Project Details

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.

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.

The UDWR and the USFWS completed a Utah Northern-region wide environmental assessment (2012) that covers the construction of fish barriers and conducting rotenone treatments, including on Big Creek.

Utah Wildlife Action Plan: The Utah Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy identifies "species of greatest conservation needs" including BCT [Tier I; Table 5.1 on page 5-3] and several other species that this project will benefit. The plan identifies and describes a series of strategic actions designed to benefit these and other at-risk species and their habitats. Consistent with those strategic actions, this restoration project on Big Creek will
address specific high priority threats and conservation actions [Table 6.1 on page 6-41], including (1) "hybridization and competition with non-native species" and (2) "chemically or physically remove non-native salmonids". The work on Big Creek is within a Utah WRI riparian focus area and a WAP Conservation Action Area and benefits mountain riparian habitat, one of the top ten keys habitats in the state as identified in the Utah
Wildlife Action Plan.

UDWR Strategic Plan: this project will help the UDWR meet its Resource Goal, which is to "expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat. This project will specifically address objectives 2 and 3 of the UDWR Resource Goal, which are to (1) "increase fish and game populations to meet management plan objectives and expand quality fishing and hunting opportunities," and to (2) "conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered."

UDWR Upper Bear River Management Plan (hydrologic unit 16010101): Identifies native and nonnative interactions as a resource and biological issue in this watershed [page 9]. Management strategies for BCT include (1) "chemical treatment of streams or lakes to remove nonnative fish" [page 11].

Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Conservation Agreement and Strategy (signed by all states within
historic range): The goal of the BCT CAS is to (1) "ensure the long-term existence of BCT within its historic range [page 2]. Specific actions include (2) the selective control of nonnative species [page 34, sections 4(a,b, and c)], as well as (3) subsequent introduction/re-introduction actions [page 35, sections 5(a, b and c). This project will also help to address the specific objective of additional BCT conservation populations in the Bear River in Utah [Table 2].

Rich County Long Range Management Plan- This project correlates to the improvement of water quality on an impaired waterbody.  This plan also states that it intends to support the livestock and agriculture industry in the county which is done on the private lands involved.

Rich County Conservation District- This project corresponds to its long-range management plan to improve habitat for sensitive species.

BLM, Three Creeks Proposed Decision: https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/legacyProjectSite.do?methodName=renderLegacyProjectSite&projectId=71505

USFS, Three Creeks Proposed Decision: https://data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb/nepa_project_exp.php?project=36707

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.

Water quality is one of the very major factors to be addressed across this whole project.  It is one of the overall objectives to improve through increased grazing management practices.  The EA is planned and written to respond to these issues.  Monitoring has been completed through UDWQ for 9 years to quantify the conditions and document the proposed changes.  The facilitative practices are designed to reduce grazing pressure and provide rest to the sensitive riparian areas be moving livestock to new areas and not be grazed any more than a short time each year.  Big Creek and Sage Creek are currently on the state 303d list of impaired waterbodies.  It is planned to remove them through grazing management that is more efficient and less expensive than costly alternatives to fix water quality.

Water quantity has also been planned and is an important factor to the overall success of this project.  While we aren't increasing the amount of water across the project area, we are using it more wisely by installing pipelines, troughs, storage tanks, and other means like valves to use what is present in a more intensive manner.  Water will be spread to areas of dry rangeland and away from sensitive riparian areas to reduce pressure from loafing livestock.

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.