A04 CHOH SOW.docx

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Inventory & Monitoring Division

Statement of Work / Objectives NPS Inventory and Monitoring Division

Terrestrial Invertebrate Inventory at CHOH

Project Background Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (CHOH) runs nearly 185 miles along the Potomac River, crossing numerous physiographic provinces and providing habitat for hundreds of rare plant species. Such an environmental gradient benefits species diversity; however, the high edge:interior ratio of park forests facilitates the introduction of novel invasive plant species. With the logistical and financial difficulties of managing exotic plants across CHOH and the varying degrees to which fauna respond to specific invasive plants, it is difficult to prioritize species and populations to manage. Some invasive, exotic plant species, such as Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), have been shown to provide benefit to both native forest regeneration and the abundance and diversity of invertebrate communities.

Terrestrial invertebrates are an important part of forest food webs, providing food for most vertebrate taxa in the CHOH area, including many birds, reptiles, amphibians, and some mammals. Therefore, understanding the impacts of specific invasive plant species to invertebrate communities is critical to understanding how the management or spread of invasive species will subsequently affect wildlife. Indiscriminate treatment and eradication of invasive plants could subsequently harm biological diversity and can have wide-ranging consequences for food webs.

Park managers wish to prioritize treatment of invasive plant species based on their effects to the diversity and abundance of the invertebrate community. This inventory study will help identify highest priority invasive plant species for management by measuring invertebrate richness within plots containing invasive plant species. By prioritizing treatment of species with the least value to invertebrate communities, the park will be able to effectively distribute fiscal and human resources in a manner that most effectively conserves biodiversity.

Project Objectives

1. Document the occurrence of terrestrial invertebrates at sites throughout CHOH dominated by invasive plants.

2. Determine the relative abundance of terrestrial invertebrate taxa present at sites throughout CHOH dominated by different invasive plants.

Statement of Work The selected contractor will conduct a survey of terrestrial invertebrates at sites dominated by invasive plants throughout CHOH.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (CHOH) traverses 185 miles between Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC, following the Potomac River and crossing four physiographic provinces. Such physiographic diversity subsequently cultivates plant and wildlife diversity, which is evident as one travels through the park. Unfortunately, the long and linear nature of the park makes it particularly vulnerable to the introduction and spread of non-native, invasive plants, which threaten the hundreds of threatened and endangered species in the park. This project will occur within the park between Tuscarora and Oldtown, MD, within the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge provinces. There are numerous vehicular access points available, and the historic towpath can convey contractor vehicular and pedestrian traffic parallel to the river. Within the project area, the park passes through the towns of Point of Rocks, Brunswick, Sharpsburg, Williamsport, Hancock, and Oldtown, MD.

Specifications

1. The sampling design must specify what methods will be used to survey terrestrial invertebrates across the study area. Sampling techniques should involve a combination of methods to better understand the affected invertebrate communities. Priority order will be to sample the aerial/herbivorous community, followed by cursorial and fossorial species. The offeror will describe their sampling design in enough detail to be evaluated by peer reviewers.

2. The sample unit is a “site”, characterized by having a dominant monoculture of one of the target invasive species. The size of sample units would be dependent upon the sampling design proposed by the offeror.

3. Sample design should contain sufficient sampling to discern statistically meaningful differences in invertebrate composition among areas with known invasive species infestations that comprise 80-100% cover of selected plant species, and less than 20% cover of native species. (treatments).

4. The target species for this project include five of the following, with a final species list to be determine through reconnaissance by NPS staff during 2020: Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), wavyleaf basketgrass (Oplismenus hirtellus undulatifolius), beefsteak plant (Perilla frutescens), ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea), winter creeper (Euonymous fortunei), and English ivy (Hedera helix). Populations mostly occur in riparian forests between the Potomac River and the historic towpath. NPS has conducted reconnaissance prior to finalizing sampling design and provide the successful offeror candidate sampling locations (see references below).

5. Sample sites used in this study should include :

a. Locations in areas of treatments selected based on methods as proposed by the offeror.

b. Include sufficient “reference” locations for comparison of invertebrate community data to non-invaded conditions.

6. The sampling design must be approved prior to commencing fieldwork.

7. Sample sites can be selected by an adaptive cluster or snowball sampling design.

8. Replicate sampling is encouraged to accommodate seasonal variation in species turnover. Communities should be sampled at least two times during the year: once in late spring/early summer (June-ish) and once in mid/late summer (Aug-Sep-ish).

9. Sampling methods must also include the collection of the following environmental covariate data:

a. Invasive plant abundance and composition

b. Forest cover

c. Vegetation height complexity

d. Other habitat variables important for terrestrial invertebrates as proposed by the offeror.

10. This project will include counts of individuals identified to the family level, and it is likely individuals will be missed by the sampling methods. The project will result in comparative analysis between invaded and reference plots for invasive plant species. Collected samples will be considered indices of the invertebrate community, but sampling methods will be consistent across both reference and invaded plots. As such, it will be unnecessary to address imperfect detection.

11. Collections require an NPS collection permit. Any collections made during this study are assumed to be consumed in analysis. Any specimens not consumed in analysis must be retained and returned to the NPS for subsequent analyses. Specimens must be composited by sampling location and stored in 95% ethanol.

12. Analysis and reporting of data must at a minimum:

e. Document the process by which errors in data collection and processing are identified and corrected

f. Include distribution maps, and

g. Link invertebrate observation and relative abundance data with measured vegetation covariates.

13. A research permit is required prior to the commencement of any fieldwork. The internet site http://rprs.nps.gov/research/ac/apps/apply/AppInstructions provides for online permit requests.

Deliverables The offeror will provide the following to NPS at the conclusion of the study:

1. Report and associated data table(s), spatial data, and map(s) identifying:

a. Sample design

b. Sample methods, locations of survey, level of effort spent, analysis methods.

c. Distribution map of all target species.

d. Environmental variable information collected and used in analysis.

e. An analysis and discussion of results that highlight the distribution of terrestrial invertebrates in relation to vegetation and environmental covariates

2. All code (e.g., R, SAS, or other) used to analyze survey data.

3. All observation data for species observations and covariate measurements, submitted in standard Microsoft Excel template (Available at https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2272660).

4. Specimens not consumed in analysis should be returned to NPS for subsequent analyses. Specimens should be composited by sampling location and stored in 95% ethanol.

5. The report should be provided in a standard Microsoft Word format.

Place of Performance Field work must be completed at CHOH. All other activities associated with analysis and reporting can be conducted at the recipient’s location.

While not a constraint per se, Maryland and Virginia coastal bay waters are rather wind-driven, and weather will greatly influence the timing of sampling within June and September. However, there is no biological/ecological aspect of the study that favors sampling in any week(s) of those months.

Period of Performance Field work is expected to be completed within one year of award.

Deliverables are expected within 18 months of award, with an additional 90 days for review and acceptance of products by NPS staff.

Other Considerations Offeror will be responsible for securing all required park, state, and federal scientific collection permits prior to commencing work.

References Locations of Invasive Vegetation Research sites: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/649121 Proposed Inventory 2.0 Sites: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/649122 Invasive Plant Distribution Maps: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/649153 image1.png