L22AS00313 UMRBNM Lewistown FO Youth Projects Close May 18 2022 5pm ET.pdf

Office: Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Lewistown Field Office Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: L22AS00313 Project Submission Dates and Times: April 18, 2022 – May 18, 2022 5pm ET

Project Title: Upper Missouri Breaks and Lewistown Field Office Youth Opportunity

Maximum Available Funding in FY22: $25,000

Project Background Information: The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument and the Lewistown Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have collaborated with Qualified Youth and Conservation Corps, as authorized by the Public Lands Corps Act (PLC), to accomplish conservation projects for numerous years. This program’s projects provide employment for participants and opportunities to learn about and gain work experience in public lands and natural resources management while promoting long-term interest in public lands stewardship and the BLM. The BLM Youth Program assists the BLM with diversifying the workforce while exposing participants to the complex cultural and natural resource issues faced by National Conservation Lands managers.

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (Monument) and the Lewistown Field Office (LFO) are located in north central Montana. The Monument and the Lewistown Field Office have a variety of projects over the next 5 years. By engaging youth and young adults to address maintenance and natural resource needs, we are instilling a sense of ownership and connection with public lands and the natural environment.

Project Objective: The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument (Monument) and the Lewistown Field Office (LFO), Montana, has an opportunity to introduce youth and young adults to careers in the BLM by providing work experience for their career and educational benefit.

Projects emphasize on-the-ground projects, training, and mentorship opportunities for participants. Projects include groundkeeping maintenance at the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center in Fort Benton, stream restoration projects throughout Fergus and Petroleum counties, and fencing work in a variety of locations, and leading interpretive programs for internships.

Potential crew work would include:

• Remove old fence, wire, troughs, pipe, and other infrastructure (Monument and LFO).

• Build fence exclosures (Monument and LFO).

• Hand build rock weir structures to prevent erosion and down-cutting (Monument and LFO).

• Construction of beaver dam analogue structures using chainsaws, hydraulic post pounder, and a variety of hand tools (Monument and LFO).

• Plant native vegetation along stream restoration projects (Monument and LFO)

• Survey and treat noxious weeds using a variety of manual and chemical treatments (Monument)

• Assist with wildlife habitat projects such as installing Greater Sage-rouse fence markers (LFO).

• General grounds maintenance and light labor, such as, but not limited to pulling weeds from decorative gravel beds and trails, removing leaves and other debris, and cutting small branches with a handsaw (Monument).

• Conduct trail development, maintenance, and reroutes. (LFO)

• Campground improvements and clean up to ensure the facilities are in compliance with Bureau standards (Monument).

Potential internship projects would include:

• Conduct educational programs at the UMRBNM Interpretive Center, campgrounds, or local schools

(Monument).

• Installation of signs to improve visitor safety, and promote access to reacreation and hunting opportunities (Monument).

• Conduct resource monitoring along the Wild and Scenic River and in the Wilderness Study Areas

(Monumnet).

• Campground improvements and clean up to ensure the facilities are in compliance with Bureau standards (Monument).

Work Schedule:

• 7- to 10-day crew hitches. Typically 1-2 youth conservation crews (5-12 individuals) involved with 1-2 hitches per year from May-September. Weekends might be required.

• 1-2 conservation interns each year. 3-4 month summer internship (May-Sept). 8-10 hour days, 40 hours per week.

Qualification Requirements: This opportunity is suitable for youth or young adults depending on level of power tools required. Saw certification may be required on some projects. This opportunity will require time outdoors and field work that is often under somewhat rigorous physical conditions.

Housing: N/A

Vehicle Needs: N/A

Other Project Considerations:

Accomodations: Crews will typically be camping in the field and will be supplying their own food and camping gear.

All Supplies: BLM will provide any specialty tools other than shovels, chainsaws, and PPE.

Training Requirements: Some projects may require chainsaw training.

Interns would be hosted at Fort Benton, MT. Housing is not provided. Some camping may be necessary during field monitoring activities.

Duties: Assisting BLM staff with a variety of maintenance and natural resource projects. Work would consiste of field work and manual labor. Project expected outcomes include an maintenance of the gounds around the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center and nearby campgrounds, restoration approximately 2 miles of stream, and the maintenance of up to 4 miles of fence.

The participant crews will work out of the a variety of field locations in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument or the Lewistown Field Office. Nearby towns could include Lewistown, Fort Benton, Winnett, and Great Falls. The projects will be coordinated by the Monument or LFO staff. 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).

Interns would be hosted at the Upper Missouri Interpretive Center in Fort Benton, MT. They will assist BLM staff with resource monitoring, educational programs, and facilities maintenance.

BLM’s Involvement: There will be substantive BLM programmatic involvement by BLM professional that will work daily side by side with recipient on all projects and also be providing project orientation and hands-on training. BLM will have the right to intervene by modifying the project management plan, if project is not staying on schedule, technical issues arise, etc.

The success of this partnership will be validated and tracked by each BLM project coordinator in a number of ways including:

• The BLM project coordinator will hold a pre-meeting with the partner and identify the project, review expectations and safety protocol with the participants.

• Progress reports will be submitted to the as agreed upon to the project coordinator.

• Field inspections will occur throughout the course of the project.

• Upon completion the project will be inspected and signed off as successfully completed.

• In respect to the interpretive program participation, feedback from the public and participants will assist the project coordinator in confirmation if the program is successful.

BLM Program Contact:

Field PO Name: Bonny Richard Field PO Phone Number: 406-538-1912 Field PO Email: bmrichard@blm.gov

Applicants are encouraged to refer to the full program announcement number L22AS00269 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.