A04_-_Statement_of_Work_-_Treatment_of_Invasive_Phragmites_-_Minnesota_and_Wisconsin_Waters.pdf

United States Department of the Interior

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

102 Walnut Street, Suite 204 Winona, Minnesota 55987

Treatment of Invasive Phragmites (Phragmites australis australis) in Minnesota and Wisconsin Waters of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge

Point of Contact:

Jennifer Froehly Wildlife Biologist, Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Winona District 102 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Winona, MN 55987 507-494-6234 jennifer_froehly@fws.gov

Scope:

The Contractor shall furnish all labor, supervision, equipment, boats, herbicide, adjuvant, transportation, supplies, licenses, and other resources necessary to search for and treat invasive Phragmites within designated portions of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge), Pools 4 through 8, approximately River Miles 761–681, in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

This requirement is Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP). The Contractor shall complete all work described in this Statement of Work for the awarded firm-fixed price, subject to the maximum treatment quantity stated below.

Period of Performance:

August 1, 2027, through September 1, 2027

Place of Performance:

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge), Pools 4 through 8, approximately River Miles 761–681, in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The Government's current estimated workload consists of:

• Approximately 70 known invasive Phragmites patches, totaling approximately 10 acres of known treatment area (Pools 4-8).

• Mandatory search of three designated priority areas totaling approximately 160 acres between August 1 and September 1, 2027:

o Peterson Lake priority area: approximately 40 acres o Halfmoon Lake priority area: approximately 10 acres o Upper Spring Lake Islands priority area: approximately 110 acres

• Treatment of invasive Phragmites patches at known locations provided by the Refuge. Do not treat native phragmites mailto:jennifer_froehly@fws.gov

• Treatment of invasive Phragmites discovered within the designated priority search areas.

Do not treat native phragmites.

• A Not-to-Exceed (NTE) cumulative treatment quantity of 15 acres under this contract.

• Contractors shall use Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking technology to track the perimeters and acreage of herbicide applications. If patches are less than 0.1 acre in size, a GPS point location with a notated square footage can be recorded instead of the perimeter. Shapefiles of treated areas shall be provided to Refuge Staff within 1 week of treatment.

The Contractor shall not treat more than 15 cumulative acres of invasive Phragmites without prior written authorization from the Contracting Officer through a contract modification. No payment above the firm-fixed contract price will be made for work performed without such authorization.

Firm-Fixed-Price Basis and Pricing

Offerors shall propose one total firm-fixed price for completion of the entire SOW.

For proposal evaluation and price analysis, offerors shall also provide the following price breakout:

1. Mobilization and demobilization;

2. Search of the approximately 160 acres of designated priority areas;

3. Treatment of known invasive Phragmites locations;

4. Treatment of invasive Phragmites discovered within the designated priority search areas;

and

5. Total firm-fixed price.

The awarded firm-fixed price shall include all costs necessary to complete the work, including mobilization, labor, boats and other access equipment, herbicide and adjuvant, application equipment, personal protective equipment, licenses, travel, GPS/GIS documentation, reporting, and all incidental costs.

Background:

Surveillance efforts in 2021 and 2022 located 23 small populations of invasive Phragmites in Minnesota and Wisconsin waters in the Winona and La Crosse Districts of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge), approximate River Miles 761- 681. This portion of the Refuge is located in southeastern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin. In Minnesota, invasive Phragmites is listed as a terrestrial “prohibited control” noxious species and is in the process of being listed as a prohibited aquatic invasive species. In Wisconsin, it is a prohibited invasive species. Known patches were treated 1-3 times in 2023-2025 though spreading has occurred especially in areas with multiple patches close together and at larger patches. Patches occur in both Minnesota and Wisconsin waters of the UMR in Pools 4 through 8 within the Refuge boundary. Most Patches are small (50 square feet-0.25 acres).

Site Access:

A boat will be required for access and in many instances, sites may only be accessible with a shallow drive boat or airboat. Thick emergent and submerged vegetation in less than a foot of water is to be expected when accessing sites. Low water levels will not be an acceptable reason for lack of contract performance. Waders will be necessary at some sites to complete treatments.

If the Contractor determines that a treatment site cannot reasonably be accessed, the Contractor shall provide written justification to the Refuge. Refuge staff will conduct a field inspection within seven days, when practicable, to determine whether the Government concurs.

If the Government determines that reasonable alternative means of access are available, the Contractor shall take the necessary measures to access and complete treatment of the site as part of the firm-fixed-price requirement.

Herbicide Application:

Contractors will use an aquatic approved formulation of imazapyr (28.7% AI) herbicide and appropriate adjuvant to complete a foliar application. Any deviations from this chemical will need prior approval from the Refuge. The Refuge’s preferred trade name of imazapyr is Habitat.

The Refuge’s preferred trade name of adjuvant is Cide-Kick II. Application rate should be maximum rate allowed by the label; 1.5% imazapyr (low volume) or 6 pints/acre imazapyr (high volume).

Contractors shall use backpack sprayers or boat mounted tank sprayers with pump, reel, and hand gun sprayer to treat the invasive Phragmites patch entirely with adequate herbicide coverage (based on label instructions) on 100% of the patch (for Habitat this is specified as “spray covering the crown and 70% of the plant;” “for target species 4-8 feet tall, swipe the sides of the target vegetation by directing spray to at least 2 sides of the plant in smooth vertical motions from the crown to the bottom. Make sure to cover the crown whenever possible,” and “for target species over 8 feet tall, lace sides of the target vegetation by directing spray to at least 2 sides of the target in smooth zigzag motions from the crown to the bottom.”). Use of additional spray equipment will need to be approved by the Refuge. Spraying cannot occur when air temperature at the Winona Municipal Airport exceeds 85 degrees.

Native and invasive subspecies of Phragmites both occur in the project area, though patches are typically distinct and separate from each other. Contractors must demonstrate their ability to distinguish Native from invasive and only treat the invasive subspecies, and care will be taken to avoid any other non-target species present.

Best Management Practices:

Prior to entry on the Refuge, Contractors’ equipment and clothing shall be free of any plant and animal material. Boats and trailers must be washed, drained, and dried to prevent introduction and spread of invasive species to the Mississippi River. After treating a site and before traveling to the next site, contractors will inspect boats and equipment for loose vegetation. Contractors will leave all plant fragments at the treatment site. Additionally, the waters of the Mississippi River are classified as infested waters, with numerous prohibited invasive plant and animal species and by law, boats and trailers must be cleaned, drained, and dried of all plants, animals, and water directly after exiting its waters.

Permits and Documentation:

Refuge- The Refuge will obtain and keep current the following permits before application begins; an approved U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) aquatic invasive species control Intra-Service Section 7 and approved pesticide use proposal (PUP), a Minnesota state Invasive Aquatic Plant Management Permit, and a Wisconsin state Aquatic Plant control permit.

The Refuge will provide the Contractor with approximately 70 known invasive Phragmites locations based on available point locations, polygons, GPS tracks, and other field observations.

These locations represent approximately 10 acres of known invasive Phragmites treatment area.

The number of known locations is provided for informational and planning purposes and does not represent a guaranteed number of discrete patches or treatment units. GPS coordinates, tracks, and mapped boundaries are approximate and are intended to assist the Contractor in locating invasive Phragmites in the field.

For purposes of this SOW, a treatment area consists of a contiguous occurrence of invasive Phragmites and associated satellite stems, sprouts, or small clusters in the immediate vicinity that can reasonably be treated as part of the same occurrence. Satellite stems or small clusters do not constitute separate treatment areas solely because they are physically separated from the primary stand.

The Contractor shall use professional judgment in the field to identify and treat invasive Phragmites associated with each known location, including nearby satellite stems or small clusters encountered while treating the location. Treatment shall include the invasive Phragmites actually present in the field and shall not be limited to the precise boundaries of Government-provided GPS points, tracks, or polygons.

The Government estimates approximately 10 acres of invasive Phragmites at known locations.

Actual conditions may vary from mapped information. All acreage actually treated, including satellite stems or clusters and invasive Phragmites discovered within the designated priority search areas, shall count toward the contract's cumulative 15-acre treatment ceiling.

Contractor- Will follow all conditions of the State issued permits including any required notification to the State before treatment begins and posting at the treatment site. Contractors will notify the Refuge at least 24 hours prior to making an application. The Contractor is responsible for posting treated areas with State required aquatic herbicide application signs. The Contractor is not responsible for the removal of posted signs. During application, Contractors will use Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking technology to track the perimeters and acreage of herbicide applications. Shapefiles of treated areas, a USFWS PUP usage report and a list of locations and number of signs as well as the earliest date the signs can be removed will be provided to the Refuge within seven days of treatment of each site (note, this means that if treatment of sites span multiple weeks, multiple reports must be made).

Licensing:

The Contractor, all his/her employees, and any subcontractors performing herbicide applications under this contract shall possess a valid state commercial aquatic herbicide applicator’s license for the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota and shall comply with all Federal, State, and local laws and regulations applicable to the contract work and to the products and material used by the Contractor in performing that work. Evidence of such licensing shall be submitted to the Refuge prior to herbicide application.

Liability:

The Refuge and the United States Government assume no liability from the Contractor's performance of the contract work. The Contractor shall hold and save the Refuge and the United States Government harmless from all liability to others arising from the performance of the contract. The Contractor is responsible for all damages to persons and property resulting from performance of the contract work. Boating hazards are present on the Mississippi River and Contractors are responsible for boating safely and taking steps to avoid hazards.

Pre-Work Meeting:

A pre-work meeting (in person or virtual) with Jennifer Froehly is required to review contract details prior to the start of work. During this meeting, the contractor must demonstrate their ability to distinguish native and invasive phragmites. A site visit with Jennifer Froehly to representative patches can be organized in June or July of 2027 upon request.

Completion and Acceptance

The Contractor will have completed the base firm-fixed-price requirement when it has:

1. Searched all approximately 160 acres within the three designated priority search areas;

2. Treated invasive Phragmites at Government-provided known locations and invasive

Phragmites discovered during the required searches, up to the cumulative 15-acre treatment ceiling;

3. Completed treatment in accordance with the herbicide application and other performance requirements of this SOW; and

4. Submitted all required GPS/GIS data, treatment records, PUP usage information, and other required documentation.

The Government's acceptance of the work will be based on satisfactory completion of these requirements and not solely on the actual number of patches or acres treated. The Contractor shall not exceed that ceiling without a written contract modification issued by the Contracting Officer.

USFWS Pesticide Usage Report

Refuge Name: Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge – Winona Site Name: ______________________________ Applicator’s Name/Company:________________________________ Date Sprayed:_____________ Target Species (list):_____________________________________________________________

Percent Cover (circle one) <1% scarce 1-10% poorly represented 10-25% well represented 25-60% abundant >60% luxuriant

Application Method (circle one) foliar basal bark cut stump ground spot spray Other________

Application Equipment Used (list):______________________________

All Herbicide and Additional Chemicals Used (List EPA Reg # and manufacturer):

Application Rate:_____________________________ Total Amount of Mixture and Herbicide Used: ____________________________ Total Acres Sprayed:_____________________

Weather:

Wind Speed and Direction:_____________ Precipitation (last / next expected):___________________ Temperature:________________________

Additional Comments: