title
PROPOSED CONTRACT
Department(s): Resource Management
Vendor: Friends of the Forest Preserves, Chicago, Illinois
Request: Authorization for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County to enter into and execute
Good(s) or Service(s): North Branch Conservation Corps Program
Contract Value: Not to exceed $150,000.00 per year, or $300,000.00 over a two (2) year term
Contract period: 1/9/2018 - 12/31/2019
Estimated Fiscal Impact: FY 2018 $150,000.00, FY 2019 $150,000.00
Accounts: Intern Programs 51009.521525, Habitat Enhancement 51009.521452, Habitat Restoration 51009.521444, Grant and Mitigation Accounts: 51010.29982 and 51010.22522, Construction and Development Fund 51058
Contract Number(s): N/A
Concurrences:
The Chief Financial Officer and Chief Attorney have approved this item.
District(s): 9, 10, 12, 13, 14
Summary: Friends of the Forest Preserves has received a grant from The Bobolink Foundation and The Caerus Foundation to support a North Branch Conservation Corps program providing conservation and leadership skills training to young adults, ages 18-24, at stewardship sites located along the North Branch of the Chicago River. The program engages four (4) participants, one (1) crew manager, and one (1) assistant crew manager in hands-on ecological restoration activities including invasive species control, herbicide application, seed collection and dispersal, and prescribed fire. Participants will receive the training and technical expertise necessary to pursue a long-term career in ecological restoration and related fields.
The Conservation Corps co-facilitates innovative job training and employment programs that provide participants with paid, hands-on experiences in conservation that train the next generation to restore and be responsible stewards of the land.
Total project costs are $500,000.00 over the two (2) year term, with $100,000.00 in match by the Preserves leveraging $200,000.00 in investment by The Bobolink Foundation, and $200,000.00 in investment by The Caerus Foundation. The overall annual contract authority was increased in anticipation of additional funding opportunities. This program advances the goals of the Next Century Conservation Plan.
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