monticello field office ohv youth opportunity.doc

UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

(BLM)

BLM-UT, Youth Opportunities to Work on Conservation Projects throughout Utah Public Lands

Public Lands Corps Act, 1993 (Amended 2005); PL 109-154; Title 16 U.S.C. Chapter 37, Subchapter II Sec 1721-1729, excluding Sec 1725 – Resource Assistant

This project is a specific project for Monticello Field Office under the

MASTER

Funding Opportunity Announcement No. L15AS000 CFDA Numbers

15. 225 Recreation Resource Management

Applicants are required to apply under the above Funding Opportunity Announcement through Grants.gov. All terms and conditions will remain the same. The only thing different will be the proposal format and evaluation criteria, see below:

Applications due by: May 31, 2015 Contact Information

Maria Gochis, Grants Management Officer (GMO) Phone: 801-539-4178 Email: mgochis@blm.gov Dave Jeppesen, Outdoor Recreation Planner, USO

Phone: 801-539-4233

Email: d1jeppees@blm.gov SECTION I. BLM Monticello Field Officer Off Highway Vehicle Youth Opportunity Project Background Information: The Monticello BLM Field Office located in Monticell Utah, is providing an opportunity for one student or recent college graduate to provide support to the recreation program as an Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) volunteer coordinator to develop a cooperative partnership and initiate outreasch between the Monticello BLM, San juan County, OHV groups, youth, and volunteer groups. Volunteer projects would engage local residents and groups, making improvemnents to OHV trails, parking areas, trail signs, information kiosks, trailheads, and to aid the Monticello BLM in implementing its 2008 Travel Management Plan. This student would coordinatewith San Juan County to identify needed improvements to designated routes with the goal of providing improved opportunities for a range of motorized recreation experiences on public lands while protecting resources, and minimizing counflicts among various users. This student would promote Tread Lightly and Leave No Trace routdoor ethics among volunteer groups and recreation visitors alike.

Project Objective: The Monticello F.O., Utah has an opportunity to introduce youth to careers in the BLM under the 2008 Resource Management Plan (RMP), specifically to assist in theimplementation of the Field Office travel management plan. Monticell BLM Field Office has a robust recreation staff and 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 natural and paleontological resources, and increase their interest in Recreation Management careers. From this, youthwill 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. This opportunity will be focused on inventory and monitoring of OHV specific recreation sites and development of public outreach programs and interpretion of sites. This project would be especially appropriate for a student studying recreation and will provide opportunities to enhance basic career skills such as organization, writing, detail, and communication, well as field skills including the finding and documenting of fossil sites, use of GPS equipment and maps, field note methods, and fossil collection and preparation techniques. Previous experience with any or all of these skills would significantly enhance the student experience.

Program/Project Performance Goals –

a. Expose young men and women to public service while furthering their understanding and appreciation of the Nation’s natural and cultural resources, and gain experience working side-by-side with BLM staff on projects that provide hands-on, meaningful work experience b.

Stimulate interest among the youth and young adults in conservation careers by exposing them to conservation professionals in land managing agencies, by providing conservation project that qualify for the noncompetitive hiring status for period of not more than 120 days.

c.

Promote and stimulate public purposes such as enhance classroom learning by providing education, job training, and development of responsible citizenship, productive community involvement of youth and young adults in care and enhancement of natural and cultural

d. Assist qualified Youth Conservation Corps an experience in conserving or developing natural and cultural resources and enhancing and maintaining environmentally important lands and waters through the use of the Nation’s young men and women.

Duties: The successful youth candidate will assist the Monticello F.O. recreation staff implementing its 2008 Travel Management Plan. More specifically, the student will perform the following across the entire Field Office:

· Coordinate and lead the ongoing implementation of the Monticello BLM 2008 Travel Management Plan

· Improve partnership opportunities with San Juan County , San Juan Public Entry Access Rights (SPEAR) and seek other partnership opportunities

· Actively promote Tread Lightly and Leave No Trace education to OHV visitors and partners.

· Assist in the implementation of new trail contruction, parking areas and trailheads

· Carry out trail maintaince efforts with volunteers and BLM staff.

· Assist in the design and implementation of a Field Office sign and monitoring plan.

The student will perform project work out of the Monticello F.O., Monticello, Utah. Work will be coordinated by the Supervisory Outdoor recreation Planner and other F.O. Recreation 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 terrain).

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 to safely perform necessary tasks in outdoor settings. BLM will have the right to intervene by modifying the project management plan, if project is not staying on schedule, technical issues arise, etc. In addition, BLM and recipient will meet weekly to discuss progress and track project outcomes; review any training needs; and then make a decision what direction to take in finalizing project or move to the next phase.

Period of Performance: This project is anticipated to begin around June 1, 2015 and will continue for up to five years. Work will mainly be available during May through October of each year.

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, generally 8 AM to 5PM,with flexable start/end dates in May-June/September-October. Weekends might be required, but would be a rare occurance.

Qualification Requirements: As stated in the duties this opportunity will require time outdoors and field work that is often under somewhat rigorous physical conditions. This opportunity is suitable for upper-level college students or recent college degree in recreation, natural resources, or related field . Applicants need to pass a DOI security background check and defensive driving. Outdoor experience/knowledge combined with BLM trainings sufficient to perform and lead project work safely and effectively in the field.

Housing: Agency cannot provide housing but may be able to assist in locating appropriate clean housing. No housing stipend is provided. A personal vehicle is NOT required for the position but is strongly encouraged as it makes the applicant's days off much more enjoyable. The closest regional airport is in Durango, CO, but the nearest large airport is in Salt Lake City, UT, where you can get much lower fares.

Expected Field Travel: Project work will be performed in both an office and field environment. Project work will be focused in the Monticello Field Office and may require some camping. Occasional travel may also be required to the Canyon Country District office which may require staying in Moab.

Example:

Consider 2015 BLM camping rate of $34.00 per day. This amount should include food, camping gear, etc.

Trips from Monticello to Moab. stay will be in hotels. Moab per diem rate is $89.00 max lodging, M&I $56.00, private vehicle based on $0.56 per mile.

Award Ceiling Amount for FY15 is NTE: $30,000 Estimated life of the project NTE: $150,000 Section II – Reporting Requirements: (Refer to Full Announcement for details) A. SF425 – Federal Financial Report’s

B. Performance Report due yearly or at the end of the project

C. Youth Reporting due quarterly to Program Officer SECTION III. The Application Package – Also refer to Funding Opportunity Announcement Section D. Application and Submission Information for further detailed information.

Applications must include all required Standard Forms (SF) shown below, a Proposal (Attachment A), a Budget Detail with narrative (mandatory) (Attachment B), and a copy the applicant's approved federal agency Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), if applicable. Non-governmental organizations that have not previously received award funds or have not had an active award within 3 (three) years must complete a Financial Assistance Evaluation Questionnaire. A copy of the questionnaire may be requested by contacting the individual(s) listed on the application coversheet.

WHAT TO SUBMIT:

SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance

SF-424A Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs

SF-424B Assurances - Non-Construction Programs

Grants.gov Lobbying Form

Project Proposal (Attachment A)

Budget Detail and Narrative Mandatory (Attachment B)

Federal Agency-approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA, if applicable)

Financial Assistance Evaluation Questionnaire (if applicable)

Attachment A

SECTION III. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Utah State Office

Grants & Cooperative Agreements

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Instructions: A Project Proposal must be submitted with the Standard Form (SF) 424 Application for Financial Assistance for all Financial Assistance Agreements. A new proposal must be included with any request for modification which involves a revision to funding, project scope, period of performance, or key personnel.

Agreement or Funding Opportunity No.:

Date:

Organization Name:

Project Title:

Name & Title of Person Submitting Proposal:

*If a specific start work date is needed with pre-award costs for specific BLM Project, contact BLM Program Officer (PO) to dicuss details, so PO can discuss with Grants Management Officer. Do not start work without prior approval from the Grants Management Officer, unless project is a specific project to your organization is already working on and you are requesting for further financial assistance.

1.

Purpose, Objectives, and Relevance:

(Describe why the project is needed, the applicant's objectives, how the applicant's objectives support their mission, and how this project benefits the general public.)

2.

Technical Approach:

(Describe how the project will be conducted. The project design must contain enough detail to show the development of the project, including the relationship between the partners, and objectives. Clearly describe the techniques, procedures, and methodologies to be used; the data collection, analysis, and means of interpretation; the expected program/project goals and/or outcomes; and the procedures for evaluating project effectiveness, including appropriate performance goals and the probabilities of obtaining them.)

The proposal must include the detailed project plan/schedule. The project plan must be supported by a narrative description of each of the activities to be undertaken. The schedule should include proposed work, reporting, major tasks, and project milestones including the identification of the anticipated start and ending dates of all major stages/tasks of the project proposal. The following table may be used to summarize the project schedule.

Start Date Planned Completion Date

3.

Qualifications, Experience, and Past Performance:

(Describe who will carry out the project activities. List all project personnel, including consultants, contractors, sub-recipients, etc., and their contact information. Describe your recruiting techniques in recruiting a diverse pool of candidates. Describe their responsibilities and the amount of time each will dedicate to the project. Briefly describe how their experience and qualifications are appropriate to successfully achieve the stated objectives and performance goals. Describe past completed natural and cultural youth conservation projects on public lands with accomplishments. Describe successful of your program placing qualified youth interns in conservation careers.)

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