National Park Service: Hawk Hill Restoration Grant

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 P12AC10268
Project Title Hawk Hill Restoration – Blue Butterfly
Recipient Golden Gate National Park Conservancy
Principle Investigator / Program Manager Principle Investigator – Sharon Farrell
Program Manager – NPS – Daphne Hatch
Total Anticipated Award Amount $496,200
Cost Share None
New Award or Continuation? New
Anticipated Length of Agreement 4 ½ years
Anticipated Period of Performance 4 ½ years
Award Instrument Cooperative Agreement
Statutory Authority 16 U.S.C.§1g
CFDA # and Title 15.944, Natural Resource Stewardship
Single Source Justification Criteria Cited (4) Unique Qualifications
NPS Point of Contact Erica Cordeiro – Erica_Cordeiro@nps.gov

OVERVIEW

Under this task agreement, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (GGNPC) and Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGRNA) will work together to control invasive species and implement revegetation over four years on the 6.9 acre Hawk Hill project site. As part of this effort, the native plant nursery staff will collect seed and grow native plants for coastal scrub and grassland restoration as approved by the GGNRA Supervisory Vegetation Ecologist. Project staff shall coordinate the planting of native plants and non-native invasive species control. Native plant lists shall be submitted to the Vegetation Ecologist for review and evaluation prior to propagation. Invasive plant species treatment methods and locations shall also be reviewed prior to initiation. The GGNRA-led park stewardship program will maintain the site following this four year project. Prior to this, Park Service and Parks Conservancy staff will develop a Stewardship implementation strategy for the Hawk Hill area that will incorporate vegetation management, monitoring, education and community engagement. The strategy will also outline roles for volunteer outreach and management, to include how best to transition from the project-based work to the longer term stewardship and maintenance work.

STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

A. The Parks Conservancy also agrees to:
1. Consult and collaborate with key GGNRA staff (GGNRA Supervisory Vegetation Ecologist, Landscape Architects, Compliance Coordinator, MHFBTP manager and HRT staff) to implement plant propagation, revegetation and invasive non-native plant control at the Hawk Hill restoration site over the four year project period as defined within the Marin Headlands Fort Baker Transportation Plan Biological Assessment (2006) and USFWS Biological Opinion (2007);
2. Monitor revegetation and invasive species removal effectiveness including the establishment and maintenance of photo documentation monitoring points;
3. Provide a project manager to support implementation under the direction of the NPS staff liaison, and maintain supporting documentation of all invasive plant management activities; revegetation; butterfly monitoring and public engagement;
4. Grow and plant genetically-appropriate native grassland and coastal scrub plant species as needed within the disturbed areas associated with tree removal and other invasive species control work;
5. Implement approved pest recommendations in accordance with requirements and document implementation actions;
6. Submit restoration and contractor documents in collaboration with the NPS project liaison, as necessary, to the Park’s Project Review Committee for technical and environmental review, and Superintendent’s approval;
7. Provide signage for the project as necessary;
8. Jointly coordinate community engagement requirements in collaboration with the NPS Project Manager, Public Affairs and Project Headlands Liaison.
9. Provide annual report documenting activities performed.

B. GGNRA also agrees to:
1. Have key GGNRA staff consult and collaborate with Parks Conservancy staff in planning, implementing and evaluating this project;
2. Complete any required environmental and cultural resources compliance and communicate all necessary decisions to concerned GGNRA and Parks Conservancy departments;
3. Oversee the development and acquisition of approved annual pest recommendations necessary for weed control in a timely manner to ensure efficacy of control treatments and ability to meet USFWS performance measures;
4. Maintain liaison with and provide reporting to the project manager for the MHFBTP at the Pacific West Regional Office and USFWS staff;
5. Provide leadership and guidance in the development of weed control performance measures, control technique specifications and control technique evaluation;
6. Oversee the development and implementation of monitoring methods, data collection and interpretation as required by the USFWS BO;
7. Provide feedback, reviews, and approvals by Park staff in a timely manner to allow the Parks Conservancy to complete activities within the scope of this agreement;
8. Provide a Project Liaison to work directly with the Parks Conservancy’s project manager; and
9. Assume responsibility for sustaining the long term stewardship of the site beginning in 2016.

RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT

A. The Parks Conservancy also agrees to:
10. Consult and collaborate with key GGNRA staff (GGNRA Supervisory Vegetation Ecologist, Landscape Architects, Compliance Coordinator, MHFBTP manager and HRT staff) to implement plant propagation, revegetation and invasive non-native plant control at the Hawk Hill restoration site over the four year project period as defined within the Marin Headlands Fort Baker Transportation Plan Biological Assessment (2006) and USFWS Biological Opinion (2007);
11. Monitor revegetation and invasive species removal effectiveness including the establishment and maintenance of photo documentation monitoring points;
12. Provide a project manager to support implementation under the direction of the NPS staff liaison, and maintain supporting documentation of all invasive plant management activities; revegetation; butterfly monitoring and public engagement;
13. Grow and plant genetically-appropriate native grassland and coastal scrub plant species as needed within the disturbed areas associated with tree removal and other invasive species control work;
14. Implement approved pest recommendations in accordance with requirements and document implementation actions;
15. Submit restoration and contractor documents in collaboration with the NPS project liaison, as necessary, to the Park’s Project Review Committee for technical and environmental review, and Superintendent’s approval;
16. Provide signage for the project as necessary;
17. Jointly coordinate community engagement requirements in collaboration with the NPS Project Manager, Public Affairs and Project Headlands Liaison.
18. Provide annual report documenting activities performed.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT

Substantial involvement on the part of the National Park Service is anticipated for the successful completion of the objectives to be funded by this award. In particular, the National Park Service will be responsible for the following:

GGNRA also agrees to:
10. Have key GGNRA staff consult and collaborate with Parks Conservancy staff in planning, implementing and evaluating this project;
11. Complete any required environmental and cultural resources compliance and communicate all necessary decisions to concerned GGNRA and Parks Conservancy departments;
12. Oversee the development and acquisition of approved annual pest recommendations necessary for weed control in a timely manner to ensure efficacy of control treatments and ability to meet USFWS performance measures;
13. Maintain liaison with and provide reporting to the project manager for the MHFBTP at the Pacific West Regional Office and USFWS staff;
14. Provide leadership and guidance in the development of weed control performance measures, control technique specifications and control technique evaluation;
15. Oversee the development and implementation of monitoring methods, data collection and interpretation as required by the USFWS BO;
16. Provide feedback, reviews, and approvals by Park staff in a timely manner to allow the Parks Conservancy to complete activities within the scope of this agreement;
17. Provide a Project Liaison to work directly with the Parks Conservancy’s project manager; and
18. Assume responsibility for sustaining the long term stewardship of the site beginning in 2016.

SINGLE-SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
SINGLE SOURCE POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Department of the Interior Policy (505 DM 2) requires a written justification which explains why competition is not practicable for each single-source award. The justification must address one or more of the following criteria as well as discussion of the program legislative history, unique capabilities of the proposed recipient, and cost-sharing contribution offered by the proposed recipient, as applicable.

In order for an assistance award to be made without competition, the award must satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

(1) Unsolicited Proposal – The proposed award is the result of an unsolicited assistance application which represents a unique or innovative idea, method, or approach which is not the subject of a current or planned contract or assistance award, but which is deemed advantageous to the program objectives;

(2) Continuation – The activity to be funded is necessary to the satisfactory completion of, or is a continuation of an activity presently being funded, and for which competition would have a significant adverse effect on the continuity or completion of the activity;

(3) Legislative intent – The language in the applicable authorizing legislation or legislative history clearly indicates Congress’ intent to restrict the award to a particular recipient of purpose;

(4) Unique Qualifications – The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications;

(5) Emergencies – Program/award where there is insufficient time available (due to a compelling and unusual urgency, or substantial danger to health or safety) for adequate competitive procedures to be followed.

The National Park Service did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria:

(4) Unique Qualifications – The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location, property ownership, voluntary support capacity, cost-sharing ability if applicable, technical expertise, or other such unique qualifications.

This project is phase two of work at Hawk Hill and the Parks Conservancy is working on phase one as well. Having a different cooperator work on this agreement would adversely affect the project.