15.931: youth and veteran organizations conservation activities this program utilizes qualified non-profit youth- and veteran-serving organizations to carry out appropriate natural and cultural…

15.931: youth and veteran organizations conservation activities this program utilizes qualified non-profit youth- and veteran-serving organizations to carry out appropriate natural and cultural resource conservation, education, volunteer service and education projects on department of the interior lands through authorized national park service programs. This project engages youth in protecting public lands through mentoring and education focused on the stewardship of natural resources. The project provides an opportunity for american conservation experience interns to be mentored by experienced national park service staff to get exposure to land management practices within an NPS site. Interns will be mentored by NPS biologists in natural resource stewardship work that includes riparian restoration, invasive plant management, native plant revegetation and resource monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, spring flow, water and air quality monitoring). Hands-on restoration work will utilize a variety of techniques such as revegetation with native seed and or nursery stock, invasive plant control using manual (hand-pulling) and chemical (herbicide spraying) methods, fencing, and vertical mulching or other techniques to protect areas from future disturbance.beneficiaries include private non-profit institutions and organizations public and private non-profit academic institutions state and local government agencies quasi-public non-profit institutions and organizations that support youth and young adult career training and development, and education in the areas of natural and or cultural resource conservation and management. Individuals families students and the general public will receive a benefit from the development and execution of these programs and projects.