Nevada Conservation Corps

The opportunity to engage in a variety of partnerships has kept Nevada Conservation Corps (NCC) crews working on projects statewide. NCC works closely with many agencies in Nevada, including the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Nevada State Parks, and Washoe County Parks. With Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds available for trail work, the State has encouraged the use of NCC crews and written grants to employ the crews on State park improvements. The State trails program also provides assistance to grant applicants when requested, and, at conferences, hosts a workshop on State funding and grant procedures.

Challenges and Opportunities
Federal agencies are not alone in facing reduced recreation budgets. Many State agencies are also challenged to maintain services and facilities with higher costs and less State funding. At the same time, like the Federal land agencies, State parks managers are also seeking a qualified workforce. A typical problem is the difficulty in hiring additional staff, due to hiring freezes, or caps on employee numbers. As RTP allows for State administrative costs as well as grant money for trail work, the partnership with NCC is addressing the funding challenges.

In working with NCC on funding for statewide trails work, the Nevada Division of State Parks has typically followed the following process:

» State parks staff identifies needs and days of work needed for trail maintenance or improvements. 
» NCC provides a budget for the days of crew work. 
» State staff writes the grant application with NCC as the workforce provider.
» If the project is selected for funding, the State administers the grant.

Applications for projects on the State parks must compete on an equal basis with other applications from across Nevada. In general, projects involving NCC score well because they include significant matching funds, volunteers and, often, several additional partners. One of the criteria, “Interagency Cooperation,” permits extra points for projects involving “qualified youth conservation or service corps groups.”

RTP Grant Procedures
Nevada’s grants procedure is typical of many State trails programs. It is a competitive grant program to fund applications receiving the highest scores. For the Federal Fiscal 2008, Nevada received just over $1.1 million in RTP funds. The main program elements are as follows:

» Conservation Corps are eligible to apply, as well as local, State, tribal, and Federal units of government, and organizations.
» Eligible projects include the construction and maintenance of motorized and nonmotorized trails and related facilities. 
» The maximum grant per project is $100,000; the minimum is $4,000.
» Applicants must provide a minimum match of 20 percent.
» As a reimbursement program, applicants must have the financial means to do the work without cash advances.
» The State’s Recreational Trails Advisory Committee reviews and scores RTP grant applications.
» A short presentation to the review committee highlights key features, and answers questions.

Competing for funds means doing as much as possible to meet the needs detailed in the grant application. The Project Selection Criteria include explicit goals from the Nevada 2005 Recreational Trails Plan. This gives sponsors an opportunity to tailor their projects to include the most attractive features; at the same time, it signifies that some projects are not going to be competitive. Applicants need to clearly explain how their project—

» meets an identified need or urgency;
» furthers specific goals in the statewide trails plan;
» links with other trails or recreational areas;
» includes community support and interagency cooperation;
» provides for the greatest number of compatible uses;
» can be accessed by persons of varying abilities;
» is compatible with adjacent land uses;
» uses successful or innovative design techniques; and
» helps restore natural resources.

Conservation Corps Opportunities
In 2006, the State trails program manager contacted the Nevada Conservation Corps about their availability to provide trail maintenance work on State parks. A survey sent to all State park managers asked about their needs for trail maintenance, signs, reroutes, structures, bridges, etc. From the response, and working with NCC on scheduling and budgets, the trails program submitted two RTP proposals to address trail maintenance in State parks. Both grants were selected for funding at $80,000 each.

Trail maintenance is the largest share of the work available in the State parks. Some projects seek to solve problems of use or poor design; others are to complete projects stalled by budget cuts. Nonprofits have also hired NCC to do a variety of projects. While the State parks staff takes care of technical issues, the nonprofits may need more expertise.

A mountain bicycle group, for example, received a grant for a trail on national forest land. The Forest Service had already done the environmental assessment but needed someone to do the technical design work. They then hired NCC to do the trail design and flagging. In other cases, NCC worked on the trail layout with Federal biologists and hydrologists to minimize trail impacts.

For the Corps to be qualified for this wide variety of work, NCC provides training for both corps members and leaders. Besides in-house training, NCC brings in State specialists to teach skills such as revegetation. Other training needs include restoration of old trails, converting roads to trails, and sustainable trail design and construction.

Statewide Mapping Project
Due to a lack of good trail information for users, the State trails program initiated another project. The Great Basin Institute, which manages NCC and the State’s largest AmeriCorps program, prepared a grant to develop and produce a trails website. This project was awarded RTP funding which the State dedicates for educational initiatives. The Institute partnered with Federal, State, and local land management agencies to create an online encyclopedia of designated motorized and nonmotorized trails.

An AmeriCorps volunteer worked as a research associate to do the actual data collection. Tasks included identifying where reliable Geographic Information System (GIS) data existed, then visiting the actual trails and checking trailhead locations.

The trails information website is a work in progress, with many trails to be added. The project points out a particular skill that may be in growing demand in the future. Some urban areas have the resources to do their own mapping and GIS work, but State and Federal agencies typically don’t have either the skills or the funds to hire people. The Great Basin Institute could contract with them to provide this technical work, which would teach highly marketable skills to the young corps members.

Benefits
The partnerships made possible with RTP funding have created a great deal of work for NCC. The funding also makes it possible for the State to address the needs identified in statewide outdoor recreation and trails plans. For the Federal agencies as well as nonprofit trail organizations, the NCC crews provide a reliable workforce with skills that go beyond the basics. As recreation management budgets have been reduced, the need for keeping up with maintenance has increased. RTP grants have provided a way to foster competition among potential projects and to encourage sponsors to bring matching resources. The conservation corps have emerged as valuable players in the statewide stewardship efforts.

For more information, Contact:

Nevada Conservation Corps
Mailstop 99, UNR
Reno, NV 89557 
(775) 784-1192
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.thegreatbasininstitute.org

Nevada Trail Maps
www.nvtrailmaps.com

Recreational Trails Program
Nevada State Parks
901 S Stewart St., Suite 5005 
Carson City NV 89701
(775) 684-2787
www.parks.nv.gov/trails.htm