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.

This project will help reach 8 goals, objectives and/or strategies of the following planning documents.

This project is consistent with the recommendations outlined in the Utah Sage-grouse Management Plan
Early brood-rearing habitat generally occurs relatively close to nest sites, but movements of individual broods may be highly variable (Connelly 1982, Gates 1983). Early brood-rearing habitats may be relatively open (14 percent canopy cover) stands of sagebrush when compared to optimum nesting habitat (Martin 1970, Wallestad 1971), but sage-grouse prefer > 15% canopy cover of forbs and grasses (Sveum et al. 1998, Bunnell et al. 2000). High plant species richness with abundant forbs and insects characterize brood areas (Dunn and Braun 1986, Klott and Lindzey 1989, Drut et al. 1994, Apa 1998). Insects, especially ants and beetles, are an important food component of early brood-rearing habitat (Drut et al. 1994, Fischer 1996, Baxter 2003). As herbaceous plants mature and dry, hens usually move their broods to mesic sites during June and July where more succulent vegetation and greater insect abundance is available (Gill 1965, Klebenow 1969, Connelly and Markham 1983, Connelly et al. 1988, Fischer et al. 1996, Bunnell et al. 2000). Sage-grouse broods occupy a variety of habitats during summer including sagebrush, relatively small burned areas within sagebrush, wet meadows, farmland, and other irrigated areas adjacent to sagebrush habitats (Savage 1969, Martin 1970, Connelly and Markham 1983, Gates 1983, Connelly et al. 1988, Pyle and Crawford 1996). Late brood-rearing habitats are highly variable.
Patterson (1952) reported that sage-grouse move from summer to winter range in October but during mild late fall weather some birds may still use summer range. Fall movements to winter range are slow and meandering and occur from late August to December (Connelly et al. 1988). Wallestad (1975) documented a shift in feeding habits from September, when grouse were consuming a large amount of forbs, to December when birds were feeding only on sagebrush.

The need for this action is identified in the sage-grouse conservation strategy of the Strawberry Valley Adaptive Resource Management Local Working Group.  
Strategy 2:  Maintain and where possible, improve grass/forb component in the understory in nesting and brood-rearing areas.  
Action 2.3:  Conduct vegetation treatments to improve forb diversity.

This project is consistent with the following sub-goals of the 2003 Land and Resource Management Plan for the Uinta NF:
* Sub-goal 2-6:  "Ecosystems on the Forest provide and maintain viable and well-distributed populations of flora and fauna.  New listings of threatened, endangered, and sensitive species as a result of Forest Service management activities are avoided."

* Sub-goal 2-8:  "Ecosystem resilience is maintained by providing for a full range of seral stages and age classes (by cover type) that achieve a mosaic of habitat conditions and diversity to meet a variety of desired resource management objectives.  Recruitment and sustainability of some early seral species and vegetation communities in the landscape are necessary to maintain ecosystem resilience to perturbations."

Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan
-Continue to support and provide leadership for the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, which emphasizes improving sagebrush-steppe, aspen, and riparian habitats throughout Utah.
-Seek opportunities through the Watershed Restoration Initiative to improve aspen communities that provide crucial summer habitat for mule deer.

Deer Herd Unit #17 Management Plant (Wasatch Mountains)
-Work with public land management agencies to develop specific vegetative objectives to maintain the quality of important deer use areas.
-Cooperate with federal land management agencies and private landowners in carrying out habitat improvement projects.

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.