Project Details

The Willow Creek corridor has been severely impacted by flash flooding, trespass cattle, and estray horses over the past 20 years. Issues such as lack of stream habitat complexity, stream bank erosion and stream bed downcutting, and ground table dewatering have occurred as a result. The DWR has been making great strides in improving the habitat of this area; this project is located in an area that we wish to protect and enhance for greater habitat suitability for terrestrial and aquatic species. This area houses a great diversity of wildlife due to the habitat potential that exists on this landscape, along with the wild characteristics of the remote location. This project identifies an area of Willow Creek that is suitable for beaver dam analogues (BDAs). Research has shown that BDAs have the potential to 1) elevate the water table - which would greatly enhance terrestrial forage opportunity, 2) provide increased habitat diversity and complexity by breaking up what is essentially one large "run" type habitat into a cascading pool complex - which will provide increased habitat availability to resident trout, sucker species, and speckled dace. The presence of beaver dams allows for better groundwater exchange potential as well, which may be able to cool the stream water, which will allow for a much more suitable habitat for resident trout. Willow Creek is currently almost unsuitable for trout species due to high stream temperatures.
We will conduct wet mowing and herbicide applications - 2 quarts per acre - in identified area to promote better meadow health. An evaluation of aerial imagery shows that our meadow areas along Meadow and Willow Creeks are shrinking due to encroaching sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and greasewood.

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.

Utah Bighorn Sheep Statewide Management Plan
B.d.  Initiate vegetative treatment projects to improve bighorn habitat lost to natural succession or human impacts.

Bookcliffs Bison Herd Unit Management Plan
Habitat Management Goal 4.  Discourage bison from areas with potential conflicts by improving range conditions in areas where conflicts do not exist.

Bookcliffs Deer Herd Management Plan
Habitat Management Strategy: Utilize recognized vegetative manipulation techniques to enhance deer forage quantity and quality.

Bookcliffs Elk Herd Management Plan
Habitat Strategy:  Treat Greasewood communities and reestablish native woody vegetative species in riparian habitat types.

Willow Creek WMA Management Plan:
IV.A.  Improve the quantity and quality of rangeland vegetation on the unit land parcels.
IV.B.  Maintain irrigated crop lands and protect fields currently used for agriculture purposes.

CONSERVATION STRATEGY FOR COLORADO RIVER CUTTHROAT TROUT. 
Objective 4 -- Secure and enhance watershed conditions. 
Strategy 7 -- Improve habitat conditions for CRCT (utilizing habitat improvement techniques including stream bank stabilization, increased water temperature refugia, and riparian management)

UTAH BEAVER MANAGEMENT PLAN 2010-2020. This management plan encourages managers to consider using beaver as a stream restoration tool. The construction of BDA's will encourage the expansion of beaver in this reach.

WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (WAP): This project addresses threats identified in the Utah Wildlife Action Plan to several aquatic and upland habitats, as well as multiple species that use those habitats. See the Species and Habitats tabs for more.

Utah Bat Conservation Plan 2009-2014 - "Drinking water is of critical importance to most bats in Utah. Drinking is mostly accomplished by skimming the water surface with open mandible (jaw). Surface waters also provide rich foraging sites since flying insects are often abundant over even small bodies of water, and surface water often is bordered or surrounded by more luxuriant vegetation that favors insect abundance". Additionally, one of the prime objectives is to "Minimize loss or degradation of riparian habitats used by bats", which explicitly identifies discouraging channelization as a management action. The plan also states "Bat species that typically fly only short distances in a single night, and species that are strongly associated with water" as especially vulnerable to channelized streams and other land management actions that make water unavailable. This proposal seeks to reverse this trend in the project area by holding abundant water and foraging zones available to local bat populations.

UINTAH COUNTY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN.
8.4.1 -- Support the Maintenance, enhancement, and expansion of sport fishing opportunities
8.4.8 -- Support efforts to protect water quality and the quality of the associated fisheries.
8.4.9 -- Support efforts to improve fish habitats while balancing the rights of adjacent landowners and holders of water rights.
9.4.2 -- Encourage the restoration of floodplain connectivity for improved flood control in suitable areas.
20.4.2 -- Conserve and protect riparian areas through application of best management practices.
20.4.11 -- Modify grazing use to avoid overgrazing if appropriate.
20.4.12 -- Encourage efforts to enhance streambeds and control erosion. Increase coverage and composition of vegetation.
22.4.1 -- Maintain or improve water quality to protect the health and well-being of county residents and the desirability of the county as a place to visit and recreate.
22.4.13 -- Support projects that improve water quality and increase quantity and dependability of water supply.

STATE OF UTAH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN.
--The State will seek to protect, conserve, and improve Utah's fish and aquatic wildlife and the habitats upon which they depend.
--The State supports ensuring the persistence of the diversity of native fish and aquatic wildlife in Utah while at the same time providing excellent opportunities for anglers and other recreationists.
--Managing for self-sustaining fisheries in Utah streams should be a priority.
--The State supports implementing active management and restoration projects on federal lands to restore sinuosity, vegetation, and floodplain function which mimic the natural hydrologic system in suitable areas
--Improve vegetative health on public and private lands through range improvements, prescribed fire, vegetation treatments, and active management of invasive plants and noxious weeds.
--Active management should be used to improve and enhance riparian resources to
provide for appropriate physical, biological, and chemical function.
--Prioritize and manage riparian areas to attain desired future conditions for riparian-
related resources
--The State supports the use of structural and non-structural improvements in unstable
water courses to restore riparian areas properly functioning/desired future conditions.
--Expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat.
--Conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered.
--Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and domestic livestock forage on public and private lands.

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.