NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS- Repair Twelve Mile Beach to Log Slide Trail- PIRO- THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS | NPS NOIP17AC00268

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS NOIP17AC00268

This notice describes a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement task for trail and facility repairs in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PIRO), specifically along the Twelve Mile Beach to Log Slide area and the Log Slide to Sable Falls segments of the North Country National Scenic Trail. It is explicitly labeled "NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS," meaning it is not an open, competitive grant solicitation. Instead, it is work carried out under an existing master cooperative agreement (P16AC00027) between the Department of the Interior/NPS and SEEDS INC., with the master agreement terms applying unless the task agreement states otherwise. The overall intent is to pair hands-on conservation work in a national park with youth development goals, linking ecology, stewardship, and broader social values such as social justice.

The on-the-ground project focuses on improving remote trail segments that run parallel to the Lake Superior shoreline and include steep inclines and backcountry conditions. A group campsite near the Log Slide area is planned as the muster and staging location, with detailed site rules and logistics to be provided upon arrival. The actual work is practical trail infrastructure repair and reconstruction, including replacing trail bridges and boardwalks, rebuilding backcountry-style stair/step structures, adding boardwalk extensions, improving trail tread surfaces, constructing corduroy (log-based) trail surfaces in wet areas, and performing trail clearing as needed. Because the work occurs on active public trails, the project is expected to be conducted with constant attention to visitor access and safety, allowing hikers to pass through and minimizing disruption for day users and long-distance hikers during the work period. There are also site-control requirements for tools and equipment: tools must be removed from the work site and secured whenever there is no designated PLC representative present.

A central objective is educational and workforce-development oriented: the project is designed to give youth opportunities to learn about the environment by working directly on conservation and maintenance projects in a national park setting. While NPS benefits from the completed trail improvements, the primary purpose is framed as service learning and skills-building for participants. Youth are expected to gain real-world experience outside the classroom, develop competency in environmental stewardship, and build confidence engaging peers and community members around conservation. The program also encourages participants to share what they learned through presentations back in their schools or communities, extending the stewardship message beyond the park.

Responsibilities are split between the recipient organization (SEEDS INC.) and the National Park Service. The recipient is responsible for recruiting and helping select the youth work crew, supervising and managing the crew on any non-NPS work projects (including providing work leaders, safety training, and equipment), and providing transportation for participants to and from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and during the program. NPS, in turn, agrees to collaborate on goal-setting and jointly shape the scope of work and specific work activities. NPS staff will help identify and select projects, orient participants to park resources, oversee assignments, teach trail maintenance skills, distribute tools and equipment, provide building materials, and offer technical assistance and safety training. NPS also provides a program coordinator as the liaison, including coordination with the recipient's coordinator and team leaders on recruitment, interviews, and candidate recommendations.

The agreement includes oversight and quality control measures that give NPS the ability to manage sequencing and compliance. NPS will review and approve one stage of work before the next stage begins, can redirect work based on interrelationships with other park projects, and can stop activities if performance specifications are not being met. This structure reflects a controlled, safety-sensitive project environment where the work affects public infrastructure and visitor access.

From the funding notice details, the opportunity is categorized as discretionary and uses a cooperative agreement instrument under CFDA 15.931. The listed award ceiling is $31,000, with one expected award. The opportunity number is NPS NOIP17AC00268, created May 8, 2017, with an original closing date of May 19, 2017, reinforcing that this was a time-bound administrative posting tied to a specific partner arrangement rather than a broadly open call for applicants. Eligible applicants are listed generally as "Others" with eligibility clarified elsewhere in the full announcement, but the text makes clear the work is anchored to the pre-existing NPS-SEEDS cooperative agreement and its tasking process.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education, employment, labor and training, environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS- Repair Twelve Mile Beach to Log Slide Trail- PIRO- THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.931.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 08, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 19, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $31,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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