The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) is issuing a Request for Bids for spring and fall aerial whooping crane surveys along the Platte River from Lexington to Chapman, NE. The Program needs a pilot and an aircraft to fly daily morning transects with two Program observers, split into east and west sections (bids accepted for one or both). Flights depart from Grand Island and Kearney airports, lasting about 2 hours at 750 ft AGL and 100 mph.

Monitoring season schedules are as follows:

• Spring: March 5, 2026 – April 19, 2026
• Fall: October 15, 2026 – November 18, 2026

(The start dates may be initiated earlier, or the end dates extended in the event whooping cranes are known to be in the area.)

Bids due January 30, 2026, at 5:00 PM CT to ideuse@headwaterscorp.com.

Public opening February 2, 2026. Please see the attachment for further details, including the bid form, transects, insurance requirements, and contract terms.

The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) is seeking qualified and licensed contractors for a three-year contract (2026-2028) to provide ground and aerial drone herbicide application services across approximately 14,555 acres of habitat lands in central Nebraska, aimed at controlling noxious and invasive vegetation to support endangered species like the whooping crane, piping plover, interior least tern, and pallid sturgeon.

Services include bare ground treatments at off-channel sand and water sites, noxious weed control in grasslands, and management of invasive brush, with work spanning April 1 to November 15 annually, emphasizing precise application, environmental safety, and coordination to avoid impacts on target species.

Bids are requested on an hourly rate for labor/equipment plus chemical cost markup, with a pre-bid meeting on February 13, 2026, at 10:00 am CST, and submissions due by March 6, 2026, at 5:00 pm CST.

Contact Tim R. Tunnell at tunnellt@headwaterscorp.com for details and to contribute to vital conservation efforts.

The program is accepting prequalification applications for contractors interested in providing habitat creation, restoration, and maintenance services on Program lands. This process provides Program staff with a list of qualified contractors with capabilities and experience in work classes including but not limited to:

• Brush/tree shredding
• Discing (in-channel)
• Grass seeding
• Herbicide application (in-channel and upland)
• Hydraulic dredging
• Large tree/forest clearing
• Livestock fencing
• Mechanical earth moving (in-channel and upland)
• Mowing (in-channel & upland)
• Vegetation shredding (in-channel and upland)
• Understory tree clearing
• Well decommissioning