Conservation/recreation interns to provide outreach and ranger assistance albuquerque district, USACE.

The Department of the Army Corps of Engineers Engineering District Kansas City awarded $127,583.36 to The Student Conservation Association, Inc. under a Cooperative Agreement (W9126G262A021) effective May 1, 2026 through October 31, 2026. The funding supports conservation and recreation interns to provide outreach and ranger assistance at the Albuquerque District, USACE.

SCA places youth and young adult interns (typically aged 16–30) and veterans (up to age 35) in seasonal conservation positions at federal facilities, providing stipends, transportation, housing, training, and mentorship to remove barriers to youth participation in environmental workforce development. Work deliverables span habitat restoration, invasive species control and monitoring, trail construction and maintenance, visitor services and interpretation, environmental education, biological surveys, and facility maintenance.

This award funds the Youth Conservation Services program (CFDA 12.010), which authorizes the Secretary of the Army to enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit entities for training and educational opportunities at water resources development projects under the Corps' jurisdiction. Performance occurs throughout the United States. SCA operates as the nation's largest provider of hands-on environmental conservation programs for youth and young adults and holds approximately 200 active cooperative agreements across federal agencies, with the majority awarded by the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the Army Corps of Engineers appears across multiple districts as a consistent funder of youth intern placements.