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 The Great Basin Institute a cooperative agreement totaling $121,393.81 under the Youth and Veteran Organizations Conservation Activities program (CFDA 15.931) to enhance natural resource monitoring in the Sierra Nevada region. The award, issued on August 20, 2025, and extending through December 31, 2026, funds the recruitment and placement of a specialized Forest Research Associate position to oversee and conduct field surveys of high-elevation forests across Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks. The research associate will collect long-term ecological data on high-elevation forest ecosystems to support park management and conservation efforts while contributing valuable monitoring data for park decision-making.

The project aligns with the program's dual objective of addressing critical natural resource management needs on federal lands while providing career development opportunities for youth and veterans. Through The Great Basin Institute's Nevada Conservation Corps division, the award will benefit multiple stakeholder groups, including academic institutions, state and local government agencies, non-profit organizations, students, and the general public through the advancement of science-based conservation practices and ecosystem monitoring in California's national parks.

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 aims to enhance the monitoring of natural resources in national parks in the sierra nevada mountains of california by collecting long-term ecological data on high elevation forests. One specialized position will be filled: a forest research associate will oversee and conduct field surveys of high elevation forests in sequoia, kings, and yosemite national parks. The project will provide valuable data for park management and support conservation efforts, benefiting park ecosystems and their 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 benefit from the development and execution of these programs and projects.