The cooperative ecosystem study unit program establishes and maintains cooperative study units, in partnership with federal, state, and local governments, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and…

The Department of the Interior National Park Service awarded a $860,000 Cooperative Agreement under the Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System (CFDA 15.945) to Cornerstones Community Partnerships, a non-profit organization based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The purpose of this award is to execute a historic preservation project in Death Valley National Park, with the expected end result of increasing knowledge and understanding of historic preservation philosophy and providing hands-on training and experience in historic preservation-specific skills, especially related to stone masonry construction. Specifically, participants will learn techniques for assessing stone masonry condition, removing unsympathetic past repairs, repointing, mortar removal and replacement, repairing stone masonry with appropriate materials, and structural assessment on masonry structures. The award will benefit students, youth, and the general public through this preservation work and skills training. The period of performance for this Cooperative Agreement is from January 8, 2025 to December 2, 2029.

The cooperative ecosystem study unit program establishes and maintains cooperative study units, in partnership with federal, state, and local governments, tribes, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education, to facilitate multidisciplinary science and integrated information products related to the resources of the national park system. The expected end result of this project will be to increase the knowledge and understanding of the participants in the underpinnings of historic preservation philosophy and to provide handson training and experience in historic preservationspecific skills, especially as they apply to stone masonry construction. This will be accomplished by having the participants execute an actual preservation project on a historic resource. Specifically, they will learn techniques for assessing stone masonry condition, removing unsympathetic past repairs, repointing, mortar removal and replacement, repairing stone masonry with appropriate materials and structural assessment on masonry structures in death valley national park. Beneficiaries include students, youth, the general public.