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Home My Public Portal AboutResolution 2020-02, Authorizing Hiring Quercus For Comprehensive Vegetation Study Related to Invasive Species Removal For City RESOLUTION NO. 2020-02 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING HIRING OF QUERCUS FOR A COMPREHENSIVE VEGETATION STUDY AS RELATED TO INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL FOR THE CITY OF RIVERDALE, IOWA WHEREAS, The City Council of the City of Riverdale(City)has determined that the growth of certain non-native plant species("Invasive Species")are harming woodlands, fields and lawns and gardens throughout the community and have allocated funds for the reduction and elimination of Invasive Species; and, WHEREAS, in order to clearly identify the scope and nature of the problem of Invasive Species so as to most effectively eliminate them,the City Council issued a request for proposals for a Comprehensive Vegetation Study for the City. WHEREAS,the City received one bid from a qualified consultant that has experience in this area of work(See Exhibit A); and, WHEREAS,the Quercus proposal includes twelve months of work and a total cost of$8,800 that is to come from the accounts listed in Section 3 below. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RIVERDALE, SCOTT COUNTY, IN THE STATE OF IOWA: Section 1. That the attached bid from Quercus is attached as Exhibit A and hereby approved. Section 2. That with Council approval,the Mayor shall execute said Agreement with Quercus for an amount of$8,800 and the City Clerk shall attest his signature. Section 3. That the funds will come from the following accounts: 001-430-6499 Other Contractual Services Parks 20% 001-599-6499 Other Community and Economic Development 70% 001-650-6490 Miscellaneous Expense City Hall 10% PA ED AN VED t ' 14th day of January,2020. Mic el Bawden, Mayor ATTEST: ei, Mary F` ces Blevins,City Clerk Prepared by City Administrator Tim Long January 14, 2019 EXHIBIT A �S�'`� ,� 4681 County Road JJ Black Earth, WI 53515 ue rc U V608-767-3553 www.quercus-ls.com 'r1.1s%" and Stewardship Seniors office@quercus-ls.com November 26th 2019 Re: RFP- Comprehensive Vegetation Study Attn:Tim Long-City Administrator City of Riverdale 110 Manor Drive Riverdale Iowa 52722 Dear City of Riverdale representatives, Thank you for the opportunity to submit a proposal for the 2020 vegetation survey of Riverdale Iowa. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like additional information on our proposal. Introduction and Qualification Quercus Land Stewardship Services is a small business located in Southwest Wisconsin that specializes in ecological restoration and vegetation management.Our services include prescribed fire,invasive species control,botanical surveys, and more.We have been in business for more than sixteen years and currently employ eighteen full-time employees.We take great pride in hiring dedicated professionals,practicing sound conservation science,and maintaining lasting relationships with our customers. Our current customers include the Wisconsin DNR,The Nature Conservancy,The City of Madison,and over 250 private landowners in Iowa,Minnesota, and Wisconsin(references available upon request).Over the years,we have completed numerous invasive species inventories for public and private clients. In 2019 we completed two formal surveys,one of which for Groundswell Land Conservancy at their flagship property, Louis' Bluff State Natural Area,and the other for a private landowner under the request of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. If awarded this project,the survey will be completed by our staff Botanist,Rob Schubert, and Principal Ecologist,Alex Wenthe. Rob has 15 years of botanical survey experience in Iowa,Illinois,Wisconsin,and Michigan.Alex has over 10 years of experience as a Restoration Ecologist and holds two degrees in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, including an M.S.in Botany(full resumes are available upon request).Alex is also part owner of Quercus and a native of the Quad Cities. He was born in Moline and raised along the banks of the Mississippi River,near Andalusia, IL.Alex and Rob's combined knowledge of survey techniques,Midwestern plant species,and the local area will allow them to produce a professional, and practical,botanical inventory of Riverdale. Lastly,Quercus is a full service contractor.Not only can we create a comprehensive botanical inventory,but we can also provide the physical mitigation efforts needed to control the invasive species that are discovered. This design-build approach to ecological restoration has saved many of our previous clients a substantial expense by reducing the duplication of efforts.This proposal is presented independently of any future work, but our hope is to complete the project in such a way that motivates the City to consider Quercus for future hire. 4681 County Road JJ Black Earth, WI 53515 ue rc sX608-767-3553 www.quercus-ls.com `, Land Stewardship Service* ofce@quercus-ls.corn Project Description Nearly all municipalities have an invasive species issue,and Riverdale is no different.However,the foresight and initiative required of Riverdale for this project is very encouraging.We will work with the City throughout the project to ensure our report aligns with expectations and allows the City to effectively combat invasive species well into the future. We will thoroughly survey every public area in the City and document all observed native and exotic plant species. Exotic species observed in within the city limits,but not on city owned property,will also be noted in the report;however special precaution will be taken to prevent any identifiable information of private property owners in the report.No surveying will be done on private property without permission from the City and explicit,written,consent of the owner. The project area will be surveyed four separate times in 2020;in January,April,July, and October respectively. We will use a modified timed meander survey approach as defined by the Wisconsin DNR, except the entire area will be surveyed four times and not just subset of the area.A written summary of each visit and a written summary of the overall project will be included in the formal report.The final report will also include a(n)comprehensive species inventory,invasive species location map,dumpsite location map,high quality native community map,Shannon diversity index calculation,and GPS coordinates of all observed invasive species populations within the City.Requests for changes to the scope during the project will be honored as feasible.All work will be completed by December 315`2020,with a formal presentation to the City in January 2021. Deliverables The following items will be delivered to the city no later than December 31512020. -Formal written report(detailing methods,findings,and noteworthy items) -Herbaceous and woody invasive plant survey -Comprehensive species list(Overall inventory) -Invasive species map -Hazardous trees/dumpsite map -High priority/native area map -Shannon Index calculations -GPS coordinates of invasive plant populations Costs Botanical Survey $7,200 Final Report $1,600 Total $8,800 Thank you again for this opportunity,we hope to be working with you soon! Sincerely, Alex Wenthe A�