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 proposed project will meet multiple objectives found within different plans; 
Elk statewide management plan; the project supports objectives and strategies in this plan to project elk habitat and mitigate loss, habitat improvement projects that increase forage for both big game and livestock, maintains elk habitat throughout the state by identifying and protecting existing crucial elk habitat and mitigating for losses due to human impacts.

Deer Statewide Management Plan: the plan illustrates work with land management agencies and private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning and wintering areas, and will improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer.

Vernal RMP ROD: the project will help manage the vegetation to attain the ecological stage that will benefit wildlife in crucial habitat and livestock grazing, and manage vegetation in remaining areas that result in high vegetation species diversity, allow mechanical, fire, biological, cultural or chemical methods for vegetation manipulation, using the type of manipulation appropriate to and consistent with the other land use objectives, and incorporating standard option procedures and BMPs, as applicable, to protect other resources, manage the vegetation to attain the ecological stage that will; ensure sustainability, meet authorized use allocations (wildlife, livestock), ensure species diversity, restore or rehabilitate up to 200,000 acres of sagebrush-steppe habitat over the life of the plan. 
Vernal BLM Fire Management Plan; the project will help achieve the desired mix of seral stages for all major vegetative types, remove PJ and Douglas Fir encroachment from the Wy sagebrush, mountain big sagebrush, aspen, and mountain browse types, create fuel breaks n Wyoming and mountain big sage types to reduce the risk of large unplanned fires, and reduce fuel loads, chemical treatments would be utilized in conjunction with prescribed fire and mechanical treatments to achieve desired  objectives, and to also control invasive species. 
Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-grouse in Utah: the project falls within the Uintah SGMA and will help maintain and enhance sage-grouse habitat. The project area will be included in the annual review for a possible adjustment of redrawing of the boundary for non-habitat. 
Utah Greater Sage-grouse approved resource management plan amendment (BLM); the proposed project area is consistent with the management actions found within the plan by improving and maintaining Greater Sage-grouse habitat.
Wildlife Action Plan; the project area is within the mountain sagebrush habitat type, the project will help address threats by removing encroaching PJ from the existing sage-steppe habitat type.

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.

The proposed treatment areas are within HUC 6, Lower Green-Diamond Colorado Utah. Studies have shown that the removal of PJ can improve watershed condition; enhances water yield, enhances groundwater recharge, reduction of trees reduced catastrophic wildlife, and improved spring snow-melt flow. PJ trees can hae a major impact on hydrology. The distribution and quantity of water that reaches soil and other vegetation can be altered by the presence of PJ through many different avenues such as PJ canopy interception of precipitation, evapotranspiration, transpiration, and competition with understory vegetation for nutrients and water (Thurow and Hester 2015). The competition with understory vegetation can increase the amount of bare soil, which can lead to an increase in runoff, soil loss and erosion (Thurow and Hester 2015). Erosion can lead to a reduction in soil productivity and can also increase non-point source water pollution, thus having the potential to affect water quality within a watershed over time (Thurow and Hester 2015).

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.