Chicago Botanic Garden Scope of Work.docx

Chicago Botanic Garden, Plants of Concern Project Name: Statewide Rare Plant Data Collection utilizing Citizen Science Volunteers

Scope Summary Start date: Upon Full Execution End date: December 31, 2027 Total contract amount: $99,500

Scope of Work Task 1 – Rare Plant Surveys

· Vendor shall locate occurrences of State-listed and other rare native plant species and monitor locations of these species in northeastern, northwestern, and southern Illinois; the three geographic locations in Illinois where the highest numbers of endangered and threatened plant species occur yet where a prevalence of the Department’s location records are historic (greater than 20, 30, or 40 years depending on the species.)

· Meander Surveys: Surveys shall be conducted utilizing meander survey methods, i.e., walking randomly within suitable habitat for the species attempting to cover most of the sample area, appropriately timed to support positive identification, and using sufficient survey effort for the species.

· Repeat surveys shall be performed where no individuals are found at known locations.

· Vendor shall train citizen scientists to conduct plant surveys collecting location and ecological data at historically known, existing, and novel plant locations utilizing contemporary online trainings and a mobile web application for the collection of data.

· Training Rare Plant Monitors: Vendor shall train a sufficient number of plant monitors to accomplish surveys of 300 unique plant species surveys (ranked S1, S2 or S3 in Biotics 5) annually for 2 years. At a minimum, training shall include plant identification, survey methods, data collection and quality control, and data curation. Vendor shall provide 2-4 training events per year for each of Plants of Concern’s regions.

· Enhance current mobile application to improve field survey data collection and curation. Desired data collection features shall include:

· Data Monitored

· Search Effort in Person-hours and Area

· Presence of population

· GPS Coordinates of population

· Soil moisture conditions at time of survey

· Area (m2) occupied by population

· Growth form observed

· Reproductive Stage

· Count method-Direct count or estimate

· Number Flowering/fruited vs vegetative

· Dominant Native Trees, Shrubs, Vines, and/or Herbaceous plants

· Name and % cover of invasive species present

· % impact on population by deer, erosion, and other threats

· Observed management in the search area

· Directions to the population

· Photos of focal species for ID verification Deliverable Task 1

· Transfer of information to the Department. Vendor shall electronically transfer data to the specifications of the Department’s Natural Heritage Biotics 5.0 Database to inform species status assessments, distribution mapping, and conservation guidance.

· Vendor shall provide triannual (April, August, & December) digital data downloads from historically known, existing, and novel rare plant locations to the Natural Heritage Database. Reports must include locations where a species is looked for, but no observations occur during the survey effort. A minimum of 300 unique plant species surveys shall be submitted per year.

· Vendor shall conduct triannual (April, August, & December) virtual meetings with the Department’s Division of Natural Heritage’s Natural Areas Program, Database Program, and Endangered Species Program to provide and review data collection accomplishments and to collaboratively adjust species priorities, if needed.

· Vendor shall provide an annual (December) report and final report within 60 days after the closing period with details of survey efforts for each surveyed area including qualitative survey method employed, population size estimates, associated species, presence of non-native invasive species, and presence of threats to populations. Final report shall also address accomplishments, limitations to data collection, and recommendations for continued rare plant data collection initiatives.

· Metrics of how many new monitors and surveys as a result of the trainings will be provided in the annual and final reports.

Task 2 – Species Status Assessments

· Vendor shall use all data available to create Species Status Assessments (SSA’s) for a select set of species.

· SSA’s shall be created by vendor staff of plant species selected by the Department according to IDNR’s Species Recovery Guidance. Species will be selected by the Departments needs and vendor staff expertise.

Deliverable – Task 2

· Vendor shall create 4-6 SSA’s each year for the life of the contract, due in December of each year. Final SSA’s shall be in the format provided in the IDNR’s Species Recovery Guidance and be approved by the Department’s Endangered Species Program. Edits may be needed to conform to the Departments standards. Final documents will be property of the Department.

Task 3 – Professional Advice

· Vendor shall provide professional advice and opinion to the Department upon their request related to plant biology, distribution, physiology, and conservation status during the length of the contract.

Vendor / Staff Specifications:

· Vendor shall provide the required equipment and personnel to successfully complete the project in the time frame and conditions specified.

· Vendor shall have proven experience in rare plant identification and monitoring and citizen scientist engagement in northeastern, northwestern, and southern Illinois. Vendor shall have the ability to coordinate regional botany staff.

· Vendor shall have experience collecting, collating, and transmitting plant data electronically.

· Vendor must request and receive appropriate landowner permissions and necessary relevant regulatory permits prior to data collection.

· Staff hired under this project shall have a minimum of two (2) years of botanical taxonomy field experience identifying rare plants.

References

· Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Natural Heritage. 2025. NatureServe Biotics 5 Database. Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Springfield, Illinois.

· Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board. 2025. The Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Species. Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board, Springfield, Illinois. (https://dnr.illinois.gov/espb/etlistandlistreviewandrevision/e-t-list-2025.html).

· Illinois Natural History Survey. 2022. Plant S-Rank Project Annual Report. 30 pp. University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Illinois.

· Mohlenbrock, R.H. 2014. Vascular Flora of Illinois. A Field Guide. 4th ed., 536 pp. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, Illinois. ISBN 978-0-8093-3208-3.

· Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Natural Heritage. Species Recovery Guidance. 2025. https://naturalheritage.illinois.gov/speciesconservation/recovery/recovery-guidance.html