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…

Summary

Montana Conservation Corps, Inc. received a $105,129.91 Cooperative Agreement award from the Department of the Interior National Park Service under the Youth and Veteran Organizations Conservation Activities program (CFDA 15.931), effective August 13, 2025, through October 31, 2028. The award funds the engagement of three young adults as Conservation Fellows to gain hands-on experience in invasive plant management across multiple National Park Service (NPS) areas in Montana. The Fellows will assist park staff with surveying, mapping, and treating invasive plant species in high-priority park locations while receiving professional training and mentorship to support their career development in natural resource conservation.

Key deliverables under this Cooperative Agreement include documented field projects, photographs, and geospatial mapping data that will contribute to ecosystem health improvements within the participating parks. The program simultaneously addresses critical resource management needs on federal lands while providing paid conservation service opportunities and workforce development for young adults. Benefits extend to the Fellows' professional growth, NPS park ecosystems, and the broader public through improved natural resource stewardship on Department of the Interior 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. This project will engage three young adults as conservation fellows to gain hands-on experience in invasive plant management across various national park areas. They will assist park staff with surveying, mapping, and treating invasive plants, focusing on high-priority areas. The fellows will receive training and support for their work, while contributing to the health of the parks. Deliverables include documented field projects, photographs, and mapping data, ultimately benefiting park ecosystems and the fellows professional growth.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.