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Ecological Associates. Inc. — Scope of Work and Cost Proposal 2 <br />Task 2: Project Management <br />An EAI project manager will oversee all fieldwork and data management operations, <br />participate in weekly check-in meetings with APTIM/Indian River County, and consult <br />with APTIM on permit requirements, as necessary. A project schedule, as well as field <br />survey schedules, will be created and maintained throughout the life of the project. All <br />equipment and supplies necessary to successfully implement this Scope of Work are <br />available. <br />Task 3: Daily Sea Turtle Monitoring and Data Management (FDEP Specific <br />Condition 15) <br />Beginning on March 1, 2023, EAI will conduct daily morning sea turtle nesting surveys <br />of the Project and Reference Areas. Surveys will continue through October 31, 2023, <br />or until two (2) weeks without a crawl in the Project Area, whichever is earlier. If there <br />is a two-week period where no crawls are documented in the Project Area, EAI will <br />request a waiver from the USFWS and FWC to discontinue daily monitoring. If <br />permission is granted, EAI will then perform surveys three days per week to monitor <br />marked nests. <br />Surveys will commence within 30 minutes of sunrise. Monitoring will be performed <br />by EAI staff either on foot or using ATVs. All emergences (turtle crawls) apparent <br />from the previous night will be interpreted to determine which species of turtle came <br />ashore and whether or not it nested. Crawls will be denoted as being above or below <br />the previous high tide line. The approximate geographic location of each crawl will be <br />determined by GPS (sub -meter accuracy). In addition to segregating crawls into nesting <br />and non -nesting emergences (false crawls), each false crawl will be assigned to one of <br />the following categories denoting the stage at which the nesting attempt was <br />abandoned: no digging, abandoned body pit, or abandoned egg cavity. Any obstacles <br />encountered by turtles during their crawls will be documented. <br />Disorientation Reporting. During the course of daily monitoring, any evidence of <br />hatchling misorientation or disorientation from either marked or unmarked nests will <br />be documented using FWC's electronic Marine Turtle Hatchling Disorientation <br />Incident Report Form. Based on track evaluations, an estimate of the number of <br />hatchlings disoriented will be recorded and light sources potentially responsible for the <br />disorientation identified. Information concerning each incident will be forwarded by <br />email to Indian River County on a weekly basis so appropriate remedial action may be <br />taken. <br />Stranding and Salvage. A requirement of FWC sea turtle permit holders conducting <br />nesting surveys is to respond to the stranding of sick, injured, and dead sea turtles <br />within their survey area. These animals are examined, and if alive, transported to state - <br />approved care facilities. A standard Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage data form will <br />be completed and submitted for each stranded animal encountered by EAI. This <br />information will be transmitted to FWC in accordance with established guidelines. <br />