National Park Service Grant for Phleger Estate Restoration

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD

This Funding Announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service’s intention to fund the following project activities without full and open competition.

ABSTRACT
Funding Announcement Number P12AC10904
Project Title Phleger Estate Restoration
Recipient Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Principle Investigator / Program Manager Sharon Farrell
Total Anticipated Award Amount $180,000
Cost Share None
New Award or Continuation? New Award
Anticipated Length of Agreement 4 years
Anticipated Period of Performance 8/8/2012 – 12/31/2016
Award Instrument Cooperative Agreement
Statutory Authority 16 U.S.C. §1g
CFDA # and Title 15.944 – Natural Resource Stewardship

Single Source Justification Criteria Cited The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy staff has special expertise in regard to Golden Gate National Recreation Area lands and trails, have been involved in the planning and implementation of trail and resource protection.
NPS Point of Contact Darren Fong

OVERVIEW

STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

ARTICLE I – BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Cooperative Agreement No. 1443CA814098001 was entered into by and between the Department of Interior, National Park Service, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the (“GGNRA”) and the Golden Gate National Parks Association, on October 24, 1997, (since then renamed the “Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy”), the “GGNPC”, for the purpose of transferring National Park Service (NPS) appropriated funds to nonprofit organizations to carry out the public purposes of National Park Service programs. Unless otherwise specified herein, the terms and conditions as stated in the Cooperative Agreement will apply to this Task Agreement.

GGNRA and the GGNPC are mutually interested in and deem it necessary to cooperate on a natural resource restoration and stewardship project in San Mateo County at Phleger Estate, a site with significant cultural and natural resources. Past land uses at this site have resulted in the disturbance of soil and native plant communities to the extent that they cannot recover without intervention. Heavy visitor use on undesignated trails has resulted in erosion and loss of natural vegetative cover.

GGNRA has developed a mitigation/restoration plan for an impaired site in order to address injuries to 2nd and 3rd growth redwood forest on lands owned and managed by GGNRA (as part of the Phleger Estate) by an adjacent landowner as part of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment settlement. A Habitat Equivalency Analysis and mitigation plan detailed an approach to compensate for these injuries. As a result, the conceptual plan developed in 2004 sought to restore degraded forest habitat within Phleger Estate associated with equestrian and hiking activities.

GGNPC staff members have been involved with the initial planning and data collection for this restoration project. They have helped map the erosion features that need repair, map non-native invasive plants, and helped develop the final restoration plan for this project. The GGNPC is uniquely qualified to grow native flora for Park projects and ensure that natural resource restoration actions are implemented in an appropriate way consistent with NPS requirements and values. For natural resource restoration activities, the GGNPC has most recently aided GGNRA in creek and wetland restoration activities at Muir Beach and has been complimented by local residents and funding agencies. GGNPC currently provides staff, fund-raising and financial support to park projects that result in resource protection.

ARTICLE II – AUTHORITY

16 U.S.C. §1g authorizes the NPS to enter into cooperative agreements that involve the transfer of NPS appropriated funds to state, local and tribal governments, other public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit organizations for the public purpose of carrying out National Park Service programs.

CFDA number: 15.944, Natural Resource Stewardship

ARTICLE III – STATEMENT OF WORK

This project provides collaborative support for the collection and propagation of native plants for the
restoration of disturbed forest habitat at Phleger Estate, and implementation of habitat restoration
actions to reduce erosion, outplanting, and weeding. The details of the restoration activities are
provided in the restoration plan for Phleger Estate entitled Restoration of Forest Habitat at Phleger
Estate, San Mateo County, Golden Gate National Recreation Area (dated January 2012, Attachment
I). The restoration actions will improve conditions on 0.9 acres of degraded forest habitat that have
been impacted by past equestrian and hiking activities. The project will address natural resource
damage caused by the network of social trails and erosion gullies in the area by eliminating use of
certain social trails, restoring the natural hydrologic process, and planting native plants to restore
vegetation cover.

Project Objectives:

a. Implement restoration work to: reduce accelerated rates of erosion at the project site; repair social trails and erosion gullies; and revegetate disturbed areas with native plants.

b. Conduct biological resources monitoring activities to insure compliance with project mitigations and conservation measures identified in the GGNRA’s Project Review Committee Recommendations for Approval (dated February 4, 2011) and the restoration plan.

c. Collect native plant seed, cuttings, and divisions to propagate plants to be used for the project site revegetation. Propagules will be collected in an ecologically sound manner according to GGNRA best management principles.

d. Remove target invasive non-native plant species from the project site and surrounding areas, and manage removal sites to prevent re-growth of targeted plant species.

A. PARKS CONSERVANCY Agrees to:

a. Provide project management support, in cooperation with NPS, to achieve restoration objectives described above in Article III, including: contract preparation, contract and contractor management, and identification of methods for working in sensitive resources.

b. Provide personnel or contractor support for biological resources monitoring, outplanting of native plants, and invasive plant management activities. Native plant propagules shall be collected within the watershed of the project under strict GGNRA guidelines described in Seed Collection Guidelines-Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 6,300 native plants shall be grown and outplanted during the winter of 2012-13. Target invasive plant management activities shall be confirmed by the NPS Project Manager and will be performed on an ongoing basis, as funds allow, until the end of this Agreement.

c. Provide personnel support for post-project monitoring to determine survivorship of plantings and to photo document and describe the success of revegetation treatments and effectiveness of erosion treatments following winter rains. Survivorship plots will be established during outplanting (winter 2012-2013) and assessed after the first summer season (September 2013). Monitoring results and photos will be provided to NPS Agreements Technical Representative (ATR).

d. Enter all vegetation management activities into the Park’s Restoration Database.

e. Ensure that all project activities and related use of funds are in accordance with all applicable laws.

B. NPS Agrees to:

a. Provide financial assistance in accordance with Article VI in the amount $175,000 in FY 2012 to the GGNPC. NPS further agrees to work with the Parks Conservancy to develop and refine work plans and spending plans.

b. Provide NPS Project Manager for all on-site project management during trail decommissioning, gully stabilization and erosion control.

c. Prior to initiation of field work in 2012, prepare a Project Management Plan with input from GGNPC to outline strategies for project implementation, funding, project budget, project roles, and community engagement.

d. By September 30, 2012, provide a revised planting plan to guide revegetation efforts.

e. By September 30, 2012, provide a project monitoring plan, including protocols for survivorship monitoring and for post-project photo monitoring, and establish project photo points.

f. Manage and document and changes in environmental compliance requirements.

g. Facilitate site access with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

h. Provide NPS Project Manager to coordinate on-site project monitoring.

i. Provide guidance and decision-making regarding resolving project conflicts and addressing project issues.

j. Provide, as needed, field forms and maps, databases for entry of field data and review of submitted data for accuracy.

k. Provide computer access to the GGNPC Restoration Database.

C. Both Parties acknowledge and agree to:

1. Create a cooperative partnership to maximize the benefits from the projects accomplished by both organizations.

2. Identify grants and other funding opportunities for stewardship, education and continued public outreach.

3. Collaborate on methods, sequencing and processes for each action.

4. Work collaboratively to redefine actions, identify solutions, or identify additional funding if unknown conditions are discovered or unexpected events occur.