The Work of this project shall include all labor and equipment to complete control of select invasive plants, including, but not limited to: Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea), Teasel (Dipsacus spp.), Cattails (Typha spp.), Common Reed (Phragmites australis), Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula), Fig Buttercup (Ranunculus ficaria), Crown vetch (Coronilla varia), Common goldenrod (Solidago altissima) and Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) at various Forest Preserves in Lake County.  More than three quarters of the Work Sites include State of Illinois Nature Preserves and other high quality areas.  The Work shall be performed at numerous Forest Preserves throughout Lake County including, but not limited to: Wadsworth Savanna, Rollins Savanna, Heron Creek, Ryerson Woods, Grant Woods, Middlefork Savanna, Grainger Woods, Mac Arthur Woods, Captain Daniel Wright Woods, Van Patten Woods, Gander Mountain, Greenbelt, Lake Carina, Pine Dunes, Raven Glen, Ray Lake, Lakewood, Grainger Woods, Prairie Wolf Slough, Fort Sheridan, and Lyons Woods Forest Preserves. 

Work shall include selective foliar spray and wick application of herbicide with back pack sprayers and wick applicators, hand swiping, wick barring, and chemical treatment of small woody vines / resprouts. Use of an ATV for access shall be necessary.  Broadcast application is a method used infrequently, but may be necessary, including application from a boom apparatus attached to an ATV.  Herbicides, surfactants, water conditioners, and dye will be provided by the Lake County Forest Preserve District (Owner). 

Contractors shall provide all labor and equipment, including vehicles, sprayers, wick applicators, trailors, ATV’s, other equipment, and time for travel and mixing of herbicide (off-site), etc., based on an hourly rate, to complete the projects.  Hourly rate shall include any project management, herbicide mixing and preparation, herbicide application reporting, and or over sight of the field crew deemed necessary by the contractor. 

Contractors shall have the capacity to provide a crew of up to eight people and any equipment listed above requested by the Owner within 24 hours of the Owner’s request. 

The Owner is seeking to hire two full crews that meet the specifications described above to complete the 2017 invasive plant management projects.  It is anticipated that one crew will work on projects west of the Des Plaines River and the second crew shall work on projects east of the Des Plaines River.  Contractors can provide bids for one or both crews. The Owner reserves the right to assign the contractor(s) to any invasive plant management project, regardless of location.  These crews may be from the same contractor or two different contractors; therefore the contract shall be awarded on a line item cost in the table of pricing.

The Work shall be performed at the following Work Sites:

Lake County Forest Preserves East of the Des Plaines River

Lake County Forest Preserves West of the Des Plaines River