BorderFO_Mini Announcement for Youth Proj_FY2025.docx

Office: Spokane District, Border Field Office & Wenatchee Field Office Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: L25AS00147 Project Submission Dates and Times: January 31, 2025, 5PM EST

Project Title: Border Field Office Youth Infrastructure Maintenance, Improvements, and Restoration including Wenatchee Field Office Recreation

Maximum Available Funding in FY25: Up to $50,000 in FY25; dependent on available funding (Lifetime: Up to $500,000/5years; dependent on available funding).

BLM has determined that individual stipends of $680 a week, equal to $17.00 per hour, are reasonable. Higher stipends must be justified in the budget justification in Attachment B. Crew based work will be evaluated based on how many crew members and weeks are needed and must be justified in Attachment B.

Project Background Information: BLM manages its lands following The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). FLPMA defines the BLM mission as one of multiple use and sustained yield. BLM’s Spokane District (SPD), including Border Field Office (BFO) and Wenatchee Field Office (WFO), has a Resource Management Plan (RMP) directing its management in support of FLPMA, the endangered Species Act, and other regulations. SPD’s RMP directs the BLM to support multiple priorities including recreation, post-wildfire recovery, wildlife including the greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), resources including sensitive plants, management of livestock grazing, and restoration of lands damaged by different disturbances.

The BFO manages multiple uses primarily in 7 counties in eastern Washington, in habitats including shrub-steppe and riparian areas, and which contain areas that receive substantial recreational use including at 5 developed recreation sites and 10 primitive recreation sites.

The WFO manages multiple uses primarily in 4 counties in west-central Washington, in habitats including shrub-steppe and riparian areas, and which contain areas that receive substantial recreational use including at 7 developed recreation sites and 10 primitive recreation sites.

Project Objective: BLM Spokane District in Washington has an opportunity to introduce youth to careers in the BLM under Recreation Management, and Natural Resources management areas, including recreation management, range management, post fire management, sensitive resources management, and restoration management. Spokane District would like to a provide work experience to youth for their career and educational benefit. This will be accomplished by providing them opportunities to gain experience, learn about public lands, further their understanding and appreciation of recreation and ecological resources (and their management), and provide skills in maintenance and improvements of associated infrastructure.

1. Workloads associated with trails and recreation infrastructure would be accomplished within eastern Washington (Border Field Office/Spokane), and central Washington (Wenatchee Field Office/Wenatchee).

2. Workloads associated with ecological, livestock grazing, post wildfire recovery would be accomplished within eastern Washington (Border Field Office/Spokane).

Infrastructure to be constructed or maintained under the various programs would consist primarily of:

· Recreation infrastructure:

· Trails brushing/tread maintenance/deadfalls removal. Trailhead/trail/trailside infrastructure including benches, turnpikes, kiosks/bulletin boards/interpretive displays, gates, control fencing.

· Recreation site infrastructure including fencing (wood and wire); gates; campsites; picnic tables; fire rings; kiosks/bulletin boards; weed whacking; painting/staining; dirt, rocks and/or gravel work/shoveling; small buildings (wildlife viewing station, vault outhouses)

· Ecological, livestock grazing, and/or post wildfire recovery infrastructure and restoration: primarily fencing, plus some small-scale vegetative (primarily shrub-steppe) and riparian management to include earth shoveling, moving rocks, plantings, and weed-whacking.

From this, Youth will gain an increased appreciation and understanding of our public lands and of the value of public service and are likely to become life-long advocates for those values. In WFO, recreation projects will be conducted in Yakima, Douglas, Kittitas, Grant, and Okanogan Counties of WA. In BFO, recreation, ecological, livestock grazing, and post wildfire recovery projects will be conducted in Spokane, Lincoln, Adams, Grant, Whitman, Franklin, and Benton Counties of WA. This project would be appropriate for students or young professionals studying recreation management, land management, range science, or natural sciences, and will provide opportunities to enhance basic career skills such as communication, teamwork and organization, and field skills including construction, use of GPS equipment, and documentation of conditions. Previous experience with any or all of these skills would significantly enhance the applicant’s experience.

Work Schedule: Flexible based on crew priorities, field conditions, and travel. Often Monday-Thursday, 7 AM to 5:30PM, with start/end dates in May-June/August-September.

Qualification Requirements: This opportunity is suitable for youth working towards an undergraduate or graduate degree in recreation or ecology science-related disciplines. As stated in the duties this opportunity will require time outdoors and field work that is often under somewhat rigorous physical conditions.

Housing: Agency cannot provide housing. Stipend funds may be applied to housing.

Vehicle Needs: The BLM will not be providing vehicles for this opportunity. BLM anticipates applicants will provide transportation sufficient to navigate primitive roads. Four-wheel drive vehicles will be needed to complete most job duties.

Other Project Considerations: Applicants should plan for the following:

· Travel: travel from applicants’ home base to BLM field sites will be a daily requirement/expense. Applicant will be responsible for transportation to and from jobsites. Reimbursement for travel time (through stipend or other) is an allowable and anticipated cost.

· Food: BLM will not be providing food. In the past, BLM has worked with Youth Corps or similar groups that have provided their own meals.

· Supplies: BLM will provide fencing materials including sage grouse strike markers. BLM will provide some specialized tools for restoration (weed pullers, planting tools, etc.) when appropriate (on a per job basis). BLM will not be providing computers, laptops, GPS units, cell phones, chainsaws, tents/camping supplies, or most hand tools; applicants shall be responsible to purchase or provide.

· Training Requirements: BLM will not be providing training to applicants except for specialized in-the-field requirements on a per job basis. In the past, Youth Corps or similar groups has provided any required training. Training that BLM would consider helpful for applicants in lead positions would be: first aid, 4-wheel drive/off road training, UTV training, computer training, training in fence construction, leadership, chainsaw training (optional). Training that BLM would consider helpful for individual applicants would include: first aid, 4-wheel drive/off road training.

Duties: The successful youth applicant will assist the BLM’s Border Field Office (BFO) and Wenatchee Field Office (WFO), Washington in recreation management through maintenance and construction, and vegetation management. The applicant will additionally assist the BLM’s Border Field (BFO), Washington in ecological, livestock grazing, post wildfire recovery management through maintenance and construction, and small-scale shrub-steppe and riparian restoration. Work for this agreement will be almost entirely field work (and support of field work). Projects will occur in 7 counties in eastern Washington: Spokane, Lincoln, Adams, Grant, Whitman, Franklin, and Benton Counties of WA; and in 4 counties in west-central Washington: Yakima, Douglas, Kittitas, Grant, and Okanogan Counties. Field work to include trails and recreation infrastructure maintenance and construction, fence maintenance and construction, vegetation management, and small-scale shrub-steppe and riparian restoration.

BLM BFO anticipates a need in the next five years utilizing 4- or 5-person crew weeks:

· Up to 15 weeks for recreation infrastructure and trails repair and improvements, and vegetation management

· Up to 15 weeks for wildfire related or other livestock grazing infrastructure repair and improvements (fence work, etc.)

BLM WFO anticipates a need in the next five years, utilizing 4- or 5-person crew weeks:

· Up to 15 weeks for recreation infrastructure and trails repair and improvements, and vegetation management

Field work will be conducted largely in shrub-steppe habitats in eastern and central Washington. Work will often be remote from nearby towns and sometimes be away from paved or gravel roads. Applicants and crews will need to be self-reliant. Applicants (crew leads) will need to find work locations based on GPS coordinates and verbal direction from BLM. Crews will need to transport construction materials and tools to job sites. Crews will need to work in difficult conditions (heat, dust, steep ground) to complete projects. Fieldwork will be done in a remote backcountry setting and requires strenuous exertion. Weather and terrain conditions may be extreme (e.g. heat, cold, thunderstorms, steep badlands).

Crews will not need access to BLM Field Office facilities, but often meet at these facilities (in Spokane, WA and Wenatchee, WA) to transfer materials (fencing, paint/stain, plants). BLM staff will often meet with crews in the field on the first day of a new project assignment to ensure a good start to individual projects. Individual projects will be coordinated by BLM BFO and WFO resource leads: Recreation lead, ESR lead, Livestock Grazing lead, Riparian lead, Wildlife lead, Botany lead.

Project outcomes will include improved maintenance and improvements of BFO and WFO trails and recreation infrastructure and BFO shrub-steppe and riparian habitats, and advancement of land management skill sets for applicants. Project outcomes may be measured through the following metrics:

· Type and number of recreation infrastructure elements, and miles of trail, constructed or maintained

· Acres protected through fencing and other infrastructure projects

· Miles of fence maintained/installed

· Acres of habitat restored/treated to improve conditions

BLM’s Involvement: There will be substantive BLM programmatic involvement by BLM resource professionals that will: identify projects, meet with applicants (crews) onsite to introduce projects and coordinate work, provide project orientation and context, provide hands-on training for new or different protocols, transfer materials, and (for some restoration projects) work daily side by side with recipients. BLM BFO and WFO will coordinate to ensure projects are staying on schedule, to address technical issues. BLM will have the right to intervene by modifying the project management plan, if project is not meeting objectives. In addition, BLM and recipient (crew leads or group management) will meet weekly (or as necessary) to discuss progress, track project outcomes, identify materials or training needs, and plan for subsequent project steps or new projects.

BLM Program Contact:

Stephen Smith (Program Officer), Outdoor Recreation Planner, Border Field Office, BLM 509-536-1219 sasmith@blm.gov

Please refer to the full program announcement number L25AS00147, posted on Grants.gov, for all program requirements and applicable terms and conditions. Recipients selected for awards will be required to adhere to those requirements should an award be made.

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