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 (operating as Southwest Conservation Corps) a Cooperative Agreement totaling $102,325.70 under the Youth and Veteran Organizations Conservation Activities program (CFDA 15.931) for the period of August 18, 2025 through May 31, 2026. Under this award, Conservation Legacy mobilizes young adult participants to perform critical natural resource conservation activities at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. Primary deliverables include invasive plant removal, trail maintenance and enhanced trail access, installation of erosion control structures, and workforce development training in land management practices. Participants receive hands-on guidance from experienced conservation staff while contributing directly to resource protection on federal lands.

The program benefits multiple stakeholder groups, including the young adult participants who gain career training and professional experience in natural resource management, park visitors who enjoy improved trail access and visitor experience, and the National Monument through enhanced vegetation management and ecological stewardship. As part of the broader NPS initiative to address resource management needs while providing workforce development opportunities for youth and veterans, this cooperative agreement exemplifies the program's dual focus on conservation outcomes and career pathway development for young adults engaged in public lands stewardship.

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 involve young adults in protecting public lands by supporting vegetation management activities at organ pipe cactus national monument. Participants will remove invasive plants, maintain trails, and install erosion control structures with guidance from experienced staff. Deliverables include enhanced trail access, knowledge of protected plant species, and hands-on training in land management practices. The intended beneficiaries are the participants and park visitors, with expected outcomes of improved visitor experience.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.