SOW_CESU-18-3-NWO-FOA MGT, SPECIES, ESA LEAST TERN_SNOWY PLOVER MONITORING (PREDATOR).pdf

Scope of Work for Vandenberg Air Force Base

MGT, SPECIES, LEAST TERN / SNOWY PLOVER

PREDATOR MGT

CESU 18-03

GENERAL: Projects for execution under this Cooperative Agreement (CA) by USACE do not include any functions to be performed that are inherently governmental. This determination is made with the assessment that places emphasis on the degree to which conditions and facts restrict the discretionary authority, decision-making responsibility, or accountability of Government officials using Non-Federal Entity (NFE) services or work products.

This CA shall not be used for performance of personal services. These tasks provided by the customer for execution under this CA by USACE do not include functions to be performed that are personal services.

Any modifications to Cooperative Agreement activities as outlined by this SOW/PWS must be channeled through the Grants Officer’s Technical Representative (GOTR) and Grants Officer (GO) prior to NFE implementation.

NFE personnel shall also wear a distinctive NFE furnished security (ID) badge/lanyard readily identifying the individual as a NFE employee. The badge shall be worn in a conspicuous place at all times when performing work under the Cooperative Agreement including attendance at Government meetings and conferences that take place outside of the Government facility.

NFE personnel shall identify themselves as an NFE employee when answering or placing calls on a Government telephone and when leaving outgoing or incoming messages on voice mail.

Use of acronyms in this identification is insufficient to meet this requirement.

All NFE email signatures shall identify them as such and will include their employer’s name.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the work to be performed under this task order are to conduct natural resource tasks on the federal lands belonging to Vandenberg AFB, and to prepare reports detailing the results of this work for submission to the USACE Omaha District POC, AFCEC Edwards Installation Support Section (ISS) POC, and Vandenberg Natural Resource Manager.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: 15 months from Award

GOVERNMENT POCS:

1. USACE Omaha District POC: Mr. David Leptien PM, (402) 995-2742, david.b.leptien@usace.army.mil

2. USACE Omaha District POC: Ms. Kali Evans, GOTR, (402) 995-2295, kali.l.evans@usace.army.mil

3. USACE Omaha District POC: Ms. Stephanie Rostermundt, Grants Officer, (402) 995- 2083, stephanie.a.rostermundt@usace.army.mil

This statement of work addresses the following tasks:

PROJECT

NUMBER

TITLE LOCATION

XUMUOS100818 MGT, SPECIES, ESA LEAST TERN /

SNOWY PLOVER, PREDATOR MGT

Vandenberg AFB

TASK ORDER PROJECT MANAGEMENT

1. WORK DESCRIPTION:

1.1. Attend an in-person project kick-off meeting within 30-days of award

1.2. Attend monthly and quarterly teleconferences for ensuring progress and coordination on project objectives.

2. DELIVERABLES & SCHEDULE:

2.1. Kick Off Meeting Minutes

2.2. Monthly Progress Report (MPR)

2.3. Teleconference Meeting Minutes – shall be integrated into quarterly status reports;

shall highlight action items from meeting.

2.4. Quarterly Status Reports – use of SF-PPR. Includes a schedule for deliverables.

2.5. Deliverable Schedule - shall include a schedule for completion of draft and final deliverables for all subtasks, and shall be submitted prior to the 1st monthly teleconference meeting. The deliverable schedule shall be approved by the USACE GOTR. Any subsequent changes to the schedule shall also be routed through the USACE GOTR and approved by the Grants Officer. All requested changes shall be reflected as an update to a monthly report.

Kick Off Meeting Minutes

Within 1 week after kick off meeting

USACE PM, AFCEC POC,

VAFB POC

Monthly Meeting Minutes

Within 1 week after monthly meeting

USACE PM, AFCEC POC,

VAFB POC

Monthly Status Reports

Draft by 8th of each month; Final due within 1 week of monthly meeting and shall include meeting minutes.

USACE PM, AFCEC POC,

VAFB POC

Deliverable Schedule

With first monthly report USACE PM, AFCEC POC, VAFB POC

Task 1 - XUMUOS100818 – PREDATOR MGMT for MGT, SPECIES, ESA LEAST TERN / SNOWY PLOVER, Vandenberg Air Force Base

1. WORK DESCRIPTION:

a. In consultation with 30 CES/CEIEA, and biologists completing California least tern and western snowy plover breeding monitoring; the NFE shall conduct live trapping and relocation of raptors that threaten California least terns and Western snowy plover as needed and permitted in support of requirements associated with the USFWS Biological Opinion 8-8-12-F-11R (Attachment 1) and Predator Management Plan (Attachment 2). Specifically:

Complete raptor nest and roost searches in the vicinity of the least tern nesting area at Purisima Point. Early and during season surveys are necessary to help predict population densities of resident and transient least tern predators and to establish territories, preferred roosts, presence and location of nest sites, and foraging routes. Post-season surveys may be required to proactively deal with threats for the next season or extended least tern presence on VAFB.

Principally, these surveys are meant to establish raptor use of the area which will ultimately help any trapping efforts that are undertaken when birds are identified as threats by this team or the least tern monitoring team.

The least tern management area is typically about 5,000 acres depending on the foraging and use areas of problem birds and the locations where least terns choose to nest in 2017 (Reference, NR-36). Species such as peregrine falcons and northern harriers can have very large foraging areas and known nesting sites can be far from the typical management area (e.g. known peregrine nests are at Lion’s Head, Honda Point, and Point Arguello).

These routine monitoring efforts should be undertaken by experienced raptor trapping biologists (see preferred qualifications below) to ensure the success of capture efforts and to maintain consistency of data with previous years.

Important aspects of this project are: an understanding of raptor behavior and biology, raptor conservation status and their role on the landscape, and the ecological importance of raptors at Vandenberg, thereby ensuring a responsible and ecosystem-minded avian predator management program.

Complete live trapping and relocation of raptors that threaten least terns.

Birds should be banded and relocated a distance from the nesting colony that prohibits their return. Established and proven raptor trapping methods should be employed with appropriate live bait. Federal permits are required and should be followed; problem raptors with active nests require special consideration.

Due to the uncertain nature of historic avian predator management at VAFB, proposals should outline their approach to dealing with this. Trapping efforts have ranged from 1 to 19 captures per year since 1999. Proposals shall not include assumptions for numbers of birds to be captured; proposals should instead outline an approach that is not contingent on this factor of the program.

Live trapping, banding, and relocation of raptors identified as an imminent threat to threatened snowy plovers shall be completed as needed. Birds would be identified by snowy plover monitors at no cost to the NFE. A plover monitor would be required for activities within snowy plover nesting habitat but will also be provided at no cost to the NFE with adequate advance notice.

This work will entail extra reconnaissance and monitoring work to ensure successful capture as nest/roost/foraging monitoring of raptors are not routinely completed for snowy plover beaches.

Data shall be collected during monitoring activities and shall include:

location, species, behavior, snowy plover and least tern threat status, etc. Data during capture events shall include trapping effort (hours), trap details, and observations among other things. All data shall be submitted to Vandenberg POC and the USACE GOTR at the completion of the study as raw electronic data (e.g. as an appendix in a final report).

b. Support the Snowy Plover Docent Program, as required under the Beach Management Biological Opinion Attachment 1). Work includes, but is not limited to:

completion of weekly plover activity reports; providing outreach classes to local schools in an attempt to educate the local community on why the beaches close;

preparation for outreach classes including putting together training programs/curriculum and craft projects; managing docents to include training, responding to questions, distributing T-shirts and materials, scheduling, and recruiting; and inspecting beach exclosure fencing and installing outreach signage at applicable locations.

2. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: The NFE shall have a valid California Hunting

Licenses, California Trapping Licenses (or equivalent accepted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]), and be added to the Depredation Permit issued to the AF by the USFWS Migratory Bird Permit Office prior to the start of work.

a. Routine raptor monitoring efforts shall be undertaken by experienced raptor trapping biologists, with at least five (5) years’ experience, to ensure the success of capture efforts. Important aspects of this project are an understanding of raptor behavior and biology, raptor conservation status and their role on the landscape, and the ecological importance of raptors at Vandenberg, thereby ensuring a responsible and ecosystem-minded avian predator management program.

b. Raptor biologists must be named in permits from CDFW and USFWS for all species that could possibly pose a problem and require trapping or depredation. Obtaining these permits shall be the responsibility of the NFE. Approved release sites, trapping and translocation conditions, and authorized individuals are outlined in these permits and are required when relocating birds off VAFB’s federal land. Field personnel shall be added to a VAFB USFWS permit for bird depredation under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). Additionally, field personnel shall have the following: a USFWS Federal Bird Banding Permit (for regulations listed under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of July 3, 1918 (40 Stat. 755) as amended, or the Bald Eagle Act of June 8, 1940 (54 Stat. 250) as amended), Peregrine Falcon Take Memorandum of Understanding from CDFW (Fish and Game Code Section 3511 and California Code of Regulations Title 14 Section 670.7); and CDFW Scientific Collection Permit.

NOTE: There is a scarcity of CDFW permits to relocate peregrine falcons which are still state- listed and fully protected.

3. DELIVERABLES:

a. Bi-Monthly Status Reports (final only) - provide one representative to attend a bi-monthly meeting of the Western snowy plover/least tern management team and coordinate activities with other team members between March 1 and September 30.

b. Submit a draft report on monitoring activities within 45 days of end of field season (approximately 15 November), and final nesting season report NLT 15 January following receipt of comments from VAFB POC.

c. GIS Files - all raw data and Geographic Information System (GIS) files shall be submitted to Vandenberg POC as raw electronic data NLT 15 January.

4. REFERENCES:

NR-36 Predator Management for Protection of the Western Snowy Plover and California

Least Tern Breeding on VAFB, California, 2014 Annual Report, ManTech SRS. (Provided with RFP package)