Youth Project Abstract Summary SNDO SNPLMA Conservation Youth Crew.docx

Office: Southern Nevada District Office Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: L22AS00306 Project Submission Dates and Times: June 16, 2022, 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Project Title: Southern Nevada SNPLMA Land Conservation Youth Program Maximum Available Funding in FY22: $80,000 BLM has determined $600 weekly stipend equal to $15.00 per hour is a reasonable. Stipends above this amount must justify in budget narrative increase needed.

Project Background Information:

The Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) became law in October 1998. It allows BLM to sell public land within a specific boundary around Las Vegas, Nevada. The revenue from land sales is split between the State of Nevada General Education Fund (5%), the Southern Nevada Water Authority (10%), and a special account available to the Secretary of the Interior for Parks, Trails, and Natural Areas, Capital Improvements, Conservation Initiatives, Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP), Environmentally Sensitive Land Acquisitions, Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Wildfire Prevention, Eastern Nevada Landscape Restoration Project, and the Lake Tahoe Restoration; activities that benefit the community and public land users. The SNDO SNPLMA Land Conservation Youth Program aims to reduce the amount of illegally dumped debris on BLM lands in the Las Vegas area to conserve the land, lower environmental impacts and to discourage further dumping.

Since 2013, this program has existed in various forms, initially as a SNPLMA Conservation Initiative approved by the Secretary of Interior. Upon completion of the initial project the program was maintained as an ongoing conservation program with crews maintain conservation treatments on the lands as well as provide ongoing educational and professional development opportunities to youth interested in conservation activities.

Project Objective:

The Southern Nevada District Office (SNDO), Las Vegas Field Office, Nevada has an opportunity to introduce youth to careers in the BLM under the Cultural Resource Management Area, specifically conservation of natural resources and range management. The District has a Range Specialist on staff and would like to a provide work experience to youth for their career and educational benefit. This will be accomplished by providing opportunities to gain experience, learn about public lands, further their understanding and appreciation of natural resource, and increase awareness of the impacts of urban activities on public lands.

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 to spur a sense of community-based stewardship of public lands. This opportunity will be focused on the monitoring of sites, restoration and conservation of sites/parcels within the SNPLMA disposal boundary, development of public outreach, and participation in community cleanup events.

This project would be especially appropriate for a student studying natural resources, botany, biology or enviornmental sciences and will provide opportunities to enhance basic career skills such as organization, writing, detail, and communication, as well as field skills including the land use monitoring, identifying land impacts, decision making, land navigation, field note methods, and environmentally destructive object abatement techniques. Previous experience with any or all of these skills would benefit the student experience.

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, generally 6 AM to 3PM, for three, two week periods, with flexable start/end dates from October to April.

Qualification Requirements: This opportunity is suitable for youth working towards an undergraduate or graduate degree in any natural or enviornmental science related discipline. As stated in the duties this opportunity will require time outdoors and field work that is often under somewhat rigorous physical conditions. Applicants must also meet the following criteria: 1). Pass a DOI security background check.

Housing: Agency cannot provide housing. Assistance in identifying appropriate camping opportunities outside of the Las Vegas Valley may be 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 Las Vegas, Nevada, International Airport. There is a significant public transportation system throughout Southern Nevada.

Other Project Considerations:

· Food: The applicant is required to provide the youth crew member with all food and living supplies.

· Supplies: The BLM will provide a means to capture digital photographs and document GPS coordinates, i.e. GPS unit, camera or cell phone. Additionally, tools for the removal of debris and foreign materials like hand tools will be provided by the BLM. Youth crews should provide adequate gloves and footwear to work with sharp natural and foreign objects.

· Training Requirements: The applicant is required to provide youth crew members with the appropriate training to complete the work outlined in this opportunity, including, but not limited to, basic tool use and operation, first aid, and crew lead training.

· Travel: Travel between the youth crew housing location and project site or SNDO may be required. This is generally no more than 20 miles.

Duties: The successful youth applicant will assist the Range Specialist with the restoration of public land parcels through the elimination of debris, posting regulatory and informational signs, and installation of barriers to maintain restoration efforts. Work will be completed within the within the SNPLMA boundary, approximately 27,000 acres within an urban setting. The interns will operate vehicles and other equipment, enter data and creat activity reports, collaborate with volunteer groups, and participate in other activities related to removal of trash and debris from BLM lands for restoration and development.

Opportunities exist for extensive field work. Field work includes monitoring, surveys, collection and removal of foreign objects (debris – litter), and field activity reporting. Field work will be conducted largely in the interior of the Las Vegas Valley, containing primarily urban environments.

Methods consist of working pre-determined target areas within the SNPLMA boundary and developing an operational plan to remove all foreign debris, install information or regulatory signs, and determine feasibility of structural barrier application to conserve the land in it’s restored state.

All activities will be documented to record acres of land cleaned of illegal dumping, percent of sites maintained in adequate condition, tons of trash removed from public lands, number of information/regulator signs installed, number or length (ft) of barriers placed, number of volunteers hours utilized. Sites will be documented through field notes, digital photography, and GPS applications and assessed as to significance.

The team will work out of the Southern Nevada District Office, Las Vegags, Nevada. The project will be coordinated by the District Desert Clean-up Coordinator (Range Specialist). The work is expected to occur over approximately 16 weeks in the fall, winter, and spring. The Range Specialist will meet with the crew on the first day of a new project week to ensure a good start. Fieldwork will be done in a desert land parcels within an urban setting and requires strenuous exertion. Weather and terrain conditions may be extreme (e.g. heat, cold, thunderstorms, desert enviornment).

Project’s expected outcomes are the employment of approximately 100 youth who will gain knowledge on natural resource management and careers while completing restoration and conservation of public lands by means of:

· Removing 70 tons of foreign material throughout the Las Vegas valley.

· Restoration and conservation of at least 40 parcels.

· Participation in 3 public outreach and education events.

BLM’s Involvement:

The BLM's involvement in this cooperative agreement may include, but not be limited to joint collaboration between the BLM and recipient in carrying out management, development, implementation, and evaluation of the proposed work; training of recipient personnel; review and approval by the BLM of one stage of work prior to the start of the next stage; the ability to immediately halt work because of failure to meet agreement objectives; and close monitoring and/or operational involvement in the proposed work. Additionally, the BLM will assign site locations for conservation efforts, these may change due to new discoveries or determined prioritization.

BLM Program Contact:

Applicants are encouraged to refer to the full program announcement number L22AS00306 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.

image1.png