A10_Atch_2_PWS_Noxious_Weed_Redacted.pdf

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Statement of Work

08 July 2025

Contents Project

1. General Information

1.1 Background

1.2 Scope of Work

1.3 Period of Performance

1.4 Quality Control:

1.5 Place of Performance

1.6 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings

1.7 Contractor Representative

2. Definitions

2.1 Technical Definitions – Noxious Weed Species

3. Government Furnished Property, Material, Services

4. Contractor Furnished Items/Services

5. Contractor Requirements

5.1 Technical Requirements / Tasks

6. Deliverables / Schedule

7. Contractor’s Key Personnel

Appendix A: Survey Area Maps Appendix B: Survey of Survey Areas & Acreages Appendix C: Survey123 Form Protocol and Data Dictionary

Project FY25 RGNF CPRD Noxious Weed Survey & Inventory

1. General Information

1.1 Background

Provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to perform noxious weed surveys IAW this performance work statement.

Specific survey areas on the Rio Grande National Forest – Conejos Peak Ranger District are identified in Appendix A and B.

1.2 Scope of Work

The scope of work includes noxious weed survey of approximately 2,600 acres in the Conejos Peak Ranger District of the Rio Grande National Forest, and inventory of any infestations found, in compliance with terms, specifications, conditions and provisions contained herein. Summary of project areas, acreages, and maps are provided in Appendix A and B.

1.3 Period of Performance

This work shall begin during the field season. The performance period begins date of award to 30 October 2026.

Work shall occur when the target plants are actively growing, most easily identifiable and Notice to Proceed is issued. The contractor shall complete all field work by 01 October 2026. All final data reviewed and submitted no later than 30 October 2026. Pre-work and close out meetings are required.

1.4 Quality Control:

The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this contract. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s quality control program is the means by the contractor ensures the work complies contract requirements. The quality control program shall be provided with quote. After quality control plan is accepted, Contracting Officer must approved any changes to Quality Control plan in writing.

1.5 Place of Performance

Noxious weed survey and inventory will occur on National Forest Service (NFS) lands in areas of the Conejos Peak Ranger District of the Rio Grande National Forest. Survey areas consist of roadside surveys (plus 100 ft buffer on either side), trail surveys (plus 50 ft buffer on either side), recreation areas (e.g. campgrounds and trailheads), as well as some larger swaths of USFS lands containing few roads. Accomplishments will be reported in compliance with the terms, specifications, conditions, and provision contained herein.

The Contractor, in conjunction with the Forest Service, shall ensure all necessary permission has been obtained to gain access to locations. If the Contractor cannot obtain permission to access a location, the Contractor must notify the Government in writing.

Contractor shall be responsible for adhering to the USDA Forest Service travel management plan, including closures to motor vehicles, unless authorization is obtained. Maps and photos may indicate a road leads to the location; however, vehicle access may be difficult or restricted. Contractor may have to walk the location or acquire other means of travel.

Survey area boundaries were designed to follow topographic features, when possible, and to ensure hiking/permissible off-road travel would be within approximately 1 mile of a system road. If the terrain becomes too steep or otherwise unsafe to survey an area, please communicate this information to the technical representative. Most roads are typically accessible between the months of May through October, though high clearance vehicles may be necessary on some roads. A four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicle is most suitable for some areas, while an ATV/UTV is recommended for others. The Government does not assume responsibility to maintain roads in passable conditions.

Contractor is expected to respond to sensitive resource conditions, i.e., walk areas when road conditions are poor/wet.

All persons in the area, associated with this project shall be informed, any person, without a permit, injures, destroys, excavates, appropriates or removes any historic or prehistoric ruin, artifact, object of antiquity, Native American remains, Native American cultural item, or archaeological resources on public lands is subject to arrest and penalty of law (16 USC 433, 16 USC 470, 18 USC 641, 18 USC 1170, and 18 USC 1361). Strict adherence to the confidentiality of information concerning the nature and location of archeological resources would be required of the proponent and all of their subcontractors (Archaeological Resource Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. 470hh).

If subsurface cultural values are uncovered during operations, all work in the vicinity of the resource will cease and the Authorized Officer with the Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) notified immediately. The operator shall take any additional measures requested by the RGNF to protect discoveries until they can be adequately evaluated by the permitted archaeologist. Within 48 hours of the discovery, the SHPO and consulting parties will be notified of the discovery and consultation will begin to determine an appropriate mitigation measure.

RGNF in cooperation with the operator will ensure that the discovery is protected from further disturbance until mitigation is completed. Operations may resume at the discovery site upon receipt of written instructions and authorization by the authorized officer (36 CFR 800.110 & 112, 43 CFR 10.4).

Inadvertent Discoveries: Pursuant to 43 CFR 10.4(g), the holder must notify the authorized officer, by telephone, with written confirmation, immediately upon the discovery of human remains, funerary items, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony on federal land. Further, pursuant to 43 CFR 10.4 (c) and (d), the holder must stop activities in the vicinity of the discovery that could adversely affect the discovery. The holder shall make a reasonable effort to protect the human remains, funerary items, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony for a period of thirty days after written notice is provided to the authorized officer, or until the authorized officer has issued a written notice to proceed, whichever occurs first.

1.6 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings

The Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The contracting officer, Contracting Officers Representative (COR), may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance. At these meetings the contracting officer will apprise the contractor of how the government views the contractor's performance and the contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the government.

1.7 Contractor Representative

The contractor shall provide a contract representative for the performance of the work, if not themselves. The name of this person and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the contractor is absent shall be designated in writing to the contracting officer. The contractor representative or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The contractor representative and alternate must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English.

2. Definitions

2.1 Technical Definitions – Noxious Weed Species

Species Known to Occur in or around the survey areas:

Scientific Name Common Name Colorado List Anthemis cotula/

Tripleurospermum inodorum Mayweed chamomile/ Scentless chamomile List B

Acroptilon repens Russian knapweed List B Bromus tectorum Cheatgrass/downy brome List C Carduus nutans Musk thistle List B Cirsium arvense Canada thistle List B Cirsium vulgare Bull thistle List B

Cardaria/Lepidium draba White top List B Lepidium latifolium Perennial pepperweed List B

Leucanthemum vulgare Oxeye Daisy List B Linaria dalmatica Dalmation toadflax List B Linaria vulgaris Yellow toadflax List B

Verbascum thapsus Common mullein List C All other species included on the Colorado State Noxious Weed A, B, C and watch lists.

3. Government Furnished Property, Material, Services

Government Furnished Property, Services, Data, Requirements, etc.

Quantity

Inventory area .pdf maps, associated shapefile which includes a summary of areas and acreages.

Multiple

Data dictionary and data collection protocol 1

GIS support to provide access to the Survey123 form and for data exchange from contractor to USFS

4. Contractor Furnished Items/Services

The contractor shall furnish everything, excluding items in Section 3, required to perform this contract.

5. Contractor Requirements

5.1 Technical Requirements / Tasks

Technical Requirements / Tasks:

1. Provide a Work Schedule documenting how and when work will be performed over the course of the contract. The Work Schedule shall cover at a minimum the following items:

a. Method of GPS (or electronic) verification of areas traveled.

b. Schedule of electronic data submissions.

c. Communications plan – both internal and with the Forest Service

d. Safety Plan (includes communications).

sync has taken place.

3 Verification of Areas Traveled

GPS or electronic verification of project areas surveyed.

Biweekly once field work begins

Ref. SOW, Page 6, Section 5.1, Technical Requirement/ Task #3

Via email to

COR &

Technical Representative

Biweekly once field work begins.

7. Contractor’s Key Personnel

The contractor and all employees performing field work under this contract shall be able to identify target weed species in all stages of development and to distinguish between weed species and non-target species. The contractor and all employees must have the equipment and skills necessary to utilize the ESRI Survey123 application to collect data in the field.

Appendix B: Survey of Survey Areas & Acreages

Survey Area Name Estimated Acres Notes Archuleta Trail 47.02 Includes 50 ft buffer on each side of road.

The west side of this trail buffer is the Archuleta trail (741) which is a motorized trail for OHV less than 50 inches. The east side of the trail buffer is the Chama River Trail (738) which is non-motorized.

Chama Basin Entrance

38.17

Notch TS Roads 319.60 Includes 100ft buffer on either side of road.

As the map indicates, some roads are “new temporary” roads that have not yet been built and will have to be walked, some roads are previously used temp roads that are slated to be “reopened” but may not be accessible by vehicle yet.

FSR 117

69.33

Stateline Mastication A – D

167.45

Jarosita Mastication North & South

53.25

Trail Gulch A – H

670.25

Bighorn Unit 6 Large & Small

399.02

Bighorn Unit X

541.08

Bighorn Unit 2

294.63

Total Acreage 2,600

Question Type Example Answer Required for

Contractors? (Y/N) Observer Free text John Smith YES Date Date “07/15/23” YES What species did you find?

Select_one or choose “other” and a free text question will allow you to type in the “other” species found.

“Cheatgrass – Bromus tectorum”

YES

How confident are you in your identification

Select_one “high” YES

Species ID notes Free text “flower color ranged from yellow to pink”

NO

Infestation area Geoshape n/a this is the boundary of the infestation you will map

YES

Infestation Area Notes

Free text “infestation extends up steep hillside, not safe to map”

NO

General Notes Free text “Flowers abundant with pollinators”

NO

Project Name Free text “ABC timber sale” or “XYZ trail maintenance”

NO, not applicable to contractors

Plant Photo Photo n/a YES Infestation Photo photo n/a YES % infested Integer 98 YES % cover Integer 50 YES % infestation in flower

Integer 60 YES

% infestation basal rosettes

Integer 30 YES

% infestation vegetative

Integer 10 YES

% infestation in fruit/seed

Integer 0 YES

% infestation senesced

Integer 0 YES