Completion Form

2021

The need for this project is to acquire and protect habitat for the Mojave Desert tortoise to complement the goals of the Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and contribute to the tortoise's recovery, as a species.

In 1990, the Mojave Desert tortoise was listed as a threatened species due to various threats, including loss of habitat, invasive plants, wildfire, disease, increased predation and illegal collecting. Management and recovery of this species is particularly complex because it encompasses several states, each with different agencies and land uses.

In 1996, Washington County, Utah established a 61,000-acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve to protect the tortoise and its most valuable habitat remaining in the state. Creation and management of the Reserve were the primary recovery contributions of the County's Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). In 2009, the Reserve was also granted federal protection with the designation of the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA). Under this designation only the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) -administered lands were considered part of the NCA, however any future purchases or exchanges of the private property within the Reserve could become a part of the NCA as well.

The Red Cliffs Desert Reserve is the primary habitat for Mojave Desert tortoise in the Upper Virgin River Recovery Unit (see Figure in attached documents). With an average of 19.6 tortoises per square kilometer, the Reserve boasts the highest densities of Mojave Desert tortoises remaining in the wild (McLuckie et al. 2017). Occurring at the very northeastern limit of the tortoise's range, the Reserve is also the smallest recovery unit, representing less than 1% of all tortoise management areas. Marked by its spectacular red rock canyons and basaltic lava flows, the  Reserve is located at an intergrade zone between the Mojave Desert, Colorado Plateau, and the Great Basin Desert. As a result, it contains a unique combination of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world.

Since the Reserves' inception, Washington County, BLM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Utah Department of Natural Resources (UDNR) and other partners, have been working diligently to purchase or trade out all private inholdings within the Reserve. The HCP agreement identified three major land acquisition strategies (3.2 HCP 1996) and carefully outlined the acquisition responsibilities: 1. State School Trust - BLM land exchange, 2. Private -BLM land exchange, and 3. Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

Additionally, UDNR has been awarded Section 6 funds to assist in the acquisition of Reserve inholdings. All of these strategies rely on support from Federal agencies and do not specifically require the County to purchase the lands as a part of their mitigation (the County's primary HCP mitigation responsibility is management of the Reserve).

To date, approximately 10,000 acres of private property have been acquired through purchase or land exchange in the Reserve and over $100 million dollars have been spent in cash and land exchange value. In 2015 UDNR was able to complete the purchase for 101 acres of private Reserve inholdings largely from funds awarded through another section 6 grant. Although we are closer to buying out all of the inholdings, nearly 660 acres of the Reserve remain in private ownership.

The 198-acre Brennan property is one of the largest remaining parcels in private ownership. Long-term protection of this entire parcel is vital because it supports high tortoise densities and provides quality habitat for a number of other desert species.

Acquisition and protection of this and other remaining in-holdings is essential to maintain the integrity and connectivity of the Reserve design. Recent wildfires have damaged neighboring parts of the Reserve, while this parcel was unburned and represents some of the best tortoise habitat remaining. Given the central location of these private lands in the Reserve, failure to acquire them would result in reduced connectivity of the tortoise population and would be a significant setback for tortoise recovery in this unique part of its range. These lands represent some of the most crucial habitat for the desert tortoise, and if not acquired, could be at risk of development. The risk is especially great considering that Washington County has been one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation.

Overall, the Section 6 funds requested under this proposal and matching funds would be used to purchase 90.79 acres of the Brennan parcel. Washington County will donate an additional 22.72 acres of the recently acquired Brennan parcel (see Table 1 in Approach, below), a value of $1,000,000. In addition, Mr. Brennan has committed to donate the remaining portions of his land (107.61 acres) if the full amount of this Section 6 grant is awarded. In total, 221 acres, would be acquired or donated through or as a result of this project. This grant and donations to follow would complete the acquisition of the entire Brennan parcel.

Jessica Kirby

08/30/2021 13:41:57