Summer Youth Crew for Habitat Restoration and Community Engagement

Description

Master Cooperative Agreement Number P15AC00015 was entered into by and between the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, (NPS), and American Conservation Experience. The goals of this project are (1) to provide occupational, educational and training opportunities for youth from communities neighboring the park through collaborative management of natural resources and other activities at Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA) and (2) to stimulate the local economy by employing local youth. The objectives of this project are (1) to identify and recruit one (1) crew leader and four (4) crewmembers who are highly motivated youth attending the Akron National Inventor’s Hall of Fame School, Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to participate in the project and (2) introduce youth participants to occupational and educational opportunities with the National Park Service and other organizations through hands-on activities, such as removing invasive plants, restoring native habitat, meeting with park and other staff to discuss career options, and participating in other activities designed to engage local youth in outdoor recreation. This project would engage local youth selected from communities neighboring the park in shared environmental stewardship; support the Government’s objective to provide opportunities for local youth to learn about the environment by spending time working on projects at CUVA (CUVA receives the indirect benefit of completing conservation and recreational projects); and motivate youth participants from neighboring communities to become involved in the protection of natural, cultural and/or historical resources in their communities and beyond. In accordance with the Department of the Interior’s priority 3a for financial assistance, this project will engage local youth from communities neighboring the park in habitat restoration, recreational programs, and maintenance activities at CUVA. In addition, the project will introduce local youth to occupational and educational opportunities with the NPS and other organizations through hands-on activities, such as removing invasive plants, restoring native habitat, meeting with park and other staff to discuss career options, and participating in other activities designed to engage local youth in outdoor recreation. Primary activities will focus on resource management and interpretive programming, although participants also will interact with staff from other park divisions (e.g., maintenance, law-enforcement and human resources). The park's plant ecologist and interpretive-park rangers will provide and direct daily activities for the youth crew under this project. Park staff will provide an overview and orientation to youth participants related to the natural and cultural history of the park, as well as to recreational and educational opportunities, including but not limited to participation in park programs and activities (e.g., interpretive hikes). In addition, youth participants will have an opportunity to expand learning experiences and complete service-learning projects at other NPS sites or properties in communities neighboring the park.

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