Natural Resource Management (NRM) Education and Training of Southern Willamette Valley, Lane County, Adjudicated Crews

Description

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Portland District (NWP) intends to enter into a cooperative agreement with a qualified non-Federal public, or nonprofit entities for land stewardship and restoration services on USACE land in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. This cooperative agreement will assist NWP in fulfilling environmental stewardship responsibilities consisting of restoration and management of native and wildlife habitat at NWP Projects in Lane County, Oregon. The recipient’s participants will gain experience with crew based natural resource management work. Projects will mainly focus on land stewardship, habitat restoration, campground maintenance, and vegetation management for dam safety at Fern Ridge, Lookout Point, Dexter, Fall Creek, Dorena, Cottage Grove, and Hills Creek Lakes.The cooperative agreement will be awarded pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 2339 Conservation and Recreation Management. The recipient for this cooperative agreement must be a qualified non-Federal public, or nonprofit entity that serves locally adjudicated people who may earn restitution, work required community service hours and receive vocational training, and learn job readiness skills. The recipient will employ experienced crew leaders so that ecological concepts and work requirements can be accurately conveyed to participants.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This funding opportunity announcement is amended to address the following questions.Question 1: Is the daily rate negotiable? Answer 1: The applicant should propose their daily rate in their application package. Question 2: Our crews consist of participants who have been adjudicated in court but go home daily. They choose their scheduled days and are not the same crew of people on a daily basis. If you are wanting to provide training to the group it would need to be done each day since the people assigned to the crews are not the same day to day.Answer 2: There are two training elements to consider -- the first and most important is the general work habit/work ethic and landscape management work skills raining that the program provides. The second is that USACE provides introductory remarks concerning natural resource management goals, ecosystem benefits, and site specific tasks and objectives. In the past, this was done once at the beginning of work in each location with additional check-ins depending on complexity. Crew leads need to understand and be able to communicate USACE messaging, but USACE does view it as a requirement that every participant receive identical training.Question 3: Our crews are directed to wear close toed shoes, long pants, and no tank tops. Per your requirements you state that the crew has to be equipped with work jackets, work shirts, work trousers, hard hats, gloves and 8 inch laced safety work boots. Is this required? Answer 3: The FOA file in the Related Documents tab of the opportunity announcement is amended. See Section A.5.h. of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The revised language is highlighted in yellow. Amendment 01 of the FOA file supersedes all earlier versions.

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