The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Omaha District awarded a total small business set-aside purchase order valued at $296,925 to Dakota Helicopter Air Services, Inc., a North Dakota-based helicopter services provider specializing in aerial vegetation control. The contract, awarded on August 19, 2025, requires Dakota Helicopter to conduct aerial herbicide application services on Missouri River sandbars across four separate reaches: the Garrison Reach in North Dakota, and the Fort Randall, Lewis and Clark Lake, and Gavin Point reaches in Nebraska and South Dakota. Services must be completed by November 19, 2025, with targeted spraying operations scheduled between late August and early October across the three states. Dakota Helicopter will provide all necessary personnel, equipment, supplies, and transportation to execute the aerial vegetation spraying operations using helicopter-based techniques.
This contract supports USACE's broader ecosystem management and infrastructure preservation mission along the Missouri River, addressing invasive plant species control in environmentally sensitive riparian areas. Dakota Helicopter brings substantial relevant experience to the engagement, holding multiple indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts with USACE totaling $1 million for Missouri River vegetation and weed control through July 2027, as well as significant contracts with the National Park Service. The firm's established capability in precise herbicide application while managing environmental constraints, such as threatened bird populations and vegetation growth cycles, positions it to effectively execute this mission-critical aerial spraying initiative across the designated river reaches.