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 State of Washington Department of Ecology received a $366,496 Cooperative Agreement award from the National Park Service (NPS), a bureau of the Department of the Interior, under the Youth and Veteran Organizations Conservation Activities program (CFDA 15.931), effective July 30, 2025, through October 31, 2026. Under this award, the Department of Ecology will engage six young adults in hands-on conservation and maintenance work at Olympic National Park. The primary deliverables include repaired trails and campgrounds within the park, along with professional development and skills training in conservation practices and trade skills for participating youth.

This cooperative agreement aligns with the broader NPS program objective of leveraging non-profit and state organizations to address critical resource management needs on federal lands while simultaneously providing meaningful career pathways and workforce development for young adults. Beyond the tangible infrastructure improvements to park facilities, the award supports long-term workforce development by fostering participants' connections to the National Park Service and equipping them with vital job skills applicable to natural and cultural resource protection. The project benefits not only the park system but also contributes to broader goals of youth career training and development in environmental conservation and natural resource management.

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 will engage six young adults in hands-on conservation work at olympic national park to assist with trail and campground maintenance. Participants will gain vital job skills in cultural and natural resource protection while addressing maintenance needs in the park. Deliverables include repaired trails and campgrounds, along with training in conservation and trade skills, fostering long-term connections with the national park service.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.