Project Details

NER Aquatics staff need to purchase a UTV to complete work plan actions in FY2018 and beyond. Staff currently uses one ranger for all project scouting, sampling, and especially habitat projects. Common areas we utilize this piece of equipment for scouting and sampling include 2-track roads to access streams in the Uinta Mountains, Sheep Creek Irrigation Canal on the North Slope (in advance of rotenone treatments), Timber Canyon, Avintaquin Creek drainage, Willow Creek (Strawberry), Strawberry River, West Fork Duchesne River, Bitter Creek drainage, and accessing and maintaining the Sheep Creek Lake feeder canal. In addition, this piece of equipment has been instrumental in many of our aquatics habitat activities, including accessing and implementing habitat projects on Sears Creek, Meadow Creek, Crouse Creek, and Lake Canyon. We've commonly used the ranger for hauling spawning gravel, large rock, and tree plantings/cuttings and have used it to access difficult areas with these materials on all above projects. This type of use has yielded excessive wear and tear on our current UTV, which was solely purchased with DWR aquatics funding; currently, we have over 2400 miles on our machine, of which I estimate 2/3 of use occurs with habitat projects. I also estimate that we use UTVs at least 80 days a year, which makes it beyond difficult to rent or borrow this piece of equipment. We have numerous habitat projects that we will continue working on for several years, with more possibilities always popping up. We are asking for a UTV, partially funded by habitat council, to be able to continue utilizing this type of valuable tool in our work. On many occasions, both machines will be taken on both fisheries scouting/assessment and habitat projects for access with appropriate manpower and hauling/towing capabilities. Additionally, other sections including law enforcement, conservation outreach, and wildlife have needed to borrow our UTV for outreach activities, law enforcement patrols, and wildlife roundups (bison, deer). We wish to continue fulfilling those requests.

With this proposal, I am requesting a Yamaha make UTV; several mechanics have noted that the belt system is far superior to our current Polaris (we've been through several belts in only 3 years). The Yamaha has more hauling power, which would really come in handy for not stressing our machine out on a primary function of our equipment. The Yamaha also has a better built clutch, evident by our 'jumpy' machine. Last, we lack a reliable repair shop in Vernal to work on Polaris brand equipment. Our Yamaha shop is able to fix some of the issues with our machine but lacks expertise with many of the internal mechanics, and is not able to get most of the parts. Our Honda dealer does not work with the DWR. Thus, a Yamaha UTV is the ideal piece of equipment.

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.

Without a UTV, our current machine will reach the end of its productive lifespan within 2-3 years. After this time period, this machine will become unreliable, meaning shorter trips, more costly breakdowns, stranded crews, safety issues, and down time where we cannot complete projects. Without a UTV, we will not be able to continue many of our field scouting activities, fisheries sampling activities, or aquatics habitat development, improvement or assessment activities. This will not only cause us to fall short of work plan activities, but cost the Division more money in loss of productivity and repair expenses. 
Current machine has numerous mechanical issues coming to light including driveshaft issues, bearing issues, clutch issues, and numerous noises that we cannot diagnose. While most issues have been minor, or I've been able to get around the issue (by borrowing another machine on occasion, driving 'limp', or rescheduling activity for a later time after repairs), use this fall made it transparent that we need another piece of equipment to share the load.

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.

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.

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.

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.