NRCS-Wyoming National Resources Inventory (NRI) Services

Contents 1. General 2 2. Objective and Scope 2 3. Definitions, Roles, and Responsibilities 4 4. Confidentiality Agreement 6 5. Period of Performance and Deliverables 7 Table 1. Wyoming Parameters 7 MAP 1. Expected NRI data collection periods across Wyoming 8 6. Description of Work 9 Table 2. Unit qualities for BLM and OPGL range and pasture non-federal study points 10 Table 3. FY 26 BLM segment and point by county 11 Table 4. FY 26 OPGL segment and point by county 12 7. Required Education/Experience/Contractor Proficiency 13 8. Contractor Staff and NRCS-Provided Training 15 9. Quality Assurance (QA)/Performance Based Requirement 16 10. Government Furnished Property, Materials, and Facilities 17 11. Contractor Furnished Property 18 12. Communications 18 13. Progress Review and Invoice Procedures 18 14. Changes 19 15. Payment 19 16. Reference Materials 21 End 22 1. General The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture is mandated (through the Rural Development Act of 1972, the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977, and other supporting legislation) to assess the status, condition, and trends of soil, water, and related resources on the Nation's Non-Federal lands. Resources inventory legislative authorities, NRCS policy, and responsibilities for conducting the National Resources Inventory (NRI) are contained in NRCS General Manual 290, Part 400. Separate authorities govern NRCS completing NRI on Federal lands under agreement with other federal agencies. To accomplish this task, the NRCS will award one contract that requires the successful contractor to collect rangeland resources data on selected sample sites (points) for the 2026 National Resources Inventory (NRI) Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection in Wyoming. 2. Objective and Scope The objective of this solicitation is to acquire specified inventory data at data collection points found within selected sample segment boundaries in Wyoming. Data will be collected on federal and non-federal lands in accordance with the standards outlined in the most current and applicable NRCS National Resources Inventory Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection Handbook of Instructions and its supplements, amendments, and appendices (hereafter referred to in this document as the Handbook), as referenced in Section P. Reference Materials, and elsewhere. Sample segments are in remote areas situated on federal or non-federal land. Access may require 4-wheeled vehicles and/or hiking long distances over rough terrain. NRCS policy requires obtaining landowner/operator permission before entering onto private property. Permission to access private lands is an important issue. The Contractor, acting on behalf of NRCS, shall strictly adhere to NRCS policy of securing permissions to access non-federal lands prior to entry onto the land where the point is located. Contractors shall make every reasonable effort, using all publicly available information sources to obtain ownership information for all assigned points, following the procedures in the Handbook and this SOW for securing and documenting permissions to access or transit non-federal land prior to data collection. Required data to be collected on non-federal segments is detailed in the Handbook referenced in Section P. Highlights in the protocol are covered below. GPS Navigation and Point Coordinate Capture – navigate to and record data point position with the Computer Assisted Survey Instrument (CASI) collection device and Bad Elf GPS  Transect Layout; (2) 150 foot linear transects NE/SW-NW/SE intersecting as an “X” at the 75-foot mark  (9) Digital photos of the transects and soil pit per point labeled as per instructions  Ownership – NRI ownership code  Land Cover/Use – NRI cover/use code  Soil Observation(s) Determine/verify the soil component  Dig a hole to a depth of at least 20 inches  Take a photo of the soil profile as per instructions  Conduct soil evaluation  Record details (i.e. depth, texture, soil texture modifier, effervescence class, any unusual features) for each mineral soil horizon  Determine and select soil component  Landscape parameters  Vertical Slope Shape  Horizontal Slope Shape  Slope Percent  Slope Length  Slope Aspect  Ecological Site Information  Rangeland Cover Type Name  Historic Major Land Resource Area (MLRA)  Ecological Site Number  Ecological Site/Soil Correlation  Apparent Rangeland Trend  Rangeland Health  Indicators of Rangeland Health (17 attributes to achieve indicator summary of Soil/Site Stability, Biotic Integrity and Hydrologic Function)  Disturbance Indicators  Identification of Conservation Practices Applied and needed; Yes/No (18) Brush management (314)  Prescribed Burning (338)  Pond (378)  Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment (380)  Fence (382)  Riparian Herbaceous Cover (390)  Filter Strip (393) Irrigation Water Management (449) Forage and Biomass Planting (512) Pipeline (516)  Prescribed Grazing (528)  Grazing Land Mechanical Treatment (548)  Range Planting (550)  Spring Development (574)  Trail and Walkways (575) Watering Facility (614)  Water Well (642)  Forest Stand Improvement (666) Identification of Resource Concerns; Yes/No Soil erosion (6 concerns)  Soil condition (3 concerns)  Water quantity (1 concerns)  Water quality (2 concerns)  Plant condition (5 concerns) Domestic Animals Soil Stability Test – when insufficient root mat exists (9 samples)  Transect Vegetation Data  Line Point Transects for Cover Composition  Record plant canopy cover by species at three-foot intervals along two 150 foot transects  Record basal cover at the same points by plant species, or lichen cover, or moss, or rock fragments, or none (bare soil)  There are 50 points on each transect  Line Intercept Transects: for Canopy Gaps  Record the beginning and end of plant canopy gaps (all foliar, perennial) g…