SOW_-_Rare_Plant_Survey_-_P1223Q0059_.docx

Statement of Work for Rocky Mountain National Park Rare Plant Survey The intent of this contract is to complete a pedestrian plant survey for rare and threatened plants listed in the contract. Once found; photo document the plants, acquire GPS location data, acquire density data, and flag off the plants for avoidance during a future thinning and pile burning operations. Work entails maintaining a GPS track log and generating a final written report that includes methodology and documents findings. Surveys must be completed by individuals who can identify the listed plants as demonstrated by experience with the listed species, experience and training with taxonomic keys, and formal education related to botanical identification. Efforts should be made to complete surveys when plants are flowering or at the height of detectability, pre-post snow.

Due to annual funding limitations, this project has been broken into 14 individual blocks for quote. Dependent upon availability of funds, award will “all, some, or none” of the proposed blocks. Please remember to bid on each block individually and independent. All bids should be broken up into costs by block for rare plant survey. Please see attached Excel document titled “Bid Schedule – Plant Survey”.

The areas are broken up into several blocks that are located on both the east and west sides of Rocky Mountain National Park. Maps of these blocks are included at the end of this document.

Portions of the project are located on very steep terrain with all aspects represented. The forest inside this project on the west side of the park is generally mixed conifer with a heavy presence of lodgepole, much of which is beetle killed, with a large amount of dead and down material and lesser areas of a spruce/fir mix. The east side of the park is generally mixed conifer with varying amounts of lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine, spruce, fir, and some aspen stands as well as lesser areas of open meadow. Elevation of the project sites ranges from 7,900 feet to 10,000 feet. Weather at this elevation can include rain, lightning, sun, snow, and occasional high winds (30-60 mph). All work will be conducted within the Park’s boundaries or on Bureau of Reclamation land with a current and valid Memorandum of Understanding. Between 2005 and present, pine beetles and other insects have been very active, and this has generated a mosaic of mortality in all the conifer species. This disturbance and past thinning projects have generated significant response in ground cover in some areas that may greatly increase the survey workload. It is the contractor’s responsibility to inspect each block prior to bidding on it in order to understand the site conditions and associated workload. Workload between blocks and within blocks is highly variable. Each block is open to potential contractors at any time in the same manner as it is to the public. It is highly recommended that the contractor grids each block prior to bidding to understand the highly variable nature of the surface vegetation and the associated volume of work. Block boundaries are not marked. Geo-referenced maps will be provided upon the awarding of the contract to locate block boundaries. Aerial imagery provided in the maps of each block may not show all the recent stand mortality.

Work Specifications

· Work on the Rocky Mountain National Park plant survey contract is intended to be conducted in the spring shortly after snow melt and shortly after plants start producing new leaves and flowers. Before work may proceed contractor must have permission to do so from the Contract Officer and scheduled an arrival date and time with the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

· To ensure field crews understand and remember all the specifications, the contractor will keep a copy of this statement of work on site during operations.

· To ensure all specifications are well understood, the COR will plan to be on site for a minimum of 4 hours on the first day. Actual start date should be scheduled in advance with the COR (to ensure availability) after permission to proceed has been released by the Contract Officer.

· It is recommended, but not required, that the first block be finished, and drafts of deliverables be provided to the COR for review prior to large volumes of additional work occurring. In this way deficiencies in meeting the specifications can be determined early and thus costly rework can be avoided. The COR will strive to provide feedback within 3 business days.

· The contractor is responsible for inspecting and ensuring all work meets or exceeds the specifications prior to COR inspection to avoid costly rework.

· Complete a pedestrian survey of each block.

Spacing Max individual survey width should be no more than 5 meters on each side. So, when griding a block the first pass would be 5 meters from the boundary and when multiple surveyors are used, they would be spaced no more than 10 meters apart. If the contractor determines the terrain or vegetation is too thick to allow rare plant detection at 5 meters, spacing should be reduced.

Track Logs Each individual should generate a GPS track log with an accuracy of + or – 3 meters. Track logs should capture a point at least once every 2 minutes while moving and should have some element of time stamps. Should work require a surveyor to remain stationary for some time the track log should be paused rather than generate lots of points on top of each other. Track logs need to be provided both electronically and depicted on a printed map of each unit. Track logs should be displayed on the map with a 5-meter buffer on each side to help depict area surveyed or areas missed. Should gaps between track log buffers exceed 6 meters (due to human error and combined variability of GPS accuracy) the gap should be surveyed, and an additional track log generated. At a minimum start and end times of each track log should be displayed, as well as the survey date. Temporary flagging or pin flags may be used to help mark the path of each surveyor but must be completely removed from the park when finished. Range finders or other measuring devices are recommended for maintaining spacing.

GIS Deliverables The contractor is expected to submit all raw data, derived data products, and other supporting materials created or gathered in the course of work. Provide all maps, collected field data (in raw and processed format) and GIS generated spatial data to NPS.

· All geodatabase feature classes, and field collected GPS data shall conform to the UTM, NAD 83 (2011), 13N projection.

· All GIS products will follow NPS Guidelines (NPS Core Spatial Data Standard (2016); NPS GIS Layer Naming Conventions Guidelines).

Maps Electronic copies of all maps provided in the report deliverable shall be included as *.pdf’s. The following elements shall be incorporated into all GIS generated maps.

· All layers represented in the geographic extent must be identified and clearly labeled in the legend.

· Symbology in legend should match that in the geographic extent.

· Where applicable, include a set of reference maps (e.g., overview maps with plot locations, cities, roads).

· Include reference citations for all data layers reproduced in the map.

Flagging

Should rare plant/s be located red and white candy stripe flagging should be hung around the plant or collection of plants to prevent the thinning contractor from working in that area. At a minimum 4 pieces of flagging (each more than 1 foot long) should be hung with at least a 1-meter buffer around the plant/s. For larger areas distance between flagging should never exceed 10 feet.

Documenting Listed Plant Finds

· A site-specific reference number should be generated for the plant location that includes the area name, block number, and abbreviation for the plant species. Example #7-GLakeBlock-AbDen.

· A GPS point should be taken with an accuracy of + or - 3 meters. For areas containing rare plants that are larger than 15 square meters GPS a perimeter around the plant cluster.

· For clusters of plants greater than one square meter estimate average density of stems per square meter. For clusters of plants less than one square meter count and record stems present. Plant clusters more than 15 meters apart should not be lumped together.

· Take 2-4 photos of the area from a distance for assistance in relocation, helpful to include adjacent landmarks like boulders or trees. In addition, take 1-2 close-up photos of the plant to verify species and record plant condition. Resolution of photo should depict details down to the millimeter level. Each photo should be digital, in color, contain a scale or coin of known size, and contain a placard (depicting date, compass direction facing, and site reference number). Photos will be printed in the final report and delivered in digital format.

Please take special note of the following:

· Parking for vehicles is available on a first come first serve basis (see maps). Parking off-road on the vegetation inside Rocky Mountain National Park is not allowed. Any parking on adjacent private property must be arranged by the contractor with the property owner and may not in any way include or involve Rocky Mountain National Park staff.

· Please note there are some very steep rocky areas that will be very difficult to work in, especially in parts of the North Lateral Moraine, Emerald Mountain, and Grand Lake Blocks. Please ensure your crews are willing and able to complete the required work on these steep slopes in these blocks before submitting a bid for them.

RMNP Rare Threatened and Endangered Vascular Plants

Coded values / Range

The majority of the contract is located on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park west of downtown Estes Park, Colorado off Highways 34 and 36 and off of Bear Lake Road. There are several parking lots associated with the east side blocks available to the public and the contractor on a first come first serve basis. The contractor must get permission from private property owners to park on and cross private property. To get to Estes Park from Denver it’s approximately 30 miles north to Longmont on I-25 then another 16 miles west on Highway 66 to Lyons then another 23 miles west on US Highway 36. The blocks on the west side of the park have several public parking lots that may be used to access the blocks including the East Shore Trailhead providing access to both the Shadow Mountain Lookout and Grand Lake Blocks. From Granby, CO head north 16 miles on Hwy 34 to Grand Lake. During the summer when Trail Ridge Road is open the project areas can be accessed through the park, otherwise access between Estes Park and Grand Lake requires a long circuitous drive.

Greater Vicinity Map

WEST SIDE BLOCKS:

BOR Block:

Grand Lake Block

Shadow Mountain Block:

EAST SIDE BLOCKS:

Fall River Block:

Horseshoe Meadows Block:

North Lateral Moraine Block:

South Lateral Moraine Block:

Beaver Meadows Block:

Emerald Mountain Block:

Deer Mountain Block:

Lily Lake Block:

Allenspark Block:

McGraw Ranch:

Windcliff:

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