Completion Form

2023

This is a maintenance of past similar work completed.  This project as a whole is a very proactive type project.  The riparian corridor here is super intact multi-story native riparian habitat.  Goal is to treat R. Olive and tamarisk before it takes over.  Maintenance is very necessary for woody invasive removal.

Description of Habitat Improvement Project and Objectives:

The project site is along Muddy Creek in Emery County, Utah, on private land.  Muddy Creek lies within the Warm Central Desertic Basins and Plateaus MLRA, most of the area is covered by residual basin-floor materials and materials washed in from the surrounding mountains and plateaus.  The dominant rock types of the area are shale and sandstone. 
The project site consists of a riparian bottom and adjacent upland terrace.  Currently the riparian bottom has a diverse mix of native trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs.  With this said, there is some non-native woody trees sporadically mixed into the native vegetation.  The goal of this project is to be proactive and remove that non-native vegetation before it becomes a serious problem and out-competes native vegetation that wildlife are adapted to.  The river corridor is a mix of cottonwood, buffalo berry, oak leaf sumac, and various grasses, sedges, and forbs.  The upper terraces are sagebrush, greasewood, four-wing saltbush communities.

Goals:
1)  Reduce woody invasive species while in low densities to protect intact native riparian community.

Undertaking and Methods:
One of the most effective ways to remove tamarisk and R. olive is with saw crews.  Low cutting the tree using a chainsaw then immediately treating the stump with the appropriate herbicide is an effective way of killing these species.  Basal bark spraying as well as hack and squirt treatment may be utilized where it makes sense.

Species Benefits:
Yellow-billed cuckoo, N. leopard frog, Common yellowthroat, Bluehead sucker, Flannelmouth sucker, Wild turkey, Mule deer

Area of Potential Effect:
Approximately 210 riparian treatment acres along approximately 6 miles of Muddy Creek.

USFWS will:
USFWS will be working with other partners to provide coordination and supervision to the invasive vegetation cutting crew.  USFWS will work with the landowner in coordinating, planning, and implementation of all the conservation practices.

The Landowner(s) will:  
Landowner and land manager will work with USFWS to plan, coordinate and implement conservation practices as agreed upon.

The other Cooperator(s) will:
Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) will provide funding and contract management for invasive removal crew.  Several sportsmen groups like NWTF, RMEF, and SFW provided funding which was much appreciate.

Notes:
Opportunity exists to move downstream on this landowner, other landowners, and public land.  Up stream is mostly void of woody invasives but may be other opportunities with public land managers.

This property has a really diverse native forb understory through out the year and several milkweed patches along the margins of the irrigated fields.  The property has a ton of pollinators and birds.

Clint Wirick

08/30/2023 16:01:25