Project Details

This phase of the project proposes to address watershed-wide ecosystem health through reducing conifer encroachment on 1,388 acres of sagebrush and mountain shrub capable landscapes. This is phase two of a greater than 15,000 acre focus area with NEPA approved treatments on the Thousand Lake Mountain, much of which is critical winter habitat transitioning into critical summer habitat for mule deer and crucial elk winter range. In the lower elevations of the project area there are areas of potential Pygmy Rabbit habitat that are also being threatened by pinyon and juniper expansion. Roughly 180 acres of the proposed treatment area lies within the Parker Emery SGMA and ties into over 18,000 acres of completed pinyon and juniper reduction as part of the Mytoge Mountain wildlife habitat improvement project. Part of this project phase is within 3.5 miles of an active Sage-grouse lek (Tidwell). This lek has shown declining counts over the last ten years. Radio collars have been deployed on Sage-grouse at this lek and some preliminary locations indicate that these grouse need more usable space nearby the lek. 
This proposal addresses conifer expansion and provides for increased big game forage through pinyon and juniper reduction. In order to address this concern and maintain persistent large open sagebrush landscapes, encroaching conifers in phase I and early phase II will be removed. Persistent woodlands and big game travel corridors will be retained. We need to enhance habitat on Forest Lands to promote increased utilization of big game animals and lessen the impact on National Park Service lands east of the project. During an aerial elk survey in 2019 over 1,600 elk were using areas inside Capitol Reef National Park. The Park is concerned about impacts to cryptobiotic soil crusts and limited water sources.

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.

1)	Mitigate the threat of conifer expansion into crucial sage-grouse, mule deer and elk 
        winter habitat.
2)     Improve and expand habitat for sensitive, threatened and endangered species including 
        reducing canopy cover of pinyon/juniper within 3.5 miles of the Tidwell lek to benefit 
        Sage-grouse. Pygmy rabbit surveys in potential habitat in lower Polk Creek (one mile 
        south of project area) are ongoing.
3)     Manage forest cover types to provide variety in stand sizes shape, crown closure, edge 
        contrast, age structure and interspersion. 
4)	Increase overall forage production, habitat quality, and species diversity by treating in a 
        mosaic pattern that will create biodiversity across the landscape. 
5)     Reduce risk of catastrophic fire by reducing hazardous fuels while maintaining and 
        improving fire resilient landscapes. 
6)     Minimize project costs by promoting cost effective treatments along with increased scale 
        and size of treatments that will reduce overall cost per acre. 
7)     Enhance habitat on Forest Lands to promote increased utilization of big game animals 
        and lessen the impact on National Park Service lands east of the project.

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.

The proposed mechanical mastication treatment areas proposed will treat early through late phase II pinyon and juniper. Withholding treatment will transition the late phase I areas into needing mastication treatment and re-seeding probably within 10-15 years. Greater infill into these areas will increase per-acre treatment costs. This pinyon/juniper removal project also addresses inappropriate fire frequency and intensity in relation to the threat of Problematic Native Plant Species in Mountain Sagebrush systems.

This action would lower the need for seeding the area post-treatment, and will be easier and less expensive to treat than a later successional encroachment phase. The greatest risk to this project's success is the same as inaction eventual wildfire occurrence and the possibility of cheatgrass and other invasive species post treatment.

This deer limited entry unit was changed to a general season unit in 2012 due to a lack of overall deer populations. Deer populations on the Thousand Lakes unit are still in very bad shape due primarily to a lack of suitable habitat. This unit overall is summer range limited by conifer expansion into former aspen stands and winter range limited by encroachment of pinyon and juniper into sage and mountain brush communities. The deer population has declined over 25% in the last five years. The modeled population estimate has decreased from1320 deer in 2014 to 984 deer in 2019. This project in conjunction with the Last Chance projects will be of great benefit to deer that use these units. In conjunction with the habitat treatments 40 ponds on this unit have been cleaned and lined with clay. Many of these ponds hold water throughout the summer now, which was not the case previously. In my 29 years in this area these pond improvements have provided year round water for the first time. If better habitat can be created around these water sources deer populations will benefit. These treatment phases in pinyon and juniper pave the way for treatments with prescribed fire in the encroaching spruce/fir at higher elevations to encourage aspen regeneration. For over 100 years encroaching tree management has been largely "hands off". This trend must be reversed in order to re-vitalize our struggling deer herds.
Radio telemetry collars were deployed on Mule Deer on the Boulder unit in December of 2019. Data from these collars is being used partially to determine if the encroaching conifers in that area also contribute to limiting factors for fawn survival and summering populations of Mule Deer. Findings from the deer research on the Boulder will have applications for mule deer management on Thousand Lakes.

This is an area that the Fishlake elk herd utilizes for winter range. In the winter of 2019 the DWR's aerial survey showed approximately 1,600 elk worked their way through these acres on their way to Capitol Reef National Park and Cathedral Valley. It is hoped that by treating Thousand Lakes and the Last Chance areas we can slow the movement of these elk by providing some food resources on the Forest Service lands and in this way protect Park Service lands and fragile areas in the Cathedral Valley from winter impacts by elk.

In general upland birds, including forest grouse and turkeys, require open stands of conifer and aspen with an understory of berry producing shrubs, forbs and grasses. A healthy insect component in this matrix is critical for early brood rearing. Healthy mixed forests, early successional forests, and edges of aspen forests provide these kinds of environments. Our current habitat struggles to provide these requirements.

Of the 10,000 acres we will address through current and future phases of this project. We will create more usable space for greater Sage-grouse using the Tidwell lek in the Parker/Emery SGMA.

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.

1) Fishlake Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) also referred to as the "forest plan" IV-3. Integrate vegetation management with resource management to maintain productivity and provide for diversity of plant and animal communities. LRMP, IV-3. Coordinate wildlife and fish habitat management with State and other Federal and local agencies. LRMP, IV-4. Identify and improve habitat for sensitive, threatened and endangered species including participation in recovery efforts for both plants and animals. 
This project will contribute to Mule Deer recovery on this unit and help Elk habitats keep animals in preferred wintering areas.

2) Utah Wildlife Action Plan, 2015 Publication Number 15-14, State of Utah, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Resources, Effective 2015-2025 -- Promoting and funding restoration that reduces the uncharacteristic and surpluses of older age class, including: Dixie/chain harrow, brush mowing or other treatments that reduce the older age class and stimulate the younger/mid age classes; herbicide or mechanical treatment of non-native invasive species such as smooth brome; single tree mulching/cutting of invading conifer (p.51).  
This juniper removal project also addresses uncharacteristic and surpluses of older age class trees and reduces the threat of Problematic Native Plant Species in Mountain Sagebrush systems.

3) US Forest Service Greater Sage-grouse Utah Amendment, September 2015. Objective: Every 10 years for the next 50 years, improve greater sage-grouse (GRSG) habitat by removing invading conifers. Desired Conditions: In GRSG seasonal habitat, capable of producing sagebrush, have less than 10% conifer canopy cover. Vegetation treatment projects should be conducted if they maintain, restore or enhance desired conditions for sage-grouse.

4)Parker Mountain Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Local Conservation Plan, October 1, 2006. 
2. Strategy: by 2011, make an assessment of non-desirable/invasive vegetation in sage-grouse habitats.
2.5. Action: Treat areas where undesirable vegetation has become, or is at risk of becoming a factor in sage-grouse habitat loss or fragmentation.

5) Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-grouse in Utah January 11, 2019
     4c. Using WRI, remove conifer as appropriate in areas protected by federal, state and private landowners to ensure that existing functional habitat remain.
     4d. Using WRI, maintain existing sage-grouse habitats by offsetting the impacts due to conifer encroachment by creating additional habitat within or adjacent to occupied habitats at an equal rate each year - or 25,000 acres each year- whichever is greater.
      4e. Increase sage-grouse habitats by using the WRI- and other state, federal and private partnerships- to restore or create 50,000 acres of habitat within or adjacent of occupied habitats each year in addition to 4d.

6)U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Conservation Objectives: Final Report. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, CO. February 2013. 
General Conservation Objectives: 1. Stop population declines and habitat loss. 2. Implement targeted habitat management and restoration.  Specific Conservation Objectives: 1. Retain sage-grouse habitats within PAC's. 3. Restore and rehabilitate degraded sage-grouse habitats in PAC's. Conservation Objective: Maintain and restore healthy native sagebrush plant communities within the range of sage-grouse 
Conservation Objective: Remove pinyon/juniper from areas of sagebrush that are most likely to support sage-grouse (post-removal) at a rate that is at least equal to the rate of pinyon/juniper incursion.
-Prioritize the use of mechanical treatments.
-Reduce juniper cover in sage-grouse habitats to less than 5% but preferably eliminate entirely.
-Employ all necessary management actions to maintain the benefit of juniper removal for sage-grouse habitats. 
All of these management plans relating to Sage-grouse are being addressed by this treatment of pinyon/juniper adjacent to lekking and brood rearing areas. There is an image attached to this project showing Sage-grouse telemetry points collected from 2017-2019 in and around this projects proposed treatment areas.

7) Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer. Section IV Statewide management goals and objectives. This plan will address Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range by 2013 (p11-12). Strategy C. Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that are being taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats. Strategy f. Encourage land managers to manage portions of pinion-juniper woodlands and aspen/conifer forests in early successional stages.  
This entire project will reset the successional stage on 9,893 acres (1,388 acres Phase II) of critical Mule Deer habitat.

8) Plateau Deer Herd Management Plan Unit #25 (2015) - Habitat Management Objectives -- Encourage vegetation manipulation projects and seeding to increase the availability, abundance, and nutritional content of browse, grass, and forb species. Strategies: Habitat Protection, Improvement and Maintenance - Reduce expansion of Pinyon-Juniper woodlands into sagebrush habitats and improve habitats dominated by Pinyon-Juniper woodlands by completing habitat restoration projects like lop & scatter, bullhog and chaining projects; maintain summer fawning areas by increasing beneficial habitat work in summer and transitional habitat areas.(p.3-4) 
This project is expected to benefit Mule Deer by improving food resources long term and restoring sagebrush ecosystems which the deer rely on for browse.

9) Wayne County Resource Management Plan 2017. This action is congruent with Pinyon-Juniper page 49. 
11. Pinyon-juniper -- Pinyon and juniper is eliminated or reduced on any site that has the
potential to support grassland, sagebrush grassland, or other vegetation types more useful
in terms of watershed condition and resource outputs, unless it has been determined, on a
site specific basis, that PJ does not jeopardize watershed condition and adds to the
combined resource outputs and values on the site. On sites where pinyon-juniper occurs
that do not have potential for good perennial grass and shrub cover, or where technology
is lacking to establish such cover by reasonable efforts, pinyon-juniper stands are
maintained in an open canopy state when possible to prevent catastrophic wildfire and
stand replacement with invasive annuals. (p.49) 
This project site has the potential to support grassland, sagebrush grassland, or other vegetation types more useful in terms of watershed condition and resource outputs if treated to remove the pinyon/juniper trees.

10) This treatment is aligned with the State of Utah's Resource Management Plan, objectives for livestock and grazing under page 148.
Actively remove pinyon-juniper encroachment in other ecological sites due to its substantial consumption of water and its detrimental effect on sagebrush, other vegetation, and wildlife. (p. 148)
Water quality, quantity and livestock forage should improve by completing this project.

11) National Cohesive Strategy By means of mechanical thinning at a landscape scale, the resulting mosaic of sagebrush and persistent pinyon-juniper forests will work toward the goal of restoring and maintaining resilient landscapes, one of the three goals described in the National Cohesive Strategy. 
1. Resilient Landscapes General guidance regarding vegetation and fuels management include
* Use and expand fuel treatments involving mechanical, biological, or chemical methods where economically feasible and sustainable, and where they align with landowner objectives. (pg. 58)  
This is phase one of a greater than 15,000 acre focus area with NEPA approved treatments on the Thousand Lake Mountain which should contribute to resilient landscapes.

12) State of Utah Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy The Thousand Lakes Project aligns with the mission of the State of Utah's Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy. The project has developed a comprehensive and systematic approach toward reducing the size, intensity and frequency of catastrophic wildland fires near the existing infrastructure. The project reduces the risk of a catastrophic wildfire occurrence negatively affecting property, air quality and water systems. The Mission: Develop a collaborative process to protect the health and welfare of Utahns, and our lands by reducing the size and frequency of catastrophic fires. (pg. 4) 
5. Adopt Key Recommendations from the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. (pg. 15) 
* Encourage federal land management agencies to expedite fuels treatments. (pg. 15) 
* Prioritize landscapes for treatment (irrespective of jurisdictional boundaries). (pg. 15)

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.

The project area is vegetation condition class II. Values at risk include being within three miles of the Elkhorn guard station which includes a developed campground and a portion of the Great Western Trail. These are all high use, popular destinations throughout the summer. If a wildfire were to occur in this area, the historic Elkhorn guard station would be at risk and the Elkhorn developed campground and Fishlake portion of the Cathedral Valley loop, shared with Capitol Reef National Park, would likely have to close. In addition, a wildfire would have significant impacts to the scenic integrity and view shed of Capitol Reef National Park. Currently the FRCC is 60/30/10 and after treatment we expect it to be 50/20/30. This project is focused on reducing phase II pinyon and juniper using contracted mastication equipment. This will reduce fuel loading and ladder fuels in the Polk Creek and Garden Basin drainages. Current conditions across the east side of Thousand Lakes Mountain consist of largely unbroken areas of phase II to phase III pinyon juniper vegetation type. A wildfire in this area would be complex based on access through Capitol Reef NP and given existing road and trail infrastructure. The project will create openings that would be more resistant to carrying a wildfire and promote landscape resilience. This phase is just one portion of the 10,000 acres slated to be treated through current and future phases.

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.

Research including: Kormas et al, Deboodt et al 2008, Baker et al 1984, Roundy et al 2014, Roth et al 2017 and Young et al 2013 all recommend pinyon and juniper removal as a tool to improve water quality and quantity. The Thousand Lake Habitat Improvement Project contains a cumulative 15,567 acres of pinyon and juniper expansion reduction through hand cutting and mechanical methods. Phase I contains roughly 2,000 acres of hand cutting and is expected to increase water quantity and base flows through by reducing conifer and Pinyon-Juniper presence. Increased understory conditions as a result of treatment (consisting of grass, forms, and shrubs) will improve water quality by decreasing overland flows, sediment movement, and associated sediment delivery to surface waters. Increasing baseflows will also likely improve the ability of perennial channels to buffer stream temperature changes. Treatments will also improve numerous wet meadows in the Garden Basin area. These treatments will reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire is a major benefit to watershed health and water quality. These benefits to water quality and quantity will also likely benefit downstream users and ecosystems. Completing this phase of the overall project will set the stage for treatments in higher elevations to address high fuel loading in the mixed conifer veg. type and future aspen regeneration.

Waterbodies/drainages that will benefit from project activities and occur within the project area include Polk Creek, a perennial stream, and Upper-Middle Desert Wash. The riparian areas of both these streams will be treated to remove pinyon/juniper in a manner that leaves adequate shade, important for stream temperature. The basins within the project area drain to the Lower Fremont River, a 303d listed impaired waterbody for total dissolved solids (UDWQ). The proposed treatments would provide benefits to the Lower Fremont River by improving conditions in the upper watershed. This would come as a result of decreased sedimentation from improved understory conditions with the treatments proposed. The proposed activities provide substantial benefits to watershed health, water quality, and water yield, benefiting upland ecosystems and downstream users.

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.

Through working with permittees, seeded treatment areas in phase 2 will be rested from grazing post-treatment a minimum of 2 years or as long as necessary for seeded areas to become established.

A phased approach to implementation allows for sagebrush community response monitoring to inform future phases. Phase two of this project is planned to extend these treatments to the south. The project area will be monitored for re-encroachment and proposed for re-treatment either through volunteers like the DH program or a full WRI proposal depending on the severity and extent of the re-encroachment.
Most of the East Thousand Lake project is in the Solomon allotment which is a five pasture deferred rotation grazing system where each pasture is grazed for about 30 days.  There is a total of 559 head of cattle that graze  from June 1 to October 31.  151 head of cattle are held off the allotment until June 15th to allow for better spring growth on the forage.  The cattle enter the allotment near Meeks Lake/Morrell Pond on the first year and then move to East Tidwell pasture and then to Forsyth Unit then on to West Thousand Lake and finishing in the Round Lake Unit.  The second Year the cattle would enter the Round Lake unit go to West Tidwell, Forsyth unit then East Tidwell and finish in the Meek Lake /Morrell Pond unit.

Solomon allotment has a full time rider keeping cattle in the desired areas.

Herding will be used to rest treated areas along with modifications to the grazing pasture rotation schedule.  Pasture schedules will be changed/shortened to allow for plant recovery.

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.