Att_02_REDW_SOW_MurreletEggshellScentDogProjectJune2021_(1).pdf

Statement Of Work

June 2021

Project Title:

Using Scent-Detection Dogs to Find Threatened Marbled Murrelet Nests in Redwood National and State Parks

1. Background:

Over a third of the federally threatened marbled murrelet population nests entirely within the old growth forest canopy in Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP or parks). Little is known about the success of individual murrelet nests, a fundamental measure of how the murrelet population is doing within the parks. Approximately a third of the entire federally listed marbled murrelet population nests within Redwood National and State Parks, making population monitoring of park murrelets vital to the overall conservation and recovery of this endangered species. Murrelet nests are extremely difficult to find. The parks have discovered that murrelet eggshells found on the forest floor can indicate a murrelet nest in the adjacent old growth tree.

Over 20 murrelet eggshells have been found by pure chance along park trails by park staff and visitors over the past 10 years. Many of those eggshells have led to the discovery of murrelet nests. Over the past five years RNSP developed and successfully tested an inexpensive remote camera murrelet nest monitoring system in two old growth redwood trees. A larger number of murrelet eggshells, and thus nests, must now be located to begin a valid marbled murrelet nest success video monitoring program.

2. Scope:

The parks want to test whether scent-detection dogs can locate marbled murrelet eggshells along the forest floor and thus indicate which trees should be climbed to search for murrelet nests.

3. Objectives:

Scent-detection dog training/handling contractors will be used to train a scent-detection dog(s) to locate eggshells of marbled murrelets. This will be accomplished using a four-phase approach:

(1) a project orientation phase, which will allow park biologists and contracted scent dog firms to meet virtually and thoroughly plan out the project’s exact dog training needs, work timing, and survey locations; (2) a training phase, which will teach the dog(s) to recognize the scents of marbled murrelet eggshells; (3) a trial phase, which will test the dog-handler team’s ability to effectively survey for marbled murrelet eggshells by simulating survey conditions in a controlled setting in the field at the parks (RNSP possesses marbled murrelet eggshells that will be provided to the dog trainers for training purposes); (4) a limited two to four week survey phase, in which a dog(s) will be used to conduct initial field surveys for marbled murrelet eggshells in marbled murrelet nesting habitat in the parks in mid-June to mid-July 2022 during the height of the murrelet nesting season.

4. Tasks:

1) Project Orientation Phase:

The contractor will meet once or twice, virtually, with park biologist(s) for two to four hours to thoroughly plan out the project’s exact work timing, dog training needs, housing/camping logistics, and survey locations. The pre-training and field work meeting is necessary due to the originality/uniqueness of the work. Meeting(s) will occur during either the last week of September 2021 or the first week of October 2021.

2) Training Phase:

Contractor will train either a single or two wildlife scent detection dogs at their respective headquarters facilities to discriminate marbled murrelet eggshells from all other odors at a minimum effectiveness of 75% presented trials. Contractor may train either a single dog or two dogs (and their handlers), depending on their capacity. RNSP possesses marbled murrelet eggshells that will be provided to the dog trainers for training purposes.

The scent dog training phase will occur between 1 January 2022 and 14 June 2022.

3) Trial Phase:

Contractor will travel to RNSP to conduct field trials to determine if a trained scent detection dog(s) can detect marbled murrelet eggshells in the field and at what detection distance. Eggshell field detection distance will be a key finding for this project. Again, RNSP possesses marbled murrelet eggshells that will be provided to the dog trainers for training purposes. The trial phase must occur during the peak of the marbled murrelet nesting season in mid-June to mid-July 2022.

4) Limited Field Survey:

Contractor will conduct a limited scent dog field survey for marbled murrelet eggshells in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (PCRSP), an area within RNSP. The survey must be conducted during the height of the marbled murrelet nesting season when eggshells will be most abundant. The survey, therefore, must occur between 15 June and 15 July 2022.

The survey can be either for four weeks (20 total field days) if one dog/handler team will be used or two weeks (10 total field days/dog) if two dogs/handlers will be used simultaneously.

The survey will use the extensive foot trail network within PCRSP as the survey grid.

The trail network will allow for relatively rapid movement through the landscape.

Movement of the dogs/handlers off trail will be significantly slower due to the very thick and tall vegetation and very large downed wood typically found in old growth redwood forests. It is expected that the trial survey area will cover between one and five square miles. Some foot trails will be surveyed more than once during the survey period in order to detect eggshells that have fallen to the forest floor after the first survey sweep.

If/when contractors find marbled murrelet eggshells they will accurately record: eggshell location with GPS coordinates in UTM (NAD 87), distance from foot trail to eggshell when scent detection dog first detected eggshell (to further validate field eggshell detection distance), date and time of eggshell discovery, mark eggshell location with designated flagging, photograph the eggshell location and any adjacent large old growth trees so that park staff may easily find the location in the future. Murrelet eggshells will be collected in containers provided by the parks to place them into park archives for future study or scent dog training. Murrelet eggshell locations will be immediately (within one working day) reported to the park biologist via email.

The park biologist will accompany contractors on two to five field survey days to monitor and assess the process.

The limited survey phase must occur during the peak of the marbled murrelet nesting season in mid-June to mid-July 2022.

5. Delivery:

Contractor will provide a final report that will contain the following: a) an assessment of the training process including the detection success rate once handlers had completed training, b) an assessment of the field trial including detection success rate and distance, c) a table of all marbled murrelet eggshells found during the field survey including: eggshell location with GPS coordinates in UTM (NAD 87), distance from foot trail to eggshell when scent detection dog first detected eggshell (to further validate field eggshell detection distance), date and time of eggshell discovery, as well as identified photographs of the eggshell locations and any adjacent large old growth trees.

The report will be completed for draft review by the park biologist by 1 August 2022. The final report will be completed by 30 August 2022.

The hardcopy report draft and final report will be turned into Keith Bensen, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Redwood National Park, PO Box 7, Orick, CA 95555 as well as an electronic version sent via email to Keith_Bensen@nps.gov.

6. Government-Furnished Property:

No government-furnished property will be provided as part of this contract.

7. Security:

No security requirements will be necessary in the performance of this contract.

mailto:Keith_Bensen@nps.gov

8. Place of Performance:

The scent dog training phase will occur at the contractor’s facility. The field trial and field survey phases will occur at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, an area within Redwood National and State Parks, California.

9. Period of Performance:

1) The project orientation phase will occur during either the last week of September 2021 or the first week of October 2021.

2) The scent dog training phase will occur between 1 January 2022 and 14 June 2022. The exact timing and length of time for training of the scent dog(s) will be the responsibility of the contractor to determine.

3) The field trial and field survey phases must occur between 15 June and 15 July 2022. If using a one dog/handler team, the entire four-week period of 15 June to 15 July 2022 must be spent conducting the field trial and field survey phases (20 field days). If two dog/handler teams will be used simultaneously, then a total of two consecutive weeks (10 field days) occurring sometime between 15 June to 15 July 2022 will be spent conducting field trial and survey phases.

4) The report will be completed for draft review by the park biologist by 1 August 2022.

The final report will be completed by 30 August 2022.