STATEMENT OF WORK

Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge

Invasive Annual Grass treatment on Clear Lake NWR

1. GENERAL:

1.1 Introduction

This is a non-personal end-product service contract for the control of noxious invasive grasses on Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) to improve nesting habitat for sage grouse and reduce fire risk by removing hazardous fuels adjacent to important nesting habitats.

The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and non-personal services necessary to perform work services outlined in this Statement of Work except those items specified in the Government Furnished Equipment or Materials section below.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of this work is the treatment of noxious invasive grasses on Clear Lake NWR.

Specific work includes herbicide treatment on annual grasses such as cheat grass (Bromus tectorum), medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), and North Africa grass (Ventenata dubia) at Clear Lake NWR (Figure 1.), on the south end of the “U” management unit and adjacent high priority locations (Figure 2.)

Treatment will consist of application of Rejuvra (Indaziflam) at a rate of 5.0 ounces per acre, and any necessary surfactants necessary to prevent off-target impacts, especially to sensitive water resources.

Locations for treatments are broadly outlined in the attached map (Figure 3.) and consist of approximately 1,578 acres in two separate polygon locations of 887 acres and 691 acres respectively. Buffers for proximity to water resources and grazing easements will need to be confirmed before treatments begin so this map serves as an approximation of treatment locations.

1.3 Contractor qualifications

The Contractor shall have the following skills, licenses, equipment, and demonstrated experience in 1) herbicide application of invasive plants in technically difficult application conditions, with ability to identify invasive and native vegetation by species before application

2) the collection, analysis, and summary of application spatial data 3) ability to safely navigate upland sagebrush habitat without disturbing sensitive wildlife species or habitats. 4) equipment able to meet the requirements to operate on federal property using federally allocated funds.

2. PLACE/DELIVERY AND PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:

2.1 Place of performance

Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, California (Figures 1 and 2 below).

2.2 Period of Performance

The contract window shall be from Date of Award to December 31, 2028. The optimum treatment window for preemergent herbicide is late summer to early fall, August to September, before winter rains begin, and before germination of annual winter invasive grasses. A contracting window extending through December 2028 is necessary to account for the unpredictability of local weather and rain patterns that could affect the ability to complete the treatments in the first year of the contract.

2.3 Duty Hours

Normal FWS duty hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM Pacific Time. In the event of emergencies, the Contractor shall provide contact information.

Emergency/Miscellaneous maintenance functions may be required to be scheduled during non-duty hours due to the nature of the work or specific scheduling requirements.

2.4 FWS Non-duty hours

Non-duty Hours include weeknights, weekends, and Government holidays.

3. GENERAL CONDITIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS:

3.1 Scope

The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex, herein referred to as the Refuge, requires equipment, personnel, and services to conduct herbicide treatment on approximately 1,578 acres of sagebrush and upland grass habitat to reduce wildfire risk and improve habitat for sage grouse. Treatment will consist of applications of Rejuvra (indaziflam) at the rate of 5.0 ounces per acre, and any necessary surfactants required to prevent off-target impacts to sensitive habitats. Any surfactants used must be listed as practically non-toxic to aquatic life and a minimum of a 150-foot vegetative buffer is required from the high mark of water or aquatic habitats.

Treatments at Clear Lake would occur at locations within and adjacent to “The U” (Figure 2.), a large peninsula extending from the south into the middle of the Clear Lake reservoir. Final treatment acreage is dependent upon site conditions (proximity to water, vegetation structure, etc.) and funding. Exact treatment locations will be determined after the contract has been awarded, and partial units may be awarded as funding allows. The final boundaries will be based on agreement between the Contractor and technical point of contact.

Equipment capable of herbicide application over rough upland habitats inaccessible by roads is necessary to achieve this level of accuracy in treatments. Due to the technical challenge of applying pre-emergent herbicides over rough ground, following aquatic and habitat buffers, a vehicle capable of a large degree of precision is necessary to complete this project while avoiding damage to desirable vegetation (i.e. sagebrush; Artemisia spp.; and other sensitive upland forbs), open water, riparian habitats, or sensitive wildlife.

Rejuvra is a pre-emergent herbicide and is ineffective if applied after invasive annual grasses have germinated. Treatments must occur to dry non-saturated soils before the first winter rains of the year have triggered annual grass germination. The ideal timing varies by year, but is generally during late summer or early fall, approximately August to September. Contractor will follow all other label requirements for application of indaziflam, inducing not applying to saturated, frozen, or snow-covered ground.

3.2 Data Collection Standards

The Contractor shall report to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the total quantity of herbicides and adjuvants used, the number of acres treated, and GPS locations treated for this contract.

All applications will be spatially mapped by the Contractor in a manner compatible with Arc GIS software. All herbicides and adjuvants will be provided by the Contractor and approved before application occurs.

3.3 Sensitive Habitat and Species Avoidance

The Contractor shall work with the Refuge staff to determine areas to avoid for operational safety, which shall be identified and provided to the Contractor before operations begin. Any locations to be avoided due to risk of human or wildlife disturbance will be identified and provided to the Contractor before operations begin, or during operations as necessitated by site conditions.

4. Contractor Responsibility:

4.1 Equipment

The Contractor shall supply all appropriate application equipment, supplies, herbicides, adjuvants, applicator(s) and support (equipment and personnel) for transporting and tracking and mapping application data. All repairs and servicing of equipment and PPE will be the responsibility of the Contractor. Any damage to refuge property resulting from the misuse of equipment, or spills resulting from equipment or pesticide will be the full responsibility of the Contractor.

Contracting statement on prohibiting non-compliant UAS:

The use of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS or drone) manufactured or assembled by American Security Drone Act-Covered foreign entities is prohibited. This includes all UAS that:

• Is manufactured by an entity domiciled in an adversary country.

• Contains critical electronic components (e.g., flight controllers, radios, cameras) made by an entity in an adversary country.

• Uses operating software developed by an entity in an adversary country.

• Relies on network connectivity or data storage administered by an adversary country.

• Transmits data or imagery through components manufactured by such entities.

4.2 Transportation and Fueling

Contractor is responsible for providing the appropriate personnel, safety equipment for transportation and fueling and mixing all equipment and pesticides following all pertinent federal, state, and local laws.

4.3 Communication

Before and during the treatment Contractor will communicate with the Project Coordinator to identify any hazards, sensitive habitat or species concerns, or changes to habitat conditions or species. The Contractor will provide progress reports following each application day to Service staff via conversations, in-person meetings, or email as necessary to update staff on accomplishments and issues.

4.4 Law and Policy

1) Contractor is responsible for having all the appropriate licenses and permits needed for operating equipment and applying pesticides.

2) The Contractor must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations and land-use permitting procedures.

3) Operator is responsible for following all other appropriate laws and policies applicable to the Department of the Interior, including the NDAA covering UAS operations if applicable.

4.5 Delivery Schedule

Treatment will be delivered between Date of Award and December 31, 2028.

Processed data generated during treatment will be provided to the IPM Coordinator or Wildlife Refuge Specialist no later than COB December 15 of the same year in which the treatment was completed.

5. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE:

The Contractor will be evaluated as detailed herein. All work included in the contract specifications shall be subject to inspections by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at periodic intervals during performance of this contract. Final acceptance shall be based upon satisfactory completion of the work in accordance with the specifications on a task-by-task basis.

6. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT OR MATERIALS/INFORMATION:

6.1 The Contractor shall supply all appropriate application equipment, supplies, herbicides, adjuvants, applicator(s) and support (equipment and personnel) for transporting and tracking and mapping application data. All repairs and servicing of equipment and PPE will be the responsibility of the Contractor.

7. POINT OF CONTACT:

7.1 Project Coordinator

Geoff Grisdale Integrated Pest Management Coordinator Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex 4064 Hill Road Tulelake, CA 96134 Phone: 458-232-2399 Email: geoffrey_grisdale@fws.gov

Alternate Project Coordinator:

John Vradenburg Supervisory Wildlife Biologist Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex 4064 Hill Road Tulelake, CA 96134 Phone: 530-667-8305 Email: john_vradenburg@fws.gov

7.2 Administrator

Rachel Leigh Administrative Officer Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex Email: Rachel_leigh@fws.gov

8. ATTACHMENTS:

8.1 Maps

Figure 1. Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge Boundary.

Figure 2. Map of Clear Lake highlighting “The U” management unit.

Figure 3. Polygons identifying draft treatment areas (exact locations are subject to change)