Develop & Deliver Instruction for Wetland Stream Ecology & Wetland River Function

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products or commercial services prepared in accordance with the format in subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

The Government provides training courses that are managed through the US Army Corps of Engineers Learning Center (ULC) in Huntsville, Alabama.  These courses require technical or specialized information taught by experienced and or certified instructors at Government or Military facilities or educational institutions to help fulfill the mission.

The Wetland Stream Ecology course provides detailed and specialized knowledge in the science of the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of stream ecology. This includes providing an environment for the student that will enhance their understanding of the interrelationships between hydrology, geomorphology, water quality, and biota.  An emphasis will be on fluvial geomorphic processes which are important to shaping and reshaping the active river channel and its associated floodplain.  The function of the hyporheic zone in gravel Bed Rivers will also be discussed and shown in field sites.  Wetland stream botanical flora (plants) and fauna (animals) will be studied at the stream habitat and landscape scales.

The Wetland River Function course provides detailed and specialized knowledge on the application of hydrogeomorphic (HGM) wetland functional assessment methods.  The Corps of Engineers regulatory and civil works efforts must be done within the guidelines and constraints of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and other legislation.  Regulatory actions and environmental reviews for civil works projects require increasingly complex watershed level functional assessments of adverse unavoidable project impacts. Historically, structural (acre for acre) mitigation has been a surrogate for functional mitigation (e.g. maintaining habitat connectivity, flood conveyance and storage, nutrient cycling, etc.). The structural approach is no longer adequate due to the rapid evolution of ecological science and the development of HGM functional assessment methods based on hydrologic, biogeochemical, and habitat functions. The hydro geomorphic functional assessment method (HGM) is a Federal Interagency tool developed to address this critical need. This course focuses on small and large riverine systems throughout the United States and additionally provides water resources practitioners with useful knowledge on river function and HGM based functional assessments.  An understanding of functional approaches is essential in meeting restoration, enhancement and mitigation objectives. A special section of the course will cover restoration alternatives identification and assessment of altered and restored stream reaches. Participants will work in facilitated problem solving classroom and field sessions.  Course 192, Wetland Stream Ecology, is a prerequisite to this course.