Attachment_2-_Performance_Work_Statement_1.pdf

Performance Work Statement

Plant Species Inventory

Fern Glade – Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge

1. Background

Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is actively restoring and managing longleaf pine ecosystems, including the conservation of rare glade communities associated with the Ketona

Dolomite formation in Bibb County, Alabama. These glades represent one of the most biologically significant habitats in the southeastern United States, supporting numerous endemic, state-listed, and federally protected plant species.

One such community, informally known as Fern Glade, encompasses approximately one acre on a south-facing slope adjacent to the Little Cahaba River. Despite its ecological importance, the site has never received a comprehensive botanical inventory. Existing records consist primarily of limited observations collected during surveys conducted in 1992, leaving substantial gaps in knowledge regarding current plant diversity, species composition, and the status of rare plant populations.

Establishing a comprehensive baseline inventory is essential for informing prescribed fire management, evaluating restoration outcomes, supporting long-term vegetation monitoring, and identifying priority species for regional conservation and seed collection initiatives. The resulting data will directly support refuge management objectives identified in the Comprehensive

Conservation Plan (CCP), Habitat Management Plan (HMP), and Inventory and Monitoring Plan

(IMP).

2. Objectives

The contractor shall conduct a comprehensive vascular plant inventory within Fern Glade and adjacent ecotonal habitats to accomplish the following objectives:

1. Document all vascular plant species occurring within the project area.

2. Identify and map occurrences of rare, endemic, state-listed, and federally listed plant species.

3. Estimate population size, abundance, and phenological condition of species of conservation concern.

4. Compare current observations with available historical records where possible.

5. Characterize vegetation communities and dominant species composition.

6. Establish baseline quantitative vegetation monitoring plots suitable for future long-term monitoring.

7. Provide management recommendations that support habitat restoration, prescribed fire planning, conservation of sensitive plant communities, and regional seed collection efforts.

3. Scope of Work and Methods

The contractor shall furnish all personnel, equipment, transportation, GPS units, data collection materials, and technical expertise necessary to complete the inventory. Surveys will encompass

Fern Glade proper, adjacent woodland communities, forest-glade ecotones, and associated microhabitats that contribute to overall species diversity. To maximize detection of species exhibiting different flowering, fruiting, and vegetative periods, the contractor is required to conduct a minimum of six field visits during the growing seasons. Survey timing should include the phenological windows of spring, early summer, late summer, and fall.

Project Area

Plant inventories shall utilize an intuitive meander survey approach designed to maximize detection of vascular plant diversity across varying environmental conditions, including differences in slope, aspect, geology, soil depth, hydrology, canopy cover, and natural community types. Survey routes will be documented using GPS track logs. For each species encountered, the contractor will record scientific name, common name (when available), relative abundance, phenological stage, habitat association, microhabitat description, and GPS location where appropriate. Voucher specimens may be collected when necessary to verify species identifications, and all collections must be made under applicable permits.

Vegetation Sampling

The contractor shall establish three permanent 100-square-meter vegetation plots using the

Carolina Vegetation Survey methodology or an equivalent scientifically accepted protocol. These plots will be sampled during three separate seasonal visits to record changes in species dominance and composition throughout the growing season. For each vegetation plot, data collected will include species composition, percent cover, dominant vegetation, community classification, environmental characteristics, and plot location.

Rare Species Documentation

For all plant species or natural communities considered to be of conservation concern, the contractor shall document GPS point or polygon locations, population size estimates, population extent, habitat descriptions, associated plant communities, existing or potential threats, and photographic documentation. Conservation rankings shall follow Alabama Natural Heritage

Program methodologies whenever applicable.

Data Collection

The contractor shall collect and maintain all field data in digital format. Deliverable data must include GPS files, GIS shapefiles or geodatabases, species observation tables, vegetation plot datasets, georeferenced photographs, and metadata describing collection methods and coordinate systems. Quality assurance and quality control procedures shall be implemented throughout data collection and processing.

4. Timeframe

The anticipated period of performance shall be approximately October 2026 through

December 2027.

The anticipated schedule is as follows:

Task Schedule

Project Planning Fall 2026

Field inventories April 2027 – September 2027

Data analysis and mapping Fall 2027

Final report and deliverables Fall 2027

Alternative schedules may be proposed provided all seasonal survey requirements are satisfied.

5. Deliverables and Reporting Requirements

The contractor shall submit the following deliverables:

A. Final Technical Report

The final report shall include:

• Executive summary

• Project objectives

• Study area description

• Survey methods

• Survey effort

• Results

• Complete vascular plant species list

• Conservation status of documented taxa

• Vegetation community descriptions

• Maps of survey areas and notable species occurrences

• Discussion of findings

• Management recommendations

• References

B. Spatial Data

GIS-compatible datasets including:

• Species occurrence locations

• Survey track logs

• Vegetation plot locations

• Habitat polygons (if developed)

C. Species Database

Electronic spreadsheet containing:

• Scientific name

• Common name

• Conservation status

• Observation date

• Observer

• GPS coordinates

• Habitat

• Phenology

• Notes

D. Photographs

Digital, georeferenced photographs documenting:

• Plant species

• Rare species populations

• Vegetation communities

• Representative habitat conditions

Photographs of sensitive species posted publicly shall have location information obscured when necessary to protect vulnerable populations.

E. Voucher Specimens

Voucher specimens collected for taxonomic verification shall be prepared according to accepted herbarium standards and deposited in an appropriate regional herbarium unless otherwise directed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

F. Raw Data

The contractor shall provide all raw field data collected during the project in editable digital formats. Final datasets shall become the property of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and be suitable for archival in the Service's designated data management system.

6. Acceptance Criteria

The project shall be considered complete upon acceptance by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of:

• Complete final technical report

• Species inventory

• GIS data

• Vegetation plot data

• Raw datasets

• Photographic documentation

• Metadata

• Any required voucher specimen documentation

All products shall meet professional scientific standards and be suitable for supporting future monitoring, habitat management, restoration planning, and conservation decision-making.