A04_PWS_North_Springs_Bar_Application.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

Application of Imazapic to Control Invasive Annual Grasses on

Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge June 2023

1. General:

1.1. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge

Complex (PO Box 111, 20995 Rabbit Hill Rd., Lakeview, OR 97630; hereafter Service) has a requirement to apply imazapic herbicide at 4 fl oz/acre, with appropriate surfactants, drift control agent(s), and any other requisite adjuvants, to approximately 250 acres. All applications are to be made at a 5 gallons of mix/acre rate.

1.2. Herbicide application is being done as part of an integrated pest management strategy being implemented under an emergency response plan to an area burned in the North Springs Fire, a lightning-caused wildfire in August 2022. Herbicides are being applied primarily to control invasive annual grasses (IAG), including, but not necessarily limited to, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), Japanese brome (B. japonicas), and field brome (B.

arvensis).

2. Place of Performance and Period of Performance:

2.1. Work is to be performed in a Service-designated area encompassing the North Springs

Fire burned area on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge (PO Box 84, 45705 Virgin Valley Rd., Denio, NV 89404; hereafter Refuge), in the north end of Washoe County in northwest Nevada. The North Springs Fire occurred approximately 22 miles SW of Refuge headquarters in the Badger Mountain area of the Refuge. The project area centroid coordinates are 41° 39.312’ N and 119° 20.073’ W (WGS84). Map coordinates of Refuge headquarters are 41° 52.374’ N and 119° 1.335’ W (WGS84).

2.1.1. The project area is between approximately 6,380 and 6,820 feet ASL, in the high desert shrub-steppe of northwest Nevada.

2.1.2. The project area is well within the backcountry of the Refuge. The nearest road access is limited, comprised of a network of native surface, 2-track, and jeep trail roads, all of varying quality and roughness. Ground access can be very hard on equipment. Contractors are strongly encouraged to take adequate preparation and precautions when moving equipment into the project area.

2.2. Herbicides shall be applied in fall/early winter 2023, to approximately coincide with the beginning of winter vegetation dormancy. All applications must be completed no earlier than October 1, 2023, and must be completed before December 1, 2023.

2.2.1. Night-time temps routinely fall below freezing during this time of year, with daytime temps commonly rising to the 40’s or 50’s.

2.2.2. Weather conditions can be highly variable, including storms (rain and snow), high temps, inversions, prolonged wind events, etc. Any of these can delay implementation and/or completion of the project.

2.3. Normal duty hours Monday thru Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. In the event of emergencies, contractor shall provide contact information.

2.4. Non-duty hours include weeknights, weekends, and Government holidays (including Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, and Thanksgiving Day).

3. Scope:

3.1. The contractor shall apply imazapic herbicide (23 – 24% concentration of active ingredient, registered for use in the state of Nevada; e.g., Plateau® [EPA Reg # 241- 365], Panoramic 2SL® [EPA Reg # 66222-141-81927], or Imazapic 2SL® [EPA Reg # 71368-118]), an MSO/MVO surfactant, and any other appropriate adjuvants (including, but not necessarily limited to, drift control agents, anti-foaming/de-foaming agents, etc.), within the Complex-identified application area totaling approximately 250 acres.

3.2. The contractor shall apply imazapic herbicide at a rate of 4 fl oz/acre, and the MSO/MVO, drift control agent(s), and any other appropriate adjuvants, at label-specified rates.

3.3. Applications should be made with enough water to apply at ≥5 gallons of spray mix per acre.

3.4. The contractor shall purchase and supply all chemicals, including herbicides, surfactants, and other adjuvants. Contractor shall also supply equipment to meter chemicals and water mixtures, and shall provide mixing and loading equipment, and water. Water hauling services may be required depending upon airport arrangements secured by contractor. Equipment and personnel must be able to work at a remote and primitive site (i.e., no electrical or water hookups, no hanger or aircraft tie-down facilities).

3.5. The contractor must be capable of calibrating aircraft (if applicable) to the final application rate specifications. All application equipment and/or aircraft must be equipped with GPS tracking equipment that can map application areas and flight paths and can download information for contractor and agency use. GPS equipment must be capable of uploading a GIS shapefile of treatment areas and of providing downloadable maps and information of treatment progress on a daily basis. All application locations and flight paths shall be documented by the contractor using a GPS.

3.6. The contractor shall provide adequate personnel for the purpose of loading and dispersing of the chemicals. All personnel and equipment to be used shall be appropriately licensed and certificated as appropriate for the work to be done. The contractor shall be responsible for providing sufficient equipment, equipment fuel, safety items, personnel and their subsistence needs for the duration of the project period, as well as checking all work sites for hazards of any type which could impact their ability to accomplish the spraying project.

3.7. The contractor shall be required to make all necessary arrangements for use of airport runways, loading zones, and equipment and fuel storage areas (as appropriate). The contractor shall be responsible for all loading operations.

Movement of chemicals, water, and equipment in and around an operation location shall be the sole responsibility of the applicators. This may require special handling equipment, including a forklift, water truck, or pallet jack.

3.7.1. Currently no Refuge lands or roads are available for use as landing strips for fixed wing aircraft. There may be sites available on Refuge lands for use as landing/operation sites by rotary wing aircraft.

3.8. The contractor shall be responsible for conducting all flight-following as applicable.

Communications must be maintained between ground personnel and the aircraft at all times if this method of application is to be used.

3.9. The contractor shall provide the Technical POC with contact information for all ground personnel, and vehicle and equipment identification information (including make, model, and license and/or identification numbers) at least 48 hours before implementation of the project.

4. Deliverables and/or Deliverable Schedule:

4.1. The contractor shall provide all GPS files (e.g., GPS log files) of all flight or other access paths (as applicable) and of all application locations. The contractor shall also supply GIS files (e.g., ESRI® shapefile format, kml/kmz format, gpx format w/ application width information as applicable) of all flight or other access paths (as applicable) and of all application locations.

4.2. The contractor shall supply copies of all application logs, including (but not necessarily limited to): dates/times of application(s), trade names of applied pesticides and adjuvants (w/ EPA Reg numbers where appropriate), volume(s) and rate(s) of applied chemicals, name(s) and license number(s) of applicator(s), and weather conditions during application(s).

4.3. GPS files, GIS files, and copies of application logs shall be supplied to the Technical POC within 7 days of application(s).

5. Data Management Plan (DMP):

The Project Lead or technical cognizant has used discretion as to whether or not a DMP is relevant or not relevant and has determined it to be ____ relevant or _X_ not relevant.

6. Government-Furnished Property (GFP) / Government-Furnished Information (GFI):

6.1. Government shall furnish contractor with ESRI® shapefiles and kmz format files of the pesticide application areas.

6.2. Contractor shall furnish all temporary utilities, except as noted otherwise. Power and water will be made available to the contractor as long as such use is not deemed excessive and does not negatively impact the Refuges’ operations.

6.3. Bunkhouse space for up to four people may be available on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge for work performed on that Refuge, unless otherwise precluded by emergency conditions (such as COVID-19 restrictions). One trailer pad with water, sewage, and electrical hook-ups may be available for use at Refuge headquarters during spraying efforts. Refuge campgrounds are also available on a first come, first serve basis.

7. Evaluation and Acceptance:

7.1. The contractor will be evaluated as detailed herein. Government acceptance is contingent upon:

7.1.1. Timeliness of application in relation to ground conditions;

7.1.2. Adequate and even spray coverage as determined by randomly placed water-sensitive paper arrays (to be set and monitored by Service personnel); and

7.1.3. Adequate and even coverage as determined by GPS and GIS files.

7.1.4. Lowest price technically acceptable.

8. Technical Point of Contact (POC):

Kevin Goldie, Wildlife (Habitat) Biologist, Sheldon-Hart Mountain NWR Complex, 20995 Rabbit Hill Rd./PO Box 111, Lakeview, OR 97630; Phone: 541-407-0706 (mobile); Email:

kevin_goldie@fws.gov

!9

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 Miles

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 Kilometers

Refuge Boundary !9 Campground

Road Status (Surface Type) Open, Public (Asphalt) Open, Public (Gravel) Open, Public (Native Surface) Admin Only (4x4/High Clearance)

Planned Application Area imazapic @ 4 fl oz/acre

Application of Imazapic to Control Invasive

Annual Grasses

NOTE: No warranty is made by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data for individual or aggregate use with other data. Original data was compiled from various sources and may be updated without notification.

File Name: SLR_NorthSpringsFire_SprayArea_2023_Detail_TOPO.mxd Map Date: 10-May-2023

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Fish & WIldlife Service

Sheldon-Hart Mountain NWR Complex Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge

North Springs Fire

MAP 2

Project Detail Map Road Surface Type and Status

Badger Campground

To Lakeview

!9

!9

!9

!9

!9 !9

!9

!9

!9

!9

!9

!9

!9

0 2 4 6 8 10 Miles

0 2 4 6 8 10 Kilometers

Refuge Boundary !9 Campground

Road Status (Surface Type) Open, Public (Asphalt) Open, Public (Gravel) Open, Public (Native Surface) Admin Only (4x4/High Clearance)

Planned Application Area imazapic @ 4 fl oz/acre

Application of Imazapic to Control Invasive

Annual Grasses

NOTE: No warranty is made by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data for individual or aggregate use with other data. Original data was compiled from various sources and may be updated without notification.

File Name: SLR_NorthSpringsFire_SprayArea_2023_Overview.mxd Map Date: 10-May-2023

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Fish & WIldlife Service

Sheldon-Hart Mountain NWR Complex Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge

North Springs Fire

MAP 1

Refuge Overview Map Road Surface Type and Status

Fish Spring Campground

Virgin Valley Campground

Thousand Creek Bunkhouse

Badger Campground

Refuge HQ

45678A

456734A

"8140

To Lakeview

To Denio