Improve Trail Signage and remove Graffiti at Joshua Tree National Park | P18AS00141

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00141

The funding opportunity titled "Improve Trail Signage and remove Graffiti at Joshua Tree National Park" (Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00141) is a National Park Service project under the Department of the Interior focused on visitor safety, navigation, and resource protection in Joshua Tree National Park. The work is intended to improve public access to park lands by addressing two practical, highly visible needs: clearer wayfinding on confusing trail segments and the removal of persistent graffiti in heavily visited areas. The project sits within the Natural Resources funding activity category and uses a Cooperative Agreement as the funding instrument.

The first core goal is to reduce the number of visitors who become disoriented in a particular zone of the park where braided dry river beds create many look-alike paths. In those kinds of landscapes, informal route braiding and shifting washes can make it difficult for visitors to stay on a consistent trail corridor, which increases the risk of people getting lost and can also lead to wider off-trail travel as visitors try to reorient themselves. To address that, the project prioritizes improved directional signage across multiple trails, specifically targeting locations that park staff have identified as "under-signed" or confusing. The emphasis is on practical navigation help that supports safe, efficient movement through the area while reinforcing appropriate trail use.

The second core goal is to remove graffiti that is described as both persistent and highly visible, particularly in areas frequented by visitors. The opportunity specifically calls out graffiti removal work in the Indian Cove and Jumbo Rock Campground areas, which are popular destinations and therefore high-impact settings for visual resource damage. By focusing on these locations, the project aims to improve the visitor experience and protect the park's natural and cultural setting from ongoing defacement that can encourage additional vandalism if left unaddressed.

A notable aspect of the project is the training component. National Park Service personnel will train a selected intern in the standards, procedures, and best practices for multiple maintenance tasks tied directly to the project goals. On the signage side, this includes learning up-to-date techniques for sign design, layout, and production, followed by hands-on experience with installation of the newly designed and produced signs. On the graffiti side, the intern will be trained in current graffiti removal techniques appropriate for the park environment, likely emphasizing methods that minimize damage to underlying surfaces and reduce long-term impacts while effectively removing markings. In other words, the work is structured not only as park maintenance but also as skills development and workforce training aligned with NPS operational standards.

Administratively, this announcement is labeled a "Notice of Intent to Award" and explicitly states that it is not a request for applications. The National Park Service is providing public notice that it will fund the project under an existing cooperative agreement with ACE (American Conservation Experience). Because it is not open for competition, the listing includes an expected awards count of 0 in the sense of new competitive awards being made through an application process. The award ceiling is listed as $71,809. The opportunity was created on May 30, 2018, with an original closing date of June 13, 2018, reflecting the timeline for public notice rather than an open solicitation.

Eligibility, as listed in the source data, is for nonprofits with IRS 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education, which is consistent with the cooperative agreement framework used for conservation corps and partner-supported field projects. Overall, the project is best understood as a targeted, on-the-ground visitor safety and resource protection effort that combines improved trail wayfinding infrastructure with visible site restoration through graffiti removal, while also investing in training an intern to carry out these tasks to National Park Service standards.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Improve Trail Signage and remove Graffiti at Joshua Tree National Park" 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 30, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 13, 2018 NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD This is NOT a request for application. This funding announcement is to provide public notice that the National Park Service will fund the following project under an existing Cooperative Agreement with ACE. (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 $71,809.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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