Project Details

The Baboon 2012 Wildfire occurred in July 2012 and burned approximately 19,778 acres. The wildfire was subsequently re-seeded with a diverse composition of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs. The Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation efforts have been very successful; however, the establishment of Wyoming sagebrush success within the project area has been limited. The project would reseed approximately 300 acres of Wyoming Big Sagebrush within the wildfire perimeter. Reseeding would include tubling plantings.

Sagebrush tublings have been planted on approximately 300 acres within the project area since 2016.  It is expected that the project will provide for a long-term seed source, which will allow for natural seed dispersal within the Project Area.  The project is located in the Bald Hills Priority Habitat Management Area (PHMA). The biggest concern is that sage grouse have lost nesting cover and habitat that is provided by Wyoming big sagebrush in a substantial portion of the Project Area due to the wildfire.

The fire resulted in a direct loss of 19,779 total acres (16,484 BLM acres) of occupied greater sage- grouse brood rearing habitat, which resulted in the loss of valuable shrubs, grasses, and forbs. Approximately 86% of nesting occurs within 4 miles of active leks. The area provided nesting habitat for greater sage grouse using the Minersville and Marshall Well Leks and is adjacent to agricultural fields, which have been shown to provide important brood- rearing habitat. In order to provide for sage grouse habitat needs in the long-term, a diverse vegetative community including Wyoming Big Sagebrush was identified in the ES&R efforts to restore priority habitats.

Reseeding of Wyoming Big Sagebrush habitat would be expected to provide for long-term improved sage grouse habitat within the Project Area.

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.

Since 2011 approximately 35,000 acres of sage grouse habitat has been burned in the Bald Hills PHMA. Adequate sagebrush habitat is quickly becoming a limiting factor to provide for the health and viability of sage grouse within the PHMA. As discussed, the project would provide Wyoming big sagebrush habitat within the Project Area. ES&R efforts within the project area has been very successful with the exception of the establishment of Wyoming Big Sagebrush.

The project is within an Ecological Site that supports Wyoming Big Sagebrush. Specific project objectives are as follows: 1. Maintain adequate habitat components to meet needs of sage grouse nesting, brood-rearing and winter habitats in accordance with current guidelines and in coordination with UDWR and SWARM while providing for other wildlife values. 2. Manage to create large, un-fragmented blocks of sagebrush habitat with
a variety of seral stages, which would meet the seasonal needs of sage grouse. Improve health, composition and diversity of shrubs, grasses and forbs in accordance with Rangeland Health Standards and Guidelines and the Ecological Site Description.

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.

BLM Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management Plan 2015
A.	The project is consistent with the SGARMP (2015) goals, objectives and Management Actions that were identified in the Special Status Species section as follows:  Special Status Species Goal: Maintain and/or increase GRSG abundance and distribution by conserving, enhancing or restoring the sagebrush ecosystem upon which populations depend in collaboration with other conservation partners.

Refer to the following Objectives and Management Actions in the SGRMPA (Objectives: SSS-3, SSS-4, SSS-5) and Management Actions (MA-SSS-4, MA-SSS-6, MA-SSS7).

B.	The project is also consistent with the SGARMP (2015) objectives and Management Actions that were identified in the Vegetation section as follows:  Refer to the following Objectives and Management Actions in the SGRMPA (MA-VEG-1, MA-VEG-2, MA-VEG-4, MA-VEG-5, MA-VEG-6, MA-VEG-8, MA-VEG-9, MA-VEG-10, MA-VEG-12 and MA-VEG-14).

C.	The project is also consistent with the SGARMP (2015) Management Actions that were identified in the Fire and Fuels Management section as follows:  Refer to the following Management Actions in the SGRMPA (MA-FIRE-1 and MA-FIRE-3)
D.	The project is also consistent with the SGARMP (2015) Management Actions that were identified in the  
 
Livestock Grazing/Range Management section as follows:

Refer to the following Management Actions in the SGRMPA (MA-LG-3, MA-LG-4, MA-LG-5, MA-LG-12, MALG- 13, MA-LG-16 and MA-LG-17).

The Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-grouse in Utah was approved by the Governor in April 2013. The plan establishes incentive-based conservation programs for conservation of sage-grouse on private, local government, and School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration lands and regulatory programs on other state- and federally managed lands. The Conservation Plan also establishes sage-grouse management areas and implements specific management protocols in these areas.

The Utah Greater Sage-grouse Management Plan in 2009 identified threats and issues affecting sage-grouse management in Utah as well as goals, objectives, and strategies intended to guide UDWR, local working groups, and land managers efforts to protect, maintain, and improve sage-grouse populations and habitats and balance their management with other resource uses.

Southwest Desert Local Working Group Conservation Plan 2009. The local Working Group has developed a Conservation Plan detailing the natural history, threats, and mitigation measures for sage-grouse in each conservation plan area; and conservation guidelines for any activities occurring in the area.

The Utah State Wildlife Action Plan 2015-2025 (Final) is a comprehensive management plan designed to conserve native species populations and habitats in Utah, and prevent the need for additional federal listings. Please refer to attached excerpts from the Utah State Wildlife Action Plan 2015-2025 that identify Strategy for Management (Pg. 41 and Pg. 50).

Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony Resource Management Plan Resource Management Plan (1986). Although the Project Area was not specifically discussed in the RMP vegetation treatments were identified throughout the Field Office.

Southwest Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan (May, 2006)

The SUSAFMP identifies the Black Mountains as a priority for conversion of encroached pinyon and juniper dominated communities to a sagebrush community with a diverse component of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs. This would be consistent with the vegetative monitoring data that has been collected within the Project Area to identify the Ecological Site Description.

National Fire Plan (2000), BLM National Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Strategy (2004)
The project is also consistent with the NFP. The goals and objectives of the NFP is to manage BLM administered public land to maintain, enhance and restore sagebrush habitats while ensuring multiple use and sustained yield goals of FLPMA. Goals/Strategies identified in the NFP include the following:
1.	Provide guidance to ensure integration of sage-grouse habitat conservation measures for actions provided through the management in land use planning process.
2.	Issue mandatory guidance on management of sagebrush habitat for sage-grouse conservation.
3.	Enhance knowledge of resource conditions and priorities in order to support habitat maintenance and restoration efforts.
4.	Complete and maintain eco-regional assessments of sagebrush and sage-grouse habitats across the sagebrush biome.
5.	Provide a consistent and scientifically based approach for collection and use of monitoring data for sagebrush habitats, sage-grouse and other components of the sagebrush community.
6.	Identify, prioritize and facilitate needed research to develop relevant information for sage-grouse and sagebrush habitat conservation
7.	Maintain, develop and expand partnerships to promote cooperation and support for all activities associated with sage-grouse and sagebrush conservation.
8.	Effectively communicate throughout BLM and with current and prospective partners on steps BLM will take to conserve sage-grouse and sage-grouse and sagebrush habitats.
9.	Facilitate the collection, transfer and sharing of information among all BLM partners and cooperators, as well as BLM program personnel.
10.	Develop BLM state-level strategies and/or plans for sage-grouse and sagebrush conservation on BLM administered public lands.

Southwest Desert Deer Herd Unit Management Plan (2015)
The project will be consistent with the habitat management strategies identified in the Deer Herd Unit Management Plan for Deer Herd Unit #20 (Southwest Desert) (UDWR) which pertain to the Project Area are as follows:
*	Evaluate and implement potential habitat improvement projects on BLM, state, and private lands.
*	Evaluate opportunities to address problems created by closed canopy pinyon pine and juniper.

Utah Pronghorn Statewide Management Plan (2009)
 
Habitat Management Objective, under the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, design, implement, and monitor the effectiveness of habitat improvement projects to benefit pronghorn.

Coordinated Implementation Plan for Bird Conservation in Utah (2005)
The priority habitat identified for this area was shrub-steppe, which was identified as a Priority A (High threat, high opportunity, and high value to birds statewide) habitat. Priority birds identified within this area include sage grouse, ferruginous hawk, sage sparrow, and Brewer's sparrow. Sagebrush restoration was identified as an opportunity within this area to address concerns with sagebrush die-off and potential for cheatgrass invasion.

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.