$11.9M to prepare move of desert tortoises out of 29Palms

The Few, the Proud, the Tortoises: Marines Protect Endangered Species

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif.—U.S. Marines are taught to overcome obstacles with a minimum of help. But when some Marines prepared to charge a hill in a training exercise here a few months ago, they were forced to halt and radio the one man who could help them advance: Brian Henen, turtle expert.
The troops were "running up the hill and firing at targets," Mr. Henen said. "Some of the tortoises like the hill also. The Marines don't want to hurt the tortoise, so they call us and we go in and move it."

An Army of Biologists Are on Nature Patrol at Military Bases - WSJ

Defense.gov Contracts for Friday, August 15, 2014

Tetra Tech, Inc., Arlington, Virginia, is being awarded $11,905,740 for firm-fixed-price task order FZ02 under a previously awarded natural  resources multiple award contract (N62470-13-D-8016) for desert  tortoises pre-translocation analyses at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms.

The work to be performed provides for 

1. the  pre-translocation analyses including clearance-level surveys; 
2. health assessments; 
3. apply radio transmitters; 
4. perform radio telemetry  monitoring and activity movement analyses; 
5. establish long term  monitoring plots; and 
6. evaluate the initial density, demography, habitat  and disease status of desert tortoises at these plots. 
7. The contractor  shall also construct barrier fences, repatriation pens, and holding pens for the desert tortoises. 

 The task order also contains three unexercised options, which if exercised, would increase the cumulative task order value to $23,633,220. 

Work will be performed in Twentynine Palms, California, and is expected to be completed by May 2016. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $11,905,740 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.