A04_44042029_SOW.docx

Statement of Work

Large River Methods:

A review of status and trend monitoring methods for non-wadeable streams and rivers

A. Background and Purpose

Understanding the condition and character of rivers plays an ever-increasing pivotal role in their management. From the hydrologic cycle to anthropogenic consumptive uses; these freshwater systems hold fundamental economic and ecological significance for the development and sustainment of human societies and ecosystems. Due to their vast importance, it is not surprising to find a long-concerted effort in mapping, cataloging, and monitoring of their locations and characteristics. However, much of the effort to develop methods for monitoring the status and trends of rivers and streams has focused on smaller wadeable systems, while monitoring protocols for larger non-wadeable systems remain underdeveloped.

Globally, large rivers include both the pristine and protected ecosystems and some of the most altered. In the conterminous United States of America many large rivers traverse densely populated regions and have been profoundly altered by dams, water withdrawals and development; whereas many large river corridors in Alaska remain largely intact. Environmental change poses another stressor on lotic systems through accelerated glacier melt and permafrost thawing, and intensified flooding and drought events. Anthropogenic and climatic stressors are both spatially and temporally variable creating complex responses that are challenging to monitor. These issues call for an increase in investment from land managers to track riverine conditions and manage important resources.

Under the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) multiple use and sustained yield mandates, fisheries and water resources must be conserved and restored to bestow resource value and ecosystem services. As part of that mandate, the Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Strategy creates standard field and remote based protocols to assess baseline conditions and trends in natural resources on lands managed by BLM. Throughout BLM managed lands aquatic resources are monitored using Lotic AIM and Riparian and Wetland AIM protocols, but there is not a finalized protocol for non-wadeable systems. A draft protocol dates from May 2021, and has been tested in a handful of settings, but these preliminary efforts are still falling short in terms of collecting data that are relevant for the management questions that BLM has about larger non-wadeable river systems.

Technological advancements have the potential to build on existing field-based methods. These advancements range from SONAR to LiDAR, from image analysis to computer-vision, to data products from remotely sensed observations (e.g., Surface Water and Ocean Topography River Database, Occurrence Change Intensity from the Global Surface Water database) and include improvements to large-scale hydrologic models. A comprehensive review of non-wadeable river monitoring methods may highlight how these new tools are being used and could benefit a large river monitoring protocol.

B. Project Goals and Objectives Goals:

1) Recommendation of a national protocol for monitoring the condition and trends of non-wadeable streams. Comment by Stratton, Benjamin T: Is the focus national or AK specific as the title suggests. If it is AK focused we should probably be more specific in the introduction too. Comment by Shaftel, Rebecca S: I think a focus on Alaska would be helpful. There is a lot more available in the Lower 48 that we would have to filter out if we call it a national protocol. Comment by Clark, Christopher L: This is not AK specific. I have removed the word Alaska from the title. The NOC is providing use the latitude to move tis process forward but at the end of the day the process is intended to support refinement of a large river assessment protocol for the Bureau. Yes the contractor will have to understand what is possible across the entire monitoring domain (scope)

2) Propose metrics and methods to support a scalable national non-wadeable stream monitoring program.

Objectives:

1) Conduct a comprehensive literature review of monitoring methods for non-wadeable streams;

2) Identify key metrics relevant to non-wadeable streams habitat monitoring

3) Synthesize successful methods and technologies used to assess and monitor non-wadeable rivers and streams;

4) Cross-walk objectives 1, 2 and 3 to arrive at a possible approach (metrics and methods) to serve as a foundation for a non-wadeable monitoring program;

5) Provide examples of what resource management questions could be answered or evaluated by each metric.

C. Scope of Work The contractor shall provide all labor, materials and equipment necessary to conduct a technical review of peer reviewed published work, agency white papers and other gray (non-reviewed) literature that aligns with the objective for cataloging methods that are used for status and trend monitoring of non-wadeable streams as it relates to the biotic and abiotic habitat conditions of a stream corridor to include but not limited to:

· Geomorphology (including bed material and bank stability)

· Streamflow and depth variability

· Water quality

· Macroinvertebrates

· Riparian vegetation

The BLM encourages all interested contractors to review the BLM’s Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) (https://blm.gov/aim) program as well as the field protocol for wadeable lotic systems under the AIM program.

The cataloging of methods should include a brief description of the type of data provided and how that is linked to status and trends monitoring of non-wadeable systems and the feasibility of the method across vast landscapes (i.e., national extent.). To the extent possible a natural grouping of methods should also be considered when cataloging (remotely sensed, image analysis, field observation, etc.). Additional attributes for each method that should be captured during the review are where it has been used, what were the major findings related to its use and were there specific links to resource management (i.e., restoration effectiveness monitoring, status and trends monitoring, geomorphology characterization, etc.). Comment by Palmer, Patrick (Charley): Suggest replacing with “national extent”.

The results of the technical review will include a bibliography, draft report, final report and presentation of findings to the technical points of contact at the BLM Aquatics Program Office further as outlined below.

Specific tasks should include:

1) Literature search and bibliography

a. Compile a comprehensive bibliography with hyperlinks

2) Draft report including:

a. A summary of literature

i. Grouped by method or technology

ii. Recommended methods and metrics

iii. Identify research gaps and next steps

iv. Respond to BLM comments

3) Final report with incorporated revisions based on BLM reviews and feedback

4) Presentation of results to BLM Aquatics Program Office. Presentations are not required to be in-person.

D. Deliverables

1) The contractor shall provide a complete bibliography with hyperlinks to the works cited.

2) Draft and final report that incorporate feedback and edits from BLM staff that meet the goals, objectives and scope of work outlined in this document. These reports need to adhere to BLM reporting standards[footnoteRef:1]. [1: The .pdf final documents shall be in Rehabilitation Act Section 508 compliant format as they are subject to being made available to the public via being posted on the internet. Section 508 requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities to assure accessibility by the visually impaired using assistive technology.

Timing for deliverables shall be in accordance with this paragraph. Guidance on Section 508 compliance is available at: http://www.section508.gov/

3) Presentation of the findings will be given at the conclusion of the work to the BLM.