CN-370000-PL263-T906CO1.pdf

Daniel Hipes Digitally signed by Daniel Hipes Date: 2020.11.19 09:30:05 -05'00'

Scope of Work

Comprehensive Update of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network with Additional Prioritization for the Florida Forever Conservation Needs Assessment

The Florida Ecological Greenways Network (FEGN) is part of the legislatively adopted Florida Greenways Plan administered by the Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT) in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Florida Statutes, Chapter 260). The FEGN was delineated as the ecological component of a Statewide Greenways System plan developed by the DEP Office of Greenways and Trails (OGT) and University of Florida, under guidance from the Florida Greenways Coordinating Council and the Florida Greenways and Trails Council. The FEGN guides OGT ecological greenway conservation efforts and promotes public awareness of the need for and benefits of a statewide ecological network. It is also used as the primary data layer to inform Florida Forever and other state and regional land acquisition programs regarding the location of the most important conservation corridors and large, intact landscapes across the state. The FEGN identifies the best opportunities to connect large conservation lands for both biodiversity and to maintain ecological functions.

The last base boundary and prioritization updates to the FEGN occurred in 2013 and 2016 respectively.

The Florida Greenways Plan (managed by the Office of Greenways and Trails in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection) calls for a base boundary update to the FEGN approximately every five years and therefore a revision is currently overdue. It is essential that the FEGN be updated to address both land use changes and incorporate updated or new relevant biodiversity and ecosystem priority data through boundary and priority modifications and strategic conservation planning so that areas essential for functional ecological connectivity can be protected or expanded before they are lost to development.

The University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning (CLCP) and the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) propose to conduct a comprehensive update of the FEGN for the benefit of the Florida Forever Program, the Greenways and Trails program, and other conservation planning efforts including CLIP. Tom Hoctor, Director of the CLCP, has been the lead developer of the FEGN since its inception in the late 1990s, and will take the lead role in updating the base boundary and standard prioritization of the FEGN, while Jon Oetting, Chief of Conservation Services at FNAI, will take the lead role in finalizing FNAI resource data to be incorporated into the base boundary, and developing a further prioritization of the FEGN of specific relevance for the Florida Forever Conservation Needs Assessment.

These new GIS data will be provided to FDEP, FDACS, FWC, and other state, regional, and federal entities involved in species, habitat, biodiversity, and wildlife corridor planning in Florida as well as incorporated in any future update to the Florida Critical Lands and Waters Identification Project (CLIP) GIS database.

FEGN data is also used as one of the core layers in the Florida Strategic Plan for Military Readiness, an ongoing initiative in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and University of Florida.

Change Order 1 - SOW Revised

Boutin_S Highlight

Florida Ecological Greenways Network Update Scope of Work Page 2

Project Phasing and Tasks

Phase I – Completion June 25, 2020

Activity 1: Establish a Technical Advisory Group to Oversee the FEGN Update – previous updates to the FEGN have been conducted with the assistance of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) made up of a range of natural resource and conservation planning experts and stakeholders to provide review and input on the Greenways model. Representatives from the following agencies and organizations will be invited to participate:

• Florida Department of Environmental Protection

• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

• Florida Forestry Service

• Florida Department of Transportation

• One or more Water Management Districts

• NGOs such as Florida Wildlife Corridor, The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Florida, Defenders of Wildlife, Florida Wildlife Federation

• Private industry interests such as timber and ranching representatives

• Additional scientific experts in conservation planning and wildlife biology

Activity 2: Initial Inventory of Natural Resource Data Layers – we will conduct a review of statewide natural resource data layers that have been used in previous Greenways updates and where updates have been completed, or where additional updates could be undertaken within the scope of this project. We will also explore new data layers that may be available to inform the FEGN base boundary or prioritizations.

Phase II – Completion January 31, 2021

Activity 3: Input Data Updates and Completion of Input Database – we will finalize updates to natural resource data layers that will form inputs into the FEGN base boundary and/or priorities.

These will likely include limited revisions to data layers such as: FNAI Rare Species Habitat Conservation Priorities, Priority Natural Communities, Potential Natural Areas, Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas, Landscape Integrity Index.

Activity 4: Identify Priority Ecological Areas and Core Hubs – we will compile a first draft of the natural resource hubs that form the core of the FEGN base boundary, in preparation for a first round of review by the TAG. Additional data layers may be incorporated as the hubs and full base boundary undergo review and finalization. Core hubs will be based on priority conservation areas for a variety of resource types including wide-ranging species population centers, high priority habitat for rare species, priority natural communities, large intact landscapes, water resource priorities, existing conservation land boundaries, etc.

Activity 5: Finalize FEGN Base Boundary – after finalizing core hubs, we will conduct a connectivity analysis to identify corridors and landscapes to connect and enhance core hubs. After review and input from TAG this map will be finalized as the FEGN Base Boundary.

Florida Ecological Greenways Network Update Scope of Work Page 3

Activity 6: First Draft of Standard FEGN Priorities – We will create an initial version of the FEGN priorities by assigning the priorities from the 2016 version of the FEGN. Priority 1 represents "Critical Linkages" that are needed to achieve a statewide connected ecological network, while subsequent priority classes will highlight additional important corridors as well as adding redundancy to the network of critical linkages.

Phase III – Completion June 1, 2021

Activity 7: Revise FEGN Priorities – We will revise the priorities of the FEGN, review the results, and then get consensus approval of the priority revisions resulting in the new prioritized FEGN.

Th base boundary will be classified into 5-7 priority categories following a similar approach to previous FEGN model versions. Priority 1 represents "Critical Linkages" that are needed to achieve a statewide connected ecological network, while subsequent priority classes will highlight additional important corridors as well as adding redundancy to the network of critical linkages. This will include consideration of sea level rise and its potential effect on high priority (P1-P3) corridors and the possibility of upgrading some of the Priority 3 corridors to higher priorities based on consideration of the strategic importance of functional redundancy in the FEGN high priorities. This will include as assessment of the width and other functional attributes of all current P1-P3 corridors in the FEGN to determine if widening or other modifications are warranted.

Activity 8: Strategic Prioritization and Development of Florida Forever acquisition priorities –We will also develop an alternative set of priorities within the FEGN base boundary specifically to address the needs of the Florida Forever land acquisition program. These priorities will address areas within the Greenways network that will most benefit from strategic targeted land acquisition to secure critical gaps within the network. Factors such as threats from land use conversion or sea level rise, and availability of alternative pathways for connectivity will be considered in this prioritization.

Activity 9: Develop Final Report and Documentation

Final Deliverables

• Final Report

• GIS Database - including new FEGN base boundary, new prioritized FEGN, major component layers including Priority Ecological Areas, Hubs, Ecological Connectivity model results, Threats and Opportunity layers, Strategic Priority and Florida Forever evaluation process layers

• GIS Data Guide

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The CONTRACTOR shall submit products/invoices for work completed on or before the dates set forth in the schedule that follows:

Payment and Invoice Schedule:

PHASE I - Activity 1 and 2

INVOICE DATE: 6/25/2020

INVOICE AMOUNT: $100,000

PHASE II - Activity 3,4,5,and 6

INVOICE DATE: 1/31/2021

INVOICE AMOUNT: $50,000

PHASE III - Activity 7, 8 and 9

INVOICE DATE: 6/1/2021

INVOICE AMOUNT: $50,000

TOTAL BUDGET: $200,000

Invoices should be sent to the DEP CONTRACT MANAGER, Deborah Burr Deborah.Burr@dep.state.fl.us and to Sheryl Boutin Sheryl.Boutin@dep.state.fl.us

All invoice shall include the corresponding reporting period for each Phase.

mailto:Deborah.Burr@dep.state.fl.us mailto:Sheryl.Boutin@dep.state.fl.us