Wetland Reserve Program Technical Assistance, Tulare Lake Basin, California

The summary for the Wetland Reserve Program Technical Assistance, Tulare Lake Basin, California grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the California State Office, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Wetland Reserve Program Technical Assistance, Tulare Lake Basin, California: The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary nationwide program offering eligible landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance the original hydrology, native vegetation, and natural topography on their property. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial support to help participating landowners recreate wetland and upland habitat that existed on site prior to an agricultural use of the land. WRP is administered by the NRCS in agreement with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and other cooperating agencies and organizations. The emphasis of WRP is first and foremost protection and restoration of habitat for migratory birds and wetland dependent wildlife, including threatened and endangered wetland and upland species, and protection and restoration of native flora. The Tulare Lake Basin, once the largest fresh-water wetland complex west of the Rocky Mountains, currently has approximately 20 WRP permanent easement contracts with projects encompassing over 16,000 acres. All 20 contracts are subject to portions of this agreement. WRP program guidelines require the creation of a conservation plan for each project. The Successful Applicant will gather data to assist in planning and implementing habitat restoration practices. The Awardee will produce a minimum of five Wetland Reserve Plan of Operations (WRPOs) to the point of being able to be certified by NRCS during the initial base year. Successful Applicant will be responsible for providing WRP participants, NRCS, and partners with technical assistance by gathering data for the development, design and implementation of conservation plans and WRP contracts which address habitat needs of wetland and upland flora and fauna in the Tulare Lake. All conservation practice designs will meet NRCS standards and specifications. NRCS will review and approve all practices requirements. The primary goal of the WRP conservation plan is restore, to the extent practicable, the original hydrology and native plant communities that would have been present before large-scale land modifications took place in the Tulare Lake Basin. When there is difficulty determining exactly what conditions originally occurred on site, the Successful Applicant will work with NRCS and partners, such as FWS, to document species present and conditions at suitable reference sites. Local NRCS staff currently has information for some reference sites within close proximity to WRP project sites. Duties may include documenting species mosaics present and plant coverage with observations and photographs. Documenting on-site faunal species and correlate with existing vegetation; predict restoration outcomes for future use in planning. Seek out other reference sites to establish clear measures of success over time. NRCS anticipates being substantially involved in carrying out the work covered by this agreement. Conservation and structural practices will be reviewed and approved by NRCS staff prior to implementation. NRCS will also provide a representative to participate in the planning and management of the agreement and coordinate activities. NRCS will provide program oversight and will provide agency software available for use at the Visalia Service Center, necessary forms and other resource information. Before successful applicants personnel can use NRCS computer equipment and software, they must obtain USDA/NRCS computer security clearance. NRCS expects to award one agreement estimated to cost $25,000 based on proposals submitted and benefits derived for the current fiscal year. An agreement resulting from this announcement will have approximately a one-year base period and three one-year options. Activities under the base period agreement will be carried out from the date of award through approximately December 31, 2006. Successful Applicants first priority of work will be the gathering of data needed to develop the conservation plans by NRCS. The successful applicant will be responsible for: 1. Meeting with NRCS to review case files to understand the nature of work and preliminary data regarding existing site conditions. 2. Meeting with private landowners at the site of the WRP project to document existing habitat conditions, including vegetative surveys and wildlife use. 3. Developing resource inventories of fauna and flora occurring on site, developing a monitoring protocol to track potential changes in site wildlife usage and vegetative cover during restoration. Use aerial photos, weather and precipitation data, onsite photographic monitoring methods, and develop floral and faunal monitoring methods to observe and predict vegetation change over time. 4. Providing technical planning assistance and related maps, utilizing NRCS software programs and ArcGIS), based on landowner decisions regarding land treatment. Training in use of NRCS software will be provided by NRCS but a strong understanding of ArcGIS and MS office programs is desirable. 5. Developing preliminary alternative analysis, preliminary alternative selection, and application of WRP contracts and alternatives related to conservation conditions. 6. Providing qualitative evaluations of those conditions from which NRCS staff and landowners can make resource treatment decisions relative to their lands. 7. Providing conservation management and restoration practice standards and specifications, including graphical representations on planting plans for resource treatment identified in conservation plans to ensure landowner understanding of practice installation requirements. This will include developing a minimum of five (5) NRCS assigned conservation plans to the point that they are able to be certified by NRCS. 8. Providing conservation plan implementation, application, GIS documentation, and related correspondence to producers. Tracking and updating local costs for practices installed; and documenting producer progress utilizing NRCS accountability systems. Training will be provided by NRCS. Additional Information Successful Applicants first priority of work will be the gathering of data needed to bring habitat restoration designs to implementation, and developing WRP conservation plans for the landowners. As this work is being completed, the Successful applicant will also provide the following range of work: 1. Gather data needed to bring proposed projects to implementation. 2. Provide technical assistance and documentation needed in order to bring projects to construction and implementation. 3. Provide technical and Farm Bill administrative assistance on WRP contracts. Typical technical assistance includes working with NRCS staff to develop, promote, and implement planned upland and wetland wildlife habitat management and restoration. Specific deliverables for each project will be provided by NRCS, including required documentation to ensure projects meet NRCS standards and specifications which may include on site monitoring of planting, artificial nest structure installation, pre-planting site preparation, planting, and graphical representations of planned conservation practices. 4. All services and customer assistance provided under this agreement must meet USDA-NRCS standards and specifications as set forth in Departmental manuals, handbooks, and guides. See at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical or contact Visalia Service Center, 3530 West Orchard Court, Visalia, CA (559) 734-8732 x3. The Awardee shall report to NRCS the appropriate data elements associated with the service and assistance provided to participants so that reportable progress can be entered into the performance results system for tracking conservation accomplishments. Evaluation Criteria - Listed In Descending Order of Importance 1. Organizational Capabilities-the adequacy of organizational resources and experience to gather data needed to plan a multiple year habitat restoration plan and monitoring protocol, and ability to utilize ArcGIS and MS Office programs in order to develop WRP conservation plans and ability to complete tasks within assigned time frame. 2. Applicant must have expertise in biology, ecology, and habitat restoration; have an understanding of the historic landscape of the Tulare Lake Basin and the specific habitat needs of upland fauna and flora that occurred in the Basin. 3. Ability to provide documentation and to demonstrate past performance and ability to work with diverse clientele and to work within difficult circumstances to successful resolution, especially at the local level. Available Funding: An agreement will be awarded on a fiscal year basis. It is anticipated that approximately $25,000 for this agreement will be available for the initial base period of the agreement for the objectives presented in this Request for Proposals. The available funding for subsequent years is not fixed and may vary considerably. Amendments to agreement may be developed upon availability of funding in optional years.