C05d Amended Performance Work Statement 1284LM27Q0002 AMD 0002.docx

Solicitation 1284LM27Q0002 (AMD 0002) Amended Performance Work Statement

Dakota skipper habitat mapping– Little Missouri National Grassland Project Location: The project location is within the McKenzie Ranger District in McKenzie County, North Dakota on the Little Missouri National Grassland (LMNG). Generally speaking, mapping will occur within T147N R100W, T147N R101W, T146N R99W, T146N R100W, T146N R101W, T145N R99W, T145N R100W, T145N R101W; located east of the Little Missouri River, south of the North Unit of TRNP, west of Hwy 85, and north of the southern McKenzie County border. Please note that only portions of these areas contain suitable habitat for the Dakota Skipper. Most areas should be accessible by road. Survey areas have been selected based on general habitat.

GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY AND SERVICES

The Government will provide shapefiles of specific habitat areas and a data dictionary. The Government will provide access instructions and consider application for off-road vehicle use if needed.

The Contractor must furnish all equipment, labor, materials (except government furnished items), transportation, lodging, supervision, and incidentals necessary to conduct the rare plant survey.

Data collected and reports prepared under this contract are the property of the USDA Forest Service. Data publication is prohibited without prior consent of the Forest Service and the Forest Service reserves the right to edit any potential publications. The Forest Service will be acknowledged in any publications using such data.

CONTRACTOR TASKS

1. Habitat Mapping

a. Identify presence of Requisite Plant Species Native grasses and native flowering forbs for larval and adult food and shelter, specifically: 1) One or more of the following native grasses to provide larval food and shelter: little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), needle-and-thread grass (Hesperostipa comata), Porcupinegrass (Hesperostipa spartea)

2) One or more of the following forbs in bloom to provide nectar and water sources during the flight period: Purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia), bluebell bellflower (aka harebell, Campanula rotundifolia), white prairie clover (Dalea candida), upright prairie coneflower (aka yellow coneflower, Ratibida columnifera),fleabane (Erigeron spp.), blanket flower (Gaillardia spp., including common gaillardia G. aristata), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), yellow sun drops (Calylophus serrulatus), prairie milkvetch (Astragalus adsurgens).

Site contains potential Dakota skipper habitat if both bullets below are met:

▪ If the % Type B Habitat dominant requisite species >50%

▪ Habitat contains > one of the requisite grass species and > one of the requisite forb species listed above In western North Dakota, Dakota skippers inhabit a variant of ‘Type B’ habitats on rolling terrain over gravelly glacial moraine dominated by most commonly by little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), as well as big bluestem, needlegrasses, or porcupine grasses (Hesperostipa spp.) (Royer et al. 2008). Western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) is also typical of a variant of ‘Type B’ habitat in western North Dakota (Royer et al. 2014).These habitats are often invaded by Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) (Royer and Marrone 1992).

b. Mapping the perimeter of habitat When areas with requisite plant species are identified to meet abundance specifications above, surveyor should then map the habitat by walking the perimeter, determined based on continuity of requisite plant species/advance of non-requisite species, and any limiting factors to dispersal, including topography, woody vegetation, extensive crop fields, etc. While walking the perimeter of suitable habitat patches and record GPS to create a polygon feature. A data dictionary and specific map areas will be provided.

c. Record the location of any rare or TES or RFSS pollinators including Dakota Skipper using a Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS coordinates will be stored in UTM, NAD83. Photos should be taken to document occurrences.

DELIVERABLES

1. Survey Plan Prior to doing field surveys, provide the COR with a survey plan. After the field season start date, the contractor shall provide monthly reports in the form of e-mail addressed to the Contracting Officer Representative and District Contact. At a minimum, these monthly reports shall include a description of where, how, and when surveys were conducted, and any problems encountered.

2. GPS Files of Mapped Habitat GPS polygon files in UTM, NAD83 format

3. Final summary Report The contractor must submit a report summarizing the results of the field survey. The report must be in Microsoft Word, will accept PDF in addition to Word. No hard copy reports are needed. The final report shall meet professional standards and shall be subject to review by the COR. If the report does not meet professional standards, the contractor may be required to edit or resubmit the final report.

Final report must include:

1. An introduction summarizing the purpose of this project.

2. A description of the survey areas, methods, and techniques used.

3. Summary of rare, TES & RFSS Pollinator species observed

SCHEDULE

The field season for this rare plant survey project is defined as the period from May 15, 2027, through September 30, 2027. Work shall be completed during the appropriate phenological window.

By November 30, 2027, the contractor shall submit to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) a draft report for review. The Forest Service shall return comments on the draft report by December 31, 2027. The contractor will submit the final report in electronic format (Word or PDF), by January 31, 2028.