A04_Statement_of_Work.doc

STATEMENT OF WORK

Butte County, SD IPM - Noxious Weed Control Description: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has a requirement for the mapping and treatment of 100 acres of noxious weeds on approximately 11,957 acres of BLM land within specific areas of Butte County, South Dakota. The contractor is allowed to reach the required acre amount prior to fulfilling all spray areas. The spray area is listed below.

Contract Area 1, Butte County, SD (11,957 ac.)

a. Contract Area 1: This area lies outlined within the green boundary on the provided project map. More specifically, Hwy.85 serves as the most eastern boundary, Old Hwy.85 serves as the most western/NW boundary, the southern boundary has no real definitive line other than including the parcels of BLM noted on the map, and the Butte/Harding county line serves as the most northern boundary. All BLM surface within the green boundaries is to be covered within this contract. Invasive species of concern are leafy spurge, Hoary cress, hounds’ tongue, Common burdock, salt cedar, Russian olive, Canada thistle, Scotch thistle, or any other new infestations that are listed on the Butte County noxious weeds list. Invasive annual grasses of concern are Medusahead and Ventenata. If either of these are found, they will need to be GPS’d and treated as well.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The performance period for Herbicide treatments is June 17, 2024, to August 16, 2024, and application records, maps, and GPS files will be provided to the BLM-COR no later than Sept. 16, 2024.

The Contractor Shall:

· Include a General Work Plan that contains the following:

· Schedule for completing work.

· General description of operating procedures

· Methods to ensure thorough coverage of the contract area.

· Methods of application, i.e. type of equipment to be used in various situations.

· Methods to ensure effective application of herbicide to large, old plants.

· Comply with Federal and South Dakota state pesticide laws.

· Be a licensed applicator for both general and restricted use pesticides and apply according to label specifications (Label Specifications are on the back of herbicide containers) and BLM guidelines within the H-9011-1 Handbook (http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/prog/weeds/9011.print.html).

· Provide copies of pesticide application records for each application site, recording the date of application, start time, finish time, amount of herbicide, surfactant, and dye applied, application rate, type of equipment used, weather, location, pest treated, and acres treated on public land, and these will be submitted to BLM COR (Cory Neuharth) every 2 weeks.

· Herbicides will only be applied by ATV/UTV mounted sprayer, or by backpack sprayers calibrated not to exceed label rates.

· Adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures identified in Appendix 1 of this Statement of Work. Ensure that all personnel handling pesticides have read the appropriate MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET (MSDS).

· Locate and GPS areas of noxious weeds infestations within the specific sections listed (see maps). All areas must be mapped using GPS units and that information (metadata included) will be submitted every two weeks along with the Pesticide Application Records to the BLM COR (Cory Neuharth).

· Provide a report describing your work with photos of treated sites. Inventory for new patches of noxious weeds on a continuous basis when in the project area. A minimum control of 90% is required on weed treatments. Performance standards are dead noxious weeds, standing noxious weeds with no developing (or developed fertile) flower/seed heads, and dead rosettes (rosettes present pre-treatment). The BLM will conduct compliance inspections of contractor treated sites.

· Provide the equipment and trained personnel to treat noxious weed infestations on public land as identified.

· Provide supervision to ensure the project is completed safely and herbicides are applied according to label specifications and BLM guidelines.

· The contractor shall be responsible for contacting the grazing permittees to schedule the herbicide application. The contractor shall return the confidential list of permittees to the contracting officer upon completion of the contract.

· Only used herbicides/adjuvants approved by the BLM (See Attachments 1 and 2).

· Any weed infestations found outside the polygon area must be pre-approved for treatment by the Contracting Officer, and please contact the COR (Cory Neuharth) for approval to treat. Any additional weed treatment outside the acres defined in this requirement must be pre-approved by the Contracting Officer.

· A pre-work conference may be scheduled upon award of contract. Contractor will be notified of conference date.

BLM shall provide:

· A list of BLM approved herbicides/adjuvants that can be applied on BLM lands.

· Maps of specific project areas.

· List of noxious weeds to be treated on public lands.

· Contact information will be provided for private landowners. Contact information must be returned to contracting officer at completion of contract.

Data and Map Standards

The purpose of this document is to address contract data collection standards, GPS accuracy and precision requirements, and data processing for GPS data collection and to make recommendations for standards in recording of positional data.

Data and Map Standards

The FGDC specifies that the Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standards be used to evaluate and report the positional accuracy of geospatial data produced, revised, or disseminated by or for the Federal Government. “Executive Order 12906 Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: the National Spatial Data Infrastructure” designates the FGDC as responsible for setting these standards. (Appendix 2)

The NSSDA was designed to replace the National Map Accuracy Standard (NMAS) developed by the Bureau of the Budget in 1947. The applicability of NMAS is limited to graphic maps, as accuracy is defined by map scale. The NSSDA was developed to report accuracy of digital geospatial data that is not constrained by scale. The USGS used NMAS in the production of the topographic map series.

Characteristics of The National Map Accuracy Standard are:

• Horizontal Accuracy is 1-5 meters (3-15 ft.)

• Vertical Accuracy is 1-5 meters (3-15 ft.)

GPS feature types to be collected:

Point values – 0.10 acres. Each GPS point collected represents 1/10th acre

Line values – 20 ft. buffer. Each line value represents line length (ft.) x 20 ft. wide.

Polygon values – represents actual sprayed area contiguous but allows for aggregation of non-sprayed areas within the polygon.

Note: If collected line values, i.e. drainages, transportation corridors, goes beyond the allotted buffered distance, polygon collection must begin.

Projection and Coordinate System

All digital geospatial data should reference the coordinate system appropriate for its use and it should be documented in the metadata. All spatial data collected or submitted for national, regional, or network BLM programs shall be geo-referenced and provided in a standard projection. Digital geospatial data should be referenced to the following coordinate system—WGS 1984, decimal degrees. The steps used to get the data into the proper projection or exported from the GPS unit must be documented in the metadata. The contractor must specify and document any deviation from these projection standards.

GIS/GPS Contract Deliverables:

1) Data collected by GPS, digitized by tablet or hands on, or scale - scanned must be:

ESRI shape file, geo-database feature class export

Datum: D_North_American_1983 or WGS 1984

Have a defined projection.

2) Digital data will be delivered by USB 3) Metadata will be attached as text or XML, to follow FGDC metadata standards as defined in link: https://www.fgdc.gov/metadata/csdgm-standard. Metadata should be clear and concise only describing details about the data as defined by the FGDC standards. All seven steps described in the above link are mandatory and should be completed prior to submission.

APPENDIX 1

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES AND HERBICIDE APPLICATION

SAFETY, EQUIPMENT & APPLICATION

· The safety of the public will be a primary consideration when conducting treatments.

· Contractor will provide sufficient clean water to assure the opportunity for workers to wash off any chemicals splashed inadvertently onto skin or in the eyes.

· All personnel involved in pesticide application must be trained and licensed. Protective clothing and equipment, as specified on EPA‑approved labels and the BLM H‑9011‑1 Handbook (i.e., coveralls, unlined rubber gloves and boots, safety glasses, hard hat, respirator, as appropriate) will be worn by workers directly involved in herbicide applications and by employees using hazardous tools/equipment. The applicator must have and maintain a South Dakota Pesticide license and be trained in the use of herbicide application. All personnel handling pesticides will read the Material Safety Data Sheet and the label for each product prior to handling or applying the pesticide.

· While mixing and loading, the individuals will wear appropriate protective gear as specified on the chemical label (examples‑‑‑ full length apron, face shield, unlined rubber gloves, liquid repellant footwear).

· Spray pressures for handheld spray gun and/or boom will meet label and nozzle tip requirements. All equipment shall be properly calibrated before applications are made and to prevent gross errors in the field while mixing. Regular testing on field calibration and calculation will take place (once a month during use or more often if used frequently.)

· Closely follow all application instructions and use restrictions on herbicide labels; in wetlands and riparian habitats use only those herbicides that are approved for use in those areas and if herbicide use is not approved for riparian habitats, apply appropriate buffers around riparian habitats as instructed on herbicide labels.

· Ground vehicle equipment will normally operate with a boom pressure of 20 to 35 pounds per square inch unless the product label specifies a different pressure. Backpack and/or hand sprayer application of liquid herbicide will occur with low nozzle pressure (25 lbs psi) and within 2.5 feet of the target plant.

· Since some areas will require access across through, or across private property. It will be the responsibility of the contractor to make a follow-up courtesy call stating their business. ALL gates will also be closed or left how they are found.

· Herbicides will be mixed and loaded in an area where an accidental spill cannot flow into a stream or water body or contaminate groundwater. No mixing is allowed in riparian areas. Applicators are required to have an emergency spill kit to mitigate small spills. Spills of any size will be reported to the BLM SDFO.

· Low volatile formulations of phenoxy herbicides will be used to reduce the potential for off‑site contamination.

· If conducting manual spot applications of glyphosate, hexazinone, or triclopyr to vegetation in wetland or riparian areas, utilize the typical, rather than the maximum application rate.

· Where vehicle and hand applications of herbicides are used, the wind velocity must be 8 mph or less, except in riparian areas where the wind speed must be 5 mph or less unless the label states differently. Do not spray when wind is less than 1 mph and no spraying when heat index in greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

· Equipment shall be cleaned only in specifically designated areas away from waterways and reservoirs, wells, and stock tanks. All containers shall be triple rinsed and rinse-ate used in the spray tank. Containers will be disposed of at a state collection site for recycling, an approved landfill, or other specifically designated areas according to State, Federal, and County laws.

· The licensed applicator will provide copies of pesticide application records for each application site, recording the date of application, start time, finish time, amount of herbicide, surfactant, and dye applied, application rate, type of equipment used, weather, location, pest treated, and acres treated. Records will be completed within 24 hours of application and submitted biweekly or upon request of the BLM. This record will be maintained in the BLM project file.

TREATMENT

Treatments will be conducted in accordance with applicable Federal, State and local government regulations, including the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670 eL seq.), as amended, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (http://www.blm.gov/flpma/), the Federal Noxious Weed Control Act (http://ipl.unm.edu/cwl/fedbook/fedweed.html) as amended in Section 15 of Public Law 93‑629. These laws and policy provide direction for BLM to coordinate with appropriate State and County entities and those related weed control agencies and to operate in harmony with State and County weed control laws (SDCL 38-20A / SDCL 38-21 / ARSD 12:56).

· Hand pulling and using hand tools to remove noxious weeds may be used when no other means are available to control or eradicate the targeted noxious weed. This method may be effective on new infestations. Gloves and protective clothing will be worn.

· Ordinarily, several considerations govern the choice of treatment method. The choice first depends upon the species of noxious weed. Treatment objective, topography of the treatment area, expected costs, and equipment limitations are implied considerations. Another consideration is the selectivity of the herbicides.

· Commercial products for noxious weed treatment will only be used if the noxious weeds are susceptible to the herbicide, i.e., that is with one treatment the herbicide will retard 90 percent of current years’ growth of the target noxious weed. In large dense stands, 90 percent control may not be realistic the first year.

· Effort should be made to reduce adverse effects of spraying on several non-target woody plant species (Bur oak, green ash, American elm, chokecherry, Juneberry, wild plum). These species are important for wildlife habitat, soil stability and visual resources.

· Effort should be made to reduce adverse effects of spraying milk weed species (Asclepias spp.)

· Area identified for treatment falls within PHMA (Priority Habitat Management Area) for sage-grouse, and the GHMA (General Habitat Management Area). The South Dakota Approved Resource Management Plan (September 2015) provides MD (Management Decisions) for herbicide treatments within these areas.

· MD-2: Herbicide treatments limited to spot treatments within suitable nesting or brood rearing habitat of known sage-grouse leks from March 1 – June 30. Exceptions to treatment types and dates of treatments may be allowed to address aggressively spreading weeds or invasive plants (MT Category 1 weeds) that require aggressive and timely treatment during this period following consultation with necessary specialists to minimize impacts on sage-grouse.

· Spot treatments ONLY before the June 30th date, after the June 30th date other methods of spraying listed above are allowed.

· MD-3: One quarter mile herbicide weed treatment restriction zone around current year active raptor nesting site (including bald eagles) from March 1-August 1. Exceptions may be allowed to address aggressively spreading weeds or invasive plants (MT Category 1 weeds) that require treatment during this period following consultation with necessary specialists for timing of least impacts on raptors.

· If any “stick built” type of nests is noticed within any of the Priority treatments areas, the contractor is required to contact the South Dakota Field Office.

· IMPORTANT MIGRATORY BIRD REGULATION/REQUIREMENTS: If a ground nesting bird is “flushed” and a nest is observed with eggs or hatchlings then a small, 15-foot buffer area will be observed. If a spot treatment is taking place and the treatment can be accomplished within 10 minutes, then there will not be a need for the area to be marked and revisited. If complete treatment cannot be accomplished within those 10 minutes in an area where a nest has eggs or hatchlings, then the area will need to be GPS marked and revisited for treatment before the August 15th contract deadline.