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, operating through its Nevada Conservation Corps division, a cooperative agreement valued at $167,082.86 under the Youth and Veteran Organizations Conservation Activities program (CFDA 15.931). The award, issued on August 1, 2025, and extending through December 31, 2026, funds native plant seed collection, salvaging, and propagation activities at Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument to support ecosystem restoration following wildfires. A research associate will lead nursery operations and supervise youth crews, providing hands-on training in native plant propagation and resource management while building a robust supply of native plants for restoration efforts.

The project delivers both tangible and human capital outputs: a sustainable inventory of propagated native plants to support restoration and biodiversity enhancement on Department of the Interior lands, and trained youth participants in sustainable conservation practices. The program serves multiple beneficiary categories including non-profit youth-serving organizations, academic institutions, state and local government agencies, and the general public through workforce development and environmental stewardship activities aligned with the NPS's broader conservation and youth employment objectives.

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 focuses on collecting seeds and salvaging native plants in lake mead national recreation area and tule springs fossil beds national monument to support restoration after wildfires. A research associate will lead nursery tasks and oversee youth crews, gaining hands-on experience in native plant propagation and resource management. The deliverables include a robust supply of native plants for restoration and trained youth in sustainable practices, ultimately benefiting the ecosystem and enhancing biodiversity.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.