Department of the Interior: Sclerocactus Demographic Monitoring and Distribution Assessment Grant

This Single Source Award is being made in accordance with Department of the Interior Policy 505 DM 2.14 B #4, which allows for award without competition to an applicant if the applicant is uniquely qualified.

SWCA is uniquely qualified to perform the Scleoracactus Demographic Monitoring & Distribution Assessment because:

-SWCA is recognized for its rare plant expertise by state and federal agencies in the Uinta Basin, and has an expert botanical team that has been conducting Sclerocactus brevispinus and S. wetlandicus surveys and monitoring in the Uinta Basin since 2004.
-SWCA botanists J. Hope Hornbeck and Lynda Sperry have nearly 10 years of combined survey and habitat assessment experience in the Uinta Basin. In 2008, Hope and Lynda worked with the USFWS, BLM, and Utah Natural Heritage Program on the development of a monitoring and reclamation plan for Sclerocactus spp. in the Uinta Basin.
-The habitat assessment and demographic monitoring protocols proposed in 2008 were further developed in 2011 to assess data needs for demographic modeling of Sclerocactus species. Specific life stages have been identified as critical to the long-term viability of Sclerocactus populations and have been incorporated into the demographic monitoring plan. The Sclerocactus brevispinus demographic model currently in development requires a minimum of four years of demographic data to be statistically supported. Longer-term demographic studies will further support demographic modeling results and are needed to identify demographic trends in response to stochastic events such as short-term climatic cycles, disease and predation events, and changes to habitat conditions.
-SWCA has developed a statistically rigorous sampling scheme and demographic monitoring protocols specific to the elusive nature and cryptic life stages of Sclerocactus species over the past four years.