- SLBE Apply for NPS NOIP16AC00553 Funding Number: NPS NOIP16AC00553 Agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service Category: Education, Employment, Labor and Training, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $110,000 |
| Dragonfly-Mercury Monitoring- GLKN Apply for NPS NOIP15AC00262 Funding Number: NPS NOIP15AC00262 Agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service Category: Education, Employment, Labor and Training, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $38,732 |
| PLC: Kab-Ash Trail Maintenance- VOYA Apply for NPS NOIP18AC00195 Funding Number: NPS NOIP18AC00195 Agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service Category: Education, Employment, Labor and Training, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $76,402 |
| Natural and Cultural Preservation and Bat Monitoring Interns- FOLS Apply for NPS NOIP18AC00329 Funding Number: NPS NOIP18AC00329 Agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service Category: Education, Employment, Labor and Training, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $79,200 |
| GL-EPMT Young Adult Exotic Plant Interns Apply for NPS NOIP17AC00391 Funding Number: NPS NOIP17AC00391 Agency: National Park Service Category: Education, Employment, Labor and Training, Environment, Natural Resources Funding Amount: $500,000 |
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