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1995 Renewal Applications [3]
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This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
Americorps
Series/Staff Member:
General Files
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
24234
FolderID:
Folder Title:
1995 Renewal Applications [3]
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66
1
2
2
Notes on AmeriCorps Budget Worksheet
USDA - Forest Service
AmeriCorps Workshop 12/5-7/94
Atlanta, Georgia
The following are general guidelines for completing the AmeriCorps "Detailed
Budget Worksheet". The notes are presented from a Forest Service perspective
as opposed to a non-Federal applicant's viewpoint.
General Definitions
Non-Federal Matching Funds:
Contributed funds (cash) from state, county,
city, and non-profit entities. Fifteen percent
(15%) of these types of funds are required from
Non-Federal entities to cover costs listed
under Section F. OTHER PARTICIPANT SUPPORT
COSTS of the budget worksheet (page 3).
Non-Federal Matching In-Kind:
In-Kind contributions in this budget category
refer to human resources, equipment, supplies,
services, etc. provided by state, county, city,
and non-profit entities in support of the
AmeriCorps Program.
Federal Matching Funds:
For purposes of the AmeriCorps Program, Federal
Matching Funds will refer in almost all
instances to National Forest Service
Appropriated Funds (cash) EARMARKED in the WO
PMBI exclusively for the AmeriCorps Program.
For FY96, we are talking about $9.5 million in
NFS funds. In general, most of the funding for
the AmeriCorps budget worksheet you are
preparing will fall under this category.
Federal Matching In-Kind:
In-Kind contributions in this budget category
refer to human resources, equipment, supplies,
services, etc. provided by the Forest Service
and other cooperating Federal agencies in
support of the AmeriCorps Program.
Further explanatory notes on In-Kind contributions follow. (Although these
notes address the Federal side, they also are helpful for the Non-Federal
In-Kind contributions.)
Possible suggestions and samples for estimating the in-kind contributions in
the AmeriCorps Program are listed below:
Category I - Direct Staff (Federal Matching In-Kind)
Refers to FS staff whose salaries are paid with FS funds who work directly
with Corpsmembers, either supervising or training them. Does not include
the time devoted by FS staff paid with FS funds earmarked for the
AmeriCorps Program in the WO PBMI. HOWEVER, time devoted to AmeriCorps
above and beyond FS funds earmarked in the WO-PBMI for AmeriCorps, can be
counted as Federal Matching In-Kind contributions.
Example: A FS Wildlife Biologist receives 5% of his/her salary from NFS
funds earmarked by the WO PBMI for the AmeriCorps Program. If the Wildlife
Biologist devotes 15% of his/her time in the supervision and training of
Corpsmembers, the unit can count 10% of this staff person's time as a
Federal Matching In-Kind contribution.
Category II - Indirect Support Staff (Federal Matching In-Kind)
Refers to FS staff that are paid with Forest Service funds and provide
vital support to the AmeriCorps Program. Examples of such staff would be
the Administrative Officer, Personnel Management Specialist, Purchasing
Agent, etc., etc.
Category III - Non-staff Contributions (Federal Matching In-Kind)
Includes non-staff costs that are paid with FS funds in support of the
AmeriCorps Program. This category includes costs related to rent,
electricity, water, telephone, equipment, supplies, etc.
For the first two cost categories (Direct Staff and Indirect Support Staff),
determine the percent of time devoted by each FS employee to the AmeriCorps
Program during the entire program year. Multiply the percent for each employee
by the employee's annual salary (Government cost). This will provide the
estimated value of the FS contribution (Federal Matching In-Kind) to the
AmeriCorps Program for each employee. This determination has many variances.
In some cases, a staff person may work just one month for AmeriCorps. If this
is the case, the estimate will need to be projected on the basis of one month.
For the third cost category (Non-staff Contributions), determine the percent of
rent costs, utility expenses, etc. that are applicable to the AmeriCorps
Program for the entire program year. Multiply the applicable percent against
the estimated annual cost for each individual item. Also include costs for
supplies, equipment, etc. that are easily identifiable and documented.
Below is a "mini" example for each of the three categories of cost.
Percent
Example:
of time
Gov't
FS Matching
to Ameri-
Cost
In-Kind
Direct Staff
Corps
Salary
Contribution
Forestry Technician
10%
$20000
$ 2000
Wildlife Biologist
10%
50000
5000
Add other applicable direct staff
Indirect Support Staff
Administrative Officer
5%
60000
3000
Personnel Mgt Specialist
5%
40000
2000
Add other applicable indirect staff
Non-Staff Support Costs
Rent
5%
10000
500
Electricity
5%
20000
1000
Materials and Supplies (Estimate)
:
:
1000
Add other applicable non-staff costs
Forest Service (Federal) Matching In-Kind
$14500
All pertinent backup documentation should be filed and available for all future
Forest Service, USDA, or AmeriCorps audits/reviews.
All calculations involving the following columns should equal the far right
column, namely, Total Budget.
Page 1:
Estimated Unit Cost X Number of Participants = Total Budget
Page 2:
Estimated Unit Cost x Estimated No. of Units = Total Budget
Page 3:
Cost per Participant X Number of participants = Total Budget
The distribution to Non-FED, FED, and AmeriCorps Funding is the next step.
The 25% requirement in the AmeriCorps budget refers to the overall amount
that the applicant must furnish in funding as a minimum. This means that
USDA (including Forest Service) must provide no less than 25% of the funds
for the AmeriCorps Program. In reality, the FS provides 75% to 90% or more
of the funds in the AmeriCorps budget (Excluding the education awards that
AmeriCorps bestows to the Corpsmembers).
Bottom line: The Forest Service need not worry about the 25% requirement.
We are way over in our participant share of the budget.
Budget Period:
10/01/94
to
09/30/95
Applicant Name:
USDA Forest Service, Human Resource Programs
B
LOW OPTION - 05/17/94
AmeriCorps Application - Consolidated EBLI Distribution of FS Earmarked Funds, by Region
EBLI Description / Code Proposal Proposal Proposal Total
Proposal
Proposal
Total
Proposal
Proposal
Proposal
Proposal
GRAND
Total R-3
Region
5
Region
5
Region
5
Region
6
Region
6
Region
6
Total R-8
Region
9
Region
9
Total
R-9
TOTAL
Proposal Name
>
USDA AZ
San
Six
Katydid
Ft Worden
Greater
N.England
Vermont
ALL
>
Team
Bernadino
Rivers
Americorps Olympic
Jackson
Youth F C
Americorps
PROPOSALS
>
ARIZONA
So. CALIF
No. CALIF
OREGON
WASH ST.
MISSISSIP
NEW HAMP
VERMONT
+
=
+
=
+
=
A1 -Trail Construct CNTR
A2 Anadromous Fish NFAF
A3 Inland Fish Ops NFIF
A4 -T&E Hab Imprvmt NFTE
115,700
A5 -Wildlife Hab Imp NFWL
28,900
A6 Range Improvemnt NFIP
A7 Range Veg Mgt
NFVM
A8 Reforestation NFRF
A9 Timber Stand Imp NFTI
28,900
A10-Recreation Mgt NFRM
28,900
A11-Trail Maintce
NFTR
86,829
A12-Soil/Water Res NFSI
Subtotal FS Earmarked Funds
289,229
+
Non-FED Matching Funds
30,500
+
Non-FED Matching In-Kind
34,000
+
FED Matching In-Kind
0
+
AmeriCorps Funding Request
21,000
=
TOTAL (Excludes Ed Awards)
374,729
Cost per Participant
18,736
Number of Participants
20
Education Awards-AmeriCorps
94,500
NOTE: Funds for Educational Awards are held in trust by AmeriCorps and are not issued directly to sponsors nor directly to participants.
Notes on Proposed Improvements to the NRCS AmeriCorps Program
It is important to recognize during this start up phase in the AmeriCorps program, where
we are on the learning curve. In one year, we have gone from a few people with little
knowledge of AmeriCorps, to employees in thirty-five states and the national office with
experience in designing and managing AmeriCorps projects. The needs in the second year
of the program are not the same as they were for the first year. This capability needs to be
factored into the decision about whether or not facilitators are needed. All agencies
involved should be engaged in a process of evaluation and program improvement.
We are making the following improvements to strengthen the NRCS participation in
AmeriCorps.
1. The NRCS Community Assistance and Resource Development Division will work with
the Strategic Planning and Evaluation Division to develop a plan for the evaluation and
improvement of AmeriCorps projects.
2. Applications from state offices to participate in AmeriCorps are to be submitted with
proposed sites for teams of AmeriCorps members in no less than five members located
together. This helps us to better meet the Corporation's requirement for AmeriCorps
member support and national program identity.
3. Each AmeriCorps team, including Public Lands and Environmental Corps and Rural
Development Corps, will have a team leader who is an AmeriCorps member. We are
currently working with employees in state and field offices who are managing AmeriCorps
projects to determine the skills needed for the team to be effective. The NRCS national
Employee Development staff is working with us to design leadership training. We will use
distant learning to deliver some of this training to the states through satellite downlink.
4. Consistent with the six newly organized NRCS regions, we will have one to two
people designated as Regional AmeriCorps Coordinators. They will have experience with
AmeriCorps and will function to improve communication, coordination and monitoring at
the local level.
5. Develop guidelines and select sites for self-directed teams.
3/30 22:25 page
1
FAX COVER PAGE
Date:
Thu Mar 30 19:59:06 GMT 1995
Attention To:
Berg
Destination Fax:
+1 202 720 4614
From:
mhs:fswa/S=S.WOLTERING/OU1=W01C
Subject:
2nd Quarter Report
Number of pages:
15
(including cover page(s))
UA-Message ID:
HF-PBDQSY
Addressed To:
mhs!fswa/S=APD/OU1=W01C
mhs!fswa/G=AmeriCorps/S=Coordinators/OU1=W010
Carbon Copied To:
mhs!fswa/G=AmeriCorps/S=Facilitators/OU1=W01C
This document was transmitted by AT&T EasyLink Services
Call 1-800-MAIL672 in the USA or +1 314 770 1610
outside of the USA for information on AT&T MailFax
3/30 22:25 page
2
Content-Type:
text
Content-Length: 00000000806
Just in case you misplaced the directions and format for the 2nd
quarter report, I'm resending. These reports are due via DG on
Wednesday, April 5th. Please remember that you need to provide infor
on dollars returned for each AmeriCorps dollar invested in your hard
quantifiable accomplishments (roads, trails, campgrounds, fence
construction, environmental ed. students taught, etc.) You get it by
comparing the cost of these activites if we were to use force account
crews or contracts. The difference is the benefit of doing the
project with AmeriCorps Members. Also you need to send in via fax
the financial statement sheet that I've sent out. All the rest
should be in DG. DON'T Change format, bold print, underlines, etc.
etc. Just fill in the blanks and spaces. Thanks.
v/r
Lou
Content-Type:
text
Content-Length: 00000014614
Dates and Definitions
The second quarter for the FY 95 program will include December of 1994,
January, February, and March of 1995. The schedule for the remainder of 1995
is as follows:
Quarter
Dates of Reporting Period
Dates Reports Are Due to USDA
2nd
12/1/94-3/31/95
4/10/95
3rd
4/1/95-6/30/95
7/15/95
4th
7/1/95-9/30/95
10/15/95
Definitions:
Corporation grantee: The organization that receives money directly from
the Corporation. Generally, the grantee is also the legal applicant. State
Commissions, national non-profits, Indian tribes, U.S. Territories, and federal
agencies are generally the Corporation grantees. Grantees either can
distribute AmeriCorps funds directly to operating sites, or can make sub-grants
to AmeriCorps programs which in turn support operating sites. In the case of
National Direct grantees, the Corporation grantee is often also the program.
Program: The organization that applies to the State Commissions, national
non-profits, federal agencies, or directly to the Corporation for AmeriCorps
funds and approved AmeriCorps positions. Generally, AmeriCorps programs have
responsibility for administering a Corporation grant or sub-grant. Sometimes
the legal applicant, the Corporation grantee and the AmeriCorps program are one
and the same. Programs that are funded through State commissions, however,
obviously receive sub-grants from the Commissions. If an AmeriCorps program
has only one operating site, it is also possible for the program and the
operating site to be the same entity. Often, however, AmeriCorps programs
distribute funds to a number of operating sites.
Operating site: The final unit that administers AmeriCorps grant money.
An operating site has a budget and staff. It is responsible for AmeriCorps
3/30 22:25 page
3
Member supervision, record keeping, site administration, etc. Operating sites
can receive AmeriCorps funds either directly from a Corporation Grantee or from
an AmeriCorps program that has received a sub-grant from a Corporation grantee.
Host organization: An organization through which AmeriCorps Members
provide services. For example, an AmeriCorps tutoring program might place
Members in schools, which would be the host organizations.
Operating Site ID #: A Corporation-issued identification number based on
the grant number. Right now it's the same one that was filled in on your site
operations form. Hope you kept a copy.
Full-time AmeriCorps Member: An AmeriCorps Member serving at least 1700
hours over the course of 9-12 months.
3/30 22:25 page
4
Part-time AmeriCorps Member: An AmeriCorps Member serving at least 900
hours over the course of up to 2 years, or--if the Member is attending an
institution of higher education during service--up to 3 years. (An AmeriCorps
Members serving in a "reduced part-time terms of service" should be considered
part-time.)
Non-AmeriCorps Members volunteers: Individuals who perform direct service
in association with an AmeriCorps program but who are not AmeriCorps Members.
3/30 22:25 page
5
Instructions
The following instructions correspond to questions 1 through 7 on the next
page. Instructions for the remainder of the form are included with the
appropriate sections. Please type or neatly print all responses.
1. List the name of your operating site.
2. List the name of your program. For programs funded through State
Commissions, the program is generally the organization that applied to and
received funding from the State Commission. Programs funded through the
national direct competition are usually operated directly by the Corporation
grantee, although sometimes are made.
3. List the name of your Corporation grantee. If you receive funding through
a State Commission, the State Commission is your Corporation Grantee.
4. Mark the quarter to which this report applies. Please note that if your
operating site received funding in the final 30 days of a given quarter, you do
not need to file a quarterly report that quarter. Instead, you simply should
include descriptions of any activities that took place during that time in the
quarterly report for the following quarter. For example, an operating site
that received funding on September 12, 1994 does not need to fill our a fourth
quarter FY 1995 report, even though the quarter ends on the 30th of September.
Instead, the activities that occurred between September 12 and September 30
should be described in the first quarter report for FY 1995.
5. Indicate the earliest date on which AmeriCorps Members began service or
training (i.e. began completing the required hours of their terms of service).
6. Indicate the total number of both full and part-time Members that were
enrolled on the final day of the reporting quarter. For both full and
part-time Members, also indicate the total cumulative number of required
service hours that they have completed as of the final day of the reporting
quarter. Please note that this is a cumulative total; if your AmeriCorps
Members began service during the first quarter, and you are reporting on the
third quarter, you should indicate the total number of hours served in quarters
one through three. The Corporation is requesting a cumulative total in order
to help track progress toward completing the required terms of service.
7. Provide an estimate of the total number of non-AmeriCorps Member volunteers
that were involved in your AmeriCorps service activities at any time during the
reporting quarter. Also, please indicate the total number of hours of
AmeriCorps-related service they provided during the reporting quarter.
3/30 22:25 page
6
Operating Site ID #
Corporation for National Service
Operating Site Quarterly Report
1. Operating site name:
2. Program name:
3. Corporation grantee name:
4. Mark the reporting quarter to which this form applies:
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
(10/1-12/31)
(1/1-3/31)
(4/1-6/30)
(7/1-9/30)
5. On what date did your AmeriCorps Members begin service or training?
6. In the table below indicate (a) the number of full and part-time AmeriCorps
Members that were enrolled as of the last day of the reporting quarter and
(b) the total cumulative service hours completed by the AmeriCorps Members
as of the last day of the reporting quarter.
Number of
Total Cumulative
AmeriCorps Members
Hours of required Service
Full-time
Part-time
7. Please provide estimates of the following:
(a) Total number of non-AmeriCorps Member volunteers
who were involved in AmeriCorps service activities:
(b) Total hours of AmeriCorps service activities completed
by non-AmeriCorps Member volunteers:
3/30 22:25 page
7
Operating Site ID #
Primary Accomplishments this Quarter: (In detail, describe your central
activities, project milestones, and most important "things gotten done" this
quarter.)
3/30 22:25 page
8
Operating Site ID #
Unique successes or "great stories": (Briefly describe unique and/or
exceptional successes, program highlights, or "great stories" about AmeriCorps
people, projects, or partnerships that occurred this quarter.)
3/30 22:25 page
9
Operating Site ID #
Summary of Progress this Reporting Quarter Toward Accomplishing Annual
Objectives: (Briefly describe how accomplishments this quarter relate to
achieving each of your three sets of annual outcome objectives: (1) Direct
Service Objectives; (2) AmeriCorps Member Development Objectives, and (3)
Community Building/Strengthening Objectives. Where available, describe
evaluation data that indicate progress during the past quarter toward achieving
your annual outcomes. Summarize activities related to establishing an
evaluation system or conducting your local evaluation (e.g., instruments
developed, data collection plans established, etc.)).
(1) Direct Service Objectives:
3/30 22:25 page 10
Operating Site ID #
(2) AmeriCorps Member Development Objectives:
(3) Community Building/Strengthening Objectives:
3/30 22:25 page 11
Operating Site ID #
Primary Challenges Encountered this Quarter: (Report on problems resolved and
unresolved, obstacles to achieving program objectives, significant sources of
delay, program elements not meeting expectations, events or incidents that
caused concern.)
Primary Training and Technical Assistance Needs this Quarter:
Attached to this quarterly report form is a separate Training and
Assistance Request form. Should you have training or technical assistance
needs, complete the attached form and submit it along with your quarterly
report. It will be directed to the Training and Technical Assistance
Office. Technical assistance is available in many program-related areas,
including, amoung others, organizational development and management issues
fundraising, diversity, and best practices in site-specific skills.
3/30 22:25 page 12
Operating Site ID #
National Identity Activities this Quarter: (Report on activities this quarter
that fostered the national identity of AmeriCorps. Examples could include new
uniforms, signage or publicity materials; projects with other AmeriCorps
programs; training Members in national skill areas (communications/conflict
resolution, or CPR/first aid); participation in national service projects
(HIV/AIDS awareness training, environmental audits, or citizenship education);
graduations or swearing-in ceremonies, use of national recruitment, use of
AmeriCorps Member Handbook.)
Changes in Program Organization or Key Staff Positions during this Quarter:
(Report staff turnover in management or supervisory positions, changes in
partner/sponsor relationships, changes in board memberships, etc.)
3/30 22:25 page 13
Corporation for National Service
TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
(T/TA) OPERATING SITE REQUEST FORM
Operating site name:
Corporation Grantee/State Commission name:
Operating site ID number:
I. T/TA REQUEST
1. Please briefly describe your need for T/TA. (What is the problem you are
addressing? When do you need T/TA delivered?)
2. Indicate the category of T/TA that would best meet your need. Please
number your first three choices in order of priority.
Regional/National Training/workshop
Regional/National Tele-video Conference
On-site training. If so, for whom?
On-site consultation
Suggested consultant(s)
Number of days:
Start date:
One-on-one telephone consultation
Resource Materials (curricula, readings, bibliographies, other)
Peer exchange
Not sure what is most suitable
Other
3/30 22:25 page 14
II. CORPORATION GRANTEE RECOMMENDATION
Name:
Name of State Commission or National Organization:
Recommendation:
Date:
III. AMERICORPS*USA PROGRAM OFFICER RECOMMENDATION
Name:
Recommendation:
Date:
IV. T/TA REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION
Name:
Recommendation:
Date:
3/30 22:25 page 15
Financial Status Report Instructions
The following direction is provided for filling out Standard Form 269A (REV
4-88), Financial Status Report (Short Form) which will be faxed to your
location:
- Block 1- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Block 2- Leave Blank
- Block 3- Put your unit name and address here.
- Blocks 4 & 5- Leave Blank
- Block 6- Check yes or no
- Block 7- Check Cash
- Block 8- Enter 7/01/94 to 8/01/95
- Block 9- Put dates for the quarter you're reporting (see earlier
instructions for correct dates)
- Block 10-
10a.- - Enter sum of a + b
10b.- - Enter the Forest Service expenditures
10c.- - Enter the Corporations expenditures (what you've spent of their
money
10d-f.- - Leave Blank
10g.- Enter cumulative total for line c
10h.- - Enter total Corporation funds authorized for this period
10i.- Enter cumulative total of line h - g
- Block 12- Self explanatory
- Block 13- Enter name, title, phone number, signature, of person
responsible for the program on your unit and date
11/30/94
10:01
2026900639
COMM-ASSISTANCE USDA NAT SER OFF
U.S.]
001
1st Dral
FAX TRANSMITTAL
TO:
Joel Berg, Director, National Service
Office of Communications
USDA
FROM:
Dee Difiore
PHOTOCOPY
PH: (202) 720-2847
PRESERVATION
FAX: (202) 690-0639
COMMENTS:
Attached is the bulletin that we intend to send to the field
asking for proposals. Please review as soon as possible and
return your comments to me. We also plan to include an example
of the objectives. Any suggestions as to which state to send as
an example?
11/30/94
10:01
2026900639
COMM-ASSISTANCE --- USDA NAT SER OFF
002
NATIONAL BULLETIN NO. 360-4-
SUBJECT: PER - AmeriCorps Applications for FY 96
TO: State Conservationists
Director, Pacific Basin
Director, Caribbean Area
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
ACTION REQUIRED BY: January 13, 1995
Purpose. To announce the request for applications for 1996
AmeriCorps projects. AmeriCorps USA was established by the
National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, Public Law 103-
82. It is a program designed to meet the critical needs in
communities in the areas of environment, public safety, education
and human needs.
Expiration Date. September 30, 1995
Applications must be in by January 13, 1995, in order for
one U.S. Department of Agriculture application to be compiled and
submitted to the Corporation for National and community Service
(CNCS). All States are encouraged to participate. The Natural
Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) sponsored 570 AmeriCorps
participants in 32 different States during FY 95. The total
number of AmeriCorps Members sponsored by USDA was 1200.
RENEWALS
Project renewals will not be automatic. Those projects that
were approved the first year of the program can apply for renewal
by submitting the following:
1) A letter of intent to participate.
2) The first quarterly report.
3) Clear articulation of problems encountered in Year One
and how they will be addressed during the remainder of
year One and/or Year Two.
4) Clear and well thought-out program objectives for Year
Two that are consistent with Year One.
NEW APPLICANTS
New AmeriCorps project proposals should follow the attached
guidelines. It is important for you to understand the program
formats SO that your proposed sites and management plans meet the
intent of the AmeriCorps programs. The AmeriCorps application
form will be faxed to all States. A major component of the
application is the program objectives. Please make sure that
your objectives are complete and that they clearly describe
(MORE)
11/30/94 10:02
2026900639
COMM-ASSISTANCE - USDA NAT SER OFF
0
003
community service results that will be achieved. A
teleconference will be scheduled to answer questions for new
applicants.
NHQ will fund the living allowances and benefits, including
health insurance and child care for AmeriCorps Members. We
encourage you to establish local partnerships with USDA agencies
and other organizations to provide support for your projects.
Show joint commitments from the partners to strengthen your
proposal.
We are planning to begin recruitment in spring of 1995, to
allow enough time to build a broad applicant pool. The program
start up will be in September 1995.
We are looking forward to working with you.
PAUL W. JOHNSON
PHOTOCOPY
Chief
PREFERMATION
Attachments
11/30/94
10:03
2026900639
COMM-ASSISTANCE --- USDA NAT SER OFF
004
National Service Corps
Program Summary
Program Overview:
The AmeriCorps Program is at the center of President Clinton's
National and Community Trust Act of 1993. The Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) and other agencies are working with
the Secretary of Agriculture to put the second round AmeriCorps
teams in place for fiscal year 1996.
The purpose of the AmeriCorps Program is to provide a bridge for
people to go from unemployment into the work place through
service that addresses the unmet needs in communities across the
United States. The program combines the success of the GI Bill
in providing opportunity for upward mobility, with the success of
the Peace Corps in building a connection to community and a
commitment to service.
The Corporation for National and Community Service administers a
range of national service programs including AmeriCorps. To
support AmeriCorps, USDA is planning to prepare the following
three proposals:
1. National Empowerment and Anti-Hunger Corps
2. Public Lands and Environment Corps
3. National Rural Development Corps
The latter two programs are where NRCS can have the most impact.
These initiatives focus on young people but are broad enough to
include people of all ages. All corps participants can earn
credit towards college tuition or repayment of college loans.
Principles for all AmeriCorps/USDA Programs
- Reunite the interest of the middle class and the poor by
allowing young people from all socioeconomic backgrounds to earn
their way through post-secondary education.
- Give the participants at least a minimum-wage living expense,
as well as adequate supervision, training, and education.
- Allow young people to perform service either before, during,
or after attending post-secondary education.
- Provide valuable service to the community by systematically
filling unmet social needs.
- Ensure that none of the work performed duplicates existing
programs.
- Limit the work performed to tasks that fulfill significant
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missions of USDA and are generally acceptable to our main
farming, consumer, environmental, and rural development interest
groups.
- Reinvent government by promoting opportunity, responsibility,
and community.
- Provide models for how the Federal government can manage
national service programs.
PREFERVATION
- Ensure that projects are based on local community needs.
Projects will be expected to build effective partnerships between
community, State, and local groups and the Federal government.
Build a distinct identity for the AmeriCorps Program.
1
Expand dramatically in the next few years as a full-scale
national program is phased-in.
- Forge links to other key Administration initiatives such as
empowerment zones, youth apprenticeship, welfare reform, micro
enterprise, and health care reform.
The Public Lands and Environment Corps
The Public Lands and Environment Team will have both urban and
rural components. This opportunity will be more like traditional
youth corps, allowing participants to join the program before,
during, or after post-secondary education or job training.
The Rural Development Corps
The Rural Development Team will be a professional corps of mostly
college and professional school graduates. The participants will
have diverse education and training and will be located in
communities or regions where their talents can be best utilized.
An effort will be made to recruit participants who want to return
to areas similar to those in which they were raised. This
program can help begin reversing the "brain drain" from rural
America.
AmeriCorps presents the Department with an opportunity to
practice reinventing government and to find new ways to deliver
services and to empower people at the local level. Departmental
coordination is done by an interagency management team. This
team works to provide unity in recruitment of a quality and
diverse corps, and the approval and on-going evaluation of work
projects.
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AmeriCorps participants will receive an education award and a
stipend to help cover living expenses.
Education Award
The Corporation for National and Community Service will provide
grant funds to pay a $4,725 voucher for each participant to use
for tuition in college or vocational institutions. At the end of
one year (1700 hours) term of service, participants will apply
directly to the Corporation for the educational voucher to be
transferred to the institution of their choice.
Stipends
NRCS will pay for the participant stipends and benefits.
PUOTOTOPY
NRCS Participation
PRESERVATION
There are two ways NRCS can be involved.
1. Identify projects in areas of USDA interest and submit a
package from NRCS for inclusion in the departmental proposal.
States that wish to participant in AmeriCorps must have their
projects submitted to National Headquarters by January 13, 1995.
You should submit your projects to Lloyd Wright, Director,
Community Assistance and Resource Development Division.
2. Assist State and local government organizations and non-
profit groups in identifying projects and preparing grant
proposals to be submitted to State Commissions.
If you have any questions, you may contact Paula Jones, Program
Manager, (202) 720-1853.
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Format for Individual Site Application
(This application may be up to 10 pages plus your budget page (s))
1. Title Page Includes title of project and name
of organization
PRESERVATION
2. Summary Page
On one page, provide an overview of the following items:
The specific needs to be met, particularly as they relate to
the national priorities in the four issue areas. The four issue
areas are: Education, Human Needs, Environment, Public Safety.
The key elements of the site design.
The number of participants.
A description of the administering organization and
identification of primary program partners.
organization
- identification of primary program
partners.
3. Mission and Objectives. Answer the following questions:
What is your mission statement?
What are your annual objectives in the issue area? (list at
least three)
4.. Narrative: (not to exceed 7 pages)
In approximately seven pages, organized and labeled in the
stipulated categories, Provide the following information in a
narrative form with as much specificity as possible.
(a) Needs to be met and appropriateness for national
service. Identify the nature of the specific need(s) to
be met by the proposed national service program, including
how and why these needs are appropriately or uniquely
addressed by a national service program. Give a detailed
description of the environmental problems to be solved.
Needs. What specific needs will the program address and
how do these needs relate to the national priorities? If
they do not relate to the national priority areas, please
explain why they were selected. Explain the direct
benefit of the project to the community.
Process. What was the process by which the needs were
identified? Who was involved identifying the needs and to
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what extent were residents of the community in which the
service will be provided involved in any needs assessment
activities. Explain in detail the role of each partner in
the project: how each partner participated in the
assessment and start up phase and how each partner will
participate during the year.
PHOTOCOPY
b. DESIGN. Describe the concept and design for the
program, including the nature of specific service activities
to be performed by participants and how these activities
address the identified needs and meet the program
objectives. Describe how the project will be evaluated and
monitored during the year. Explain how your success will be
measured at the end of the year.
Concept. What is the basic concept for the design of the
program? How will the program be structured? Where will
it be located? Describe any institutional or programmatic
collaborations or partnerships that will be involved in
operating the program, including the extent to which the
program builds on existing service programs.
Service Activities. What activities will participants
engage in, and how will these projects or activities
result in direct and demonstrable service that addresses
the identified needs? Describe a typical week in the life
of program participants, giving concrete examples of the
types of activities or duties participants will perform.
Relation to Need. How do the service activities respond
to the identified needs?
Participant Training and Support. How will participants
be trained, supported, or otherwise prepared for their
assignments or placements. Describe the key elements of
the participant training, in-service education, or
service-learning curriculum employed to improve
participants' skills, prepare them for placement, and
foster positive civic values.
Participant Placement and Supervision. How will
participants be placed (in teams, small groups, or
individually) and matched with assignments? How will
service sponsors or host-sites be oriented and prepared
for that placement? How will participants be supervised
within the program?
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UUY
The following information was taken from the Federal Register and
may be helpful in completing your application.
PHOTOCOPY
PRETITATION
Subpart E - Application Review
How does the Corporation review the merits of an application?
(a) In reviewing the merits of an application submitted to the
Corporation under this part, the Corporation evaluates the
quality, innovation, replicability, and sustainability of the
proposal on the basis of the following criteria:
(1) Quality, as indicated by the extent to which -
(i) The program will provide productive meaningful,
educational experiences that incorporate service-
learning methods;
(ii) The program will meet community needs and involve
individuals from diverse backgrounds (including
economically disadvantaged youth) who will serve
together to explore the root causes of community
problems;
(iii) The principle leaders of the program will be
well qualified for their responsibilities;
(iv) The program has sound plans and processes for
training, technical assistance, supervision, quality
control, evaluation, administration, and other key
activities; and
(v) The program will advance knowledge about how to do
effective and innovative community service and service-
learning and enhance the broader elementary and
secondary field.
(2) Replicability, as indicated by the extent to which the
program will assist others in learning from experience and
replicating the approach of the program.
(3) Sustainability, as indicated by the extent to which,
(i) An SEA, Indian tribe or grant making entity
applicant demonstrates the ability and willingness to
coordinate its activities with the State Plan under
part 2513 of this chapter and with other federally
assisted activities;
(ii) The program will foster collaborative efforts
among local educational agencies, government
agencies, community based agencies, business, and State
agencies.
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PURCOSITY
PF
(iii) The program will enjoy strong, broad-based
community support: and
(iv) There is evidence that financial resources will
be available to continue the program after the
expiration of the grant.
(b) The corporation also gives priority to proposals that
(1) Involve participants in the design and operation
of the program;
(2) Reflect the greatest need for assistance, such as
programs targeting low-income areas;
(3) Involve students from public and private schools
serving together;
(4) Involve participants of different ages, races,
genders, ethnicities, abilities, and disabilities, or
economic backgrounds serving together;
(5) Are integrated into the academic program of the
participants;
(6) Best represent the potential of service-learning
as a vehicle for education reform and school-to-work
transition;
(7) Develop civic responsibility and leadership skills
and qualities in participants;
(8) Demonstrate the ability to achieve the goals of
this part on the basis of the proposal's quality,
innovation, replicability, and sustainability, or
(9) Address any other priority established by the
Corporation for a particular period.
(Note: Items 3, S. and 6 are related to clue Serve America program which 19 designed for the educational
setting.
Draft Letter from Chief Johnson on SCS FY96 AmeriCorps Concept Papers
AmeriCorps is President Clinton's national service initiative that allows diverse
groups of Americans to earn college or vocational school scholarships while
performing critical service to meet human, environmental, public safety, and
educational needs. Participants in the program will work for a year earning a stipend
of at least $7,500, and then receive an educational voucher worth $4,725.
This year USDA is supporting 1,200 AmeriCorps Members in 37 states in
projects to fight hunger and improve nutrition, preserve national forests and improve
community environmental quality, promote rural development and increase rural water
delivery, and boost disaster- recovery efforts.
SCS has played the largest role in this program, sponsoring
Members. As
you may know, as a Former Peace Corps volunteer, I am a particularly adament
supporter of AmeriCoprs, and view it as a critcal program for the future of SCS.
USDA will continue and expand the program in FY96. SCS offices may submit
proposals for either of the following two types of programs:
The first is an Environmental Team Project, consisting of at least 20 members
of varied educational backgrounds, who will work alongside each other on a daily
basis in teams -- supervised by one, full-time, adult, employee-- of no fewer than 5
Members, who will earn a living stipend of $7,600 a year.
The second type is a Rural/Professional Team Project, consisting of at least Five
Members with college degrees who will work on separate projects individually within
a cluster with a radius of no more than fifty miles. These Members will earn a living
stipend of $12,000 a year.
While the work performed in these projects should carry out the general mission
of SCS, none of the service to be performed can be work that is currently performed
by SCS. In other words, AmeriCorps service should be focused on creative new types
of projects that are different than projects normally carried out by SCS, but still meet
our Congressionally-mandated goals of protecting soil, improving water quality,
helping agricultural producers farm and ranch in more environmentally-sensitive ways,
educating the public about conservation issues, and developing rural economies.
Here are some examples of our projects this year:
{Include descriptions from a handful of varied projects}
This year, we will be requesting concept papers of no more than seven pages,
which will be due by
.
2
Concept Paper Guidelines
(no more than seven pages, including budget forms)
1. COVER PAGE. (one page maximum) The cover page shall include the following
headings:
A. Project Title
B. Address/Location
C. Congressional District of Central Project Site
D. Additional Congressional Districts in Which Service Will Be Performed
E. Whether project is urban, rural, or other
F. If the project will occur in any of the following CNCS priority areas: Empowerment
Zones/Enterprise Communities, areas that are affected by military downsizing, and
areas of high poverty.
G. Project Start Date
H. Completion Date
I. Number of Members
J. Name of Local Project Manager (or person submitting application)
K. Address
L. Telephone number, fax number
M. Total Budget
N. Budget Requested from wo and/or the Corporation for National and Community
Service
2. OBJECTIVES. (one page maximum) This statement shall specifically address the
following elements:
I.
Brief narrative of the proposed project
II.
Components of the objective statement, as follows:
A. What is the work to be done? What service will your Members perform?
B. What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
C. How will you measure the quality of these activities.
D. How will you measure the quality of these activities?
E. By what standard will you gage success?
F. How many people will benefit from the work your Members perform?.
These objectives should be concrete, specific, and measurable. {Provide
samples}
3. SUMMARY PAGE. (One page maximum). This summary should give a clear and
concise picture of what the project will accomplish, what the AmeriCorps Members
will actually do in a typical week, how this work will fulfill community needs, how a
diverse group of Members will be recruited, and the specific staff and crew leader
structure through which the work will be managed by the Forest service. This
summary should also include a listing of recipients and other partners projected for
involvement in the proposed project (s), including their names, their type (state, on-
profit, Federal agency, etc), and their anticipated monetary or kin-kind contributions.
4. PRELIMINARY BUDGET BREAKDOWN. (Three page form attached). Please fill-out
the attached three page budget form.
5. PRELIMINARY MILESTONE SCHEDULE. (One page maximum).
This should lay-out a specific time-line for recruitment, training, start-up, key work
projects, etc.
4
SAMPLE CONCEPT PAPER RANKING SHEET
The following criteria will be used by USDA and SCS in Washington to identify those
field unit Concept Papers which will move forward for development of Field Proposals
for inclusion in the SCS consolidated AmeriCorps Proposal to be submitted to the
CNCS through the USDA:
1. ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES (25%)
Given the small budgets that both the SCS and the Corporation for National and
Community Service can devote to USDA AmeriCorps projects, great weight will be
given to SCS proposals that will be able to leverage funds from other Federal
Departments, other USDA agencies, soil conservation districts, RC&D's, state or local
agencies, non-profit groups, youth service organizations, or other sources.
2. GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD (10%)
For new projects, preference will be given to projects in states that currently lack
significant AmeriCorps/USDA projects: Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware,
Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania,
and Wyoming.
3. AREAS OF NEED (5%)
Projects will be given priority if they occur in any of the following CNCS priority areas:
Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities, areas that are affected by military
downsizing, and areas of high poverty, cities with Urban Resource Partnerships. {need
new list.}
4. DIVERSITY (15%)
While all projects are expected to have Members, staff, and service recipients that are
diverse by race, income level, educational background, physical ability, and gender,
programs that place special emphasis on diversity will receive priority.
5
5. QUALITY OF SERVICE PROJECTS (30%)
a. Similarity between SCS mission and CNCS mission in solving serous community or
national problems that could not otherwise be solved without AmeriCorps members;
they should not duplicate the routine functions of workers or displace paid employees.
b. Scope, benefit to, and strengthening of others, such as communities institutions,
and the public. Our projects will be judged not on how well they serve our agency,
but how well they serve the public.
C. Member development in worthwhile service, education, citizenship building, job
skills, and training. Up to 20% of time can be spent on training.
d. Field infrastructure, capacity, and track record. Indicate that the unit can meet the
time-frames relative to the project proposed, and maintain quality control systems.
Demonstrate how each crew of AmeriCorps Members will receive full-time,
professional, supervision.
e. Specific yearly and monthly goals and realistic training plans and time-lines for
accomplishing those goals.
6. SUSTAINABILITY (5%)
Cost effectiveness of the overall proposed project, including the number of
partnerships and nonfederal contributions. Evidence of community support,
networking, and Sustainability of funding after Corporate cooperative agreement
expires.
7. INNOVATION AND REPLICABILITY (5%)
Creative or distinctive approaches to achieve project goals. Adaptability by other
units, agencies, or organizations.
8. ABILITY TO MEET OVERALL AMERICORPS TIME-LINE (5%)
Projects will be given preference if all Members can be recruited by September 1 and
all projects can start by September 5. (FY94 funds will be used before October 1)
ADDITIONAL NOTE: First preference will automatically go to existing FY94 projects
that are seeking renewal for FY96.
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Applications for Renewal
Sponsors that have an approved project and wish to renew must submit the
following:
]
1. A letter of intent to renew.
2. Copy of most recent quarterly report
3. Clear articulation of problems encountered in year one and how
they will be addressed during the remainder of year one and/or
year two.
4. Clear and well thought out program objectives for year two that
are consistent with year one.
Renewals are not automatic. Serious consideration will be given to the
success of the first year.
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Changes for Chapter Six
Roles & Responsibilities
Page 48
Add prior to Office of the Secretary
USDA Responsibilities to Members
All USDA employees in appropriate circumstances shall be guided by the
following:
(1) have selected all AmeriCorps Members in an impartial and non-
discriminatory manner that bolsters AmeriCorps vision of
diversity;
(2) provide AmeriCorps members with approved handbooks, documents,
and forms needed to follow the provisions of AmeriCorps and the
National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993;
(3) provide AmeriCorps Members with the orientation, training,
technical assistance, and supervision necessary to complete
their service activities;
(4) provide all AmeriCorps Members with ongoing education and
instruction needed not only to perform their specific service
projects, but to grow and develop as citizens, community
problem-solvers, and developing professinals;
(5) design and coordinate service projects for AmeriCorps Members so
that the Members will continuously have productive and useful
service projects in environmental or human needs;
(6) sturcture work schedules to ensure that AmeriCorps Members wil be
reasonably able to perform 1,700 hours of service within a year;
(7) treat all AmeriCorps Members with respect and provide them with
the guidance, support, discipline, and counseling they reasonable
require to perform AmeriCorps service;
(8) work with AmeriCorps Members to develop mechanisms through which
the AmeriCorps Members can have significant input and impact
upon service assignments, rules of conduct, and all other
aspects of the AmeriCorps; and
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(9) provide other additional support and services to ensure the
success of all programs.
Page 49
Under Agency State an Regional Offices
Add Regional Conservationists after Regional Foresters.
Page 51
Add the following at the bottom of the page:
Member Rules of Conduct
The Member agrees to act in conformance with, and abide by, all current and
future rules and procedures established by USDA. Members must not misuse
government property and must conform to the specific limitations of use of
such property while on official Federal government business.
(a) The Member is expected to, at all times while acting in an
official capacity as an AmeriCorps Member:
(1) demonstrate mutual respect toward others;
(2) follow directions;
(3) direct concerns, problems, and suggestions to the appropriate
Program official; and
(4) not engage in any activity involving proselytizing or assisting
religious organizations, attempting to influence legislation or
an election or aid a partisan political organization, helping or
hindering union activity, or aiding a business organized for
profit.
(b) At no time may the Member:
(1) engage in personal use of government vehicles, property, tools,
equipment, or telephones;
(2) possess or use any and all forms of addictive or hallucinatory
drugs, including, but not limited to amphetamines, barbituates,
cocaine, marijuana, etc.;
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(3) consume or be under the influence of intoxicating beverages on or
in government-owned or leased property/vehicles: or
transportation of such beverages in government vehicles;
(4) Use abusive, vulgar, and discriminatory language, including
verbal/sexual harassment toward fellow Members, staff,
supervisors, or other official contacts;
(5) destroy goernment or personal property of others;
(6) fail to comply with a supervisor's instructions, unless these
instructions are clearly illegal or unsafe;
(7) transport family members, pets, or any unauthorized personnel in
government vehicles;
(8) engage in any activity that is illegal under local, State, or
Federal law;
(9) engage in activities that pose a significant safety risk to
others.
(c) The Member understands that the following acts will also
constitute a violation of the Program's rule of conduct:
(1) unauthorized tardiness;
(2) unautorized absences;
(3) repeataed use of inappropriate language (i.e. profanity) at job
site;
(4) failure to wear appropriate clothing to service assignments:
(5) stealing or lying;
(6) engaging in activity that may physically or emotionally damage
other Members of the program or members of the community; or
(7) failure to notify the Program of any criminal arrest or
conviction that occurs during the term of service.
Third Party Sponsors
March 9, 1995
To:
Lou
From: Joel OB
9 pages, including this cover
Revised, final version.
* NA AMERICORPS M
UNITED
STATES
DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE
March 9, 1995
To:
Lou Woltering, AmeriCorps Coordinator, Forest Service
From:
Joel Berg, Director of National Service, USDA
JB
Subject:
Next's Years Rural Development Team AmeriCorps Projects
First, I want to congratulate all the Forest Service employees and AmeriCorps
Members who are involved in the Rural Development Team. They have made great
strides "getting things" done while promoting community, opportunity, and
responsibility. They are helping write an important new chapter of American history.
However, after reviewing the proposals from the field for next year, I have
serious concerns about our ability to continue Rural Development Team projects
sponsored by the Forest Service. In general, I have the following concerns that apply
to most of the proposals:
*
It is unclear what measurable, concrete results will be accomplished at each site
that will not just aid USDA, but will directly benefit citizens of the surrounding
communities by the year's end. Every site should have community service objectives
that are both meaningful and countable and that can be realistically accomplished in
a year.
*
Objectives are identical for widely divergent locations in different states. It is
impossible for all these communities to have identically the same needs, indicating to
me that real and meaningful community service objectives have yet to be crafted for
each individual site. Compare these objectives to the NRCS and RECD objectives,
which are highly different at each and every site, and have usually been carefully
drafted to meet each community's unique needs.
*
The accomplishments noted for most of these sites in the first quarter reports were
was notably weak and vague.
*
The proposals use many currently popular buzz words about rural development,
such as "sustainable development," "empowerment," "developing leadership,"
"information superhighway, and "human dimensions," but often these terms are used
generally instead of specially explaining what the Members will actually do for a year.
2
* Too many AmeriCorps Members are still proposed for office work similar to USDA
office work, which would violate the National and Community Service's Act
prohibition on duplicating the work of existing employees.
*
Few of the sites have specific and comprehensive work plans explaining exactly
how the AmeriCorps Members will achieve their community service objectives on a
weekly and/or monthly basis.
Some specifics by sites:
Four Corners - The proposal lists a wide variety of projects --- ranging from promoting
environmental justice to building a health clinic to increasing tourism --- and states
that Members will "assist," "aid," "engage in," "explore opportunities," and "work
with" these projects. Yet it is highly unclear from the proposal as to exactly what role
AmeriCorps Members will play in those processes and exactly what measurable,
quantify results the Members will achieve in each project. In addition, the hoped for
result of the activities is also vague, such as "more community leaders," "more jobs,"
"increase in materials that will be recycled etc." How many leaders will be trained,
how many jobs will be created, how many tons of solid waste will be recycled, etc?
West Virginia 1 - - Computer Networking - I have concerns about the proposal's
statement that one Member working on electronic communications has "been active
supporting other AmeriCorps Members throughout West Virginia and Minnesota;" it
is impermissible to use one AmeriCorps Members to spend the bulk of the service year
proving support functions for other AmeriCorps Members. This should not be
continued.
West Virginia 2 - Forest Products Conservation - This year the Member "engaged in
the development of a survey" and identified training and technical assiatnce needs.
Next year, the Member will develop training materials and "continue to make local
industry aware of services." It sounds as if the Member was simply added as support
staff for the Wood Technology Center, thereby violating the intent of AmeriCorps.
How will this Member directly serve surrounding communities and what concrete,
measurable results will be achieved?
West Virginia 3A - Resource Conservation Specialist - How many mill owners will the
Member assist technically, how will they change their practices as a result, and how
will this benefit the surrounding communities? Does this violate the provisions of the
National and Community Service Act that bar Members from providing direct service
to for-profit entities?
3
West Virginia 3B- Community Development Specialist - How many residents will the
Member assist technically, and how --- specifically and quantifiably will this benefit
the surrounding communities?
Minnesota 1 - Alternative Agroforestry - What was the exact role of the AmeriCorps
Member in planting the 1000 acres of hybrid poplar in 1994? Isn't soil mapping
routine NRCS work? How many landowners will be educated and how many jobs will
be created?
Minnesota 2A - Rural Economic Development - The Members will engage in a wide
variety of tasks, but what specific objectives will be accomplished? Member should
not spend a significant amount of time on public affairs activities like newsletter
creation.
Minnesota 2B - Rural Tourism - The Members will engage in a wide variety of tasks
working with outside groups and assisting different types of individuals, but what
specific objectives will be accomplished? How will increases in tourism, jobs, and
local income be measured?
Minnesota 3 - Sustainable Development - While the "background" section lists an
impressive number of manufacturers, banks, and other institutions the Members will
contact in 1995, it is unclear what specific results those contacts will have that
benefit the surrounding communities. For 1996, the objectives are highly vague.
Additionally, e plans to directly help manufacturers "have improved access to training,
transfer capitol" etc. may violate the provisions of the National and Community
Service Act that bar Members from providing direct service to for-profit entities.
Louisiana - 2 - Tourism development - How many more tourists will visit, how will
they impact the local economy, and how, specifically, will this be accomplished?
Mississippi 4 - Recycling Technology - How exactly will these additional jobs be
created? How many tons of waste will be recycled? What percentage reduction in
landfill volume will occur?
Tennessee 1, 4 - Environmental Education - Why will the members only perform 15
presentations in an entire year? How will the impact be measured? What does a
15% in "increase in participation" mean?
Tennessee 3 - Solid waste management - This site has one of the most specific
objectives, but I do have one technical question: In what entity will be recycling rate
increase by 10%? (In a county, in a town, in a solid waste district?)
Virginia 1 - Timber bridges - How many bridges will actually be built as a result of the
AmeriCorps service?
4
Kentucky 1, 3 and Mississippi 7,9, Arkansas 1,5, and Louisiana 4 - Economic
development By definition, any set of objectives that would be supposedly exactly
the same for seven different locations in four different states is overly vague and not
very meaningful. For each site, we need to know how many new jobs and businesses
will be created. We also need a better sense of the day-to-day work Members will be
performing.
Arkansas 3 and Virginia 1 - Alternative wood products - How much will the value of
local wood products be increased? How much higher will local employment and
income levels be?
Virginia 4 - Rural tourism This Member's work seems to be directed entirely at public
relations work, which is unacceptable. The hoped for result is for local residents "to
have a better understanding of tourism, the impact of tourism, and their individual role
of tourism?" Why should the American taxpayers pay so people that tourism is
important? Instead, the objectives should focus on creating local jobs and boosting
local income through tourism.
North Carolina 1 - Five Year Community Plan - How will such a five year plan have
any impact at all in the first year of AmeriCorps operation? Results must be
immediate neither Congress nor the public will wait five years to determine whether
taxpayer dollars are being spent on AmeriCorps? Moreover, what are the specifics
of such a plan? The description is so vague that the eventual plan could cover
virtually anything.
Georgia 1 - Tourism - This position seems dangerously close to work that would be
normally performed by a Forest Service employee. The Member definitely should not
help produce a video for use by the Forest Service nationally. How will recycling
proposal be implemented?
These problems I have enumerated above are not, in my view, simply a result of
poorly written proposals. They track with both the first quarter reports and with news
we have heard from the field --- all of which indicate that many Forest Service Rural
Development Team Members are engaged in activities that may not fully meet the
AmeriCorps vision.
I fully expect that many project mangers will respond to this memorandum simply by
saying that those of us in Washington "don't understand rural development" --- that
rural development projects take years to develop and cannot be measured numerically
in the same way we can measure "widgets" such as the number of miles of trails we
repaired on forests or the number of children we fed in soup kitchens. These are good
points, but I respectfully disagree, for two reasons:
5
A) Rural Development Team projects sponsored by other USDA agencies, RECD and
NRCS, have successfully developed quantifiable, measurable objectives about
"widgets" they will produce through AmeriCorps. If some USDA agencies can
produce such exact objectives, the FS sites should be able to do so as well. (Three
examples are attached.)
B) Neither Congress, the media, nor the public will wait for years before determining
whether to refund AmeriCorps. They demand concrete results for taxpayers
immediately.
We have raised such issues in the past and, unfortunately, they have not been
systematically addressed by Forest Service Rural Development project managers. All
our managers need to understand that, if all these problems are not redressed an
immediate and serious manner, neither USDA nor the Corporation for National and
Community Service are likely to support their renewal.
However, I have full confidence that our staff and Members will make the needed
changes, helping ensure that USDA will continue to have nothing but the highest
quality AmeriCorps programs throughout the nation.
Thank you for your help.
468
24-02
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY SERVICE OBJECTIVE
Grantee: USDA Soil Conservation Service
Site: Randolph, Vermont
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENTS: To provide skills land technical information to be
used by 40 rural fire departments to develop
comprehensive fire protection plans which will reduce
fire losses and in some cases, insurance premiums for
the towns and fire district residents. Of these 40, 10
will implement their plans and 20 will have installed
and implemented specific improvements.
1. What work will be done?
Provide skills and technical information to rural fire departments for the development and
implementation of comprehensive fire protection plans.
2. What is the hoped for result of the work/activities described above?
Reduction of fire losses and in some insurance premiums.
3. How will you measure the quality of your product or impact of your service?
Fire department capabilities will be assessed on a pre-service and post-service basis.
4. By what standard will you gauge success?
40 rural fire departments in Vermont will develop comprehensive fire protection plans; 10 will
implement those plans; 20 will have installed and implemented specific improvements.
5. How many individuals will receive the benefit of the work your participants perform?
40 rural fire departments in Vermont and the residents of those 40 fire districts.
96
CORPORATION FOR .'IONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY SERVICE OBJECTIVE
GRANTEE: USDA Soil Conservation Service
SITE: Pittsfield, Illinois
34-11
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENTS: To develop interest among township and county officials to
install timber bridges manufactured from local timber
resources the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
1. What work will be done?
Survey questionnaire used to interview township and county highway officials developed.
Officials contacted and interviews completed. Local sawmill operators contacted about sawing
logs from local timber resources for bridges.
2. What is the hoped for result of the work/activities described above?
Township and county highway officials will consider using timber bridges when replacements are
needed. Sawmill operators will become interested in sawing local logs for bridges. The cost
of using timber bridges is reduced by using local timber resources.
3. How will you measure the quality of your product or impact of your service?
Develop strategies to get timber bridges installed.
4. By what standard will you gauge success?
Five (5) timber bridges installed within two (2) years.
5. How many individuals will receive the benefit of the work your participants perform?
35,000 people in a five (5) county area.
AMERICORPS RURAL DEVELOPMENT
UDSA, FOREST SERVICE
SOUTHERN REGION
FY 1996 CONCEPT PROPOSAL
MISSISSIPPI DELTA, AND APPALACHIA REGIONS
October 1, 1995 - September 30, 1996
Requesting 17 Members (full time)
Alan E. Pigg
Regional Rural Community Assistance Program Manager
USDA, Forest Service, Cooperative Forestry
1720 Peachtree RD. NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30367-9102
404-347-7486
FAX 404-347-2776
A.PIGG:R08A
OBJECTIVES
This proposal is for continuing 17 of the 40 AmeriCorps Members from FY
1995 into FY 1996. The criteria for selecting these positions were (1) the
need to continue a critical project (2) ability to overmatch the costs of of
the program (3) commitment of the community and (4) commitment and staffing of
Forest Service Offices to administer this program. These 17 positions are
needed to continue the work objectives that were started in rural communities.
The first year of this program has been very successful, but Members are needed
to finish critical projects. These professional positions have started some
very needed work such as finding uses for recyled wastes going to landfills,
grant writing, community planning, economic development, conservation education
workshops and field days, tourism development and other projects. Most of the
Members have established communications with local community leaders and have
established a trust with them to do capacity building projects in these
communities. Implementation of these projects will be taking place at the end
of this year and into next. For example, Wythe County, Virginia, has developed
a portable logging bridge project which just received funding through the WIT
program. Local parnerships were enhanced yet the community is depending on the
AmeriCorps member to finish the project. Another example, is the Kentucky
Highland Empowerment Zone where the AmeriCorps Economic Development Specialist
is leading the efforts for this strategic plan.
Each of the 17 positions have a different objective and these are attached in
the Appendix, but in general they can be summarized as follows:
A. Work or service to be done-
Specific work plans have been developed for each member to accomplish
specific community service such as providing input to community plans,
recreational plans, assessments and outreach efforts to the communities.
Some have a specific park or recreational areas that are their
responsibility to develop the implementation plans and oversee the
implementation. Others have done research to find sources of funding for
community projects such as wood waste recyling, tourism brochures and
others. Most of the work involves writing technical reports and letters,
networking with local officials and citizens, grantwriting and community
outreach.
B. Results of the service and work to be done-
Each community will have a plan of action that addresses their particular
situation or they will have progressed farther toward achieving their
desired goals by the assistance given to them by the AmeriCorps members. In
almost every community, these Members are assisting communities that lack
the technical and financial resources to accomplish what the the members
are providing. Also, these problems and projects the Members are working
on, are challenging and have not been previouly addressed by the
community. They are "plowing new ground" in most cases so many of their
results may not be realized for years to come. Rural economic development
is a difficult thing to accomplish.
C. Quality measurement-
Monitoring and evaluation of the Members work, as it relates to the
approved plan of work for that person, will be done by the immediate
supervisor and regional coordinator quarterly and as needed.
D. Measuring success-
Success of the project will be the accomplishment of the tasks and projects
the member are assigned. Most of the tasks and projects however are very
difficult to achieve and even the failures can be credited with lessons
learned and evaluated as to how to improve the program. For example,
reduction of solid wastes going into landfills may be attained by formation
of a recylables marketing business. If the Member can not get a business
to start up, but has developed a feasible marketing plan for the products,
the project is closer to success than it was.
E. Individuals benefiting-
Rural community development benefits those persons living within the area
plus those receiving the services provided. If a rural community in
Louisiana develops a tourism brochure, hundreds of persons will use this
brochure to guide them to visit the attractions, vendors will benefit as
they sell products, resturants benefit, gas stations, etc. If a Member
assists in the planning and installation of dry fire hydrants in the Delta,
homeowners, businesses and visitors will benefit from improve fire
protection. In other words, specific number of individuals benefiting from
rural development projects can vary significantly but generally the whole
community benefits.
3. PROSPECTIVE RECIPIENTS (THIRD PARTIES), OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES, AND OTHER
PARTNERS.
As in fiscal year 1995, the Forest Service worked the AmeriCorps Rural
Development as a TEAM USDA effort with our partners Natural Resource
Conservation Service (old SCS) and the Resource Conservation and Development
Councils (RC&D). These were highly successful and 12 of the 17 requested
postions will be working closely with the NRCS RC&D Coordinators in
Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Virginia. One Member will be
continuing the work with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina
and one Member will be continuing the assistance to the Coalfield Regional
Tourism Authory, in Virginia. The one Member in Georgia will continue the work
involved with the 1996 Olympics in which there are many partners.
The Members in Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana will be in the Delta
region in which is designated an Empowerment Zone (2) and Enterprize
Communities (3,6,8,20,& 30). The Member in Kentucky will be working in the
Enterprize Community of McCreary Co. (19) See Appendix III.
4. PRELIMINARY BUDGET-
PARTNER (S)
PARTNER (S)
FEDERAL
MATCHING
MATCHING
FUNDS
FUNDS
IN-KIND
NEEDED
TOTAL
$0
$325,000 (55%)
$270,000 (45%)
$595,000
5. PRELIMINARY MILESTONE SCHEDULE-
Since all of these members are already in place and will be continuing
their second year with the AmeriCorps program, recruitment and start-up efforts
will be minimal. Currently the diversity of the projected group is 10 females
and 7 males with 6 minorities.
If any of those members for the designated positions do not wish to
participate, recruitment will be first with those other members (1994-1995 RDT
group). If vacant positions are still not filled, other USDA agencies will be
notified to offer an opportunity to those they could not place for the second
year. If this still does not fill the vacancies, the recruitment will
follow-up with those who applied last year and were not selected. The total
that applied in 1994 were approximately 700.
Training will also be minimal and directed to specific technical needs of
individual members. For example, for those working on tourism projects, they
will attend workshops and conferences on tourism techniques.
Focus will be on completion of the previous years tasks and critical work
projects. Projects where grant funds have been awarded to communities will be
the first priority to make sure the projects are started and implemented as
planned.
APPENDIX I
AMERICORPS: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
SOUTHERN REGION (R8)
Site Locations:
In the Southern Region (R8), two major geographical areas have been defined for USDA AmeriCorps Rural Development;
Appalachia and Mississippi Delta. AmeriCorps:Rural Development involves a total of 8 States and 8 National Forests ir
the Region.
APPALACHIAN REGION
State
National Forest Coordinator
National Forest
Number of Members
TN
Lewis Kearney
Cherokee
3
NC
Fred Foster
NFs in NC
1
VA
Paul Paradzinski
Jefferson
2
KY
Rex Mann
Daniel Boone
2
GA
Luana Kitchens
Chattahoochee/Oconee
1
9
Position
Number
City, State
County
Position
Supervisor
TN-1
Rutledge, TN
Grainger
Environmental Educ.
Lindy Turner, SCS
TN-3
Solid-Waste Spec.
TN-4
Johnson City, TN
Carter
Conservation Educ.
Roy Settle, SCS
NC-1
Cherokee, NC
Swain
Park & Rec. Planner
Susan Jones, EBC
VA-1
Wythville, VA
Wythe
Forest Engineer
Gary Boring, SCS
VA-4
Wise, VA
Wise
Tourism Development
Tabatha Mullins, Exec. Dir.
Coalfield Reg. Tourism Auth.
KY-1
Booneville, KY
Owsley
Economic Development
Stella Marshall, Exec. Dir.
Workers of Rural KY
McCreary Econ. Dev. Council
KY-3
Whitley City
McCreary
Engineer
Bruce Murphy, Deputy Co. Exec.
McCreary County
GA-1
Gainesville, GA
Hall
Recreation: Olympics Tourism
Mitch Cohen, FS
EBC is Eastern Band of Cherokee
MISSISSIPPI DELTA
State
National Forest Coordinator
National Forest
Number of Members
MS
Richard Heaslip
NFs in MS
3
AR
Gail Wainscott
Ozark St. Francis
3
LA
Alan Dorian
Kisatchie
2
8
Position
Number
City, State
County
Position
Supervisor
MS-4
Stoneville, MS
Washington
Forester
John Stanturf, FS
MS- 7
Greenville, MS
Washington
Comm. Recycling Coord.
Ken Ainsworth, SCS
MS- 9
Belzoni, MS
Humphreys
Comm. Planner
David Brunson, SCS
LA- 2
Winfield, LA
Winn
Tourism Spec.
Alan Dorian, FS
LA-4
Community Planner
AR- 1
Jonesboro, AR
Craighead
Community Developer
Burr Swann, SCS
AR- 3
Batesville, AR
Independence
Coord. 2 For. Councils
Doug Butts, SCS
AR- 5
Marianna, AR
Lee
Community Planner
Jesse James, FS
APPENDIX II
OBJECTIVE STATEMENTS:
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development MS-4
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY SERVICE OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT: To provide transfer recycling technology
from existing rural and urban projects resulting in a recycling
program starting which would employ 25 disabled workers from
local institutions.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
1) What work will be done? What service will your members engage
in?
Visit other institutions which have implemented similar projects
Make contacts with local institutions
Work with local leaders to find markets for recycled products
Carry out education and promotion campaign
2) What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
Employment of 25 disabled adults to sort materials
Reduction of materials filling local landfills
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
Quality of product will allow resale
Sorted materials will be randomly checked
2
Residents of institution will be interviewed on job satisfaction
4) By what standard will you gauge success?
Employment satisfaction of at least 50% of the employed
institution residents
Increase local recycling rate by 10%
5) How many individuals will receive the benefit of the work you
members perform?
25 mentally disabled adults
The entire community because if less waste is going to landfills
it means lower waste handling and disposal costs.
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development TN-3
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY BUILDING OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT: To provide technical assistance in solid
waste management and recycling resulting in a 10% increased
recycling rate and improved solid waste management through
initiation of 3 grant proposals and 2 recycling program starts.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
2
1) What activities will you be engaged in?
Develop community based recycling and solid waste diversion
programs
Carry out education and promotion campaign designed to increase
recycling and source reduction
Write grant proposals to implement solid waste plans and start
new recycling programs
2) What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
Establishment of recycling collection centers.
Environmentally safe treatment of solid waste
Reduction in the amount of solid waste being lanfilled.
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
Regional solid waste management plans will be approved by the
State Department of Health and Environment
Participating businesses and industries will monitor their waste
stream and implement recommended source reduction and recylcing
behaviors.
Local population will increase use of recycling infrastructure.
4) By what standard will you gauge success?
Increase local recycling rate by 10%
Obtain funding for solid waste treatment
Decrease in solid waste being landfilled by 10%.
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development VA-1
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY BUILDING OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT: To identify demonstration sites and
demonstrate modern timber bridge technology.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
1) What activities will you be engaged in?
Survey and assess existing bridges in 3 counties
Meet with local officials to discuss program
Assist sponsors to secure funding to construct demonstration
timber bridges
2) What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
No
Reliable and safe transportation routes in rural communities
Modern timber bridge information and technology transferred
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
All work plans will be approved by the State Department of
Transportation
USDA Forest Service Engineers will review and approve all modern
timber bridge designs
4) By what standard will you gauge success?
County officials and engineers become familiar with the modern
timber bridge
Timber Bridge Demonstration proposals are developed and funded
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development TN-1
TN-4
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY BUILDING OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT: To conduct or arrange 15 environmental
education presentations resulting in increased knowledge by
citizens as measured by pre and post program interview, with
program quality judged by teachers and increased participation in
environmental education programs in local schools.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
only
1) What activities will you be engaged in?
15
Development and presentation of environmental education materials
2) What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
Increased student and citizen knowledge of environmental issues
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
Pre and post program interviews will be conducted
4) By what standard will you gauge success?
Increased interest in environmental education and a 15% increase
in participation by the end of the school year
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development LA-2
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY BUILDING OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT: Facilitate creation of tourism opportunities
through festivals and other events resulting in 50% of the
attenders coming from outside the county.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
1) What activities will you be engaged in?
Market research and development to identify potential tourists
Develop partnerships with regional tourism groups
Assist in planning tourism events and local festivals
Create interpretive signs and programs
2) What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
Increase tourism while maintaining the rural character of the
area
3 meaningful partnerships developed
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
Implementation of 2 events which draw at least 50% non-local
people to attend as measured by survey of tourists
Participation in planning of these events by other tourism groups
4) By what standard will you gauge success?
At least one of the events will become annual
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
KY-1
AR-1
KY-3
AR-5
MS-7
LA-4
MS-9
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY BUILDING OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT: To seek sustainable economic development
opportunities to diversify local economies, resulting in local
people obtaining job training and higher paying employment while
maintaining the quality of the rural environment.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
1) What activities will you be engaged in?
Members will work directly with local business leaders to
inventory existing resources, identify sustainable economic
development opportunities, conduct feasibility studies, and
assist in writing business plans
Issues of environmental concern will be analyzed with any related
new business venture
2) What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
Increasing local employment and income
Local individuals will be trained for employment
Business plans will be developed and funding sought
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
Professionals will review all environmental impact analysis
Local business leaders will be interviewed following completion
of project
Loans and other funding will be obtained for 25% of the business
plans developed
4) By what standard will you gauge success?
Establishment of a sustainable, natural resource based business
employing 5 locally trained people
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development AR-
VA-1
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY BUILDING OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT: To promote alternative wood products and
value added manufacturing technologies resulting in local people
obtaining job training and higher paying employment while
maintaining the quality of the rural environment.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
1) What activities will you be engaged in?
Identify potential wood products markets and needed technologies
Solicit participation from existing wood products manufacturers
Train existing wood products manufacturers in value added
technologies
2) What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
Increasing value of locally produced wood products
Higher employment and income levels
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
Survey participating wood products manufacturers before and after
project on value their product
4) By what standard will you gauge success?
Increase of 50% in value of product
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development VA-4
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY BUILDING OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT: Promote awareness of rural tourism
development opportunities within the Regional Tourism Development
Authority service area.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
1) What activities will you be engaged in?
Develop and present educational programs on tourism to area
clubs, civic groups, local government and schools.
Composing press releases and maintaining contact with members of
the press.
Assist in coordination of ongoing tourism development workshops.
2) What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
Residents within the Tourism Development Authority area will have
a better understanding of tourism, the impact of tourism and
their individual role in tourism.
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
Increased resident attendance at area tourism events and
attractions.
Participation in planning of these events by other tourism groups
and recruitment of new volunteers.
4) By what standard will you gauge success?
Increases involvment of the local communities.
Grantee Department of Agriculture
Site Rural Development
NC-1
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY BUILDING OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT: To develop a comprehensive 5-year community wide plan to
improve local community resulting in successful development and organization of
needed improvements.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
1) What work will be done? What service will your members engage in?
(1) community needs assessments and identification of locations to be
developed; (2) planning for a complete Parks and Recreation Department for
Cherokee; and (3) identification of financial resources. The planning
consideration will reflect the scenic beauty and cultural heritage of the
Cherokee Reservation.
2) What is the hoped for result of the activities described above?
Organized development of recreational parks and the community.
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
A comprehensive plan will be developed.
4) By what standard will you gauge success?
Local community members will maintain park and recreation facilities and
develop community improvements.
5) How many individuals will receive the benefit of the work your members
perform?
1300 local Cherokee residents and visitors.
Grantee Department of Agriculture Site Rural Development
GA-1
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL SERVICE
COMMUNITY BUILDING OBJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
To enhance the local economy for disadvantaged rural communities through
increased visitation and spending by tourists.
To enhance the local economy and the quality of life in rural communities
through increased environmental education awareness and training.
To enhance the local economy and the quality of life in rural communities by
outreach efforts to students concerning federal job opportunities.
COMPONENTS OF OBJECTIVE STATEMENT:
1) What activities will you be engaged in?
Americorp representative will develop a Recreation Opportunity Guide for
the Chattahoochee and Oconee National Forests. This guide will direct
visitors to rural areas which now receive less visitation than the more
popular or known tourist destinations. The majority of these locations
are situated in or near economically disadvantaged, rural communities.
With the increased visitation expected as a result of the Olympic games in
1996, this guide will provide a valuable service in directing our
customers to previously unknown and undervisited areas. Tourist dollars
are generally spent in the local communities for gas, recreational
supplies, food, and hotel/motel accomodations. Although it's difficult to
predict accurately the number of visitors the Olympics will bring to
National Forest destinations, customer surveys from past Olympic events
have shown an increase.
2) What is hoped for result of the activies decribed above?
Americorp representative will assist in development of the "America's
Great Outdoors" video which will emphasize National Forest destinations on
a nation-wide basis. This video is designed to pull in visitors who may
not have considered North Georgia as a recreation destination. Again,
many of the recreation areas which will be highlighted in this video are
the ones located in or near the economically disadvantaged communities.
Increased visitation will bring added dollars to the local communities.
Americorp representative will present Forest Service programs on
environmental education in many of the rural, economically disadvantaged
counties. This task achieves two objectives. It enhances the quality of
life in these communities through enhanced recycling programs, decreased
erosion, decreased wildfires, increased tree planting, and local community
beautification efforts. This task also informs students and young adults
of the possibility of a federal career in the natural resource arena.
3) How will you measure the quality of these activities?
The products listed will be reviewed and approved before they are
desiminated. Enviromental education programs will be reviewed before they
are given for completeness and quality.
4) What standard will you guage success?
Increased visitor use to recreational areas by 10%. Increased recyling
efforts by communities by 10%.
APPENDIX III
EMPOWERMENT ZONES AND ENTERPRISE COMMUNITIES
The Rural Empowerment Zones announced were:
1. Kentucky Highlands (Clinton, Jackson and Wayne counties);
2. Mid-Delta in Mississippi (Bolivar, Sunflower, Leflore, Washington,
Humphries, and Holmes counties); and
3. Rio Grande Valley in Texas (Starr, Cameron, Midalgo, and Wallacy counties).
The Rural Enterprise Communities named were:
1. Chambers County in Alabama;
2. Greene and Sumter Counties in Alabama;
3. Mississippi County in Arkansas;
4. Imperial County in California;
5. Jackson County in Florida;
6. Macon Ridge in Louisiana (Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Morehouse, Tensas
parishes);
7. Lake County in Michigan;
8. North Delta area in Mississippi (Panola, Quitman and Tallahatchie
counties);
9. City of East Prairie and Mississippi County in Missouri;
10. Mora County in New Mexico
11. Halifax, Edgecombe, and Wilson Counties in North Carolina;
12. Greater Portsmouth in Ohio (Scioto county);
13. City of Lock Haven in Pennsylvania;
14. Beadle and Spink Counties in South Dakota;
15. Fayette and Haywood Counties in Virginia;
16. Accomack and Northampton Counties in Virginia;
17. Central Appalachia in West Virginia (Roane, Braxton, Clay, Nicholas,
Fayette counties);
18. McDowell County in West Virginia;
19. Scott Co. Tennessee and McCreary Co. Kentucky
20. Northeast Louisiana Delta in Louisiana (Madison parish);
21. Robeson County in North Carolina;
22. Yakima County in Washington;
23. Williamsburg and Florence Counties in South Carolina;
24. Josephine County in Oregon;
25. McCurtain and Choctaw Counties in Oklahoma;
26. Crisp and Dooly Counties in Georgia;
27. Central Savannah River Area in Georgia (Burke, Hancock, Jefferson,
McDuffie, Taliaferro, Warren counties);
28. City of Watsonville in California;
29. Arizona Border Region of Arizona (Cochise, Yuma and Santa Cruz counties) ;
and
30. Eastern Arkansas in Arkansas (Cross, Lee and St. Francis counties).