Attachment_1-_SOW.pdf

Statement of Work

Hazard Fuel Reduction, San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Technical Point of Contact

(POCs):

Keith Mayer, Prescribed Fire & Fuels Specialist (keith_mayer@fws.gov) (c) 209-587-0328

Chris Harper, Project Leader (chris_harper@fws.gov) (c) 209-587-5541

Period of performance: Contract award through 12/31/2024

Location.

Beckwith Wildlife Observation Area 10990 Beckwith Road (do not use for mailing) Modesto, CA95358

Figure 1. Location and Vicinity Map. Vernalis, California:

1. Background:

mailto:keith_mayer@fws.gov mailto:chris_harper@fws.gov

San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge is located in California's Stanislaus County. The refuge is situated where three major rivers (Tuolumne, Stanislaus and San Joaquin) join in the San Joaquin Valley, creating a mosaic of habitats that provide ideal conditions for great wildlife and plant diversity. The refuge was initially established primarily to provide wintering habitat for the Aleutian cackling goose – a federally-listed endangered species at that time. Today, the refuge is managed with a focus on migratory birds, endangered species, and riparian and wetland habitat restoration.

San Joaquin NWR is bordered by substantial public interface, highly trafficked interstate and state highways, residential housing, and agricultural infrastructure. High density fuel loading near Wildland Urban Interface would assist future fire suppression activities while reducing smoke impacts to surrounding comminutes, roadways and smoke sensitive areas. Opening roadways and trails for access and egress of fire and first responders would increase safety for both emergency personnel and the public. Further, proactive fuels and fire management as a strategy to preserve floodplain and riparian woodlands is important to advance the recovery of the endangered riparian brush rabbit.

The Refuge consists of several distinct tracts of land, or “Units.” This Project will be located on the Beckwith Unit and Buffington Unit, north of Highway 132 near the banks of the Tuolumne River (Figure 2) and near the intersection of Beckwith Road and Page Road.

Several fires have burned and been suppressed in the vicinity over the past 5 years (Figure 4), and the area has been described as having a fire danger with risk to nearby structures and wildlife habitats. Essential features of riparian brush rabbit habitat (as described by Kelly et al. 2011, p.3) include shrub thickets (rose, blackberry, willow) with herbaceous plants (forbs; mugwort, stinging nettle, gumplant) and grasses (creeping wild rye). Trees are not necessarily required as closed canopies suppress shrubs and forbs. The vegetation to be treated has grown up such that it no longer delivers essential habitat features for riparian brush rabbits, and presents a very real threat of fire to nearby structures and habitats. After treatment, the vegetation will be restored (using separate funds, TBD, and in a separate action) to something more suitable for riparian brush rabbits and that does not present elevated fire risk to adjacent structures and habitats.

Literature Cited

Kelly, P.A., T.K. Egarian, M.R. Lloyd, and S.E.Phillips. 2011. Conservation Principles for the Ripairan Brush Rabbit and Riparian Woodrat. Unpublished report.

Figure 2. Map of San Joaquin River NWR with Project Area indicated by purple circle. Refuge lands are in yellow and conservation easements in blue. State lands in green.

2. Objectives: The primary objective of this project is to conduct hazard fuel reduction and improve fire access roads by managing vegetation within designated areas of the Refuge. This process will specifically target vegetation that presents wildfire potential and impedes access by emergency first responders and egress of adjacent property owners during wildfire.

• Remove large woody vegetation that presents a fire risk to nearby structures and habitats

• Improve access and egress of existing roads and trails and improve fire clearance by mowing grasses and trimming trees and shrubs.

• Remove large trees and stump so that the clearing can be maintained by mowing

3. Project Specifications:

• Schedule: All work must be completed between the months of June through November, or as directed by the Refuge Manager due to endangered species concerns.

• Site Preparation: Coordinate with Refuge staff to identify specific areas for mechanical treatments based on fire risk assessments and ecological considerations.

o Improve defensible space around fire access roads (may be two-track or gravel):

by managing vegetation by mechanical means. Completely remove all vegetation from within the purple polygon (Figure 1) by mowing, scraping, masticating, grubbing, dozing, ripping, or other means. Remove hazardous fuel along roadways, access and egress and under powerlines adjacent to purple polygon.

• Operations: Perform treatments the following treatments (Figure 1).

o Completely mow grasses, small shrubs, and standing trees that impact powerlines, roadways, or are adjacent to structures using tractor and rotary mower, flail mower, or drum masticator (or similar means) o Remove all vegetation within 20 feet of existing access road and existing fences so that it can be mowed by a tractor (15-ft batwing mower) by removing all trees and stumps o Mow middle of existing access road o Remove, haul off, and dispose of properly all cut limbs in consultation with

Refuge POCs.

• Debris Management: Remove and properly dispose of cut trees and shrubs in compliance with environmental regulations and refuge policies, as directed by Refuge Manager.

• Reporting: Provide regular progress updates to Points of Contact.

4. Deliverables:

• Detailed work plan outlining methodologies, timelines, and safety protocols.

• Successfully treat approximately 20 acres of vegetation by mechanical means (Figure 3).

5. Timeline: The project is expected to begin September 2024, and expected be completed by December 2024.

6. Safety and Environmental Considerations: Strict adherence to safety protocols and environmental regulations is mandatory throughout all phases of the project. Staff will be appropriately trained on the equipment used.

8. Evaluation and Acceptance: Upon completion of the project, a joint evaluation will be conducted by Refuge staff and the contractor to assess the achievement of project objectives and deliverables. Final acceptance will be contingent upon meeting all contractual requirements and performance standards.

Figure 3: Map of Project Treatment Area (purple polygon) – establishes fire access by improving vegetation clearance – approximately 20 acres.

Figure 4. Map depicting Stringer Fire (3 acres on FWS, June 2021) at Beckwith Road and Page Road, Beckwith Fire (275 acres on FWS, June/July 2022) along the Stanislaus River, and several smaller fires near along Beckwith Road.

Figure 5. Proximity of proposed hazard fuels reduction treatment (purple circle) to identified high fire danger areas (yellow and green polygons) on the San Joaquin River NWR.