Statement_of_Work_for_Onyx_Ranch_Project_1.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK: Onyx Ranch State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA)

Assistance to the Government

1.0 Purpose and Objectives

This project, the Onyx Ranch State Vehicle Recreation Area (hereafter SVRA), is part of land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and newly acquired ranch land acquired by the State. Currently multiple uses are present, with concerns about the spread of invasive and fire-prone annual grasses and a new invasive forb, Sahara mustard; wildland fire likely to occur from the fire-prone invasives; identification of areas needing restoration; existing cattle and sheep grazing; off-road use by vehicles of many types (motorcycles, 4-wheel, side-by-side, all-terrain vehicles); identification of sites occupied by a candidate species from state and federal listing (western Joshua trees); and the state- and federally-listed desert tortoise. We designed a project to address these concerns, the data were collected, and we need to identify the most important issues and map areas of occurrence. This work will benefit federal and state governments, provide opportunities for reducing the risk of Wildland Fires from Invasives, enhance opportunities for Restoration, and provide baselines for continuing Agriculture (cattle and sheep grazing), and multiple Recreation activities, while also dealing with candidate and threatened species. An essential part of the contract will be to communicate closely with the

USGS scientist responsible for the project to achieve the requirements of the state and federal governments.

2.0 General Background

2.1 Description of the SVRA and the database of 289 randomly-placed hectares for sampling. The SVRA Study Area of > 26,000 acres, occurs in the far western Mojave

Desert and extends west into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to coniferous forests.

It is bordered on the south by the Bureau of Land Management’s Jawbone Canyon

Open Area and on the north by Dove Springs Open Area. Both Open Areas allow for unrestricted recreation vehicle access and use.

2.2 The database is in a Microsoft Excel Workbook for PC with multiple work sheets (to be provided at contract award). At the bottom of the workbook are tabs from left to right: Plot Summary; Plot Tracking; Topo, Geo, Soils (topography, geology, soils);

Joshua Trees (clusters and details on status and condition 1); Human Disturbances

(location of invasive species, burned areas, cattle [live & scats], all evidence of vehicles disturbed or cleared areas); Veg (all perennial species, non-native grasses and forbs); PSC- Mammals (predator sign concentrations of mammals, burrows, dens, marking sites); PSC-Avian (pellets, nests, roosts); and Avian predators (observations).

There are 289 hectares (300 listed, but 11 removed because they were too steep or difficult to survey.

3.0 Scope and Technical Requirements

3.1 The Contractor shall have evidence of advanced statistical skills, which include:

publications in peer-reviewed journals (within last 15 years, more recent desirable) using small and large datasets with multiple variables to develop and produce models, such as general linear models, general linear mixed effects models.

Examples of other potential statistical requirements: k-selected means, spatial analysis using ArcGIS, multi-variant regression tree analyses, discriminant analysis, nonparametric statistics, Kruskal-Wallis H statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, log transformation for large counts of a variable, ANOVA, Tukey HSD, Fisher exact tests, Wald test to identify the most important variables (see Cade 2015). Statistical level should be set at P < 0.05. In addition, the Contractor shall have skills at communication essential to working within the guidance of the USGS Principal

Investigator to achieve the requirements of the government in producing draft final results.

3.2 The Contractor shall accomplish the following tasks in the Onyx Ranch SVRA, including, but not limited to statistical analysis and publication-quality figures and maps, with the guidance of the USGS Principal Investigator or Technical Liaison.

3.2.1 Desert Tortoise, a state and federally listed threated species. To best accomplish this and remaining tasks, the Contractor shall prepare a figure of existing roads in the SVRA, hopefully drawing on existing layers in government websites and files. The Contractor shall identify all hectares and sites between hectares with live and dead desert tortoises (shell-skeletal remains) and tortoise sign for a figure showing locations of live, dead, and other tortoise sign (burrows, tracks, scats, drinking sites, courtship rings) within the Onyx Ranch SVRA. With respect to the live and dead tortoises and tortoise sign, prepare a publication-quality figure showing the locations with respect to a) the entire Onyx SVRA, 2)

Red Rock Canyon State Park boundaries on the east edge of the SVRA), Highway

14, and northern boundaries of the Jawbone Canyon Open Area and southern boundaries of the Dove Springs Open Area. Both Open Areas are managed for intensive off-highway, off-road vehicle use by the U.S. Bureau of Land

Management. There are: live, dead, and sign in 6 hectares. The Contractor shall address whether these locations are within a band near the eastern boundary of

Red Rock Canyon State Park or scattered about the Onyx Ranch SVRA in a variety of vegetation clusters (see Task 3.2.2).

3.2.2 Veg worksheet. Perennial vegetation. The Contractor shall draw on k-means clustering analysis using ordinal categories of abundance for each hectare plot from none to dominant or ubiquitous (nomenclature of plants, hectares, and ordinal system of abundance are on the Veg excel spreadsheet). The clustering analysis may result in 4 to 6 different cluster associations that make sense biologically, topographically, and by elevation for the region. Final selection of the perennial vegetation clusters shall be made after providing a list of the species in each cluster to the Technical Liaison (Principal Investigator) and discussion of such topics as elevational range and topography of each cluster and locations

(west and distance from Red Rock Canyon State Park). After a decision is made on the best vegetational clusters to display, the locations and distributions shall be produced in a publication-quality figure. Kriging or similar statistical methods shall be used to produce a smoothing effect for the figure, where appropriate.

Figure may be in accessible colors, colors allowed by peer-reviewed journals.

3.2.3 Veg worksheet: non-native species. Part 3a. Invasive annual grasses and forbs. The Contractor shall identify all hectare locations containing any member of the genera Bromus, Schismus, and Brassica tournefortii. Prepare distribution maps of 1) brome species, 2) Schismus species, and 3) Brassica tournefortii;

unless the map is too crowded, also show locations of hectares that were burned.

Part 3b. The Contractor shall prepare a figure with all invasive species, including the Genus Sisymbrium.

3.2.4 Veg and Joshua Tree worksheets. Western Joshua trees, a legislatively protected species and candidate for state listing. Joshua trees will show up in the clustering analysis (Task 3.2.2). The Contractor shall prepare a second analysis after identifying hectares with high densities and clustering of numerous stems, where these occur (e.g., in an elevational band or specific areas within the Onyx

Ranch SVRA). To be considered: are hectare plots with high density clusters present throughout the SVRA or in a specific part or elevational band? The

Contractor shall prepare a figure or figures to display the distribution and areas of concentration. Kriging or similar statistics shall be used to create a smoothing effect for distribution, if appropriate. Color accessible to publication in a peer-reviewed journal may be used.

3.2.5 Human activities and disturbances. Obtaining and using a base layer of roads in the study area of critical importance to full understanding of land uses in the SVRA, to such tasks such as tasks 3.2.1, and other subjects in task 3.2.5. In the SVRA, the following variables are of importance for the Contractor to address in maps, figures, and the models: counts and m2 of vehicle tracks, trails, and roads, partially denuded and denuded areas of natural, native shrubs, trees, and other vegetation; counts of cattle scat and sheep scat, partially denuded and denuded areas from cattle and sheep grazing, trails, and pastures; counts of trash;

evidence of shooting (clay pigeons, shotgun shells, etc.); hectares with non-native grasses and Brassica tournefortii; fences; burned vegetation; counts and locations of campsites; mining areas; and much more. Spatial analysis of sites with livestock grazing, partially denuded, and denuded areas; vehicle tracks, trails, and roads, partially denuded and denuded areas; associations of recreation use with any trash and campsites will be of special importance to the government. All final figures will be of publication quality. Preparation of draft and final models and draft and final figures displaying areas of importance for resources and human activities. Final figures will be in jpg and tiff formats and of publication quality.

3.2.6 The Contractor shall prepare one or more models with the most important variables, in discussion with the USGS Principal Investigator. These shall be in draft until final decisions are made on what is most important to the government agencies.

4.0 Delivery of Tasks. Delivery dates are contingent on contract award dates.

4.1 The Contractor shall provide initial drafts of tasks 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3, and 3.2.4 are due within 60 days of contract award. The Contractor shall finalize these tasks after a

15-day review period by the Technical Liaison for use, as appropriate, in the modeling process (task 3.2.6). The drafts shall be provided to the Technical Liaison and

Contracting Officer electronically or by flash drive or CD, compatible with a PC and

Microsoft system.

4.2 Initial drafts of models describing the most important (or useful variables in tasks

3.2.1 through 3.2.5 shall be due 90 days after contract award. After a 15-day review period, government comments from the Technical Liaison shall be provided to the

Contractor. The Contractor shall have 30 days to finalize the models after receipt of comments from the government’s Technical Liaison. As part of the requirement for completion, the Contractor shall provide electronic files of all agreed-upon figures with the Technical Liaison Officer and Contracting Officer.

4.3 The Contractor shall provide excel files of all variables used in the models, model importance, and other subjects, as needed for the required government Data Release when the outcome of this and other work are published. The Contractor shall provide these files of summary data from the models, model outputs, and other typical products necessary for a Data Release to the Technical Liaison Officer and Contracting Officer.

5.0 Schedule of Payment

5.1 An invoice shall be submitted showing hourly rate and hours worked and no other costs.

6.1 Special Contract Requirements

6.1.1 Frequent Conferences: Immediately following award of the contract, and prior to initiating a pre-work conference shall be held between the Contractor and Technical

Liaison/PI for the purpose of transferring Government-supplied shell-skeletal remains and discussing the specific responsibilities of each party. The date and time of the meeting shall be determined by the Technical Liaison/PI and the Contractor in consultation. The first meeting shall probably require ~45 minutes. Discussions relative to contract requirements for Task 1 and specific responsibilities of each party will be covered at this time.

6.2 Government-Furnished Property: The government shall provide the Contractor with the excel file for the work specified in Background and Scope, Technical

Requirements, and Description of Services.

6.3 Rights in Data: All deliverables required by this contract shall become the property of the Government. The Government may publish, reproduce, and use all deliverables in any manner and for any purpose, without limitation, and may authorize others to do the same. Unless otherwise provided herein, the Contractor agrees that he/she shall not assert any copyright at common law or equity and shall not establish any claim to a statutory copyright on such deliverables. The Contractor shall be acknowledged as appropriate in publications by the USGS (e.g., author, co-author).

6.4 Redirection of Effort: Notwithstanding any other provisions of the contract, the

Contracting Officer shall be the only individual authorized to redirect the effort or in any way amend any of the terms of the contract.