AB-2025-06993 - CARIBOU DNA SURVEY #2 - HELICOPTER SUPPORT 2025/26

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (EPA) monitors provincial caribou populations to collect information on caribou populations, trend and composition. EPA undertakes fecal DNA mark-recapture surveys to collect genetic data to develop estimates of population size and inform wildlife managers on necessary actions to support population recovery and management. Monitoring of caribou populations supports provincial commitments within the Alberta-Canada Agreement for the Conservation and Recovery of the Woodland Caribou in Alberta, provincial sub-regional planning efforts, updates to species recovery plans and delivery of species conservation and management actions. In winter 2025-26, EPA requires the contracting of rotary-wing services to conduct non-invasive genetic sampling surveys within and adjacent to the Slave Lake and Nipisi caribou ranges in north-central Alberta. In general, the survey will require the helicopters (AStar 350 or equivalent) and pilots to provide a low altitude, low airspeed viewing platform to safely identify caribou foraging locations. Pilots and aircraft will fly established transects (3 km spacing) throughout the Slave Lake and Nipisi caribou ranges, land in remote locations, in close proximity to caribou foraging locations, and enable sampling crews (up to 3 people) to collect caribou fecal pellet samples. The geographic locations of these surveys are shown in Figure 1. Three multi-day (~2-4 days in length) survey windows are planned, with an anticipated start in December 2025 and expecting to end in March 2026 (~1 survey per month). Successful survey delivery will require optimal environmental and flying conditions (adequate snow cover and age, air temperature and wind speeds). Actual survey length and timing are dependent on availability of optimal survey conditions. Surveys require pilots that have extensive experience with confined/remote landing, hover exits and delivery of wildlife and/or transect based surveys. There will also be elements of low-level, low airspeed flying to assess sites prior to landing. Pilot experience conducting these types of operations on the appropriate aircraft type will be crucial to ensure the safety of the pilot and survey staff. Each survey window will require up to three aircraft which will operate concurrently out of Slave Lake as a primary base and Red Earth Creek as an optional secondary base. Aircraft may be provided by one or more companies, and companies may apply on one or multiple concurrent resources/bases. That is, a single company may supply bids providing one, two, or three helicopters. Bids should specify the number of aircraft being supplied by the associated base as laid out in the Fixed Hourly Rate Table in Attachment # 3 to Appendix C to this RFP. Multiple Contracts may be awarded under this RFP. Both wet and dry rates should be provided as part of the bid package (Attachment #3 of this RFP package). Wet rates (Base fuel) should reflect fuel usage from a proponent’s base of operations in Slave Lake and/or Red Earth Creek. If a proponent has remote (i.e., non-base) fuel, that pricing should be reflected under the Wet Rate (Remote fuel). The location of remote fuel accessible by a proponent should be explicitly identified. Dry rates reflect pricing in which EPA provides fuel. EPA has access to bulk fuel at Nipisi and Wabasca Forestry fuel caches, and drummed fuel at Meridian and Chisholm Forestry fuel caches.