National Park Service Wilderness Fellows Program Grant

This Funding Announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service (NPS)’s intention to fund a Task Agreement against an existing Master Agreement.

ABSTRACT
Funding Announcement: NPS-NOIP#P16AC00301
Project Title: National Park Service-Wilderness Fellows Program: Recipient American Conservation Experience
Total Anticipated Award Amount: 35,700
Cost Share: $6,765
Anticipated Length of Agreement:Through 12/31/2016
Anticipated Period of Performance: Through 12/31/2016
Award Instrument: Cooperative Agreement (task award)
Statutory Authority: 54 U.S.C. 101702(a), 16 U.S.C. 17k-2(e), 16 U.S.C. 4601-1(f)(1), 16 U.S.C. 1246(h)(1), 16 U.S.C. 1723(c), 54 U.S.C. 101701(b)
CFDA # and Title: 15.931 Youth Conservation Activities
Point of Contact: Tina Holland, Agreements Officer

OVERVIEW

RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT
The American Conservation Experience will collaborate with the National Park Service (NPS) to increase their understanding of environmental stewardship and participants will share this with their communities.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT

Substantial involvement on the part the National Park Service (NPS) is anticipated for the successful completion of the objectives to be funded by this award. There will be substantial involvement between the cooperators and the NPS in carrying out this agreement. There will be collaboration by all in project planning and adaptation of work plans for the individual park units. The NPS will be particularly involved in ensuring all activities are in compliance with the Wilderness Act of 1964. The NPS will be providing the most current agency wilderness stewardship guidance and tools, and work with the cooperators to adapt and improve these tools in their application to parks. The NPS will provide specific training about these new wilderness stewardship tools to the interns, and will continue collaborative periodic phone conferences between the interns, Recipient, and NPS to share experiences and shape outcomes. Staff at the park units will provide mentoring and guidance regarding improvement for the future or setting career goals for advancement in their professional career. Because this project requires close collaboration between the NPS and the cooperator to test and adapt new products and to adapt new guidance to unique situations in each park, the relationship is one of assistance rather than contracted services.

NPS did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria:

The cooperator is a member of the established 21st Century Conservation Corp Program- Youth Engagement and Development and was awarded a Cooperative Agreement P15AC00015 allowing the American Conservation Experience to participate in specific tasks, and can provide the necessary activities involved in this particular task while providing an effective outcome for the National Park Service and the promotion of youth involvement. Three members of the 21st Century Conservation Corp Program were considered for this award and the American Conservation Experience was selected based on American Conservation Experience (ACE) has the relevant experience in administering a wide variety of conservation internships. ACE has provided the NPS with oversight, management, and corrective measures of interns in the past and based upon their performance and references.