B08_Attachment_1_0_Castner_SOW_Final_3_2023.docx

Recreation Area Management Plan Project Management and Technical Assistance

Section 1. Background The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Glennallen Field Office (GFO) is seeking assistance with the preparation of a Recreation Area Management Plan (RAMP) for the Castner Glacier within the Delta Range Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA). Castner Glacier has emerged as an in-state and international tourist destination in the last decade due to exposure on social media as well as publicity in magazine articles and television features. Located 286 road miles from Anchorage and 146 road miles from Fairbanks this 4,695-acre unit offers visitors a chance to explore an active glacier and ice cave in an environment relatively close (1.5 miles) to a state-maintained highway without the costs of additional transportation and the need for guides.

GFO has been monitoring and documenting impacts at the Castner Glacier site since the signing of the East Alaska Resource Management Plan (RMP) in 2007. The site’s distance from GFO (103 miles one way) and its location in the heart of the Alaska Range can provide challenges in the form of weather and distance for active and consistent management. It is estimated that 75% of use occurs between the months of November-April with heavy concentrations in March and April. Summer use does occur though typically the ice cave is inaccessible due to waterflows. Annual estimated visitation is 8,000 visitors per year.

The East Alaska RMP provided some decisions pertaining to the Delta Range SRMA and Castner Glacier site. These include a motorized closure in the winter months (10/15-5/15), a prohibition on helicopter supported recreation in areas managed for primitive recreation experiences, considerations for designating and maintaining non-motorized trails, and minimal or no development at trailheads accessing areas managed for a primitive or semi-primitive experience. Items that specifically need to be addressed in the Castner Glacier RAMP include limitation on commercial use, limitations on realty actions (filming/photography/temporary use permits), clarification of means of access, designation of winter and summer access points and routes, use of drones in the area and cave, user education and outreach, consideration of agreements with State of Alaska DOT in regards to parking and highway safety, and a discussion on user capacities or thresholds if visitor expectation or experiences are not being achieved.

Section 2. Objectives The Contractor will work with the BLM to develop a RAMP and associated issues based Environmental Assessment (EA) for GFO. The Contractor will identify a schedule for completion of the RAMP and associated EA within one calendar year following award and beginning of the period of performance (POP). The milestones for this schedule will be guided by BLM policy and guidance referenced at the discretion of GFO based on contractor recommendations for optional EA tasks. The RAMP will address all the management directives and implementation level decisions outlined in GFO’s RMP. The contractor will also work with the GFO to develop new management goals and objectives for future ongoing management of the Castner Glacier RAMP area, based on prevailing management needs which will help manage use, reduce conflicts, and lessen impacts to resources, while providing for continued recreational access. The Contractor should have a thorough understanding of the areas identified in the technical capabilities section.

I. REQUIRED AND OPTIONAL TASKS TO BE PERFORMED

Task 1: Initial Project Management Meeting and Project Management Subtask Deliverables: Project Management Meeting; Draft Work Plan and Preliminary Schedule; Final workplan and schedule; schedule and lead bi-weekly project calls; create call agendas and notes; maintain and revise schedule and milestones as necessary.

The contractor will schedule and hold an initial Project Management meeting (to be held virtually) within 15 business days of receiving the Notice to Proceed. The contractor shall submit a draft work plan and preliminary schedule within 15 business days following the initial project meeting. The work plan will illustrate by milestone, the tasks and methods to be used to complete the project within the one-year POP, identified at the Initial Project Management Meeting. The work plan will also include a detailed schedule illustrating anticipated completion times for each task (schedule does not need to include processes internal to the Contractor).

The BLM and Contractor will discuss the work plan and any other outstanding topics. The Contractor will modify the work plan and schedule, if needed, as a result of the meeting, and provide BLM the opportunity to review all changes before finalizing the schedule and work plan.

The BLM will provide all changes to the work plan and schedule to the contractor within 5 calendar days of the Initial Project Meeting. Based on BLM’s review, the contractor will finalize the work plan and schedule and provide it to the BLM with 7 business days of the Initial Project Management Meeting. The Contractor will coordinate one project management call (to be held virtually) every two weeks. If the Contractor or BLM feels that a specific call is not needed during certain phases of this project, it may be cancelled if both BLM and the Contractor agree.

During some stages of the contract, there could be more frequent calls, and in some stages, fewer calls. The Contractor will provide notes from the bi-weekly conference call to all participants, and other interested parties, as identified by BLM. The Contractor will be responsible for creating agendas and capture notes from project conference calls and distributing them as well as creating and maintaining a project schedule with key milestones. The Contractor will assist BLM as necessary in coordinating with any identified cooperators with jurisdiction authority over resources that could be impacted by the proposed project.

The project details will be provided to the BLM. The Contractor, in consultation with BLM will provide timely notification to all participating parties if significant delays to the project schedule arise as part of the data collection and the analysis process.

Task 2: Develop issue-based EA and DR/FONSI. Address proposed Castner Glacier increased visitor impacts and framework for GFO RAMP goals and objectives, incorporating future recreational opportunities Subtasks Deliverables: Initial meeting; Initial internal BLM IDT Meeting, Development of alternatives and identify EA issues, develop EA framework to implement RAMP; Preliminary Draft EA and DR for BLM review, Revised Draft EA and DR, Final EA with DR.

The Contractor will consult with the BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner (ORP)/project lead on the proposed recreation use decisions, goals for RAMP development, RMP implementation, and long-term management strategies for the area. The Contractor shall set up a meeting with the ORP within 7 business days of finalizing the project schedule to discuss the EA needed to proceed with the proposed management goals and decisions. The Contractor will receive current GIS data of all linear features, boundaries, and land status in the RAMP project area from BLM and work with the ORP to develop geospatial needs for the proposed actions.

The BLM will conduct the needed natural and cultural surveys required for the proposed project area and supply the Contractor with final reports of the findings. The Contractor will provide the BLM a draft EA (using RAMP goals and objectives as proposed actions) following final cultural and natural resource surveys provided to them. The BLM will review the document and provide feedback within 20 business days. The communication will continue in the same fashion until the BLM approves the final draft. Once approved by the BLM, the Contractor will finalize the EA and provide the BLM with finalized copies of the EA and DR/FONSI for Authorized Officer (AO) approval and decision, timeline based on Contractor proposed schedule. During the BLM review, the AO shall have the opportunity to address any required edits or changes to the document.

Task 3: Develop Draft RAMP for BLM review and Final RAMP for GFO Subtasks Deliverables: Development of RAMP. Incorporation of RMP decisions for area management.

The Contractor will develop a RAMP for the GFO and address the following within it:

Section 1: Introduction - Executive summary, purpose of the RAMP, relationship to other documents, area overview, RMP objectives to achieve within the parameters established in the RMP.

Section 2: Management - Commitment of resources, services to offer to visitors, development of facilities, access, and visitor health and safety. Travel management decisions for Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV) and management of OHVs for the Castner Glacier trail and management area. Identification of social components such as group sizes, commercial groups sizes/limits, evidence of use, and contacts with other groups and desired user experiences. Limitations on lands and realty actions (ROW, Use Permits, Leases Commercial Filming) that are contrary to management objectives. Development of management objectives which support existing VRM and ROS classes. Development of Objective Statement and activities, benefits, experiences which support this statement.

Section 3: Administration – Permits and any permit systems to include caps on commercial permits, limits on commercial group sizes, commercial use seasons, or limits to commercial use days. Other use restrictions (private party, pop-up events, sponsored events with or without vendors), partnership agreements, data management protocols, timelines, priorities for implementation, and cost estimates of implementation projects. Consideration of any supplementary rules as identified through IDT or scoping process, for example fires within cave, use of artificial light, and ice graffiti/vandalism.

Section 4: Information and Education - Map development, outreach efforts, sign placement, and other visitor information delivery services.

Section 5: Monitoring (recreation resources and visitor use) - Visitor use and use patterns, recreation (caused resource effects or impacts), visitor satisfaction and demand, and effectiveness or attainment of outcomes-focused management objectives, recreation setting characteristics, standards, and indicators.

The Contractor will provide a draft RAMP based on their proposed schedule. The BLM will have 15 business days to review the draft and provide the Contractor with any comments and changes to be addressed. The contractor shall set up a meeting or conference call with the BLM to discuss the draft document and any comments that need to be addressed. Once edits are incorporated and approved by the BLM, the Contractor will have 10 business days to complete the final RAMP.

Task 4: Conduct Scoping Meetings Subtasks Deliverables: 1 Virtual Scoping Meeting; all materials for scoping meeting; scoping comment summary report with draft responses.

Facilitate Public Meeting to Gather Information for RAMP development. The Contractor shall send the BLM developed letter/postcard for review for the one preliminary virtual public scoping meeting to the recipients provided by the BLM (due at a time to be determined by the BLM and the Contractor and identified in the proposed schedule). The Contractor shall schedule, prepare materials for, and facilitate a public scoping meeting (virtually) with the goals of identifying resource concerns. Contractor shall provide a comprehensive report that summarizes substantial comments, by theme, collected during public meeting and route evaluation scoping period and develop comment responses by theme. Delivery date or timeframe: BLM will provide contractor a list of recipients, including government to government/Tribal and cooperating agencies, and will require the public scoping meeting to be facilitated between the dates of 8/20/2023 and 9/1/2023.

Optional Tasks to Be Performed: Optional tasks are subject to availability of funding and may be executed in any order, simultaneously, or not at all. Contractor will provide a separate quote for these optional tasks to hold meetings in-person. These meetings would be held in person in place of the virtual meetings. These meetings would be held in person in addition to the virtual meetings.

Optional Task 1a: In-Person Preliminary scoping meeting for RAMP development and environmental analysis to be held in Fairbanks Alaska, concurrent with task 1, 2, 3, and 4 proposed schedules as identified in Contractor proposal.

Optional Task 1b: Virtual draft EA meeting, concurrent with task 1, 2, and 3, and 4 proposed schedules as identified in Contractor proposal.

Deliverables:

The deliverables include providing technical assistance and support to:

(1) Prepare all applicable RAMP documentation, including supporting NEPA EA documentation to include analysis for the RAMP, including map development for management area, as identified in Task 2 and 3 above.

(2) Prepare and coordinate an initial planning meeting to be held with the ORP and GFO IDT staff to identify issues and alternatives for analysis in the EA and RAMP, and to bring forward to public scoping. To be held virtually.

(3) Prepare all materials for and facilitate up to 1 public virtual meeting for scoping and public comment and review. Optional task pricing would reflect in-person scoping meeting and additional virtual draft EA meeting..

(4) Draft communication for and coordinate notification with Tribal, general public, and State of Alaska stakeholders on project events and comment periods. Contractor will be responsible for preparation of outreach materials, public meeting materials, and email and mail notification and distribution. BLM will be responsible for all government-to-government meetings, and Tribal consultation.

(5) Contractor will be responsible for summary of public comments, draft responses, and public reviews periods, including compilation and preparation of the administrative record following the final RAMP. Administrative record will be prepared in an electronic format which will contain a spreadsheet indexed table of contents.

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