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 totaling $172,473.67 under the Youth and Veteran Organizations Conservation Activities program (CFDA 15.931) on September 26, 2025. The agreement funds a two-year initiative (through September 30, 2027) focused on deferred maintenance and historical preservation at Tassi Ranch in Littlefield, Arizona. Key deliverables include groundwater drainage improvements, vegetation clearing, and structural deconstruction of a shed to ensure safe storage. The project emphasizes habitat protection for endangered species, educational programming on landscape preservation for students, and workforce development activities overseen by a trained project manager to ensure operational safety and long-term site sustainability.

The award benefits multiple stakeholder categories including youth and young adult trainees, students, academic institutions, state and local government agencies, and the general public through hands-on conservation work and cultural resource stewardship education. As a prime recipient under the NPS program, The Great Basin Institute leverages its established capacity in field-based ecological restoration and youth corps workforce development to deliver both tangible resource management outcomes and educational value aligned with the program's mission of engaging qualified nonprofit youth and veteran-serving organizations in natural and cultural resource conservation activities 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 focuses on deferred maintenance and preserving the historical structures and landscape of tassi ranch. Key tasks include improving groundwater drainage, clearing vegetation, and deconstructing a shed for safe storage. The initiative aims to protect habitats for endangered species, educate students about landscape preservation, and promote a deeper understanding of american heritage for future generations. The work will span over two years, with a trained project manager overseeing activities to ensure the safety and longevity of the ranch.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.