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Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative
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UTTR Habitat Restoration 2019 (FY20)
Region: Northern
ID: 4749
Project Status: Completed
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Project Details
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Need for Project
Area was sprayed in October 2017 with Plateau Herbicide from C-130 Aircraft. The area has been burned repeatedly due to Air Force training and testing exercises. Areas where the fires originate have been addressed with additional mechanical scrapes, green strips, and spraying. The need is to restore this area and areas adjacent to it for wildlife habitat as all shrubs have been lost and cheatgrass had become a dominant species on the landscape. Now that the area has been controlled from cheatgrass, we need to seed the area with species that can compete with cheatgrass and provide shelter and forage for wildlife.
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.
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Objectives
Restore ecological function back to this area with emphasis to establish a diverse mix of plants included woody shrubs.
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.
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Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?)
Future fire, drought after seeding, and wind erosion...seed either covered too much (soil drifting into furrows) or seed blowing away.
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.
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Relation to Management Plans
Rangeland Restoration and ecosystem function are covered in the Base Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan (2017 Update). EA - Vegetation Management (2016).
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.
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Fire/Fuels
Area has been burned frequently and measures have been put in place to reduce and almost eliminate the fire potential for the fire source origination points. These include mechanical scrapes, green strips, and spraying with imazapic herbicide for cheatgrass control. The proposed treatment area was sprayed in October of 2017 and results were fantastic as cheatgrass was effectively controlled and fuels are not present due to the wildfire in 2017 as well.
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.
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Water Quality/Quantity
Since the area was sprayed instead of the usual disking that we have done in the past, biological soil crusts are still intact and will lead to infiltration of water as it rains and snows. As we drill, the furrows should collect water as well. Sheet flow of water should not be a problem.
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.
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Compliance
Cultural Surveys have been completed by Air Force contractors and NEPA was completed in 2016 with the EA titled "Vegetation Management".
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.
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Methods
Aerial Spray - Plateau (Imazapic) herbicide (2017) Use a spike harrow to create a 50 foot buffer adjacent to the County Road fence (west side of project). Broadcast with Kochia, Crested Wheatgrass, and Four-wing Saltbush. Drill the rest of the project area with a good diverse mix and broadcast on top of the drilling at least half of the project area. Roll at least half of that as well to compare rolled vs. unrolled success on the broadcast.
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.
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Monitoring
Photo points have been established pre spray and post spray and will continue to be used as the project develops. We also have 10 "Range Trend Plots that have either been previously established or were established this summer (2017) to help with monitoring.
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.
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Partners
BYU is a Cooperator and will be assisting with this project. The 910th Aerial Spray Squadron is also a partner as they spray these large tracts of land with Plateau.
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.
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Future Management
Watch the habitat develop and supplement with shrubs from our greenhouse. Spot spraying may also be necessary.
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.
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Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources
None at this time as the UTTR is not grazed by livestock as a safety and security measure.
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.
Title Page
Project Details
Finance
Species
Habitats
Seed
Comments
Images/Documents
Completion Form
Project Summary Report
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