Wenatchee Seeds of Success Crew Mini Announcement for Youth Projects.doc

Office: Spokane District, Wenatchee Field Office Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: L24AS00057 Project Submission Dates and Times: January 19, 2024, 5pm EST

Project Title: Wenatchee Field Office Seeds of Success Crew Youth Opportunity

Maximum Available Funding in FY24: $166,500 This funding is available for the formation of a youth seed collection crew comprised of one 39-week crew lead with an $800 weekly stipend, and three 17-week crew members with $600 per week stipends. Youth Corps should provide a budget for two seasons of this seed crew.

Project Background Information: Central Washington state is the home of the Wenatchee Field Office, part of the Spokane District. The office is responsible for BLM lands ranging from the Canadian border to the north, to the Oregon state line to the South. Some work, no more than 10%, may occur out of the Border Field Office in Spokane, WA. The Spokane District manages nearly 450,000 acres of public lands across the state of Washington. Botanically, plant communities range from extensive shrub-steppe habitats to dry forests and even coastal headlands in the San Juan Islands National Monument. Much of the work will be accomplished in remote locations on rugged terrain that require a 4x4 truck to access, it may take 1-4 hours of driving to reach a work site. Seed collection would involve following the BLM Seeds of Success protocol.

Project Objective: BLM, Spokane District/Wenatchee Field Office, Washington has an opportunity to introduce youth to Natural Resource careers in the BLM, specifically botany and seed collection. The Field Office has a Botanist on 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 resources, and pique their interest in Natural Resource Management careers. From this they 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. This opportunity will be focused on monitoring of botanical resources and collection of native plant seed through the BLM Seeds of Success Program. This project would be especially appropriate for early college students with a degree in biology, environmental sciences, botany, or ecology. It will provide opportunities to enhance basic career skills such as teamwork, communication, as well as field skills including the data collection, plant identification, use of GPS equipment and maps, and driving on rough rugged roads. Previous experience with any of these skills would significantly enhance the experience.

Work Schedule: Generally, Monday – Thursday, 7:00 AM to 5:30PM.

Qualification Requirements: The crew leader opportunity is suitable for youth with an undergraduate or graduate degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, botany, or similar studies. Crew members may still be working on their undergraduate degree. Some coursework or experience with plant identification is preferred. As stated in the duties this opportunity will require time outdoors and field work that is often under rigorous physical conditions. Applicants must also meet the following criteria: 1). Pass a DOI security background check.

Housing: Agency may be able to assist in locating appropriate clean housing. However, a maximum weekly housing stipend of $250 is allowable. A one-time relocation allowance of $500 is available.

Vehicle Needs: 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 East Wenatchee, WA, but the nearest large airport is in Seattle or Spokane (both over 150 miles away), where you can get much lower fares. There are bus shuttles available to Seattle and Spokane, and local bus service to towns in Chelan and Douglas County. The greater Wenatchee area has a population of over 50,000.

The Project Partner is responsible for providing 1 work vehicle for completing the work for 6 months of the field season (April – September). This should be a 4-wheel drive capable vehicle with adequate ply tires that can stand up to backcountry roads in varied conditions (dust, mud, large gravel and rocks). Insurance, fuel and repairs are also the responsibility of the Partner.

Other Project Considerations:

Food: Food will be at the applicant’s expense.

All Supplies: The BLM will provide one computer for the crew. The Project Partner is responsible for providing one GPS enabled WIFI device for field navigation and data collection, at a cost of approximately $600. An approved device list will be provided to the Project Partner at the time of award.

The Project Partner will also provide seed bags, clippers, a compass, herbarium supplies, shipping materials, and pest strips all of an approximate cost of $500. BLM will provide an allowance of $500 for each crew member for the purchase of personal field gear such as boots, backpack, or camping gear.

Training Requirements: Applicant will be provided access to free basic workplace trainings including Defensive Driving, First Aid, and Equal Employment Opportunity training. Additionally, program specific training such as GIS, herbarium management, seed collection, and quantitative plant monitoring may be provided at no cost. A one-week trip to the Seeds of Success in-person training will be required. Up to $500 should be provided by Youth Corps for additional training opportunities.

Travel: Field camping may be necessary to complete some monitoring due to remoteness of some locations. Also, due to the scattered nature of some of the BLM lands, hotel stays may also be periodically necessary. Travel may average 1-2 nights per week. Up to $4000 will be available to reimburse travel costs per crew member.

Duties:

The successful youth applicant(s) will be part of a Seeds of Success collection team working throughout the Columbia River Basin in Eastern Washington. Field work will be conducted largely in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, and Yakima Counties, WA in rough and rugged terrain.

Project expected outcomes include completing 5 BLM Seeds of Success native seed collections large enough to both send seed to seed banks and to establish one-acre agricultural grow-out fields.

BLM’s Involvement: There will be substantive BLM programmatic involvement by a BLM Botanist that will be providing project orientation and hands-on training. BLM will have the right to intervene by modifying the project management plan, if the project is not staying on schedule, or technical issues arise, etc. In addition, BLM and recipients 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.

BLM Program Contact:

Molly Boyter

509-665-2137 mboyter@blm.gov Applicants are encouraged to refer to the full program announcement number L24AS00057 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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