SOW_WNA_LMD_1.docx

Performance Work Statement (PWS) Vegetation Inventory – Western Navajo Agency, Land Management District (LMD) 1, Units 1–4 (Tonalea, Kaibeto, Coppermine & LeChee), 818,219 acres

1. Background The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Western Navajo Agency, Branch of Natural Resources must manage tribal trust rangelands in accordance with the Navajo Grazing Regulation of 1957 (25 CFR §167 et seq.) to adjust livestock numbers to the carrying capacity of the range to preserve the livestock economy of the Navajo Tribe. This effort requires a vegetation inventory across LMD 1 to inform carrying capacity determinations and rangeland management decisions.

2. Scope The Contractor shall conduct a vegetation survey across LMD 1, Units 1–4, covering approximately 818,219 acres organized into 23 compartments, six Range Management Units. Field data shall be collected on 909 transects to support carrying capacity assessments and trend analysis.

3. Applicable Documents / References

· Navajo Grazing Regulation of 1957 (25 CFR §167 et seq.).

· American Indian Agricultural Resource Management Act (AIARMA), 25 U.S.C. §3703 et seq., as amended.

· NRCS Ecological Site Descriptions for AZ SSA 711 (Navajo Mountain Survey) and AZ SSA 707 (Little Colorado River Inventory).

· Previous Vegetation Inventories for LMD 1 (Government-Furnished Information).

4. Definitions / Acronyms

· BIA – Bureau of Indian Affairs.

· AIARMA – American Indian Agricultural Resource Management Act.

· SUYL – Sheep Unit Year Long (stocking rate unit).

· GFP/GFI – Government-Furnished Property / Government-Furnished Information.

· GIS – Geographic Information System.

· UTM NAD 1983 Zone 12 – Coordinate system required for GIS data, including shapefiles.

5. Requirements / Tasks (Outcome-Based) Objective: Generate defensible vegetation inventory data and analyses to support carrying capacity determinations, range trend evaluation, and public/producer outreach for LMD 1.

Tasks:

a. Plan & Mobilize

· Within 15 days of award, submit a project schedule covering fieldwork, analysis, draft, review, and final deliverables.

b. Field Data Collection

· Locate 909 transects using Government-provided maps and coordinates; use GPS to navigate to sample points. Each transect shall be numbered, dated, and photographed (two photos per transect) with clear photo identification labels.

· Collect vegetation data sufficient to estimate total biomass/forage production, percent frequency, percent cover, and similarity index by ecological site.

· Adhere to travel constraints (use established roads; hike to transects as required).

c. Data Management & Reduction

· Organize field data (electronic and/or hard copy), photos, GPS, and notes for submission to BIA as permanent records.

· Reduce data by ecological/range site and prepare complete vegetative analysis sheets in Microsoft Excel; spreadsheet format to be jointly determined by BIA and Contractor.

d. Analysis & Interpretation

· Determine total forage production and carrying capacity for LMD 1 Units 1–4 and compare to current livestock tally.

· Calculate percent frequency and percent cover by ecological site and explain results.

· Provide similarity indices by ecological site and as color-coded maps.

· Analyze and interpret results with tables, figures, maps, and natural history observations, including ecological sites, compartment numbers, acreage, total and average production, usable production by range unit, and carrying capacity; include photos and descriptions for predominant ecological sites/plant communities.

· Incorporate five (5) years of annual rainfall information from communities within the District in the analysis and discussion of trends.

e. Reporting

· Prepare draft and final technical reports using the required format: Cover Sheet; Abstract; Table of Contents; Introduction; Resource Descriptions; Methodology; Results; Discussion; Conclusions; Recommendations; Literature Cited; Figures; Tables; Appendix; Attachment; Map Atlas (index + nine 15-minute-scale sheets of range sites with updated SUYL stocking rates); and GIS database.

· Provide GIS deliverables: shapefiles in UTM NAD 1983 Zone 12, zipped, along with all supporting documentation.

f. Outreach Support

· Develop materials to educate, inform, and conduct outreach for the public and Diné producers on range conditions, trends, and current carrying capacity (adjusted SUYL).

g. Professional Staffing & Supervision

· Provide personnel with education/experience in range science, range ecology, plant biology, or related ecological sciences; field staff must have land navigation skills and capacity for accurate, tedious tasks in isolated areas.

· Supervise field personnel daily; if using a designee, that individual must hold a B.S. degree in one of the disciplines listed under Professional Qualifications.

· Submit statements of professional qualifications for all company and subcontractor personnel, including previous consulting assignments.

6. Deliverables

· Draft Technical Report: Due 45 days after completion of data collection; BIA review period is two (2) weeks.

· Final Technical Report: Delivered after 15 consecutive days of revision following BIA comments; provide six (6) hard-copy final reports within three (3) weeks of final review/comments.

· Report Content: Analysis and interpretation of data; updated carrying capacity and potential capacity under improved conditions for each compartment; discussion of range trends; rainfall analysis (five years); updated stocking rate attachment; discussion on frequency and cover; forage production and frequency/cover field data sheets; discussion, interpretation, and recommendations.

· GIS Data Package: Shapefiles (UTM NAD 1983 Zone 12) and supporting documentation; all hard-copy and electronic field data, photos, GPS files, and notes.

· Map Atlas: Index and nine 15‑minute‑scale sheets of range sites, with updated SUYL stocking rates (Acres/SUYL).

· Required Submission of All Field Materials The Contractor shall provide all field data collected in both its reduced form AND raw, unprocessed form as part of the final deliverables. This includes, but is not limited to:

· Raw vegetation data (all field sheets, electronic data, tallies).

· Raw GPS data for all transects.

· Raw photographs and photo logs.

· All field notes, notebooks, metadata, and intermediate files.

· Any unprocessed datasets generated during the inventory process.

· All electronic and hard‑copy materials, which will become permanent BIA records.

This requirement expands upon and reinforces the existing requirement that "all field data collected in electronic format or hard copies including photos and note taking will be submitted to BIA."

7. Performance Standards and Acceptable Quality Levels (AQLs)

· Field Data Integrity: Government may perform quality control checks and spot-check transect data sheets; incomplete or inaccurate work will be rejected. Minor problems must be corrected; major mistakes require re-running the transect. All failures to correctly collect or record field data are deemed major mistakes. AQL: 100% accuracy in data recording; corrective action for any deficiency.

· Supervision: Daily supervision of field personnel by Contractor or qualified designee (B.S. in approved discipline) is mandatory. AQL: Daily documented supervision.

· Qualifications: Staff must meet required education/experience criteria; statements of qualifications must be provided for all personnel and subcontractors. AQL: Qualifications documented prior to field mobilization.

8. Government-Furnished Property (GFP) / Information (GFI)

· GFP: Sample location maps and latitude/longitude coordinates for each transect. Contractor must use GPS to locate transects; inconsistencies must be communicated (email preferred; phone calls as appropriate) before unilateral decisions or continuation. All collected data (electronic or written) will be delivered to BIA at project end as permanent records.

· GFI: Copies of previous Vegetation Inventories for LMD 1; location information for all transects to be inventoried.

9. Security Requirements None.

10. Period of Performance Upon award, Contractor shall submit a project schedule within 15 days. (Specific start/end dates: None.)

11. Place of Performance In the field within LMD 1 of the Western Navajo Agency.

12. Special Requirements / Constraints

· Travel: Restricted to established roads; hiking required to reach some transects.

· Personnel & Professional Qualifications: As described under Task 5.g.

· Other Constraints: None.

13. Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) Summary The Government will perform quality control checks during field data collection and spot-check transect data sheets. Incomplete or inaccurate work will be rejected; minor issues must be corrected, and major mistakes require re-running transects. Failures to correctly collect or record field data are considered major mistakes. Contractor must maintain open communication with BIA when inconsistencies are identified.

Follow-up: Key Extraction & Transect Data (2026) Key requirements/deliverables/technical standards (concise list):

· 909 transects; GPS navigation; two labeled photos per transect; data integrity checks by Government.

· Data reduction by ecological site; Excel analysis sheets (format agreed with BIA).

· Carrying capacity determination vs. current livestock tally; frequency, cover, and similarity indices; color-coded similarity maps.

· GIS package in UTM NAD 1983 Zone 12 shapefiles; Map Atlas (index + nine 15‑minute sheets) with updated SUYL rates.

· Reports: Draft due 45 days post-fieldwork; BIA review 2 weeks; final after 15 days of revisions; six hard‑copy finals within 3 weeks of final review.

· Staffing: Degrees/experience in range-related sciences; daily supervision; statements of qualifications for all personnel/subcontractors.

ATTACHMENT A

Table 1: LMD 1, Unit 1, 2, 3, & 4 acreage and transects

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