Completion Form

2022

Objective 1: Performed administrative duties associated with implementation of the amended Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).
*	Participated on the Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan Technical Committee (TC), completing tasks as assigned by the Habitat Conservation Advisory Committee (HCAC).
*	Coordinated activities with the HCAC, Washington County, BLM, USFWS, and Snow Canyon State Park.
*	Assisted with the implementation of the HCP Public Use Plan and Human Impact Monitoring.
*	Reviewed TC assignments and incorporated member comments into final report. 
*	Completed impact analysis of utility development projects and made recommendations to minimize impacts to desert tortoises.
*	Assisted with monitoring utility development protocol compliance for projects within incidental take and HCP reserve areas.
*	Participated in law enforcement activities with local (Washington County, City of St. George), state (Snow Canyon State Park, UDWR conservation officers) and federal (BLM) agencies. 
*	Assisted with acquisition of non-federal Reserve lands through ESA Section 6 grant proposals.
*	Responded to multiple desert tortoise related GRAMA requests by providing the appropriate distribution data. 
*	At the request of SLO, completed a yard visit and necessary paperwork to reunite displaced captive tortoises with original owner.

Objective 2: Coordinated desert tortoise recovery activities for the Upper Virgin River Recovery Unit and the Northeastern Mojave Recovery Unit (Beaver Dam Slope Desert Wildlife Management Area, BDS DWMA).
*	Participated on the desert tortoise Management Oversight Group providing biannual updates on UDNR/UDWR recovery. 
*	Participated on the Recovery Implementation Teams for the Upper Virgin River Recovery Unit and the Northeastern Mojave Recovery Unit (BDS DWMA). 
*	Identified restoration and management actions to achieve desert tortoise recovery and coordinate and identify viable funding sources to implement recovery.
*	Provided the required information for federal desert tortoise shell collection and handling permit to SLO.
*	Coordinate implementation of recovery plan objectives within Beaver Dam Slope Critical Habitat Unit with BLM, Arizona, and Nevada. 
*	Provide the Salt Lake Office the required information for the federal shell collection and handling permit.
*	Identified potential sites for restoration polygons (roughly 90 acres) within the Turkey Farm Road and Cottonwood Trail fire in collaboration with the BLM. 
*	Working with Isabel Adler (Conserve Southwest Utah), Dixie State University, and 12 community volunteers, helped organize a community outreach project to remove trash and invasive weeds from the Reserve. 
*	Removed 51 bags of trash from UNLV Red Cliffs restoration plot including plastic plant containers, chicken wire, stakes, pvc pipe and water gel debris.
*	With the assistance of American Conservation Experience crews provided by the BLM, removed 39 bags of invasive weeds (e.g., Russian thistle) from sensitive, high density tortoise habitat. 
*	Provided the Salt Lake Office the required information to compile Section 6 funding requests. 
*	Integrated current disease research into tortoise disease management protocols for the Recovery Units.

Objective 3. Assisted Washington County with regulatory activities (e.g., clearances, presence and absence surveys), monitor incidental take activities associated with the amended HCP, and assist Washington County in surveys on non-federal lands.
*	Assisted the BLM and Washington County with a tortoise clearance survey on the 20 acre Long Valley Road Extension Project. No tortoises were removed within the survey area, although scats, burrows and a shell remain were observed in the project area. 
*	Assisted Utah State Parks and Horrocks Engineers with a tortoise presence and absence survey in the Gunlock improvement project impact area. On October 11, 2021, UDWR spent 3.5 hours surveying the site and documenting tortoise sign. No tortoises or sign were observed in the project area.
*	Completed a two mile fencing survey along Tuacahn Road within Snow Canyon State Park. On November 3, 2021, four UDWR personnel spent seven hours documenting minor or major holes in the existing fence line, identifying erosion issues (e.g., undercutting), damage to fence or any other issue that could compromise the integrity of the tortoise fence. Of the fourteen fencing issues identified, four could not be resolved, including severe undercutting at the northern tortoise culvert along Tuacahn Road. This concrete box culvert, on the east side of the road, experienced severe undercutting (roughly 110-120 cm below the lip of the culvert) rendering it unusable and a potential trap for tortoises. 
*	Worked with Washington County to identify potential habitat on non-federal lands, prioritized areas for survey, and completed desert tortoise presence and absence surveys in these areas. 
*	Conducted tortoise presence and absence surveys on six private property parcels (e.g. SITLA, Washington County Water Conservancy) within Washington County. Parcels were located along SR-7, the Utah state line, east of the I-15, and surrounding Sand Hollow Reservoir. Over a two month period (September 17 to December 17, 2021), UDWR surveyed 9,306 acres and walked over 289 km searching for tortoises and their sign. No definitive tortoise sign was observed on any of the presence and absence tortoise surveys completed and some parcels were moderately to heavily disturbed by humans, particularly in the southwest parcel along the Interstate and Utah state line. 
*	Completed field reports, summarizing methods and results, on the Long Valley Extension clearance, presence and absence surveys, and Tuacahn fence survey.
*	Trained wildlife technicians on desert tortoise general biology, handling protocols and survey techniques (e.g., clearance, presence and absence). 
*	Assisted with and monitored Washington County's facilities for holding displaced desert tortoises removed from designated take areas. 
*	Coordinated and assisted with the transfer, handling/holding, health, and disposition of displaced tortoises. 
*	Completed final report on Desert Tortoise Surveys on nonfederal lands in Washington County (January 2022).

Objective 4. Implement desert tortoise regional density and population demographic monitoring in accordance with Recovery Plan objectives for the Upper Virgin River Recovery Unit, extending monitoring to the new Management Zone 6.
*	Surveyed long term permanent transects within the Cottonwood Trail and Turkey Farm Road fires, in Management Zone 3 of the Reserve. UDWR completed 45 transects (88.30 km) in burned habitat from April 9 to June 4, 2021. We encountered 43 unique tortoises (i.e., 37 adults, 5 immatures, 1 juvenile) during spring population monitoring. Burn injuries were observed on 10% (n=4) of encountered tortoises, one in the Cottonwood Trail Fire and three in the Turkey Farm Road fire, and included burned forelimbs, hind limbs and tail, scute laminae peeling and melted, and misshapen carapace, with some burns covering greater than 50% of the carapace. Tortoise encounter rates for the 2021 spring monitoring season was 0.34 tortoises per km surveyed, less than the average encounter rate from previous monitoring years (n/l=0.42; n=13; range = 0.22 to 0.67).
*	Processed 16 shell remains during distance sampling monitoring in several stages of decay. Fire was determined to be the cause of death for seven shell remains with scutes heavily charred and burned.
*	In coordination with Shivwits Band of the Paiutes Tribe, Conserve Southwest Utah, and Washington County, assisted with spring surveys from April 6 to May 25, 2021. UDWR spent 35 person work days and a total of 138.25 work hours assisting search efforts, completing 113 transects, and surveying 340 km over 8,204 acres (33.2 sq km). The encounter rate for adult tortoises was 0.04 tortoises per km with 13 tortoises observed on transects and an additional 5 tortoises observed walking to or from the transect. We observed at least 27 unique individuals in both transect and visual encounter surveys during the entire project. 
*	Completed UDWR field reports, Post Wildfire Desert Tortoise Monitoring in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, 2021, and Desert Tortoise Surveys on Shivwits Band of the Paiute Tribe Lands: Spring 2021, summarizing methods and results. 
*	Assisted with the interagency final report, Pika'aya Tooveep (Tortoise Country) Final Report, for the Conservation of Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). 
*	Maintained the database on marked desert tortoises within the Reserve and surrounding areas.
*	Hired, supervised, and coordinated field crew.
*	Trained agency personnel and field technicians on desert tortoise general biology, handling protocols and survey techniques (e.g., clearance, presence and absence).
*	Presented the report, Post-fire Spring Tortoise Surveys within the Red Cliffs, to the HCAC at the September 28, 2021 monthly meeting.
*	In support of monitoring in Zone 6, UDWR provided weekly estimates of desert tortoise above ground activity to Washington County during active surveys.  
*	Finalized draft peer reviewed paper, Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) mortality and injury following the Cottonwood Trail Fire in Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah.  
*	Analyzed and completed a report on long term survival of desert tortoises within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve using data collected from mark recapture plots (1983, 1988, 1994) and line distance sampling (1997 to 2019) to assess the effects of stochastic events (e.g., wildfire, disease), environmental variables (e.g., drought severity), spatial variables (e.g., management zone) and demographic covariates (e.g., age, sex, disease, condition). 
*	Worked with University of Utah student on a capstone project, Occupancy Modeling of the Mojave Desert Tortoise in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve

Objective 5. Implemented, monitored, and evaluated the translocation of tortoises removed from designated HCP take areas. Work with HCP agency partners to complete a desert tortoise Translocation Plan. 
*	Coordinated and assisted with the transfer, processing, health, and disposition of displaced tortoises in urbanized areas. 
*	Responded to 74 urban wildlife calls on desert tortoises from the public (e.g., informational, displaced, violation, injured). 
*	Relocated 37 tortoises (4 males, 17 females, 11 immatures, and 5 juveniles) into the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve (Reserve), federal land or protected areas, depending upon their capture location. Tortoises were observed by the public in residential areas and, following a health assessment, relocated to an adjacent protected area either within the Reserve or St. George. All relocated tortoises were healthy with no clinical signs of Upper Respiratory Tract Disease. 
*	Processed displaced animals prior to translocation (e.g. pit tag, ELISA test, etc.). 
*	Coordinated translocation effort of displaced animals during the spring and fall. 
*	Reevaluated translocation protocols at the end of the season and amended as appropriate.
*	Translocated 19 displaced tortoises to Management Zone 4 of the Reserve, in cooperation with the Washington County HCP Administration. 
*	Completed annual field report summarizing 2021 translocation efforts within the Reserve. 
*	Maintained a database on desert tortoises translocated into Zone 4 of the Reserve. 
*	Drafted Desert Tortoise Translocation Plan document and identify adaptive management protocols to be reviewed by agency partners (e.g., USFWS, Washington County, BLM).

Objective 6. Monitor radio telemetered tortoises to quantify above ground activity patterns, long-term impacts of fire, and long term survival of radioed tortoises within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.
*	Maintained 14 radio telemetered desert tortoises at Area 31. 
*	Monitored radio telemetered desert tortoises within the Reserve.
*	Assessed weekly above ground tortoise activity during the monitoring season to estimate go for density and abundance analysis. 
*	Maintained long term database for marked desert tortoises. 
*	Tracked fire-injured tortoise within the Cottonwood Trail Fire and removed radio after assessing health and status of tortoise. 
*	Using radiotelemetered tortoises, estimated above ground activity (Pa) during population surveys, that is, percent of tortoises visible on the surface or near the front of the burrows. Weekly surface activity over the eight-week spring survey period varied from 61 to 96% and the average (Pa) during the 2021 survey period was 0.82 ÃÂ± 0.04. 
*	Worked with Dr. Mary Conner (Utah State University) to analyze survival of marked tortoises in the Reserve to incorporate results into a summary report.

Objective 7. Documented Mortality and Illegal Take within the Upper Virgin Recovery Unit, and provided Law Enforcement presence on UDWR Wildlife Administration Rule violations.
*	Documented and processed 12 tortoise mortalities, of which six were attributed to road kills. 
*	Maintained desert tortoise mortality database, completed annual report, and identified issues and concerns to Technical Committee and Washington County. 
*	Documented and processed four native desert tortoises illegally removed from the Reserve in Management Zone 2 (Paradise Canyon), Zone 3 (T-Bone Mesa), Zone 4 (Babylon Road), and Zone 5 (East Cinder Knoll).
*	Completed field report on illegal tortoise possession and collection within the Upper Virgin Recovery Unit.
*	Responded to several incidents of desert tortoise possession violations within the Cedar City, St George, and Leeds communities.

The Mojave desert tortoise population, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, has declined due to habitat degradation, disease, predation, and human-related mortality. The habitat conservation planning process was initiated in Washington County in the early 1990's in order to resolve conflicts between urban development and desert tortoise conservation. Recently, Washington County completed the Renewed and Restated Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and received an incidental take permit for tortoises and habitat. Assisting with the implementation of the Amended Habitat Conservation Plan will allow us to minimize and mitigate the threats facing tortoises within the Upper Virgin River Recovery Unit. Active management between the cooperative partners of the Reserve (i.e., local city governments, Washington County, Utah Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, etc.) is critical to minimize and mitigate threats to tortoises. 
Due to the number of potential threats within the Reserve and its proximity to rapidly growing communities, long-term monitoring and active management is critical to determine current management effectiveness, identify future concerns and threats, and ensure the continued existence of tortoises within the Reserve. It is anticipated that UDNR will increase funding to meet long term commitments for tortoise recovery, with the ultimate goal of UDNR taking over funding and management responsibility for the desert tortoise. This project would allow UDWR to meet desert tortoise recovery responsibilities under the recently amended Washington County HCP (October 2020), including assisting with incidental take clearances, revising the translocation plan for displaced tortoises, implementation of the regional monitoring program, and HCP coordination and administration. The goal of this ESMF proposal is to acquire funds to supplement funding provided to UDWR through the HCP, and to maintain associated desert tortoise HCP and recovery activities.

Ann Mcluckie

08/29/2022 13:13:39