The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is offering this grant to fund the Southwest Conservation Corps for youth and veteran engagement in public land management and conservation.

By offering a weekly stipend/living allowance that is higher than typical individual placement and providing an AmeriCorps Education award, Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC) is able to attract a wide diversity of youth from a range of socio-economic backgrounds to the program. This helps to expose youth who have not traditionally worked for the BOR to potential career paths in public land management.

A partnership with SCC provides not only resource and public stewardship, but also an increased awareness of environmental ethics and stewardship among young people thereby ensuring that the next generation is aware of the necessity of restoring and enhancing a healthy Public Lands. Meaningful experiences such as these provide not only an opportunity for young people to develop professional and life skills but also creates a method in which a vital resource can be utilized by land management agencies such as the BOR to provide the community and Public Lands with necessary conservation practices and outreach.

Individual task agreements under the cooperative agreement will provide project and job description detail developed cooperatively between Reclamation and SCC.