SOW_NPL_Rangeland_Inventory_082022.pdf

NAVAJO PARTITIONED LANDS

PRECINCT 1, 2 & 3 VEGETATIVE STUDY

SPECIES-SPECIFIC ANALYSIS

OBJECTIVE:

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will provide funds to a selected contractor to perform the species-specific analysis of vegetative field data measurements of clippings collected from approx.

1093 transects within 17 Range Units covering 907,923 acres within the Navajo Partitioned Lands (NPL) Precinct 1, 2 and 3. Total grazable vegetation data measurements obtained through field surveys will assess biomass production and cover. The data obtained will also be used to calculate annual production, species frequency, and carrying capacity. See appendices. Transect Location Map

BACKGROUND AND SCOPE OF SERVICES

Navajo Partitioned Lands (NPL) is Navajo Tribal Trust Lands that are held in trust by the Federal government for individual tribal members that these tracts will be used for agriculture and ranching. Re-issuing livestock grazing permits for the Navajo Partitioned Lands is a priority and for that to be achieved for management purposes current vegetative data and measurements to determine livestock carrying capacity and stocking rates relative to available forage is desired. This proposal addresses the need to complete the species-specific analysis of the range Inventory of NPL. Precincts 1, 2, and 3 had been inventoried completing study points and or transects in 2016 and 2017 that established range land conditions, trend, and recommended livestock management practices.

The Navajo Nation (NN) has requested the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Navajo Regional Office (BIA-NRO) to update the inventories completed previously in 2016 and 2017. Inventories completed were to support and complement the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) range land management practices and will continue to be the goal. The protection, conservation, and maintenance of a sustained yield of natural resources including rangeland is a basic trust responsibility of the United States and that the land is mainly rangeland used for grazing livestock. Rangeland on NPL like other parts of the Navajo Nation has shown an increase of human population, residential settlement, housing subdivision, and other economic development that leads to reduction of land available for grazing and increase land disputes.

The objective of facilitating vegetative study clippings and field data and measurements is to obtain range inventory (forage production and species composition) to compare to current grazing practices and stocking rates. Goals are as follows:

- Provide the best possible current base line vegetation data for NPL to determine the carrying capacity and stocking rate.

- Create a reference document that provides data and information on vegetation and its productivity and trends

- Comply with the American Indian Agriculture Resource Management Act (AIARMA), (107 Stat. 2011, 25U.S.C. § 3703 et seq.), as amended. The purposes of AIARMA include carrying out the trust responsibility of the United States and promoting self-determination of Indian tribes by providing for the management of Indian agricultural lands and related renewable resources in a manner consistent with identified tribal goals and priorities for conservation, multiple use, and sustained yield.

1.1 Objectives

The objective of this 2022 collected field vegetation survey clippings is to conduct a total grazable species analysis that will provide the best possible vegetation data inventory for Navajo Partitioned Lands from approximately 100% of the total number of transects previously analyzed and produce the following:

Transects Information

• Transects photo

• Soil Component

• Ecological Site

Productivity

• Plant code and name

• Plot size

• Percent grazed of all transects clipped

Plant Calculations

• Total Clipping weight

• Percent air dry weight (ADW)

• Average yield

• Frequency

• Grazing Area Adjustment

• Initial Stocking Rates and carrying capacity should be based on a calculation of available forage as recognized by the National Range and Pasture Handbook

(USDA NRCS 2003)

Project Description:

The selected contractor will perform the total grazable species analysis of the collected field clippings including all GIS shape files, hard and electronic copy of all transect data, measurements, and photos to complete the objectives

Scope of Work For the reissuance of livestock grazing permits on the Navajo Partitioned Lands there is the lack of current vegetation data and information to determine useable forage to calculate carrying capacity (without deduction), and percent cover by range site. Update the stocking rate. The range sites for the project area have been digitized, so the acreages for each polygon are known. The study will explain and discuss the results and analyze and interpret the results.

Proposed methodology. The NPL, Bureau of Indian Affairs will provide the contractor a soil/ecological site map showing the location of all sample location of those that were included from the previous collected field data and measurements. The information will include the latitude/longitude and/or UTM coordinates for each sample location. Collection of vegetation in the project area shall be sampled based on the following protocols: Production using double sampling, assessment, shrubland, canopy cover, grazed class, and key forage species. for the total of all grazable species in each transect plot.

All analysis of the vegetation inventory or project tasks will be coordinated with the NPL program, and those tasks are divided into three phases with phase one (1) obtaining the field data clippings of the vegetation, phase two (2) preform the total grazable species analysis, and phase three (3) deliverable of final report including the electronic copies of the field data and measurements. A detailed report on collection of total annual biomass, frequency, cover range land health, and similarity site index per transect. Collect total annual biomasses for all grazable species, frequency, and cover. The NPL vegetative study will determine useable forage and stocking rate by ecological site and explain and discuss the results in determining stocking rate and grazing capacity for the project area. The study will meet the management objectives and sampling objectives in the most efficient matter and the recommendation is to obtain an 80 percent (%) confident that the population estimates (sample mean) are within 25 percent (%) of the estimated true value. A statistical analysis will be made to demonstrate how accurate and precise the biomass data are transected information, productivity, office data, plant calculation, and calculation of available forage as recognized by the National Range and Pasture Handbook (USDA NRCS 2003).

Project Deliverables

1. Hard and electronic copies of the total number of transects previously analyzed that is collected most efficiently covering all ecological sites previously sampled.

2. Electronic copies of the field data and measurements and its photographic reference to the location of the transects.

3. Final report (Hard and electronic copies) of data reduction and data interpretation that will include any index map of known forage quantities for the various range sites; ecological site description and location to measure vegetation for forage production, density, and GPS sample location.

4. Final Report (Hard and electronic copies), initial Stocking Rates and carrying capacity. And calculation of available forage as recognized by the National Range and Pasture Handbook, include ESD information. (USDA NRCS 2003).

Timeline to accomplish work. Upon receipt of funding, the tasks will be completed within 3 months (August, September, and October) by the selected contractor.

APPENDICES

Appendix 1. Map - Navajo Nation and NPL Location

Appendix 2. Map - NPL Precincts and Range Units

Appendix 3. Table - NPL project sampling locations

Appendix 4. Map- Transects location

Appendix 1. Navajo Nation and NPL Project Location Vegetative Inventory and Study

Appendix 2. NPL Study Project Area Precinct 1, Precinct 2, and Precinct 3

Appendix 3. Table Vegetative Inventory and Study Location

Navajo Partitioned Lands, Vegetation Study Sites

District Range Unit No. No. Studied Sites Acreage Total Acreage

Precinct 3 101 32 23,386

102 30 20,024

103 23 14,015

104 7 4,860

105 31 22,688

106 7 4,348

107 22 17,539

108 8 7,262

109 12 11,060

110 64 66,067

310 25 22,841

301 3 7,056

TOTAL 12 264 221,146 221,146

Precinct 1 409 31 21,403

501 27 18,579

502 3 1,731

503 9 5,554

504 13 8,561

505 3 1,640

506 6 5,556

507 32 23,681

508 13 9,563

509 17 11,293

510 14 10,200

511 14 8,379

512 12 9,016

513 11 7,377

514 24 15,573

515 3 2,004

516 3 1,548

517 17 10,291

518 9 10,291

TOTAL 261 182,240 182,240

Precinct 1 182,240 182,240

Precinct 3 221,146 221,146

Precinct 3 601 (PCC Lease) 0 12,540

602 (PCC Lease) 12* 9,253 9253

603 (PCC Lease) 0 21,420

PCC Lease Total 43,213

NPL Grand Total 537 489,812 412,639

Note: * included in the Vegetation Study and coordinates of transects available

Appendix 4. Vegetative Inventory and Study Project Area Precinct 1, Precinct 2, and Precinct 3