Completion Form

2021

BLM Methods:
- chainsaw crews cut or girdled Russian Olive trees, applying herbicides to cut stumps and girdles
- herbicides used on Russian Olive: Polaris on trees farther than 10' from stream/ Aquaneat on trees within 10' of stream
- Ravenna Grass stumps were dug up with shovels and pulaskis
- Ravenna Grass seedheads were cut, bagged and hiked out of the canyon
- new social trails were closed using native materials ie brush/ rocks
- youth crews hiked the lands managed by BLM in Mill Ck Canyon, hand cutting Russian Olive re-sprouts
-erosion control structures were constructed using native materials include Russian Olive slash, branches, rocks, etc

RRR: Final methods for removal in the Mill and Pack Creek work areas included thinning and chipping of non-native trees, seeding, containerized planting, wattle installation and mowing. There was also herbiciding of stumps and non-native seedlings.  Containerized plantings were flagged to be monitored in the fall so that Rim to Rim can track mortality of plantings and pick out trends that we can use to improve future planting projects.

FFSL: We worked closely with RRR for the Moab Valley portions of the project so our methods are essentially the same. At all sites in the valley the cut material was either chipped or cut to firewood length and hauled off site. Stumps were treated with appropriate herbicides depending on proximity to water.

On South Mesa we ended up having a change of plans due to arch survey reports. We originally intended to masticate a large portion of the property up on South Mesa, but due to cultural findings we adjusted our SOW to hand cutting. Work was completed by our in house crew as well as a few UCC crews. 100' Radius was thinned out from the cabin and the roadway adjacent to the cabin was cut 15' to either side. In both of these polygons material was chipped and broadcast on site. We also cut a fuel break along the North and East fencelines 20' off the fence. Material was dragged away from the fence and scattered further into the property. On the western portion some of the sagebrush fields were cleared of encroaching pinyon and juniper and we cut in a moderate sized fire break into the PJ forest going out to the north cliffside. Material in that unit was also scattered.

In Pack Creek Ranch we had a number of clearing activities that we preformed prior to the large fire. We cleared almost the entire riparian area within the community of Russian olive. We re-cut the 3 fuel breaks we cut the previous year and our crew was cutting one of those when the fire started on June 9th. We felled and piled dead cottonwoods and oaks just upstream of the Desert Solitaire crossing and downstream of it extending probably 200 yards in either direction. In addition we hosted 4 days of chipper days within the community to chip what various landowners cut.

FS/DWR: We installed approximately 4,548 feet of 4-strand barbed wire fencing, a gate, a water gap, and a cattle guard in the Pack Creek Drainage.

BLM:  ACE chainsaw crews mechanically and chemically treated Russian Olive trees as well as dug up Ravenna Grass plants during Oct 2020.  Moab Solutions, a local non-profit organization, reduced social trailing and picked up trash throughout FY20.  The Grand County Weed Dept visited Mill Ck Canyon weekly to mechanically remove Ravenna Grass throughout FY20.  Terra Sophia, a local contractor, constructed multiple erosion control structures in gullies directly adjacent to Mill Ck.

RRR: In 2020 and 2021 Rim to Rim Restoration (RRR) planted extensively along Mill and Pack Creeks, expanded existing firebreaks and removed invasive species along the creek corridor as a part of our ongoing efforts to improve vegetation, reduce fire hazard, and improve the creek corridors.
New firebreaks were extended approximately 1/4 of a mile.  Ladder and crown fuels were removed from 3.05 acres in an area adjacent to several homes.  Existing breaks were expanded one additional acre in another dense residential area, and several large areas of Russian olive, elm and tamarisk were removed. RRR purchased two brush mowers to tackle finer ladder fuels along Mill Creek, further increasing community protection from fire in those areas.

Several areas were planted and seeded with a variety of native plants, including trees, grasses and forbs. At sites in Anonymous Park, adjacent to 500 West and other sites along Mill and Pack Creeks, approximately 850 plants were installed and watered multiple times, 450 of which were planted by Synergy volunteers on Earth Day 2021.  A collaboration with Grand County Middle School and Canyonlands Field Institute incorporated planting 200 plants with the help of the 8th grad science class along Mill Creek near the new middle school.  This project will continue to engage the 8th grade science class for at least the next 5 years.
Mortality monitoring was initiated at all planting sites along Mill Creek, helping RRR refine planting techniques in the future in order to increase planting survival.  Results from this monitoring will be available in 2022 and updated in 2023.

Forest Service: The hand thinning and piling portion within the drainages of Millcreek were not funded within this first cycle of the project. Funds to complete this portion of the project were granted through Shared Stewardship (Spring of 2021) and is slotted to be completed summer of 2021.Forest Service crews flagged and prepared the Hx units the summer of 2021. This effort was covered by the forest (In-Kind). The contract to complete the work was awarded to 3B's.

FFSL: FY21 was a year of adaptation for projects in the Mill Creek Watershed. COVID and social distancing made scheduling projects and crew management difficult on our projects in Moab Valley. We had a change in plans on South Mesa due to our cultural survey. Lastly we had the Pack Creek Fire in June of 2020 that wiped out houses, and our fuels reduction work in Pack Creek Ranch.

The work within Pack Creek Ranch continued to be difficult due to most of the concern being in the thick overgrown riparian area. We did our best to clear out dead fall and dead standing trees from previous years cottonwood and oak mortality. We also re cut the fuel breaks we had implemented in FY20 under our Catfire grant. The fuel breaks when we originally cut them were time (and money) consuming because of how thick the riparian vegetation had grown. Unfortunately it was no match for the dry conditions and wind that were present during the Pack Creek Fire which burned right through them the night of June 9th.

The South Mesa SOW was adjusted due to the arch survey which precluded us from continuing with the mastication. We ended up using our seasonal crew as well as some UCC help to continue to do Pinyon and Juniper removal over a reduced area.

Mill and Pack Creeks in Moab Valley continued along apace to previous years. We implemented a couple of new invasive tree removal areas further up Pack Creek which both give us good spots to stop a potential fire and gives us a foothold among private landowners up there to  begin the larger work necessary to eradicate olive from the valley.

FS/DWR:  The Forest Service installed approximately 4,548 feet of 4-strand barbed wire fencing, a gate, and a water gap in the Pack Creek Drainage between Pack Creek Ranch (Private land inholding) and Pack Creek Picnic Area. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources put out for bid and acquired the needed fencing materials with monetary support from the Pack Creek Water Company. The DWR also worked with San Juan County to install a cattle guard in the road along the fence line.

BLM: Project work continues in this area, with ongoing invasive plant removal and erosion control activities.  This area is managed by BLM to protect ecological resources as part of the ACEC management.  No livestock grazing is currently authorized.

RRR: Collaboration between Moab Valley Fire Department (MVFD), Utah Forestry Fire and State Lands (FFSL), the City of Moab, Grand County, Rim to Rim Restoration and private landowners continues to grow.  RRR has partnered with landowners, NRCS and Utah DWQ on a 319 project focused on the Holland Property and Cinema Courts area to reduce downcutting and restore connectivity of the floodplain with Pack Creek.  This project should cover a full creek mile that was recently cleared of Russian olive.  Landowners are interested in revegetation and bank stabilization activities in this zone and in other areas along the creeks.  Engineering planning work has been completed and future planting work will focus on regenerating native plant communities in cleared areas.   FFSL has proven to be a solid partner in this work, assisting with planning and also increasing capacity through the use of their chipper and staff.

Finally, the City of Moab provided funding for Rim to Rim to continue working with landowners, the City, County and School District to build more fire resiliency and regenerate native plants throughout the riparian corridor of the City.  Rim to Rim continues to work with the City of Moab to continue these efforts.

FFSL: Pack Creek Ranch post fire now has a whole host of new issues that other agencies will be able to handle better than us. We are working to finish out fuels reduction on portions of private land not burned by the fire. We continue to be a part of ongoing recovery conversations to see where we fit in. On South Mesa we have completed our work that we planned up there. It will now be on the landowner to maintain their breaks by cutting out PJ saplings every few years from the breaks.

For Mill and Pack Creeks in Moab Valley we were just awarded a grant for $300,000 from the USFS so we will be largely in planning mode over the winter of 21/22 to find matching money for the grant as well as to plan valley wide removal projects.

FS/DWR: The Forest Service will monitor and maintain the fencing, and San Juan County will maintain the cattle guard.

Nicole Nielson

08/30/2021 11:16:50