A16 JOTFOC fisher captures and locates -SIGNED_1.pdf

AP&P 1443.06-01 Enhancing Competition and Contracting by Other than Full and Open Competition 7-31-15

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION

for SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITIONS OVER $3,500 AND UP TO $250,000

(See FAR 13.106-1)

PR Number: 40497901 Date: 8/19/2020

BACKGROUND

The fisher (Pekania pennanti) is a medium-sized carnivore in the weasel family that was extirpated from the state of Washington and is now listed by the state as endangered. The project goal, as identified in the Washington State Recovery Plan for the fisher, is to restore self-sustaining populations of fishers in Washington State in three recovery areas:1) the Olympic Peninsula, including in Olympic National Park (OLYM), 2) the southern Cascades, including Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) and 3) the northern Cascades, including North Cascades National Park Service Complex (NOCA). The plan entailed accomplishing that goal by first relocating fishers from Canada to western Washington, starting with releasing approximately 100 fishers into OLYM followed by 160 fishers into the Cascades (including NOCA and MORA). The plan also entailed follow-up monitoring of released fishers and their progeny to assess restoration success, as well as to learn about fisher ecology in Washington State. Project success is defined as a self-sustaining population of fishers in a geographic distribution that allows for their persistence and resilience in Washington, including all 3 parks, and into the foreseeable future (>100 years).

Olympic National Park began fisher restoration in 2008, with the help of Conservation Northwest (CNW) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The partners released 90 fishers into OLYM between 2008 and 2010. From 2015-2019 the fisher releases continued in the Cascade Range, in collaboration with the same partners. Ninety-three fishers were released in and around MORA and 89 fishers were released in and near NOCA. Proactive reestablishment of the fisher in Washington may help avoid formal listing under the federal Endangered Species Act and will aid in restoring ecological functions to each park through repatriation of a species to its former ecological niche.

The success of the fisher restoration effort was monitored in and around OLYM from 2008- 2016. In the OLYM monitoring efforts, it was found that the released fishers survived, established home ranges, and successfully reproduced. However, the number of surviving transplants that successfully recruited young was low. The fisher population demonstrated a significant loss of genetic (allelic) diversity that could threaten restoration success if not mitigated. Recommendations from the National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation are that partners introduce 8 fishers every 10 years into the Olympic fisher population to reduce the loss of genetic diversity, until it is determined that the Olympic population is no longer isolated. Monitoring efforts in the Cascades are ongoing and have not yet reached conclusions as they have in the Olympics. In addition, there is no documented genetic interchange between the Cascade and the Olympic fisher populations.

This project is a large collaborative effort. WDFW and NPS are the lead agencies for the restoration and work collaboratively with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations (BCFLNRO), Alberta Ministry of Environment and Parks (AMOE), several local tribes and First Nations, and various non-governmental organizations like Conservation Northwest and Washington National Parks Fund. Operations in Canada for the fishers translocated to the Cascades were funded by Conservation Northwest, who maintains the infrastructure of licensed trappers, contractors, and

Sole Source Justification for Simplified Acquisitions Over $3,500 and Up To $150,000 Template

AP&P 1443.06-01 Enhancing Competition and Contracting by Other than Full and Open Competition 7-31-15 veterinary services required to meet the project needs within the framework of all pertinent wildlife permits.

1. Nature and/or description of the item/service being procured and its intended use (include the anticipated cost):

The Washington State Fisher Recovery Project involves the capture, veterinary care, transport and temporary housing of approximately 10 fishers in Alberta, Canada, between late summer 2020 and spring of 2021, before the animals are transported to Washington State for release in and around Olympic National Park. Fishers are listed as an endangered species by the State of Washington but remain a harvestable furbearer in Alberta. Fishers in Canada are captured for this project by independent fur trappers that have enrolled in the project program to humanely capture fishers in accordance with the Alberta Ministry of Environment and Parks permit 19-014. The window to capture fishers is limited to September 2020-March 2021.

A coordination team based out of Edmonton, Canada, will work with each trapper to retrieve animals as they are captured, transport each animal to the Calgary Zoo. The zoo will provide temporary fisher housing, provide veterinary care and examination, and deliver the animals to the National Park Service at a transfer point in British Columbia. Each animal is examined, vaccinated, and either equipped with a GPS radio-collar or implanted with a VHF transmitter by a veterinarian with specialized experience in treating fishers. NPS and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, in coordination with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, hold the necessary permits to then transport fishers into the United States for reintroduction to their historical range.

Operations for reintroduction in the United States are undertaken between the National Park Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife via a Memorandum of Understanding (Agreement Number G9450150004). Operations for capturing, veterinary care, and housing of fishers in Canada has thus far been coordinated by Conservation Northwest, who has provided the infrastructure to implement the international portion of the project’s Detailed Implementation Plan.

Conservation Northwest provided services for the first 69 fishers brought to the US (2015-2017) at no cost to the Canadian, US, or Washington state government. This non-profit organization also provided 30 fishers in 2018-19 under a sole-source contract with NPS. In FY20, NPS intends to award a non-competitive requirements contract to Conservation Northwest using a firm fixed price per fisher;

payment will be made based on actual number of fishers serviced (this number may be slightly higher than the actual number delivered).

Total cost will not exceed $150,000. The period of performance will be September 1, 2020 through July 1, 2021.

Specifically, NPS will hire Conservation Northwest to perform capture, care, and delivery services for up to 10 fishers (maximum of $28,000). Because the COVID-19 pandemic has closed the US-Canada border which may preclude delivery, it is possible that we will delay the capture services until winter 2021; if this is the case, we will execute a bilateral modification to extend the performance period to June 30, 2022.

The price of $2800 per fisher includes the following services provided by Conservation Northwest:

1. Capture of fishers by licensed trappers in Alberta, Canada, as set forth by Alberta Ministry of Environment and Parks permit 19-014, and in accordance with the “Obtaining Fishers” section of the Detailed Implementation Plan.

AP&P 1443.06-01 Enhancing Competition and Contracting by Other than Full and Open Competition 7-31-15

2. Provide project personnel, equipment and vehicles at Edmonton, AB.

3. Transport fishers from trap location to temporary housing at Calgary Zoo.

4. Care for and house fishers for as many days as needed before transport to WA (as determined by the number of animals in holding and veterinary examination schedule). Housing and care standards will comply with specifications given in the “Transfer and Holding in Captivity” section of the Detailed Implementation Plan.

5. Veterinary examination and vaccinations for fishers as described in the Detailed Implementation Plan, under the section “Health Evaluations, Medical Treatments, and Preparation for Reintroduction”.

6. Surgery to implant a radio transmitter in each qualified fisher by a qualified veterinarian.

7. Return disqualified animals (as per criteria stated in the Detailed Implementation Plan) to their original capture location, or an alternate location specified by AMOE.

8. Transport qualified animals to Abbotsford, BC and deliver them to NPS employees.

In addition, NPS will hire Conservation Northwest to perform follow-up monitoring of 89 fishers previously released in or near NOCA because there is a benefit in knowing a particular fisher is alive and where it is, at any time during the performance period. NPS will authorize and fund collection of up to 475 radio-locations for fishers that are outside NPS boundaries (at $80/ location for a maximum cost of $38,000). Due to the unpredictability of collecting this type of data, NPS may extend the performance period if some individual fishers are not located during the original period, and/or if transmitters continue functioning and the total number of authorized locations has not yet been met.

The cost of $80/location of radio-monitored fishers includes the following services by Conservation Northwest:

1. Monitor fishers using radio-telemetry for all surviving fishers of the 89 animals released by NPS in and around NOCA during the 2018-2020 reintroduction, and that currently live outside of NPS boundaries, yet within WA state.

2. Locate fishers using handheld VHF radio receivers in the 164–168 mHz bandwidth and accuracy determined to within 1km.

3. Provide data electronically as an Excel table to the NPS within 48 hours of collection, and include identity of the individual fisher, date of location, status as alive or dead (as determined by radio signal pattern), accuracy of detection, and location coordinates in latitude and longitude with map datum specified.

2. Sole Source Justification rationale (Check one and explain below):

__x The circumstances of the contract action deem only one source reasonably available (e.g., urgency, exclusive licensing agreements, brand-name or industrial mobilization) (FAR 13.106(b)).

_____ Only one responsible source.

_____ Urgent and compelling circumstances exist.

___x_ Other: International agreement (FAR 6.302-4).

Conservation Northwest is permitted under AMOE Collection License 19-014, and the associated AMOE-approved research plan #15180515, specifically to facilitate the capture, transport, veterinary care, and export of fisher from the Upper Peace, Lower Peace, Upper Athabasca, Lower Athabasca, and North Saskatchewan/Red Deer management areas in Alberta, Canada to NPS. Conservation Northwest has the unique relationships and infrastructure in place to complete the required services with all Canadian organizations, including the Calgary Zoo, which will perform veterinary tasks as set forth in the approved, and AMOE-mandated, Welfare, Ethics, and Research Committee protocol (CZWERC 2018-5).

AP&P 1443.06-01 Enhancing Competition and Contracting by Other than Full and Open Competition 7-31-15

Fisher telemetry frequencies and data are considered sensitive and protected by the NPS, due to their endangered status in the state of WA and NPS policy. Location information can only be protected by operating within a very limited number of partners, which includes Conservation Northwest as the animal handling and transport contractor responsible for equipping fishers with transmitters, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Conservation Northwest is a 501(c)3 and Washington state registered nonprofit organization based in Bellingham (1829 10th Ave W, Suite B, Seattle, WA 98119).

3. Market Research. Please explain the results or why one was not performed. State whether any other offers were received or anyone expressed interest:

No market research was performed because all capture, handling, housing and related services are restricted under the permits issued by Canada for these operations. The selected organization is the only viable entity to provide these services with the personal, location, and expertise, given the urgent nature of the timeline to complete these services. Market research was conducted on the flexible element of veterinary services. The four qualified veterinarians to treat fishers in Alberta are all employed by Calgary Zoo, which also holds the approved Welfare, Ethics, and Research Committee protocol required by AMOE for this project.

4. If this is a determination for sole source, the Contracting Officer certifies:

a. Only one source is available, or urgent and compelling circumstances exist.

b. The anticipated price will be determined fair and reasonable using the price analysis techniques described in FAR Part 13.106-3(a).

(Signature) ________________________________________

Type or Print Name: Jason I. Ransom, Wildlife Program Supervisor, NOCA

(Signature) _______________________________________

Type or Print Name: Sarah J. Welch, Contracting Officer

Over $25,000 (if applicable):

(Signature) _______________________________________ Warranted Individual One Level Above Contracting Officer

Type or Print Name: Rodney J. Roberson, Contracting Officer