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.

The goal is to preserve, restore and improve the wetland and Riparian habitat for wildlife and human resource benefit. 
Objective 1 - Exclude Cattle from wetland and riparian habitat to stop degradation. This will be accomplished with a fence built around the area to prevent further degradation by livestock while still allowing native wildlife to use the habitat. 
Objective 2 - Restore and improve previously degredated wetland and riparian habitat through beaver dam analogs that will be installed to restore the stream bead and raise the water table. Monitoring will be implemented to insure this objective is being accomplished. 
Objective 3 - Restore Native Riparian plant communities and ecological function. Non-native species will be removed and native plant species that are beneficial for wildlife will be planted in the project area. Monitoring will take place to insure this objective is met. 
Objective 4 - Restore habitat to conditions favorable and suitable for historically occurring wildlife, particularly amphibians. Work with DWR to establish healthy populations of previously present amphibians.  
These objectives directly support the public benefits identified by UWRI by increasing watershed health and biodiversity through stream and habitat restoration for wildlife and watershed health, improving water quality and yield for all uses by managing water appropriately while still incorporating grazing and livestock use on the installation, and lastly, providing opportunities for sustainable use through monitoring and adaptive management of the previously mentioned objectives.

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.

Camp Williams Integrated Resource Management Plan (INRMP)
Under the SIKES act all military installations with significant natural resources are required to draft and maintain an INRMP. The INRMP outlines and guides how resources will be managed and conserved for sustainable and future use. INRMPs are reviewed and signed by interested and regulatory agencies, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The Camp Williams INRMP states that valuable habitat such as riparian areas will be managed for wildlife use and not allowed to be degraded by livestock or human use.

Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan
This management plan outlines loss/degradation of habitat and water availability and major issues/concerns for mule deer population resilience. Camp Williams is a major source and refuge for mule deer in the central region of Utah as there is currently no hunting and the area provides excellent winter and summer habitat. This project directly addresses the concerns/issues of the Mule deer management plan by restoring/improving habitat through preservation and conservation as well as increasing water availability and access through fore-mentioned restoration and management techniques.

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.

Cattle Exclusion
A fence will be constructed around all wetland and riparian habitat to keep cattle and livestock out. Fences will be constructed following specs outlines by the DWR and allow for access to the area by native wildlife. The fence will be constructed and installed by a contractor using the materials and methods for the standard design four strand barbed wire fence. The fence will be erected in the summer/fall of 2019. 
Stream Restoration
Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) will be installed in the stream channel by Camp Williams staff and DWR staff in the summer/fall of 2019. BDAs will be constructed from wooden posts and follow documentation and methods outlined by the Beaver Management Institute. 
Riparian Habitat/Vegetation Restoration 
Non-native plants will be removed by physical means (i.e. pulling, cutting, digging). Native plants will be planted along the stream and in Riparian areas in association with BDAs in order to restore habitat and provide bank stabilization/erosion control.  Plants will be installed in the spring of 2020 by Camp Williams and DWR staff. Species to be planted include Rhus trilobata, Shepherdia argentea, Salix spp., Symphoricarpos occidentalis, and Amelanchier utahensis.

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.

Monitoring will take place at both sites to ensure objectives are met and provide data for adaptive management.

Fence and livestock exclusion monitoring
The entire fence boundary will be walked every year in the late winter early spring before livestock grazing begins on Camp Williams to check for any breaks or weaknesses in the fence. Any areas of concern will be repaired or replaced to ensure complete exclusion of livestock. Periodic checks of the fence will be performed through the summer and fall as personal and time allows and all damaged areas will be repaired.

Stream & Riparian Monitoring - RSRA
Effectiveness of stream restoration (e.g., BDAs) will be monitored with the Rapid Stream-Riparian Assessment (RSRA) survey (see attached in Images/Documents section). The RSRA generates a score for water quality, hydrogeomorpohology, fish and aquatic habitat, riparian vegetation, and terrestrial wildlife habitat. This method was selected because it is a time and cost efficient means to monitor restoration projects. Wild Utah Project biologists and their volunteers will conduct the RSRA surveys before and after restoration.

Wildlife monitoring
Previously existing transects for standard bird point count surveys will be conducted during the breeding season and compared with previous year's data for relative abundance and diversity. Success will be shown by either a higher diversity when compared to previous years or a higher relative abundance of riparian habitat associated birds than in previous years. Results of surveys and diversity/abundance values will be uploaded to the project page as a report/document.
Auditory point count surveys will also be conducted for presence not detected of amphibian species and visual encounter transects will be established for reptiles and amphibians to determine relative abundance and presence of species.  Surveys will be conducted for a minimum of 3 years and will assess diversity and relative abundance from year to year. Success will be measured in the same manner as the birds and uploaded to the project page as a report/document. 
It is of note that there have been no amphibians detected in the project area in at least the last five years. There have been historical occurrences of species and if habitat features and quality are deemed appropriate reintroduction of amphibian species will be considered. If this is the case a more rigorous monitoring plan will be developed to monitor the species or population of amphibian that is introduced. 
Monitoring to determine presence and abundance of monarch butterfly will also be conducted in the fall of each year. This will be accomplished by surveying milkweed along the riparian corridor for eggs and larva. Data collected from these surveys and the results will be uploaded to the project page as a report/document.

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.