Project Details

Beavers have been removed from many drainages and watersheds where they have historically occurred.  Beavers contribute important benefits to watersheds such as recharging and raising ground water tables, improving riparian vegetation, expanding wetlands, slowing flood waters, reducing erosion, improving water quality, providing habitat for aquatic species and other wildlife, and providing more biodiversity to the landscape.  Landowners, USFS employees, BLM employees, and local communities have expressed interest and support in relocating nuisance beavers and restoring beaver populations in historic, suitable habitat (as explicated in the Statewide Management Plan).

Specifically sites identified for translocation in this proposal encompass portions of the headwaters of the East Fork Sevier River on the Paunsaugunt Plateau, streams draining the east side of Mount Dutton and lakes that maintain recreational sport fisheries on Boulder Mountain. The Paunsaugunt Plateau locations are within current and historic habitat for boreal toad, which has seen a dramatic decline in density, distribution and breeding activity over the past 20 years, at least some of which has been attributed to the loss of active and maintained beaver ponds throughout the drainage. WRI project "3631 Paunsaugunt boreal toad habitat improvement project" highlights the need for beaver and beaver habitat to benefit boreal toad populations on the Paunsaugunt.

Streams draining the east side of the Mount Dutton were all affected by the 2002 Sanford Fire. Vegetation loss and subsequent flooding led to major erosion and incision on many of these streams. Deep Creek contains a remnant population of Bonneville cutthroat trout, which was extirpated after the fire. Deer Creek and Cottonwood Creek contained nonnative sport fisheries that were extirpated following the fire.Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT) to have been reintroduced into all three of these streams and are persisting at some level; however, habitat has been slow to recover. Habitat and riparian vegetation have recovered faster where beaver have been able to colonize and maintain themselves (particularly in Deer Creek, see attached images). There is a need to increase habitat complexity and reconnect the floodplain of streams incised following the Sanford fire on Mount Dutton.

Re-establishing beavers into approved and suitable watersheds will restore these lost benefits and values, as well as provide an opportunity to diminish or obliterate nuisance issues resulting from beaver damage on private property, without resorting to lethal methods.  Some issues associated with nuisance beavers include:  impeding flow of irrigation water (blocking pipelines or culverts), flooding property, cutting  cottonwoods/aspen/willow.

In these circumstances, nuisance beavers would be an excellent source for live trapping and relocating to desirable and suitable locations.  If a nuisance area's ecosystem is critically dependent on beaver activity, or is an excellent environment for beavers, flow-control devices may be implemented to sustain beaver activity while resolving the associated nuisance issues.

Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.

Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.

Beaver may transport Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS).  To eliminate this issue, a 72-hour quarantine period will be required for any beavers from waterways that remain "unknown" in regards to AIS.  Beavers from watersheds contaminated with AIS will be held in quarantine for 120 hours.  Furthermore, beavers will not be relocated within a four mile radius of a fish hatchery, and those from sources of AIS will not be released in areas designated "critical habitat" for native cutthroat trout.  Due to the delicate nature of live trapping, the UDWR has previously attended a workshop with Sherri Tippy to ensure the most meticulous and expedited process is implemented.

As highlighted in WRI project 3631 "Paunsaugunt boreal toad habitat improvement project" without continued habitat improvement projects and other conservation actions there is the risk that the Paunsaugunt population of boreal toad may be listed as threatened or endangered which would threaten the WRI arm of "Opportunities for Sustainable Uses" in this area.

Additionally, streams on the eastern side of Mount Dutton are slowly recovering from the Sanford Fire the reintroduction of beaver offers a low cost, low risk method of stabilizing those streams and reconnecting their floodplains. Without beaver it could take decades to centuries to regain floodplain connection and habitat complexity unless significantly more costly active stream restoration methods were employed.

LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.

TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.

Utah's Wildlife Action Plan: 
The goal/purpose of Utah's Wildlife Action Plan is to "To manage native wildlife species and their habitats, sufficient to prevent additional listings under the Endangered Species Act." As discussed above, the Paunsaugunt Plateau population of boreal toad appears to fit the criteria that could lead to it being evaluated as a Distinct Population Segment under the current petition to list an "Eastern population" of boreal toad as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Similarly, Bonneville cutthroat trout have been petitioned for listing threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act multiple times and translocating beaver to streams on the east side of Mount Dutton would improve their habitat.
The WAP has an objective to reduce the scope and severity of channel downcutting for aquatic forested and riverine habitat. It also identifies the following conservation actions to achieve these objectives: 1) Restore aquatic habitat complexity. 2) Restore floodplain connectivity. 3) Increase cover and extent of native riparian vegetation by restoring beaver on the landscape where social and environmental factors permit (per beaver Restoration Assessment Tool).

This project will help achieve goals outlined in the Dixie and Fishlake Land and Resource Management Plans by increasing diversity of plant and animal communities (Diversity IV-3), protecting and improving aquatic habitats (Wildlife and Fish, IV-3), improving habitat for sensitive, threatened and endangered species (Wildlife and Fish, IV-4), and maintaining or improving water quality and the productivity of streams and riparian areas (Soil and Water, IV-4).

Other multi-agency plans this project will directly benefit include:  State of Utah Beaver Management Plan, Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout, Range-wide Conservation Agreement for Southern leatherside chub and the Boreal Toad Conservation Plan in the State of Utah.

Examples of specific plan objectives include:

UTAH STATEWIDE BEAVER MANAGEMENT PLAN
The overall goal of the plan is to "Maintain healthy, functional beaver populations in ecological balance with available habitat, human needs, and associated species." Population Management Objective 1:  Maintain reproducing beaver populations within their current distribution in appropriate habitat through 2020. Watershed Restoration Objective 1: Work to improve riparian habitats associated streams and wetlands in a minimum of 10 tributaries through translocating beaver into unoccupied suitable habitat on public and/or private land by 2020. Strategy 9) Encourage land management agencies and private landowners to manage riparian habitat to support translocated beaver populations.

Boreal Toad Conservation Plan for the State of Utah: 
The goal of the Boreal toad Conservation Plan is to "maintain or restore multiple, viable breeding populations in nine of the 14 mountain ranges or geologic areas in Utah where boreal toad historically occurred ." The Plan identifies seven key Conservation Strategies including: "Identify and reduce threats from habitat loss and degradation (Habitat Management).

Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Bonneville cutthroat trout (Lentsch et al. 2000): 
Strategy Objective II A) 1) Maintain or restore water quality to a degree that provides for stable and productive riparian and aquatic ecosystems; 
2) Maintain or restore stream channel integrity, channel processes, and the sediment regime (including the elements of timing, volume, and character of sediment input and transport) under which the riparian and aquatic ecosystems developed; 
5) Maintain or restore the diversity and productivity of desired plant communities in riparian zones;
6) Maintain or restore riparian vegetation to: c) help achieve rates of surface erosion, bank erosion, and channel migration characteristic of those under which the communities developed;
Conservation Agreement and Strategy for southern leatherside (Lepidomeda aliciae) in the State of Utah (UDWR 2010):
Objective 3 - Identify, prioritize, and implement actions to reduce threats to southern leatherside populations and habitat and evaluate the effectiveness of these actions.
Conservation Element B) 2) - Restore habitat where possible, creating habitat complexity and connectivity for southern leatherside.
Conservation Element B) 3) - Implement habitat enhancements that may include some or all of the following: removal of diversion structures, modification of barriers to allow fish passage, bank stabilization, enhancement of native vegetation, riparian fencing, nonnative removal and implementation of compatible grazing practices.
Conservation Element D) 4) -- Maintain natural hydrologic conditions.

This project will also help Forestry Fire and State Lands accomplish objectives, according to the Utah Statewide Forest Resource Assessment and Strategy Guide 2010.

List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.

If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.

Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.

Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.

Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.

The UDWR employees will be assessing the impacts of the project through visiting all sites where beaver are transplanted and communicating with other agencies (USFS, BLM, FFSL, etc.), local residents and trappers, as well as other volunteer agencies to ensure beneficial results.  The UDWR will monitor the relocation sites that are utilized and address any unforeseen conflicts that may have occurred due to the translocation.  Repeat photography will be used to illustrate changes to the landscape due to beaver activity.

The request for VHF transmitters will assist in the monitoring process.  Though two receivers have been requested so both seasonals will have full access to receivers to monitor when possible, other sections of the DWR and other agencies may also have receivers to be utilized at times.  In addition, DWR performs classification flights for big game, and we could capitalize on that opportunity to have biologists on the flights perform some telemetry as well.

In addition, the Dixie has Riparian Level II inventory sites along many of the potential translocation sites and can assess changes in greenline vegetation related to reintroductions. UDWR and Forest Service annually monitor boreal toad breeding activity and distribution on the Paunsaugunt. UDWR and Forest Service just completed BCT sampling in the East Fork Sevier River drainage in 2015 and will reassess BCT populations in the drainage by 2022.

Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.

List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.

As the Statewide Beaver Management Plan is instated until 2020, the UDWR will continue to apply for funding to transplant beavers every year.  Future management in terms of monitoring are explained in the Monitoring section, and any other future management regarding population, AIS, nuisance issues, harvest management, watershed restoration, and/or research is illuminated in the plan.  Additionally, the Paunsaugunt is closed to trapping until future recommendations are made.

UDWR and the Dixie National Forest are in the process of developing a Conservation Action Plan for the Paunsaugunt Plateau population of boreal toad, which will have a large focus on increasing and maintaining beaver populations on the Plateau. Additionally UDWR and the Forest Service are signatories to the BCT and Southern leatherside chub Conservation Agreements and Strategies. As such both agencies are committed to healthy watersheds, riparian areas and stream habitats where these species occur and encouraging and maintaining beaver support those commitments.

Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.

Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.