Internships to Assess Damage along Trailsâ¿¿ Blue Ridge Parkway | P17AS00722

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00722

The grant opportunity titled "Internships to Assess Damage along Trails - Blue Ridge Parkway" (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00722) was offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service as a discretionary cooperative agreement under the Natural Resources funding activity category (CFDA 15.931). Posted on August 24, 2017, it had an original application closing date of September 4, 2017, with a maximum possible award amount (award ceiling) of $48,000. The listing indicates "Expected Awards: 0," which can sometimes reflect an administrative or technical entry in the notice rather than a guarantee that no awards will be made, but the posting itself does not provide additional explanation beyond that field.

The core purpose of the project was to support internships focused on field-based assessment and documentation of environmental change along the Blue Ridge Parkway, especially where recreational use is concentrated. The work emphasizes understanding changes in the natural environment driven both by human activity (such as foot traffic, climbing, and camping) and by natural ecological succession. Rather than being a purely desk-based research effort, the project is built around physically accessing and traversing key sites, then recording observations in a structured way to capture the current condition of resources and identify patterns of impact.

A major focus is on trails, climbing areas, and backcountry camping sites, which are often hotspots for vegetation loss, soil compaction, trail widening, informal user-created paths, erosion, and the spread of impacted areas beyond designated corridors. The internships supported by this opportunity would involve documenting and evaluating damage to vegetation and then considering the potential for restoration. Importantly, the notice highlights restoration in two forms: recovery that could occur naturally if stressors are reduced, and recovery that might need to be augmented through active management measures (for example, site stabilization, revegetation, access management, or other interventions). In practical terms, the intent is to produce on-the-ground information that can help park staff understand where impacts are occurring, how severe they are, and what kinds of restoration approaches are likely to be effective.

Eligibility was limited primarily to nonprofits with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), with an additional category labeled "Others" that refers applicants to a separate eligibility clarification field (not included in the text provided). Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted, small-scale cooperative agreement designed to place interns in the field to gather actionable resource-condition data and support decision-making about protecting and restoring sensitive vegetation and sites affected by recreation along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Internships to Assess Damage along Trailsâ¿¿ Blue Ridge Parkway" 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 Aug 24, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 04, 2017. (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 $48,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for P17AS00722

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