Gateway Headquarters Interns | P17AS00253

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00253

The "Gateway Headquarters Interns" opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00253) is a National Park Service (Department of the Interior) discretionary education award structured as a cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.931. The project supports a cohort of eight interns who will work across multiple divisions at Gateway National Recreation Area in New York, combining hands-on field experience with professional development. The overall aim is to strengthen the park's capacity in facilities, cultural resource protection, natural resource stewardship, public engagement, and operational safety, while giving interns practical experience on real park priorities.

Intern roles span several technical and program areas. An Architect/Engineer intern supports the park Project Manager by assisting with active design and construction efforts, conducting building condition assessment fieldwork, organizing and managing electronic drawings and records, and helping review and develop future project proposals. A Landscape Architect intern works with both the Chief of Facilities and the Chief of Cultural Resources to create a post-Hurricane Sandy Landscape Preservation Treatment Plan for the 220-acre Jacob Riis Park on the Rockaway Peninsula. This includes preparing a detailed condition assessment and developing a master plan to guide long-term landscape management, especially given the documented storm damage and ongoing vulnerability to climate change.

On the education and outreach side, a Camping Education intern works with the Ecology Village program at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. The focus is on expanding camping opportunities for schools and youth groups, participating in leadership training, and facilitating stewardship activities that introduce young people to the park's natural and cultural resources. A Web Developer intern is placed within the Business Management office to build a public-facing website that highlights the park's historic assets, including a digital catalog that documents interior and exterior building conditions. This role requires coordination across park divisions to gather content, assemble existing data and documentation, and organize it into a usable, accessible online resource.

Several positions focus on internal operations and risk management. A Management Analyst intern supports the Facility Management division by documenting, analyzing, and evaluating current and proposed processes and procedures. This includes collecting, reviewing, and summarizing data from financial and asset management systems and organizing records tied to facility management activities. A Safety and Occupational Health intern reports to the park Safety Officer and helps carry out workplace safety and health inspections for facilities, buildings, and work processes to assess compliance with safety requirements. The intern also performs risk assessments, drafts and maintains inspection and assessment documentation, assists with Job Hazard Analyses for specific tasks, and updates hazardous chemical inventories.

Natural resource restoration is addressed through Vegetation Management intern positions supervised by the Chief of Natural Resources. These interns assist with on-the-ground restoration work, including removing invasive non-native plants and supporting native planting efforts on Staten Island and at Jamaica Bay. The intent is to advance ecological restoration while building interns' field skills and specialized knowledge in resource stewardship.

Beyond the job-specific duties, all eight interns receive park-based training designed to build core competencies relevant to National Park Service operations. Training topics include endangered species monitoring, resource protection, and safety-focused operational leadership, reinforcing the program's blend of technical experience, stewardship, and professional development.

Administratively, this posting is not an open competition. The notice states the NPS intent to enter into an agreement with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) under an existing cooperative agreement (P15AC00031), with no applications accepted. The anticipated award structure reflects a single expected award with an award ceiling of $84,374, and the opportunity was created on May 11, 2017.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Gateway Headquarters Interns" 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 May 11, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Notice of intent to enter agreement with SCA under existing Cooperative Agreement P15AC00031 without additional competition. No applications will be accepted.. (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 $84,374.00 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).

Apply for P17AS00253

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