Attachment_1-_Performance_Work_Statement.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Invasive Plant Control

Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex

1. General:

Purpose: The purpose of this contract is to achieve the objectives of the Burned Area Rehabilitation Plans for the Paterson Ridge and Paterson Slough Fires, which include 1) restore habitat unlikely to recover naturally from severe wildland fire damage by emulating historic or pre-fire ecosystem structure, function, diversity, and dynamics according to approved land management plans; 2) prescribe and implement treatments to reduce and control nonindigenous invasive plant populations and restore native plant communities; 3) monitor plant response to treatment and implement early detection and rapid response treatments to control invasive plants re-colonizing the rehabilitation area; and 4) reduce potential for future wildfire in the rehabilitation area by restoring the historic bunchgrass and forb dominated ecosystem. Tasks include:

1.1 Invasive Plant Control

1.1.1 The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex requires one spot herbicide treatment to control priority invasive plant species on 145.5 acres within the 289.5-acre Paterson Ridge and Paterson Slough Fire rehabilitation area at Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

1.1.2 Targeted invasive broadleaf weeds include rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea) and diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa). Contractors must avoid native vegetation during application.

1.1.3 All herbicide prescriptions, trade names, and rates shall be provided by the applicator.

Chemicals and adjuvants must be contractor-supplied. Contractors must provide all equipment and personnel. State of Washington herbicide applicator qualifications are required.

1.1.4 Area was treated with imazapic and rimsulfuron in January 2026.

2. Place of Performance and Period of Performance:

2.1 Invasive Plant Control

2.1.1 See attached pdf map of the place of performance which is outlined in yellow.

2.1.2 Treatment will occur on 145.5 acres within the 289.5-acre footprint of the Paterson Slough and Ridge Fires at Umatilla NWR. The target invasive, non-native, broadleaf plants are not uniformly distributed across the entire 145.5 acres. Also, herbicide control must avoid native plants. Thus, spot-treatment with herbicide is necessary on single plants and small, irregular-shaped patches throughout the 145.5 acres. Actual treatment acreage is estimated to be less than half of the footprint. The boundary of the performance area is accessible by either public road or dirt two-track.

2.1.3 The period of performance for herbicide treatment is June 25 to September 15, 2026.

Data reporting is due December 15, 2026.

2.1.4 USFWS normal duty hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. USFWS normal non-duty hours include nights, weekends. Government holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

3. Scope:

3.1 Invasive Plant Control

3.1.1 The contractor shall apply a broadleaf-specific herbicide, non-ionic surfactant, and any other appropriate adjuvants (including, but not necessarily limited to, drift control agents and anti-foaming/de-foaming agents) to non-native invasive plants, in particular, but not limited to rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea) and diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa). Native plants must be avoided.

3.1.2 The contractor is permitted to choose the specific herbicide (e.g., aminopyralid, 2,4-D, glyphosate), rate of application, adjuvant, and surfactant to achieve maximum effectiveness based on the growth stage of the plant and site-specific conditions. However, the selection must be approved in advance by refuge staff.

3.1.3 The targeted invasive plants are unevenly distributed across the project area. Additionally, herbicide must not be applied to native plants. Thus, spot-treatment of herbicide will be applied to single plants and small, irregular-shaped patches.

3.1.4 Herbicide treatment must be performed on foot to prevent damage to sensitive biotic crust on the soil surface. Equipment such as trucks and ATV/UTVs that could disturb or rut the ground surface and break the biotic crust is not permitted within the boundary of the project area.

This equipment is permitted on the roads and two-tracks surrounding the perimeter of the project area.

3.1.5 The contractor shall purchase and supply all chemicals, including herbicides and adjuvants. Contractor shall also supply equipment to meter chemicals and water mixtures, and shall provide mixing and loading equipment, and water. Water hauling services may be required depending upon arrangements secured by contractor.

3.1.6 The contractor must be capable of calibrating vehicles and equipment to the final application rate specifications. All spraying equipment must be equipped with GPS tracking equipment that can map application areas and paths, and can download information for contractor and agency use. GPS equipment must be capable of uploading a GIS shapefile of treatment areas and of providing downloadable maps and information of treatment progress on a daily basis. All application locations and paths shall be documented by the contractor using a

GPS.

3.1.7 The contractor shall provide adequate personnel for the purpose of loading and dispersing of the chemicals. All personnel and equipment to be used shall be appropriately licensed and certificated as appropriate for the work to be done. The contractor shall be responsible for providing sufficient equipment, equipment fuel, safety items, personnel and their subsistence needs to support the project period, as well as checking all work sites for hazards of any type which could impact their ability to accomplish the spraying project.

3.1.8 The contractor shall be required to make all necessary arrangements for use of staging areas, loading zones, and equipment and fuel storage areas as necessary. The contractor shall be responsible for all loading operations. Movement of chemicals, water, and equipment in and around an operation location shall be the sole responsibility of the applicators.

3.1.9 The contractor shall provide the Technical POC with contact information for all ground personnel, and vehicle and equipment identification information (including make, model, and license and/or identification numbers) at least 48 hours before implementation of the project.

3.1.10 The Contractor shall schedule and coordinate the timing of the applications with USFWS.

4. Deliverables and/or Delivery Schedule:

4.1 Invasive Plant Control

4.1.1 The contractor must significantly reduce the described invasive broadleaf species across the 145.5-acre site.

4.1.2 The contractor shall provide shapefiles (ESRI® format) of all application locations, showing applicator tracks and area covered.

4.1.3 The contractor shall supply copies of all application logs, including (but not necessarily limited to): dates/times of application(s), trade names of applied pesticides and adjuvants (w.

EPA Reg numbers where appropriate), name(s) and license number(s) of applicator(s), and weather conditions during application(s). Whenever spot treating, application logs should designate gross acreage versus net acreage and application rate should be expressed as fl oz/net acre sprayed.

4.1.4 Copies of application logs shall be supplied to the Technical Coordinator within 1 month of application(s).

5. Data Management Plan (DMP):

5.1 The Project Lead or technical cognizant has used discretion as to whether or not a DMP is relevant or not relevant and has determined it to be

____ relevant or

_X_ not relevant.

6. Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE Government-Furnished Information (GFI):

6.1 Government shall furnish the contractor with a pdf map of the pesticide application area.

7. Evaluation and Acceptance: The contractor will be evaluated as detailed herein.

Government acceptance is contingent upon:

7.1 Timeliness of applications.

7.2 Adequate and even coverage as determined by GIS files.

7.3 Significant control of targeted invasive plants as per field inspections by refuge staff.

7.4 Lowest price technically acceptable.

7.5 Clear and timely communication with Technical POCs regarding arrival, departure, and deliverables.

7.6 Demonstrated knowledge and experience of target species and sagebrush-steppe ecosystem.

8. Technical Coordinator:

8.1 Primary Contact: Steven Kahl, Project Leader, Mid-Columbia River NWR Complex.

Phone: 208-252-0805 (mobile). Email: steve_kahl@fws.gov.

8.2 Secondary Contact: Katherine Maikis, Deputy Project Leader, Mid-Columbia River NWR Complex. Phone: 509-380-4927 (mobile). Email: katherine_maikis@fws.gov.

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT