Natural Resource Management Education and Training Opportunities for Botanically Sophisticated Education, Training, and Restoration | W9127N 19 2 0011

Opportunity Information: Apply for W9127N 19 2 0011

This grant opportunity is a US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Portland District (NWP) cooperative agreement focused on restoring and stewarding USACE-managed lands in Oregon's Willamette Valley, with a strong emphasis on hands-on education and workforce development in ecological restoration. The project is centered on restoring and managing native prairie landscapes and associated wildlife habitat at the southern Willamette Valley Lakes, while simultaneously building local capacity to carry out technically rigorous, plant-focused restoration work. In practice, the work combines on-the-ground habitat improvement with structured training that helps participants learn how to design, plan, and implement restoration projects that are botanically detailed and ecologically sound.

A defining feature of the opportunity is its dual education model: it targets both emerging professionals and local K-12 students. For emerging professionals, the program is intended to provide "botanically sophisticated" training, meaning it is not just general conservation labor but a deeper skill-building effort that includes advanced plant identification and a fuller understanding of local flora. The intended participant pool includes young professionals, veterans, displaced workers, college students, and other community members who want practical experience in restoration. Participants are expected to gain competency in identifying the full range of plant community elements, as well as in project planning, development, and implementation. That implies training that goes beyond field tasks and includes how to scope restoration needs, choose appropriate methods, coordinate resources, and carry work through to completion, ideally with an understanding of why particular ecological decisions are being made.

At the same time, the project is designed to create meaningful roles for local primary and secondary school students by involving them in producing and installing native plant materials used in restoration sites. This component signals that the partner should be able to run environmental education programming tied to native plant propagation and planting, connecting classroom or school-based activities to real restoration outcomes on USACE lands. In effect, the Corps is looking for a partner that can integrate community-based learning with tangible stewardship results, helping students see a direct link between growing native plants and improving local habitats.

The funding mechanism is a discretionary cooperative agreement, which typically indicates substantial federal involvement during performance rather than a hands-off grant. The award is to be made under the authority of 33 U.S.C. 2339(c), a Corps-specific partnership authority often used to support natural resource management, restoration, and stewardship activities through agreements with eligible non-federal partners. The opportunity anticipates a single award with an award ceiling of $35,000, suggesting a relatively small, targeted project or a pilot-scale effort that may emphasize training and demonstration outcomes as much as acreage treated.

Eligibility is limited to a non-federal public entity or a nonprofit entity that serves the local community. Beyond basic eligibility, the Corps states a clear preference for an organization with demonstrated experience delivering land stewardship and restoration using small crews. This is important because small-crew restoration often requires careful planning and close supervision to ensure quality results, especially in sensitive prairie habitats where invasive species control, site preparation, planting, and follow-up maintenance must be precise. The preferred partner also needs the capability to train participants to identify all elements of the flora, indicating that botanical expertise is not optional but central to the project. In addition, the partner must be able to manage native plant growing and planting programs in local primary schools, meaning they need operational capacity for propagation activities, education coordination, and field installation logistics.

Key details from the notice include the opportunity title "Natural Resource Management Education and Training Opportunities for Botanically Sophisticated Education, Training, and Restoration," Funding Opportunity Number W9127N-19-2-0011, and the Natural Resources funding activity category (CFDA 12.010). The posting dates indicate it was created on August 9, 2019 with an original closing date of September 9, 2019, and it projected one award. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a community-centered restoration partnership: improve native prairie and wildlife habitat on federal lands in the Willamette Valley while developing a pipeline of skilled restoration practitioners and giving local students a direct, practical role in growing and planting native species used in the work.

• The Department of Defense, USACE Portland District in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Natural Resource Management Education and Training Opportunities for Botanically Sophisticated Education, Training, and Restoration" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.010.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 09, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 09, 2019. (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 $35,000.00 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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