Education Intern for AAPLIC | NPS DOIP17AC00125

Opportunity Information: Apply for NPS DOIP17AC00125

The "Education Intern for AAPLIC" notice (Funding Opportunity Number NPS-DOIP17AC00125) is a public announcement from the National Park Service (NPS) stating its intent to fund a specific project without competition. It is explicitly not a request for applications. Instead, it documents that NPS plans to issue a task agreement under an existing cooperative agreement with the Student Conservation Association (SCA). The project falls under CFDA 15.931 (education-related activities) and is authorized under 16 USC 1723(c)(1). The total anticipated federal award is $25,682.09, with no cost share required, and the announcement anticipates a single award.

The project itself is designed to support and expand work, education, and training opportunities for young adults by placing an SCA intern with NPS education staff at the Anchorage Interagency Visitor Center (connected to the Alaska Public Lands Information Center/AAPLIC context). The intern position is described as a roughly 26-week assignment, with an overall anticipated period of performance running from February 19, 2017 through August 19, 2017. Most of the work is expected to be indoors, but it involves coordination across multiple partners and programs and includes some field-based activities and limited travel.

The intern's main duties focus on developing and delivering environmental education programming for different age groups and audiences in the Anchorage area. This includes helping design, develop, and present two to four week-long summer day camps for children, as well as one to two weeks of overnight camp programming for teenagers. The intern will also help build an introductory camping program that culminates in a weekend camping trip geared toward families who are new to camping. In addition to camps, the intern will create a curriculum-based in-school program that connects directly to existing field trips offered through the Alaska Public Lands Information Center. The position also includes creating an iBook for visitor center use or outreach events and updating the materials in loanable Education Kits that can be used by educators or the public.

A major learning and workforce-development component is built into the internship. The intern is expected to receive training in education principles and techniques, gain familiarity with the natural and cultural resources found on Alaska parks and public lands, and engage with current resource issues such as climate change, ocean degradation, wildfire, and invasive species. The intern will also be trained on and incorporate key safety and stewardship topics, including bear safety, Leave No Trace practices, and wildlife etiquette, with the intent that these lessons feed into public-facing materials such as Junior Ranger books and related education products.

Responsibilities are split between SCA and NPS in a fairly standard cooperative agreement structure. SCA is responsible for helping recruit and select candidates, and for providing participant support such as a living allowance, insurance, and AmeriCorps awards when applicable. SCA also provides in-service commercial travel during the project period, plus program oversight elements like a 24/7 hotline, site visits, and performance evaluations. On the NPS side, the agency provides the financial assistance amount ($25,682.09), orientation to park operations and the NPS mission, safety training, and an on-site technical representative to guide the intern. NPS also commits to providing the equipment and supplies needed to perform the work and includes funding for housing for the SCA volunteer, along with a small amount for duty-related travel or training (listed as $400 in the SCA budget). While travel is expected to be minimal, it may be necessary for program delivery across the Anchorage area. One point that stands out in the narrative is a note stating the park does not provide housing, even though a later section indicates NPS will provide funds for housing; taken together, that typically means NPS is not offering government housing directly but is budgeting support to cover housing costs through the agreement.

The notice also explains why the award is not being competed. Under Department of the Interior single-source policy (505 DM 2), noncompetitive awards require written justification. Here, the justification is that this task agreement is being issued under an existing, previously competed cooperative agreement (P15AC00031) with SCA for conservation projects. In other words, NPS is not opening a new competition because the work is structured as an add-on task under a broader agreement vehicle that was already competed, and SCA is the established partner for placing and supporting conservation and education interns in this context. The listed point of contact for the opportunity is James Cato.

• The National Park Service in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Education Intern for AAPLIC" 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 2017-02-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-02-13. (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 $26,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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