Completion Form

2024

BLM Fuels: One contractor with multiple machines were completed 205 acres of juniper removal near Hi-Country Estates and Butterfield Canyon. Aerial seeding of 233 acres occurred prior to mastication.

Riparian Restoration: Sageland collaborative, volunteers, and Goodfellers Inc. built BDAs in Yellow Fork Creek by installing custom 4' length, 2.5" diameter untreated wood fence posts approximately 1' apart, and 2' deep into the streambed using hand tools. Posts were trimmed to the ordinary high-water mark.  We filled spaces between posts with branches, rocks, coconut coir, and sod clumps were used as fill material. Each BDA used between 4 and 6 posts.
Riparian Habitat Monitoring: Before and one year after restoration activities were implemented, the condition of the stream was assessed using the Rapid Stream Riparian Assessment (RSRA) protocol (Stacey et al. 2006). The RSRA protocol was developed as a means to efficiently assess the condition of a stream. RSRA utilizes qualitative and quantitative data to generate a score for water quality, hydro-geomorphology, fish and aquatic habitat, riparian vegetation, and terrestrial wildlife habitat. The data is then converted to a score that ranges from "1", representing highly impacted and non-functional conditions, to "5", representing a healthy and completely functional system.

Stacey, P.B, A.L. Jones, J.C. Catlin, D.A. Duff, L.E. Stevens, and C. Gourley. 2006. User's Guide for the Rapid Assessment of the Functional Condition of Stream Riparian Ecosystems in the American Southwest.

FFSL: FSL hired United Fire Authority to create fuel breaks (Cut & chip) covering 7.5 acres along the edge of BLM property abutting private lands between Butterfield and Yellow Fork Canyons.

BLM Fuels: The purpose of this project was to improve critical mule deer winter habitat and reduce fire risk to the community of Hi-Country Estates by removing juniper and seeding where necessary.

The seed, provided through GBRC, was aerially applied on November 2, 2023. Hammond Helicopter was awarded the contract for $35/ac. The work was completed in one day with a fixed wing airplane.

Retroscape LLC. out of Logan, Utah was awarded the Hi-Country mastication contract for $215/ac. They used two Barko 930 rubber tire machines with mulching heads to complete the treatment.  Work was completed between November 13-30, 2023.  We were not able to mulch approximately 28 acres due to cultural resource avoidance and inaccessibility due to steep slopes.

Riparian Restoration:The purpose of the BDA project in Yellow Fork was to reduce sediment loading to Rose Creek, repair the incised stream channel, and create suitable habitat for improving riparian vegetation.  We successfully built 95 BDAs out of the 150 planned covering approximately 2 stream miles. We also arranged several meetings with downstream water right holders who had concerns about BDAs built in the watershed, returned to the site to carry out maintenance following the record-setting snowmelt of winter/spring 2023. Prior to FY23, initial restoration work in Water Fork/Rose Canyon (40 BDAs) and Yellow Fork (57 BDAs) were completed between 2020 and 2021, funded by a Nonpoint Source Grant (N2024-569). We have attached cumulative monitoring report for annual RSRA surveys conducted annually since the project began. 
Riparian habitat monitoring: RSRA surveys were completed before & 1 year after Yellow Fork BDAs were completed. Our full restoration & RSRA monitoring report is attached.

FFSL: 
With $30K from WRI, FFSL created fuel breaks by thinning 7.5 acres of pinon & juniper trees along the edge of BLM property abutting private lands between Butterfield and Yellow Fork Canyons.

FFSL contributed $10K in-kind for project management/coordination, contracts/agreements, cooperator billing/invoicing, landowner permissions, tracking/GIS and community outreach in High Country estates.

FFSL also contributed $25k in CatFire funding for this area to create more depth within the project area cutting and chipping. UFA also contributes over $10k a year for community chipping events through High Country Estates 1 & II.

BLM Fuels: This area will be managed as sagebrush habitat in the long term.  The treatment area will be maintained over time by removing juniper regrowth.  Vegetation monitoring  will continue to occur for at least 5 years post-treatment.  Noxious weeds will be identified and treated on a regular basis. The area is not grazed, therefore, no rest from grazing is required.

Riparian Restoration: Sageland Collaborative and UDWR are committed to continued maintenance of BDA structures in Yellow Fork to ensure the stream continues to capture sediment and improve water quality downstream.  
Sageland, UDWR, and UGS are working together with water right holders to develop a flow monitoring study and experimental breach of BDAs, tentatively planned for 2024. 
All future work in the creek, including maintenance, re-vegetation, will include downstream water users.  UDWR is working with water users to evaluate Phragmites clogging the main stem of Rose Creek as well.

FFSL: In 2023, FFSL secured WUIPPM Grant funding to complete 15 more acres in this project area for 2024  - 2025 to lengthen and widen the shaded fuel break that separates private and BLM land in upper High Country Estates I. We will continue to monitor this area for regrowth to gauge the need for retreatment and understory change/regrowth.

Rose Smith

01/31/2024 16:55:21