Q_A_0001.pdf

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For sections 2.1 & 2.2

1. In the database provided, are either vector format shapefiles (eg, polygon or line shapefile) or

GPS coordinates (eg, plot centroids or plot corners) provided for the 289 hectare plots with a corresponding plot ID?

A: Each hectare is numbered and each hectare has GPS coordinated (plot corners) for locations.

2. Are location records of the other items of interest (Joshua tree, non-native specie, perennial vegetation species, burned and cleared areas, cattle individuals and scat, vehicle evidence, mammal predator sign, avian and predator signs and individuals) provided with either

GPS coordinates and/or associated hectare plot ID?

A: All items of interest, Joshua trees, non-native species, perennial vegetation species, burned and cleared areas, individual cattle and sheep and their scats, evidence of vehicle use, predator sign, avian predator observations are treated by hectare number and in some cases by both GPS locations and hectare numbers.

For sections 3.2.1, 3.2.3, 3.2.5 & 3.2.6

3. This objective requires mapping and analyzing Desert Tortoise locations (live individuals, dead individuals, sign) relative to the hectare plots and Red Rock Canyon State Park proximity.

However, records of Desert Tortoise data were not mentioned in the description of the database

(Section 2.2). Are Desert Tortoise occurrence data (locations of live or dead individuals or sign) provided in the database with GPS coordinates and/or corresponding hectare plot ID for use by the contractor?

A: There are data sheets with desert tortoise data in the excel workbook. There are very few records of desert tortoises, shell-skeletal remains, burrows, and tracks in the database—less than ten, as I recall. Not all species of plants are mentioned either by common or scientific name in the solicitation but they will be provided to the awardee on the vegetation worksheet.

4. This section states that the contractor will prepare figures of existing roads, vehicle tracks, and trails "hopefully drawing on existing layers in government websites and files." Will the USGS or

BLM provide authoritative, digitized GIS shapefiles/geodatabases for existing roads and OHV trails, or is the contractor responsible for identifying, acquiring, and digitizing these routes from scratch?

A: First, all roads, tracks, and evidence of vehicles occurring on hectare plots are noted, enabling the analysis of locations and concentrations of such variables. Are they evening present throughout or located only in certain areas? Second, the State of California’s Department of

Parks and Recreation has provided USGS with the layers used in their management plans. These layers will be shared with the entity receiving the contract.

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5. Will the government furnish the official fire perimeter boundary shapefiles, or should the contractor extract historical wildfire polygons from public databases (e.g., Cal Fire / NIFC)?

A: There is no requirement to assemble fire perimeters or such data. As part of the anthropogenic variables, some hectares were found burned or partially burned. Locations of these are important; the variable itself is important for the client and end-users. These shall be mapped.

6. This section describes a suite of variables that should be included in maps, figures and models

(vehicle tracks, trails, roads, cleared areas, native trees, shrubs and vegetation, cattle and sheep occurrence, evidence of shooting, trash and campsite occurrences). However, sheep sign, trash, and evidence of shooting and campsites was not listed in section 2.2 as records in the database.

Are these categories also included in the data?

A: Every one of these variables is included in the database. For example, there are separate sheets for vegetation, human-related impacts and activities (includes all those in the question), mammalian predator sign, avian predator sightings and sign, etc.

7. This section describes using the above variables as predictor variables (ie, independent variables) in models, but it is not clear what the desired response variable (ie, dependent variable) is for the required modeling in this section. What are the response variables of interest for these models? Relatedly, is the desired sampling unit the hectare plot or some other unit relevant to the desired response variable?

A: A good question and a great deal can be addressed in the conferences. When the database was very briefly and initially examined, it was not immediately clear what variables would be desirable as predictor variables other than western Joshua tree and desert tortoise. The first action can be analysis and mapping of vegetation and determination of vegetation associations.

The western Joshua tree is a focal species for perennial vegetation. Which vegetation associations support the most and least Joshua trees. Where do the invasive and fire- prone species of annuals occur and what are the relationships with anthropogenic variables (human activities) if any? These are a few of the questions to be asked and addressed.

For section 6.1

8. This section states "The purpose of the conference is to facilitate transfer of Government-supplied shell-skeletal remains and to discuss the specific responsibilities of each party.", regarding a pre-work conference between the PI and the contractor. Can it be clarified whether physical biological specimens will be physically transferred to the contractor’s custody

(requiring physical transport, secure holding facilities, and chain-of-custody protocols), or if this refers to transferring digital measurement data, photographs, and coordinates?

A: This refers to transfer of any detailed data on shell-skeletal remains not in the work sheets. It would be an electronic transfer of an excel file only. The conferences will include addressing all or parts of your questions, focal species for analysis, clusters of focal species of such occur, progress, etc.

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General questions

9. Will the USGS accept spatial deliverables and publication-quality cartography prepared using

QGIS and documented R code, or are native ESRI formats strictly required?

A: We use R for analysis and ESRI products. Our IT specialist says that QGIS software is approved for use by the USGS and could be installed on my computer.