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2020 Greenville ESR
Region: Southern
ID: 5513
Project Status: Completed
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Project Details
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Need for Project
The wildfire burned important habitat for Greater Sage-grouse in the Bald Hills Priority Habitat Management Area (PHMA). Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation (ES&R) project will focus on re-establishing wildlife habitats; specifically, for Sage-grouse throughout the wildfire area. This area has been identified as the highest habitat value for maintaining sustainable sage-grouse populations and include breeding, late brood-rearing, and winter concentration areas. ES&R efforts are expected to help restore the area to function as sage-grouse habitat. The ES&R project will be designed to benefit all wildlife species that are present in the area. The wildfire also occurred in a portions of grazing allotments and these restoration efforts will promote rangeland health making the area beneficial for livestock use under the current grazing guidelines.
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
The overall objective of this project is to rehabilitate the burned area to provide habitat for wildlife specifically for the Greater Sage Grouse, and will likely in turn improve livestock grazing. This will be accomplished by seeding a diverse mix of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs. The long-term goal of the project is to improve the areas resistance and resilience to future wildfires and to the spread of invasive species including cheatgrass.
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?)
Cheatgrass has high probability of returning and re-establishing before other plant species due to the nature of this annual grass. As this happens, other plant species struggle to re-establish, which results in the landscape being dominated by cheatgrass. If the area is not rehabilitated through ES&R efforts it is expected that a pattern of more fires will continue to occur within the area. The proposed treatment is expected to increase the likelihood of desirable plant species (perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs) to re-establish. A more diverse and fire resistant vegetative community would provide desirable wildlife habitat. Annual precipitation fluctuations may affect the germination and establishment of seeds that are planted; however, the project is located at an elevation of 5,500 - 6,000 feet, which is expected to help counteract the impacts of drought. Typically, rangelands at this elevation receive adequate precipitation to promote vegetative growth and viability in the short-term and long-term.
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
The project is consistent with the following BLM land use plans and associated decisions: * Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony Resource Management Plan Resource Management Plan (1986). * Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Approved Resource Management Plans as Amended (ARMPAs 2015 and 2019) * Southwest Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan (May, 2006) * The project is in conformance with the Normal Year Fire Stabilization and Rehabilitation Plan Environmental Assessment (EA UT-0040-03-28). The project is in conformance with the applicable land use plans because it is provided for in the following land use plan decisions: Record of Decision and Approved Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Resource Management Plan Amendments (2015 and 2019) Goal SSS-1: Maintain and/or increase GRSG abundance and distribution by conserving, enhancing, or restoring the sagebrush ecosystem upon which populations depend in collaboration with other conservation partners Special Status Species (SSS): Objectives SSS-1, SSS-2, SSS-3, SSS-4, and SSS-5; Management Actions (MA) MA-SSS-1, MA-SSS-3, and MA-SSS-4, MA-SSS-7. Vegetation (VEG): Objective VEG-1; MA-VEG-1, MA-VEG-2, MA-VEG-3, MA-VEG-4, MA-VEG-5, MA-VEG-6, MA-VEG-10, MA-VEG-11, MA-VEG-12, MA-VEG-14. Fire and Fuels Management (FIRE): MA-FIRE-2, and MA-FIRE-3. Other Plans/Strategies Utah Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-Grouse (2019) State of Utah Executive Order 2015/002- Implementing the Utah Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-Grouse (2015) Utah State Wildlife Action Plan (2015) State of Utah Resource Management Plan (2018) National Fire Plan (2000) Utah Pronghorn Statewide Management Plan (2009) Southwest Desert Deer Herd Unit Management Plan (2015) Coordinated Implementation Plan for Bird Conservation in Utah (2005) Local Sage-Grouse Working Group Plans Southwest Desert Greater Sage-Grouse Local Conservation Plan (2009)
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
The Greenville fire encompassed 1,101 acres. In addition, numerous fires (Baboon, Badger, Black Mountain, Maple Springs, Roundabout, Rush Lake and Wrangler) have burned within the immediate vicinity of the project area. The Greenville Fire is located in the Mineral Black Mountain Fire Management Unit (FMU) (646,151 acres). Approximately 241,620 acres have burned over the past 20 years within this FMU. This amounts to over 37% of the FMU being impacted by high intensity wildfire. Approximately 40,000 acres have burned more than once (cheatgrass burn/re-burn cycle). Most alarming is the fact that for the 22 years in which fire records are available (1993-2014) the number of fires has decreased over the past 10 years; however, the acreages burned has increased more than 200%. If the Grennville ES&R project does not occur it is expected that cheatgrass will invade and dominate this area. Future fires will continue to be more difficult to control and have devastating effects by burning at a higher intensity, which could lead to fires getting larger and burning unburned habitat. Treatments identified within this proposal, includes seeding with more fire resistant vegetation and chaining which are expected to reduce the overall threat of future wildfires, which could impact unburned areas in the watershed.
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
The Project Area is located at 5,500 - 6,000 feet above sea level; therefore, it is expected that the opportunity to restore herbaceous species to the composition and frequency appropriate to the area is high. The project is expected to stabilize and improve the herbaceous understory that was burned in the fire, which will reduce water runoff and decrease soil erosion while increasing infiltration. Improvements to the Standards and Guidelines for Healthy Rangelands (Standard 1 and Standard 3) are expected through project implementation. It is expected that Standard 1 (Soils) -- will improve by allowing soils to exhibit permeability and infiltration rates that will sustain/improve site productivity throughout the area. This will be accomplished by making improvements to the Biotic Integrity of the community by restoring areas to a diverse component of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs that were present prior to the wildfire. Indicators will include sufficient cover and litter to protect the soil surface from excessive water and wind erosion, limiting surface flow and limiting soil moisture loss through evaporation, which will promote proper infiltration.
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
The treatment will be rested from livestock grazing for a minimum of two years (2 growing seasons) following project implementation to ensure adequate rest and seedling establishment. A cultural contract will be issued and cultural clearances will be completed prior to the project implementation. Project Inspectors will ensure that all contract specifications are adhered to for aerial seeding, chaining, etc... Extensive monitoring data (upland and wildlife) has been collected throughout the area, which will provide baseline data to determine the success of the treatments.
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
The following are the methods for each treatment type: 1. Cultural Clearances Cultural Clearances will be completed prior to project implementation. 2. Sage Grouse and General Wildlife (Aerial Seeding/Chaining) A diverse seed mix (perennial grass, forb and shrub) will be identified to promote successful rehabilitation to improve wildlife habitat. Chaining will be utilized to cover and mix the seed into the soil. 3. Invavise weed control. Monitoring and treating noxious weeds will be a method implemented to mitigate the spread of invasive plant species, particularly Scotch Thistle. Herbicide will be applied when and if necessary to eradicate invasive weeds.
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
The fire will be monitored each year for five years (2021-2025) and an annual monitoring summary report will be completed by early September each year. Two or three monitoring studies will be established. They will be established in both the aerial seed and chaining treatments using the AIM method.
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
The BLM Cedar City Field Office will be working with Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative to complete this project. DNR will be involved because state lands were burned in the fire. The 70 acres acres of state land burn in the fire will treated with the BLM land that burned in this project. Non-use agreements will be identified with livestock permittees to ensure adequate rest following project implementation.
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
A mandatory 2 year (growing season) minimum rest period will be initiated for the portions of the allotments that were burned. Deferment of livestock grazing for a minimum of two years (two growing seasons) will be used to exclude livestock from the burned area to provide seeded species the opportunity to establish.
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
The fire burned in portions of three grazing allotments (Grennville Bench, Stewart, and Minersville No. 1). The livestock grazing permittees impacted by the wildfire are to comply the policies in place to restore rangelands for grazing. The areas or pastures burned will need to be rested from grazing for a minimum of two years (growing seasons). In the long term, this project will likely have an overall positive impact on domestic livestock grazing because of added forage value following seeding.
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.
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