E-PAGA wins

E-PAGA is thrilled to announce its recent contract award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a comprehensive, standardized, portable Wilderness Basics curriculum for the Forest Service. This initiative will provide federal employees and partners working in wilderness areas with the foundational training they need to uphold the Wilderness Act and preserve our precious wilderness resources.

To begin the project, E-PAGA will host a pre-performance meeting with the Forest Service team and then prepare a project plan detailing how project tasks and their associated deliverables will be accomplished. E-PAGA will conduct a training needs analysis to identify the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities required for effective wilderness job performance and also complete a curriculum analysis to evaluate the existing training resources.

Working closely with federal wilderness subject matter experts,  E-PAGA will use the results of the training and curriculum analyses to design 10 standalone Wilderness Basics training modules, covering topics such as wilderness history, wilderness stewardship practices, field maintenance, and wilderness safety. E-PAGA will also design new course templates and produce instructional materials that align with USDA guidelines while enhancing the training with the integration of new video segments and participant activities. Throughout the project, regular coordination, reporting, and data management will ensure timely and efficient progress.

This 1-year effort, overseen by the National Technology & Development Program in Missoula, MT, reinforces E-PAGA’s commitment to supporting the USDA Forest Service mission of sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of our nation’s wilderness areas.

Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on this important endeavor!