Project Details

Colorado River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus; CRCT) are a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Utah Wildlife Action Plan, an Intermountain Region of the Forest Service Regional Forester Sensitive Species and are managed under a Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy to which  the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) and the Forest Service are both signatories (). CRCT are the native trout to the Escalante River drainage and joint conservation efforts between the UDWR and the Forest Service have been ongoing for this species in this drainage since the 1990s  (Hadley, Ottenbacher, Chamberlain, Whelan, & Brazier, 2008; Hadley, Golden, & Whelan, 2014). In 2011 the Forest Service completed a nationwide Watershed Condition Class Assessment. The Watershed Condition Class Assessment identified the Birch Creek 6th field Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watershed (140700050102) as Functioning at Risk, with Aquatic Habitat/Habitat Fragmentation and its resulting threats to Aquatic Biota/Native Species as key watershed issues contributing the Functioning at Risk rating. Simultaneous to the Watershed Condition Class Assessment, the Dixie National Forest, as a signatory partner to the Escalante River Watershed Partnership (ERWP), was helping to develop and implement the ERWP's Ten Year Action Plan. The Action Plan calls for identifying barriers to fish passage that exacerbate other limiting factors in the Escalante River Watershed and removing those barriers. In 2011 the Dixie National Forest identified the Birch Creek watershed as a priority watershed because of it's Functioning at Risk rating, and the potential to move the watershed to a Functioning rating with the help of the ERWP. Birch Creek, Hall Creek and Water Canyon are all within the Birch Creek 6th field HUC watershed.

The Watershed Action Plan developed for the Birch Creek watershed listed the following actions related to fish passage: 1) "Remove check dam barriers to fish passage, with emphasis for management for Colorado River cutthroat trout (CRCT)," and 2) "Remove culverts that impede aquatic organism passage, with emphasis for management for CRCT." In Federal Fiscal Year 2012 the Dixie National Forest received $780,000 to implement the bulk of the Birch Creek Watershed Action Plan, which included fish passage projects, as well as riparian and upland vegetation treatments, road decommissioning and road maintenance. All the projects were designed to improve watershed resilience and aquatic habitat for the benefit of the CRCT populations. Implementation included the 2012 removal of two Civilian Conservation Corps era grade control check dams, which were replaced with fish passable stream simulation, as well as the 2013 replacement of the culvert at the Forest Highway 17 crossing of Hall Creek, just upstream from its confluence with Birch Creek. The FSR 30150 road crossing was originally part of this project but had to be removed because of issues with the route designation under the Forest's 2009 Motorized Travel Plan. A subsequent Environmental Analysis Decision in 2015 (Mitchell Springs Vegetation Improvement Project) changed the route designation and paved the way to move forward with completing fish passage projects in the drainage.

Replacing the culvert on FSR 30150 where it crosses Hall Creek will link all suitable fish habitat in the drainage; reconnecting 10.3 miles of stream and facilitating genetic exchange between Hall Creek and Water Canyon.

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.

Currently the remnant populations in both Water Canyon Creek and Hall Creek both have relatively low densities of fish and occupy small stretches of stream, some of which can have marginal flows at times. Fish passage projects completed in 2012-2013 have allowed connectivity between the two streams via Birch Creek which functions as a travel corridor, but probably does not provide year round habitat between the two streams. The area upstream from the FSR 30150 culvert provides the best habitat for CRCT in that stream and currently contains the highest densities of fish. Without access to that section of stream following any future disturbances in the Hall Creek subwatershed, recolonizing fish from Water Canyon Creek may not be successful at reestablishing a population in Hall Creek.

At this point $40,000 dollars of outside grants have been committed to the project for Federal FY 2018 and Calendar Year 2018. If the remaining funds are not acquired there is the risk of losing this funding and not being able to complete the project. The NFWF funds are match for non-federal dollars so if the TNC funds are lost, the probability of maintain, or reacquiring the NFWF funds is low.

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 (WAP):

The WAP identifies Roads and Transportation Networks as a High level Threat to Colorado River cutthroat trout and a Medium level Threat to Riverine Ecosystems with the following objectives and conservation actions:

When existing roads are maintained, barriers to wildlife movement are altered to allow for movement.
2.3.11 Create selective fish passage structures at priority barriers.
2.3.12 Remove undesired instream barriers or consolidate multiple barriers where feasible.
The proposed project would remove an instream barrier and create fish passage for Colorado River cutthroat trout.

Range-Wide Conservation Agreement for Colorado River cutthroat trout/Range-Wide Conservation Strategy for Colorado River cutthroat trout

Objective/Strategy 3: Restore or enhance CRCT populations
Create metapopulations where possible - Where it is possible to protect larger drainages from invasion by non-native species, barriers should be removed to allow the reconnection of habitat within a metapopulations framework. This will ensure persistent gene exchange, as well as allow for the recolonization of habitats following local extinction.
The objective of this project is to allow for gene exchange and recolonization potential throughout Hall Creek and with Water Canyon Creek.

ESCALANTE RIVER WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP TEN-YEAR ACTION PLAN

In the Conservation Action Planning process for the Escalante River Watershed fish passage was identified as an issue affecting native fish species implementing the proposed project would help meet the follow objective and action step from the Escalante River Watershed Partnership 10 year Action Plan.
Objective 3.1 - Identify aquatic organism passage problems within the Escalante River Basin.
Action Step 3.1.c - Implement priority aquatic-organism passage projects.
The Hall Creek Aquatic Organism Passage project has been identified as a priority project by the Conservation Targets Committee of the ERWP.

Dixie National Forest Birch Creek Watershed Restoration Action Plan

Identifies "Fish habitat fragmentation" as a primary concern and identifies the culvert on FR 30150 where it crosses Hall Creek as one of four fish passage barrier to be removed. The other three barriers were removed in 2012-2013.

Dixie National Forest Land Resource Management Plan (as amended)-

The Hall Creek Aquatic Organism Passage project would directly address the following goals and direction in the Dixie LRMP, by removing a fish passage barrier and replacing is with a geomorphologicallly sound structure that would allow for fish passage, as well as appropriate water and sediment transport.
Goal 14 -- Improve the quantity and quality of aquatic habitats through direct habitat improvement and increased coordination with other land use programs (page IV-5). 
Goal 17 -- Managed Classified Species habitat to maintain or enhance their status through direct habitat improvement and agency cooperation (Page IV-6). This project will directly benefit core, remnant populations of CRCT. CRCT are an Intermountain Region Sensitive species and is managed under Conservation Agreement and Strategy that both DWR and the Forest Service are signatories to.
General Direction: Riparian Management -- 5B. Select stream crossing points to minimize bank and channel disturbance. Maintain fish passage during all flow levels except peak flow events.

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.