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…

The National Park Service (NPS) awarded Conservation Legacy (doing business as Southwest Conservation Corps) a cooperative agreement totaling $154,608.00 under the Youth and Veteran Organizations Conservation Activities program (CFDA 15.931) effective June 18, 2025, through June 30, 2026. The awardee will engage six youth participants in trail maintenance and rehabilitation activities on Department of the Interior lands in West Virginia. Specifically, the project will restore approximately 0.5 miles of the Kaymoor Miners Trail within a national park system area, with work spanning from the trailhead at Kaymoor Top to the junction with the Kaymoor Trail.

The project deliverables include reconstruction of stone and timber staircases along steep sections of the trail, performance of deferred tread and drainage maintenance, and brushing and trail clearing throughout the project area. Beyond resource management outcomes, the initiative is designed to provide youth with practical training and hands-on experience in backcountry trail maintenance and safety protocols, while ensuring improved trail access and visitor safety for park users. The program aligns with the broader CFDA 15.931 mission to simultaneously address conservation resource needs and develop workforce skills for young adults through service-based learning opportunities on federal lands.

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. The project will engage six youth in trail maintenance and repairs to rehabilitate approximately .5 miles of the kaymoor miners trail. The project area spans from the trailhead at kaymoor top down to the junction with the kaymoor trail. Activities include the reconstruction of several stone and timber staircases along the steepest parts of the trail, perform deferred tread, drainage, and brushing maintenance throughout the project area. The intended outcomes include youth receiving practical training and a range of experience in safely traveling and performing trail maintenance in a backcountry setting and ensuring trail access and safety for park visitors.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 benefitfrom the development and execution of these programs and projects.