Opportunity Information: Apply for W912DR26RA021
The Conservation Interns at the Raystown Lake Project, USACE opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement from the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, focused on supporting natural resource management and public water safety efforts at the Raystown Lake Project (RLP). Through this award, USACE plans to partner with one eligible non-federal public or nonprofit organization to help manage and enhance the site’s natural resources while also strengthening water safety outreach and visitor interpretation services. The project is structured primarily as a training and education pipeline, creating hands-on conservation and public engagement experience for interns who are building careers in fields like fish and wildlife, forestry, and education.
The award is designed to support seven conservation intern positions in total, split between two Natural Resource Management interns and five Water Safety/Interpretation interns. On the natural resources side, intern duties are expected to cover practical field and stewardship work such as wildlife management support, monitoring of threatened and endangered species, fisheries management assistance, habitat enhancement activities, forest management tasks, and boundary inspection or maintenance. These responsibilities point to day-to-day operational conservation work that helps maintain ecosystem health, track sensitive species, and support compliance and land management needs across the project area.
On the water safety and interpretation side, the work centers on visitor-facing communication, education, and safety promotion. Interns in these roles would help promote water safety messages, update bulletin boards and public information displays, and maintain life jacket loaner stations. They may also help plan and run special events, deliver interpretive programs, and conduct roving interpretation, meaning they interact directly with visitors in parks and recreation areas to answer questions, provide guidance, and reinforce safety practices. Communications tasks are also part of the scope, including writing news releases, potentially participating in radio interviews, promoting USACE safety campaigns, developing public service announcements, and generally engaging with the public to build awareness and encourage safe recreation around the lake.
Eligibility is limited to non-federal public and nonprofit entities, with the announcement listing eligible applicants as county governments, city or township governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education). USACE expects to make one award under this opportunity, with an anticipated award ceiling of $105,000. The funding activity category is Natural Resources, and the listed CFDA number is 12.010. The opportunity number is W912DR26RA021, and the application closing date is March 2, 2026 (with a creation date of January 30, 2026). Overall, the core purpose is to place and support a small cohort of interns who will strengthen Raystown Lake’s conservation operations and expand the reach and consistency of its water safety and interpretation program through on-the-ground service and public education.Apply for W912DR26RA021
- The Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Conservation Interns at the Raystown Lake Project, USACE" 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 2026-01-30.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-03-02. (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 $105,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Conservation Interns at the Raystown Lake Project, USACE" opportunity?
This is a discretionary cooperative agreement opportunity from the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District. It supports natural resource management and public water safety efforts at the Raystown Lake Project (RLP) by funding a partner to host and support a group of interns who perform hands-on conservation work and visitor-facing safety/interpretation activities.
What is the main purpose of this award?
The core purpose is to build a training and education pipeline by placing interns in real-world, hands-on roles that support Raystown Lake's conservation operations and expand water safety outreach and visitor interpretation services.
What type of funding mechanism is being used?
The announcement describes the award as a discretionary cooperative agreement.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District.
Where will the funded work take place?
The work is focused on the Raystown Lake Project (RLP), supporting natural resource management and water safety/interpretation activities around the lake and associated recreation areas.
How many awards does USACE expect to make?
USACE expects to make one award under this opportunity.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to non-federal public and nonprofit entities. The listed eligible applicant types include county governments, city or township governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education).
Are institutions of higher education eligible to apply?
Based on the eligibility statement provided, 501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible other than institutions of higher education, meaning institutions of higher education are not included in the listed eligible 501(c)(3) category.
How many intern positions are supported by this award?
The award is designed to support seven conservation intern positions in total.
How are the seven intern positions divided?
The seven positions are split between two Natural Resource Management interns and five Water Safety/Interpretation interns.
What do Natural Resource Management interns typically do under this project?
Natural Resource Management interns are expected to support practical field and stewardship work. The described duties include wildlife management support, monitoring threatened and endangered species, assisting with fisheries management, participating in habitat enhancement, performing forest management tasks, and conducting boundary inspection or maintenance.
What kinds of conservation activities are included in the scope?
The conservation scope includes operational tasks that help maintain ecosystem health and land management needs across the project area, such as habitat enhancement, forest management support, and work connected to monitoring and stewardship of sensitive species.
What do Water Safety/Interpretation interns typically do under this project?
Water Safety/Interpretation interns focus on visitor-facing communication, education, and safety promotion. Duties may include promoting water safety messages, updating bulletin boards and public information displays, maintaining life jacket loaner stations, helping plan and run special events, delivering interpretive programs, and conducting roving interpretation by interacting directly with visitors.
What is "roving interpretation" in this context?
Roving interpretation refers to interns interacting directly with visitors in parks and recreation areas to answer questions, provide guidance, and reinforce safety practices and key messages.
Does the project include public communications work?
Yes. The scope includes communications tasks such as writing news releases, potentially participating in radio interviews, promoting USACE safety campaigns, developing public service announcements, and engaging with the public to encourage safe recreation.
What is the anticipated maximum funding amount?
The anticipated award ceiling is $105,000.
What is the funding activity category for this opportunity?
The funding activity category is Natural Resources.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The listed CFDA number is 12.010.
What is the opportunity number?
The opportunity number is W912DR26RA021.
When is the application due?
The application closing date is March 2, 2026.
When was the opportunity created or posted?
The creation date listed is January 30, 2026.
What does USACE plan to do with the selected partner organization?
USACE plans to partner with one eligible non-federal public or nonprofit organization to help manage and enhance natural resources at Raystown Lake while strengthening water safety outreach and visitor interpretation services through a cohort of interns.
What careers or fields does the internship pipeline support?
The opportunity is described as a training and education pipeline for interns building careers in fields like fish and wildlife, forestry, and education.
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