Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Partnership

Location:

New Mexico

What are some of the challenges faced by the partnership?

Colonius describes the partnership as requiring “significant energy and attention” and the need to “make the commitment as an organization to be responsive to input and address concerns rather than brushing them off. We have regular reporting structures to solicit input from Carson National Forest personnel, project by project as well as at program and organizational levels. It has changed and developed in intensity over time, but it was always our commitment to make sure that project sponsors had a voice in how our organization responded to their needs. If the customer is not satisfied then your relationship is short term.”

 

Consistent, predictable funding, as with many partnerships, is a lingering challenge. Under the cost-share agreement, the Forest Service is responsible for paying the RMYC for their service, so the challenge has been making sure that the funding exists to uphold this agreement. They are currently looking into finding a way to make the partnership long-term, where it is automatically a part of their budget each year rather than annually renewing the 5-year agreement.

This site was developed by the Ecosystem Management Initiative through a partnership with the US Forest Service and the US Department of Interior. Read more.