NOTICE OF INTENT: Southwest Exotic Plant Management Team and Texas Conservation Corps American Youth Works Restoration Crew | P17AS00058

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00058

This grant opportunity is a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement notice of intent focused on supporting invasive plant management and habitat restoration work in Southwest national park units while also providing structured education, job training, and hands-on conservation experience to youth and young adults. It is tied to an existing cooperative agreement (P15AC00030) between the Department of the Interior/NPS and the Texas Conservation Corps, American Youth Works (AYW), and the task described in the notice would be carried out under the terms and conditions already established in that larger agreement unless the task agreement states otherwise. In practical terms, this is not a broad, open competition aimed at many different applicants; it is a specific intent to fund a partner already operating under an established cooperative relationship with NPS for youth conservation and restoration work.

The core purpose of the project is twofold. On the resource side, it targets the management and control of persistent invasive, non-native plant species and the application of native habitat restoration techniques. On the workforce-development side, it is designed to educate participants and give them direct technical experience in field-based natural resource work, emphasizing safe operations and effective methods for invasive species control and restoration. The notice highlights broader public benefits that NPS seeks to promote through this partnership, including education, job training, responsible citizenship, productive community involvement, youth development, and a stronger public understanding and appreciation of natural and cultural resources. The approach is essentially a conservation corps model: supervised crews doing real work on public lands while building skills and work experience.

Geographically, the work is intended for National Park Service units in the Southwest, with specific mention of Amistad National Recreation Area in Texas and Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas as key project locations. The description also notes that AYW is flexible and can provide these services to Southwest parks throughout the year, suggesting that the crews and program structure are set up to mobilize as needed across multiple sites and seasons, not just for a single short-term event. The emphasis on being fully equipped and highly experienced indicates the expectation that AYW can deploy trained crews with the necessary tools, safety practices, and field supervision to perform invasive plant control and restoration activities to NPS standards.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed as a discretionary funding opportunity from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, using a cooperative agreement funding instrument. The associated activity category is natural resources, and the CFDA listing is 15.931. The funding opportunity number is P17AS00058. The posting dates indicate it was created on January 18, 2017, with an original closing date of January 30, 2017, and it anticipates a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1). The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $54,000. Eligibility is summarized as “Others,” with the implication that eligibility is limited or defined by additional eligibility language and, given the notice-of-intent framing and the reliance on an existing cooperative agreement, is effectively aimed at the Texas Conservation Corps/American Youth Works as the partner organization for this task.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as targeted support for a specific, operational conservation program that blends on-the-ground invasive species and restoration work in Southwest parks with youth and young adult training and development. The expected outcome is both improved park resource conditions through invasive plant control and habitat restoration, and a measurable public benefit through workforce development, education, and meaningful service experiences for participants working on NPS-managed lands.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NOTICE OF INTENT: Southwest Exotic Plant Management Team and Texas Conservation Corps American Youth Works Restoration Crew" 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 Jan 18, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 30, 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 $54,000.00 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).

Apply for P17AS00058

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