Cattail Spraying

Statement of Work Early Successional Habitat Management – Herbicide Application on Cattails West Central Minnesota WRP Easements Project Summary NRCS holds conservation easements on private land- those easements are enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). These grassland easements have had wetlands previously restored to open water wetland types. However, cattails have invaded some of these basins and have filled in the basin, virtually eliminating their use by migratory waterfowl. NRCS would like to aerially apply herbicide to kill the cattails in those basins to allow some open water to return to those sites. Herbicide Application Management Project Supporting Documentation: • Total area of herbicide to apply is 178.8 acres, spread across 42 individual wetland basins on 12 easements in 6 counties (Big Stone, Douglas, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens & Wilkin). • Work is to be completed in 2026. The contract will end December 31st, 2026. • COR, Jon Frie, Easement Biologist Attachments 1. Site Maps with landowner contact information, easement location, easement number, and area to be treated with acres. Government Furnished Information - GIS shapefile of each easement boundary Technical Direction Technical direction for projects will be provided by an NRCS representative. The contractor and NRCS representative will meet prior to the work being initiated and develop a strategy to address all the parcels identified in the project area within the time frame of the contract. The objective of cattail control is to kill invasive cattails from the defined areas within the easement. Parameters of Work - Work will be completed between August 15 th and September 15 th . The time frame may be adjusted with prior NRCS COR approval depending on site conditions. - An aerial application of Polaris herbicide or an equivalent aquatic certified glyphosate herbicide will be completed on all identified areas. Areas of open water within those boundaries will not have herbicide applied to the extent feasible. - An aquatically approved anti-drift agent at the maximum approved label rate must be used. - At least 5 gallons of total solution must be applied per acre -- 1 of 14 -- - The contractor is responsible for notifying the NRCS COR at least 3 days in advance of application. - Work is considered to be successfully completed when all of the identified areas have been sprayed and killed with the proper herbicide and rate within the allotted time frame. Contractor’s Responsibility a. Safety. The contractor shall be cognizant of and comply with all applicable local, State & Federal laws and regulations. This includes obtaining all required permits and authorizations prior to commencing the work. The contractor must hold a valid Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commercial Pesticide Applicator license and Aquatic Certification. b. Liability. The contractor shall assume all liability for any damages resulting directly or indirectly from work performed in this contract. The contractor is required to carry aircraft and chemical liability insurance. c. Completion of a completion report for each easement. The Implementation Requirements for each easement will be reviewed by NRCS staff to ensure compliance with contract requirements prior to the commencement of work. The Contractor shall be responsible for the safety, professional quality and technical accuracy of all work performed and documentation submitted. The Contractor shall, without additional compensation, correct or revise any errors or deficiencies in submittals. Deliverables The Contractor will notify NRCS upon commencement and completion of work. Contractor will submit a completion report that includes (but not limited to:) dates of work, areas where work was completed, application method, product and rate applied. Inspection and Acceptance of Deliverables The designated NRCS representative will accept or reject the deliverables in writing. If deliverables are rejected, specific reason(s) for rejection will be provided by the designated NRCS representative. The Contractor shall have seven working days to correct and resubmit all rejected deliverables. -- 2 of 14 -- 1 Landowner NEST County Basin Id Acres Brent Zahrbock 6663220700GPH Big Stone 1 1.2 Brent Zahrbock 6663220700GPH Big Stone 2 2.4 Brent Zahrbock 6663220700GPH Big Stone 3 0.5 Brent Zahrbock 6663220700GPH Big Stone 4 0.4 Brent Zahrbock 6663220700GPH Big Stone 5 0.3 Brent Zahrbock 6663220700GPH Big Stone 6 1.2 Total Acres 6.1 Don Robertson 6663220400GFD Big Stone 1 9.1 Don Robertson 6663220400GFD Big Stone 2 8.4 Don Robertson 6663220400GFD Big Stone 3 6.2 Total Acres 23.7 Dale Maus 6663220800MZZ Douglas 5 2.2 Total Acres 2.2 Dean Kluver 6663220900WPX Douglas 1 24.4 Total Acres 24.4 Doug Holt 6663220400GF5 Douglas 1 3.5 Doug Holt 6663220400GF5 Douglas 2 0.6 Doug Holt 6663220400GF5 Douglas 3 0.8 Doug Holt 6663220400GF5 Douglas 4 1.4 Total Acres 6.2 Roger Granberg 6663220800N7V Pope 1 10.5 Roger Granberg 6663220800N7V Pope 2 5.1 Roger Granberg 6663220800N7V Pope 3 7.2 Total Acres 22.7 Ainars Silis 6663220900WML Stevens 1 11.2 Ainars Silis 6663220800N11 Stevens 2 22.6 Ainars Silis 6663220800N11 Stevens 3 0.8 Ainars Silis 6663220800N11 Stevens 4 1.6 Ainars Silis 6663220800N11 Stevens 5 4.1 Total Acres 40.3 Al Maloney 6663220600GNW Stevens 1 7.4 Al Maloney 6663220600GNW Stevens 2 4.3 Al Maloney 6663220600GNW Stevens 3 6.4 Total Acres 18.1 Robert Johnson 6663220900WNY Wilkin 1 0.5 Robert Johnson 6663220900WNY Wilkin 2 1.0 Robert Johnson 6663220900WNY Wilkin 3 0.7 Robert Johnson 6663220900WNY Wilkin 4 0.9 Robert Johnson 6663220900WNY Wilkin 5 0.3 Robert Johnson 6663220900WNY Wilkin 6 0.8 Robert Johnson 6663220900WNY Wilkin 7 0.6 Robert Johnson 6663220900WNY Wilkin 8 1.2 Robert Johnson 6663220900WNY Wilkin 9 1.5 Total Acres 7.6 Rustic P…