19045 Portola Dr, Ste F-1

Salinas CA 93908

P: (831) 455-9514

F: (831) 455-2846

www.ventanaws.org

EXHIBIT 3-A

PROPOSAL FOR PROFESSIONAL AVIAN MONITORING SERVICES

The Carmel River Riparian Corridor Avian Guild Census and

Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS)

This proposal encompasses the five tasks outlined below. Exhibits B and C (attached) detail a fee and work schedule

Task 1: Transect monitoring: SPRING 2007 for Avian Guild Census

A biologist from the Ventana Wildlife Society will collect and analyze Species Diversity Index (SDI) data along 18 transects at 9 sites in the Carmel River riparian corridor. Sites will be visited twice, once in the morning from sunrise until 10 am and once in the evening from 4 pm until sunset during the period from May 10 through June 30, 2007. SDI sampling protocol will follow the avian point count method described below.

Avian Point Counts: We will use 5-minute unlimited-radius plots to record all birds detected within each of two categories: 1) within 50 meters, and 2) outside 50 meters. Observers will note all birds detected in 3 minutes and will continue recording for a full 5 minutes to enable comparisons of the number of species detected by increasing the length of the count. All data, including date, time, point count location (PCL) number, species, number of individuals per species, and distance from observer will be recorded on a standardized data sheet. Birds will be counted at each PCL between 06:00 and 10:00 am on mornings with little wind and no rain. Visual cues, calls, and songs will be used to identify birds to species.

Task 2: Transect monitoring: SUMMER 2007 for Avian Guild Census

A biologist from the Ventana Wildlife Society will collect and analyze Species Diversity Index (SDI) data along 18 transects at 9 sites in the Carmel River riparian corridor. Sites will be visited twice, once in the morning from sunrise until 10 am and once in the evening from 4 pm until sunset during the period from August 7 through August 30, 2007. SDI sampling protocol will follow methodology used in the Spring 2007 census.

Task 3: 2007 Annual Report for Avian Guild Census

A biologist from the Ventana Wildlife Society will prepare an annual monitoring report for the 2007 field season using data collected during spring 2007 and fall 2007. The report will present and summarize findings from each sampling period at each site. Data shall be analyzed using Shannon-Weaver SDI methodology; trends in SDI values will be identified and evaluated. The report will also evaluate habitat use by Partner’s in Flight riparian focal species and compare their use between sites. The use of focal species to evaluate habitat health is a widely accepted technique for habitat assessment and management. California Partners in Flight (CalPIF), in collaboration with the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture (RHJV), developed a Riparian Bird Conservation Plan to provide guidelines for the conservation of California’s riparian habitats and wildlife. The plan identifies 14 species of landbirds as Riparian Focal Species, whose varying ecological requirements combine to represent the breadth of niches available in a habitat. We will assess the abundance and diversity of the focal species identified in the Riparian Bird Conservation Plan in order to evaluate differences in the quality of the unmanaged and restored transects. The report will also include a detailed description of each transect site, with each site keyed to aerial habitat photos.

Task 4: Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) 2007

An experienced team of biologists from the Ventana Wildlife Society will assess demographics of avian communities at 3 key sites in the Carmel River riparian corridor. Three sites will correspond to 3 of the 9 transect sites monitored during spring and summer (see tasks 1-3). In order to develop effective conservation strategies for native songbirds, productivity and survivorship should also be determined which point counts alone cannot accomplish. A network of several hundred organizations throughout North America employs the MAPS protocol to standardize mist-netting and banding efforts for studying trends in landbird populations. Incorporating point count surveys with mist-netting and banding following the MAPS protocol reduces bias and provides a more complete account of avian abundance and habitat use than does either method alone. Sampling protocol will consist of mist-netting and banding as well as area searches on all three sites. Mist-net locations and area search plots will remain standardized following the study design in 2003. Operating MAPS stations in conjunction with conducting area searches provides: (a) annual indices of adult population size and post-fledgling productivity; and (b) annual estimates of adult survival rate, adult population size, proportion of residents in the adult population, and recruitment into the adult population (Desante et al. 2004), in addition to determining bird/habitat relationships over time.

Ventana Wildlife Society biologists shall conduct mist-netting at 3 sites (denoted Rancho San Carlos, Red Rock, and Schulte, see below) following the MAPS protocol, which involves operating each site once per 10-day period throughout the breeding season (May 1 through August 8, 2007). Each site visit will include five hours of operation, beginning 15 minutes after sunrise, using 10 nets. Nets will be checked and birds extracted at strict 40-minute intervals. All MAPS data collected will be submitted to the national data repository at the Bird Banding Lab of the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey in Washington, D.C.

The Schulte site is located along the Carmel River and divided by the Schulte Road Bridge. Schulte Road Bridge is approximately 470 meters south of the intersection of Carmel Valley Road and Schulte Road. From the bridge, the study area extends about 500 meters upstream to create a narrow 6-hectare site ranging in elevation from 22-33 meters (North 36˚31’, West 121˚50’). This site was subject to 2 phases of restoration, the first beginning in 1987. Restoration maintenance of this site is still current. The Rancho San Carlos site is located on the Carmel River downstream of the Rancho San Carlos Road bridge, which bounds its eastern/upstream end. Rancho San Carlos Road bridge is located approximately 260 meters south of the intersection of Carmel Valley Road and Rancho San Carlos Road. The study area continues downstream for about 450 meters until reaching the Hacienda Carmel residential community (North 36˚32’, West 121˚52’). Rancho San Carlos has not undergone restoration and is considered an unmanaged site in this study. The Red Rock site is located on the Carmel River, 1 kilometer west of the intersection of Robinson Canyon Road and Carmel Valley Road, and 300 meters south of Carmel Valley Road (North 36˚31’, West 121˚49’). Robinson Canyon Road leads to River Meadows Road which dead ends at a private gate 20 meters southwest of the plot’s center. From that point, the 5.7-hectare study plot extends 260 meters upstream to the Sambosa Buddhist Center and 340 meters downstream. This site underwent riparian habitat restoration in 1997 and 1998.

Task 5: 2007 MAPS REPORT

The contractor shall submit a report that contains all relevant information pertaining to this task. The Draft Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship Stations (MAPS) Report will be submitted December 15, 2007. The Final Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship Stations (MAPS) Report shall be submitted within 30 days of receipt of comments from the MPWMD.

LITERATURE CITED

DeSante, D. F., K. M. Burton, P. Velez, and D. Froehlich. 2004. MAPS manual, 2004 protocol: Instructions for the establishment and operation of constant-effort bird-banding stations as part of the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (Maps) program. Point Reyes Station (CA): The Institute for Bird Populations. 77 pp

Ralph, C. J., J. R. Sauer, and S. Droege (eds). 1997. Monitoring bird populations by point counts. Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report PSW-GTR-149.

RHJV (Riparian Habitat Joint Venture). 2004. Version 2.0. The riparian bird conservation plan: a strategy for reversing the decline of riparian associated birds in California. California Partners in Flight. http://www.prbo.org/calpif/pdfs/riparian.v-2.pdf.

FEE SCHEDULE

Task 1-3: Approximate costs for each task are: Task 1 - $969.00; Task 2 - $969.00; Task 3 - $1,065.04. The total MPWMD cost for Tasks 1-3 is $3,003.04. See following cost breakdown for Tasks 1, 2, and 3:

Task 1 (Spring Transects):
Description	Rate	Units	Total
Biologist	$19.50	30 hours	$585.00
Benefits	36%	$585.00	$210.60
Indirect Costs	15%	$795.60	$119.34
Mileage	$0.445	120 miles	$53.40
Total Task 1			$969.00
Task 2 (Summer Transects):
Description	Rate	Units	Total
Biologist	$19.50	30 hours	$585.00
Benefits	36%	$585.00	$210.60
Indirect Costs	15%	$795.60	$119.34
Mileage	$0.445	120 miles	$53.40
Total Task 2			$969.00
Task 3 (Data Entry and Report):
Description	Rate	Units	Total
Biologist	$19.50	28 hours	$546.00
Benefits	36%	$546.00	$196.56
Indirect Costs	15%	$742.56	$111.38
Intern (x2)	$9.00	14.4 hours	$129.60
Benefits	24%	$129.60	$31.10
Housing	$28.00/day	1.80 days	$50.40
Total Task 3			$1065.04
Total for Tasks 1-3			$3,003.04

Task 4 – 2007 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS)

and

Task 5 – 2007 MAPS Reporting

The MPWMD cost share for Tasks 4 and 5 is $1,148.74. The costs for these two tasks will be shared among Ventana Wildlife Society, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, and USFWS Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA), a cooperative grant led by Ventana Wildlife Society. The total cost for Tasks 4 and 5 is estimated to be $6,689.39, including data entry, reporting, work conducted at 3 sites, all personnel, mileage, and costs incurred for specialized equipment. See following cost breakdown for Tasks 4 and 5:

Description	Rate	Units	Total	MPWMD	NMBCA	VWS
Biologist	$19.50	28.5 hours	$555.75	$0.00	$138.94	$416.81
Benefits	36%	$555.75	$200.07	$0.00	$50.02	$150.05
Indirect Costs	15%	$755.82	$113.37	$0.00	$28.34	$85.03
Intern	$5.00	320 hours	$1,600.00	$336.00	$400.00	$864.00
Intern	$4.00	320 hours	$1,280.00	$268.80	$320.00	$691.20
Benefits	24%	$2,880.00	$691.20	$145.15	$172.80	$373.25
Housing (x2)	$24.00/day	60.00 days	$1,440.00	$302.40	$360.00	$777.60
Mileage	$0.45	1020 miles	$459.00	$96.39	$114.75	$247.86
Supplies			$350.00	$0.00	$87.50	$262.50
Total Tasks 4-5			$6,689.39	$1148.74	$1672.35	$3868.30

MPWMD Total Costs for Tasks 1 through 5: $4,151.78

WORK SCHEDULE

Task 1: The completion goal for SPRING 2007 monitoring is June 2007. This is in accord with monitoring dates in previous years. Monitoring will not begin prior to 10 May, to ensure the arrival of most breeding birds that are migratory.

Task 2: The completion goal for SUMMER 2007 monitoring is August 2007. This is in accord with monitoring dates in previous years, which spanned August 7–August 30.

Task 3: The 2007 accumulative draft report will be submitted November 1, 2007. The Final Report shall be submitted within 30 days of receipt of comments from the MPWMD.

Task 4: The completion goal for the 2007 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) monitoring is August 8, 2007. Monitoring will span May 1 –August 8 to standardize with national protocols at the three sites located within the transect sites.

Task 5: The completion goal for the 2007 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Draft Report is December 15, 2007. The Final MAPS Report shall be submitted within 30 days of receipt of comments from the MPWMD.

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