Recreation Sites and Visitor Services: Creating Quality Recreation Experiences | USDA FS R13 2024 24 24 REC 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS R13 2024 24 24 REC 01

Recreation Sites and Visitor Services: Creating Quality Recreation Experiences (USDA FS R13 2024 24 24 REC 01) is a USDA Forest Service Outreach of Interest (OOI) designed to identify and cultivate potential partnerships that can strengthen recreation services and infrastructure on National Forest System lands. Rather than operating like a traditional grant competition, this OOI is primarily a relationship-building and project-idea solicitation tool. By submitting a response, an organization signals interest in working with the Forest Service and opens the door to follow-up conversations about feasible projects, partnership agreement options under the agency's legal authorities, and possible federal funding pathways that could support the work.

The central goal is to build a shared commitment to high-quality recreation experiences for the public, especially as outdoor recreation demand continues to grow. The Forest Service emphasizes that partnerships are critical for expanding capacity to maintain and improve both developed recreation sites (like campgrounds, day-use areas, and trailheads) and dispersed recreation settings (such as backcountry areas and undeveloped sites). The agency points to the scale of its recreation footprint, including roughly 160,000 miles of trails, about 10,000 developed recreation sites, and nearly 196 million acres of national forests and grasslands. Public visitation exceeded 200 million visits between 2017 and 2021, and increasing use has created persistent challenges around maintenance backlogs, visitor services, safety needs, and infrastructure strain.

Project concepts encouraged under this outreach include efforts that repair, maintain, or modernize recreation infrastructure; expand or enhance visitor services; and improve the overall quality, safety, and accessibility of recreation opportunities. Examples implied by the notice include increasing infrastructure resiliency to weather and climate impacts, improving access for activities like hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and other outdoor uses, and increasing recreation capacity where use levels are growing. The Forest Service also highlights community benefits that partnerships can deliver, such as engaging local residents, fostering long-term stewardship and a sense of shared ownership in outcomes, and creating opportunities for job training, conservation service, personal development, and building the next generation of natural resource stewards and recreation professionals.

Eligibility is broad and includes for-profit entities, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, federal/state/local governments, Native American tribal governments, and special purpose districts (such as public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, school districts, and ports). The posting lists the activity area as Natural Resources (CFDA 10.699) and categorizes the opportunity as "Other" for both the opportunity category and funding instrument type, reinforcing that the OOI is not presented as a standard grant with a defined award structure. The notice does not specify an award ceiling, and expected awards are not stated. The opportunity was created on 2024-10-07, and the listed closing date is 2025-02-07. Application guidance is provided through an attached Outreach of Interest Template Instructions document, which applicants are directed to use to structure and submit their responses.

• The Forest Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Recreation Sites and Visitor Services: Creating Quality Recreation Experiences" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.699.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA FS R13 2024 24 24 REC 01

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