Procurement
Request for Proposals: Qualified Biologist Services — South Yuba Rim Phase 2
YWI is seeking a qualified biologist or ecological consulting firm to conduct focused special-status species surveys, compliance monitoring, and reporting for the 232-acre South Yuba Rim Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project (Phase 2). Questions are due June 15 and proposals are due July 1, 2026.
Yuba Watershed Institute (YWI) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for qualified biologist services in support of Phase 2 of the South Yuba Rim Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project on San Juan Ridge, Nevada County.
Read the full RFP (PDF) → • View RFP details, addenda & Q&A →
At a Glance
- Project: South Yuba Rim Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project — Phase 2
- Funding: CAL FIRE Grant No. 5GG25128 (California Climate Investments / Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund)
- Location: San Juan Ridge, Nevada County, California
- Treatment area: 232 acres total — 97 acres mechanical mastication and 135 acres hand thinning, piling, and pile burning
- Performance period: Through July 1, 2028
- Questions deadline: June 15, 2026
- Proposals due: July 1, 2026, 5:00 PM Pacific Time
- Submit to: chris@yubawatershedinstitute.org
Scope of Services
The project's environmental review was completed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) through a Project-Specific Analysis and Addendum to the CalVTP Program EIR (May 2025), which identifies the Standard Project Requirements and Mitigation Measures YWI must implement. The focused pre-treatment surveys and ongoing biological monitoring in this Scope of Work are the follow-on obligations triggered by that completed review.
The selected biologist or firm will provide:
- Required pre-treatment surveys (regardless of season) for coast horned lizard, northwestern pond turtle, American badger, Crotch's bumble bee, monarch butterfly / milkweed host plants, and wildlife nursery sites.
- Compliance monitoring support during treatment, remaining available on-call to advise YWI's project manager and direct protective measures for any special-status species encounters.
- Biological resource training for crews and contractors prior to each treatment season, plus documentation and reporting.
- Optional add-on services (special-status bat roost surveys, Northern California ringtail den surveys, and foothill yellow-legged frog surveys) activated by task order only if treatment scheduling or siting makes avoidance infeasible. Proposers should include separate not-to-exceed estimates for each add-on.
All surveys must be conducted by, or under the direct supervision of, a qualified biologist with demonstrated experience in the relevant taxa, and the biologist must hold all applicable state and federal permits where protocol-level surveys are required.
How to Submit
Submit questions by June 15, 2026 and proposals by 5:00 PM Pacific on July 1, 2026 to chris@yubawatershedinstitute.org. Any addenda or responses to questions will be posted on the RFP page.
The South Yuba Rim Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project Phase 2 is funded by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's (CAL FIRE) Wildfire Prevention Grants Program as part of the California Climate Investments program.
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