Guidance: AmeriCorps Environmental Stewardship Performance Measures (EN1, EN4, EN5 and Structures)

CNCS values the quality of Performance Measures (PM) over the quantity of performance measures. These charts represent AmeriCorps Priority Areas and non-priority PMs selected as TCN’s Environmental PMs through the EAP 2021-2024 and OYSI 2022-2025 grant cycles.

Environmental Stewardship

Strategic Plan Objective	Selection Rule		Intervention
	Output	Outcome
Energy Efficiency OYSI	EN1: Number of housing units or public structures weatherized or retrofitted to improve energy efficiency	EN1.1: Number of housing units or public structures with reduced energy consumption or reduced energy costs	Weatherization Retrofitting
At-Risk Ecosystems EAP/OYSI	EN4: Acres of parks or public land treated	EN4.1: Acres of parks or public land improved	Fire Mitigation Flood Mitigation Invasive Species Removal Debris Removal Plant Establishment Climate Change Intervention
At-Risk Ecosystems EAP/OYSI	EN5: Miles of trails or rivers treated.	EN5.1: Miles of trails or rivers improved	Trail Creation Trail Remediation Stream Remediation Fire Mitigation Flood Mitigation Invasive Species Removal Debris Removal Plant Establishment Climate Change Intervention
At-Risk Ecosystems EAP/OYS	Structures	TCN Determined	Structures constructed or restored
Employment OYSI	O1A: Individuals served	O10: Individuals who secure employment	Green Jobs Training

Environmental Stewardship

Members cannot serve for a for-profit even if there is a public benefit if the for-profit will also benefit. However, they and the project may be funded by a for-profit if that for-profit does not benefit from the service performed.

EN1 Output	Number of housing units of low-income households and public structures weatherized or retrofitted to improve energy efficiency.
Definition of Key Terms	Housing unit: a single-family home (including a mobile home if permanently placed), an apartment, or a room in a group home for people with disabilities Public structure: Shelter, such as homeless shelter or emergency shelter operated by a nonprofit or government organization; government-owned building Weatherization: Modifying a building to reduce energy consumption and costs and optimize energy efficiency. Whole-house weatherization includes the installation of modern energy-saving heating and cooling equipment and looks at how the house performs as a system. Retrofit: An energy conservation measure applied to an existing building or the action of improving the thermal performance or maintenance of a building.
How to Measure/ Collect Data	Count only those units/structures where the work was fully completed as evidenced by a Certificate of Occupancy; where not required, get a written statement from resident or owner or some other certification of completion. Tracking mechanism that ensures an unduplicated count of units/structures that have received services Notes: U.S. Department of Energy has training programs, definitions, and tools to assist in these efforts. Your program is not required to exactly match the way DOE provides weatherization but we encourage you to create programs that reflect “the spirit of” the DOE programs.

EN1.1 Outcome	Number of housing units or public structures with reduced energy consumption or reduced energy costs
Definition of Key Terms	Housing units or public structures: those reported in EN1
How to Measure/ Collect Data	Utility bill/statement, computer modeling, resident survey, or other instrument capable of measuring changes in energy consumption or energy costs at the individual unit/structure level. When possible, pre-post assessments should be utilized.

Some Disaster Services fit into the EN4 &. EN5 PMs

EN4 Output	Number of acres of national parks, state parks, city parks, county parks, or other public and tribal lands that are treated.
Definition of Key Terms	Public parks: Park/recreation areas that are designated by national, state, city, or county governments (not trails or rivers; see EN5) Other public lands: Other publicly owned lands; land owned by nonprofits for public use or the public good (such as land conservancies): and public easements Tribal lands: Same meaning as imparted by the definitions of “Indian Lands” and “Indian Tribes” provided in. SEC. 101. [42 U.S.C. 12511] Treated: Removal of invasive species, planting native plants, building riparian buffers, clearing of natural debris (such as fallen trees/limbs, hazardous fuel) and unnatural debris (such as disaster debris and improperly disposed waste). Treatment must go beyond basic trash removal
How to Measure/ Collect Data	Count of number of acres that are treated for the intent of improvement. Count each acre that is treated only once during the program year. It may be necessary to treat an acre more than once, but it should be counted only once. Only count the acres that are actually treated; do not count the entire park/land area unless your project treats the entire area. Tracking document, survey or acknowledgement of receipt of services from entity that owns or administers the area improved. AmeriCorps encourages applicants and grantees to perform service with the greatest impact versus providing minimal impact to the highest number of acres. The applicant or grantee should identify a certain deficiency or serious environmental risk or describe a compelling problem that is well documented and propose an evidence-based intervention to address the problem and enhance the land or habitat to a higher-quality ecosystem. The evidence-base could be a governmental land management improvement plan if it addresses the targeted problem, and is preferably an identified priority in the plan, although it is preferable to also describe how the proposed intervention will return the targeted area to a higher-quality environment and relevant evidence to support the value of the intervention. For example, while conducting seasonal maintenance may allow a grantee to report greater numbers of acres “improved”, it is less likely to be selected for funding if it does not address a compelling environmental problem, deficiency, risk or priority (ideally one that has been documented in a governmental land management improvement plan).

EN4.1 Outcome	Number of acres of national parks, state parks, city parks, county parks, or other public and tribal lands that are Improved
Definition of Key Terms	Acres of public parks or other public and tribal lands:those reported in EN4 Improved: Renovated to reduce human impact or the negative impact of natural disasters or invasive species, restored native plants and habitat, reduced erosion, protected watersheds, reduced wildfire risk, upgraded or repaired outdoor recreation facilities or signage, increased public safe access, protected flora and fauna. Improvement should be consistent with an accepted natural resource restoration, maintenance or improvement plan.
How to Measure/ Collect Data	Land manager assessment or other instrument capable of measuring changes in land condition at the scale of individual acres. When possible, pre-post assessments should be utilized. Count of number of acres that are assessed by the managing entity/land manager as having been improved to an acceptable level as defined by the sponsoring agency or land manager in accordance with their natural resource plan. Count each acre that is improved only once during the program year. It may be necessary to improve an acre more than once, but it should be counted only once. Only count the acres that are actually improved; do not count the entire park/land area unless your project improves the entire area. It is possible that the number of acres assessed by the land manager as having been improved in accordance with their natural resource plan is less than the total number of acres treated.
Tracking and Reporting	Tracking document or survey stating the number of acres actually improved and a statement that the impact of this intervention will contribute to the return of the targeted area to a quality environment from entity that owns or administers the area improved. AmeriCorps encourages applicants and grantees to perform service with the greatest impact or the highest priority versus deferring to only providing minimal impact to the highest number of acres. The applicant or grantee should identify a certain deficiency or serious environmental risk or describe a compelling problem that is well documented and propose an evidence-based intervention to address the problem and enhance the land or habitat to a higher quality ecosystem. The evidence-base could be a governmental land management improvement plan if it addresses the targeted problem, and is preferably an identified priority in the plan, although it is preferable to also describe how the proposed intervention will return the targeted area to a quality environment and relevant evidence to support the value of the intervention. For example, while conducting seasonal maintenance may allow a grantee to report greater numbers of acres “improved”, it is less likely to be selected for funding if it does not address a compelling environmental problem, deficiency, risk or priority (ideally one that has been documented in a governmental land management improvement plan).

EN5 Output	Number of miles of trails or waterways (owned/maintained by national, state, county, city or tribal governments; nonprofits when for public use or the public good; and public easements) that are treated and/or constructed
Definition of Key Terms	Public trails or waterways: owned/maintained by national, state, county, city or tribal governments; nonprofits when for public use or the public good; and public easements Trails: For walking, running, biking, horses or other forms of recreation. Waterways: Includes rivers, lakes and other bodies of water on or abutting public land. Treated: Removal of invasive species, planting native plants, building riparian buffers, improving tread/corridor of existing trail or making changes to increase the trail lifespan, implementing safety measures, removal of unsafe trail structures, repair of damage caused by visitor use, changes to increase accessibility, clearing of natural debris (such as fallen trees/limbs and hazardous fuel) and unnatural debris (such as disaster debris and improperly disposed waste). Treatments must go beyond basic trash removal. Constructed: Activities designed to make trails newly available such as adding handicapped accessibility, building boardwalks, trail-blazing, converting a railroad bed to a trail, etc.
How to Measure/ Collect Data	Tracking mechanism that ensures an unduplicated count of miles of trail/waterway that have received services Applicant or grantee should identify a certain deficiency or serious environmental risk or describe a compelling problem that is well documented and propose an evidence-based intervention (treatment) to address the problem that will lead to the improvement or restoration of the trail or waterway to a higher quality ecosystem. The prescribed treatment/intervention could be a governmental land management improvement plan if it addresses the targeted problem and is preferably an identified priority in the plan. For example, adhere to the resource management standards for riparian work specified by USDA’s Natural Conservation Practice Standard “Riparian Herbaceous Cover”: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/Standards/nhcp.html Sum of number of miles of trails and/or waterways that are treated, and/or constructed. Count each mile only once during the program year. Count the area treated on/in the trail/waterway and immediately next to the trail/waterway. It may be necessary to treat the same mile of trail/waterway more than once but include in count only once. If, for example, the program or project is to repair a trail, then the whole width of the trail that is being repaired can be counted, not just the width of the fencing. If the lack of a trail has led to damage in the area, then the area of that restoration/repair work would count too.

EN5.1 Outcome	Number of miles of trails or waterways (owned/maintained by national, state, county, city or tribal governments; nonprofits such as land when the land is for public use or the public good; and public easements) that are improved, and/or put into use.
Definition of Key Terms	Trails: For walking, running, biking, horses or other forms of recreation. Waterways: Includes rivers, lakes and other bodies of water on or abutting public land. Improved: Restored to reduce human impact, reduced the impact of natural disasters, removed invasive species, restored native plants and habitat, protected watersheds, created new trail, increased safe condition of useable trails, increased accessibility, protected flora and fauna. Improvement should be consistent with an accepted natural resource restoration, maintenance or improvement plan. Put into use: Established safe and useable trails or waterways.
How to Measure/ Collect Data	Land manager assessment or other instrument capable of measuring changes in trail or waterway condition at the scale of individual miles. When possible, pre-post assessments should be utilized. Sum of number of miles of trails and/or waterways that are assessed by the managing entity/land manager as having been improved to an acceptable level as defined by the sponsoring agency or land manager in accordance with their natural resource plan. Count each mile only once during the program year. It is possible that the number of acres assessed by the land manager as having been improved in accordance with their natural resource plan is less than the total number of miles treated. The improvement should be the acceptable level of implementation of the prescribed intervention to address a certain deficiency or serious environmental risk that is well documented. The evidence-base could be a governmental land management improvement plan if it addresses the targeted problem, and it is preferable to describe how the proposed intervention will contribute to the return the targeted area to a quality environment. For example, while conducting seasonal maintenance may allow a grantee to report greater numbers of miles “improved”, it is less likely to be selected for

TCN Determined PM: Structures Built/Renovated/Restored

Problem Statement: Public Transportation and infrastructure in the US has deteriorated significantly over the last decade, having an adverse impact on communities through lack of access to and usage of structures, roads, and trails

Selected Interventions:
Debris (NOT TRASH) removal (including hazardous fuels)
Improvement of Public Land
Invasive species removal
Land restoration
Plant/habitat establishment/removal
Repair public land facilities or improve access

Members will build, renovate, restore, or maintain structures in or near, federal, state, city, and county parks and other public lands (including land owned by nonprofits for public use or the pubic good) in order to improve or support the improvement of infrastructure in a number of categories including but not limited to public parks, trails, roads, bridges, dams, levees, inland and coastal waterways. As a large national program with multiple sub-grantees, sites, and projects, community needs will vary as will the response. Some members will spend 100% of their direct service hours towards this measure, while others will spend less. Projects will vary in length depending on the needs and condition of the structures and may include construction, restoration, and maintenance of multi-use trails; construction of and improvements to campgrounds and playgrounds; maintenance of roads and medians; removal of invasive species from levees; installation of solar panels; and restoration of historic structures. Project partners may include federal land, water, and transportation agencies such as the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, State Departments of Transportation, and City Departments of Public Works, among others.

Output: Number of structures that are built, renovated, restored or maintained. Structures may include buildings, dams, levies, bridges, roads, sidewalks, and trails. Also included is removal of hazardous waste and wastewater from structures.

Described Instrument: Subgrantees will maintain daily activity logs that include: project name, scope of work, and actual structures treated. The activity log will be maintained by the Crew Leader in the field and will include an outline of the expected deliverables defined by an agreement with the land management agency/partner

Outcome: Project partners will report that structures were built or improved.

Instrument: The amount of change is determined by the land manager overseeing the particular project, and he/she bases his/her determination regarding the amount of change or level of improvement based on the original condition of the project site, the land manager’s expectations regarding the results of the work, and the outcome of the project – did the work meet or exceed the expected outcome for the project? Members will be involved in diverse projects with varying parameters for treatment which makes it impossible for a standard measure for the amount of change. Project partners/land managers will report on the number of, and extent to which, 315 structures on public lands were built or improved by the TIP members. They will use a scale – ranging from “not at all improved” to “somewhat improved” to “improved” to “greatly improved” – to describe the level of improvement of each project. Agency Partner Surveys will be administered at the completion of projects to verify validity of the service provided by the
members

Economic Opportunity

Measure O1A	Number of members trained for green jobs
Definition of Key Terms	Individuals: recipients of AmeriCorps-supported services related to increasing economic opportunity Served: substantive engagement of individuals with a specific goal in mind related to economic opportunity. Cannot consist solely of mass dissemination of information such as email blasts, social media posts, or distributing pamphlets
How to Measure/ Collect Data	Tracking mechanism that ensures an unduplicated count of individuals who have received services

Measure O1A	Number of members trained for green jobs
Definition of Key Terms	Individuals: recipients of AmeriCorps-supported services related to increasing economic opportunity Served: substantive engagement of individuals with a specific goal in mind related to economic opportunity. Cannot consist solely of mass dissemination of information such as email blasts, social media posts, or distributing pamphlets
How to Measure/ Collect Data	Tracking mechanism that ensures an unduplicated count of individuals who have received services