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.

All of the SER's WMAs lie within key habitats identified in Utah's Wildlife Action Plan-including aspen-conifer, desert grassland, gambel oak, lowland sagebrush, mountain meadow, mountain sagebrush, mountain shrub, aquatic scrub/shrub, riverine, emergent, and open water. These habitats on the WMAs support many species of greatest conservation need. SGCN's which benefit from SER WMA management include northern leopard frog, bald eagle, black rosy finch, golden eagle, greater sage grouse, southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow billed cuckoo,bluehead sucker, flannelmouth sucker, Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, razorback sucker, fringed myotis, and white-tailed prairie dog.

WMAs also support a variety of important game species including mule deer, pronghorn, elk, wild turkey, chukar, forest grouse, pheasant, sandhill crane, waterfowl, rabbits and black bear. The Lower Fish Creek WMA also provides blue ribbon fishing opportunities for trout including tiger trout and brown trout. The San Rafael properties may provide opportunity for warm water gamefish, but are primarily managed for the three sensitive species.

WMAs are within conservation focus areas identified by the Southeastern Region UPCD team.

The proposed projects and maintenance activities will address the following goals and objectives of the Division of Wildlife Resources most recent strategic management plan.
It will help the DWR achieve its mission of serving the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state's protected wildlife by maintaining and improving key wildlife habitats throughout the region. The DWR has an agency goal of creating a culture of respect, innovation, efficiency, and effectiveness. One objective to reach this goal is to increase coordination with partners, including local, state, and federal agencies; non-governmental organizations; universities and others. On our WMA's we regularly work with the surrounding land owners to try to find a shared management purpose.   The Matheson Wetland is prime example of a WMA owned and managed by two entities. We also invite diverse groups to help with projects on the property to reach management objectives. The DWR also has a constituency goal of strengthening support of wildlife management by demonstrating the value and importance of wildlife to all Utahns. Objectives to reach this goal include: increasing participation in hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-related activities.  This is achieved by allowing sportsmen access to our properties as well as keeping our properties in good condition to allow events for non-consumptive users.  In the SER, the WMA's also contribute to increasing hunting and fishing opportunities.  We have high elevation and low elevation uplands and streams that provide access to blue ribbon fisheries, trophy big game, and plentiful opportunity for upland and waterfowl hunting.  We manage our lands to maintain habitat for species year-round while also providing areas near town for put and take hunting opportunities. One example, the Cold Springs WMA provides some of the only public summer range hunting opportunity for big game in the Nine-Mile unit. Lastly, the strategic plan outlines a goal for conserving, enhancing, and actively managing Utah's protected wildlife populations.  Objective 1 tasks the agencies with increasing, decreasing, or maintaining wildlife populations to meet the objectives in our management plans. On our WMA's we strive to maintain quality forage and other needs for wildlife to thrive. Objective R2 is to maintain existing wildlife habitat and increase the quality of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state.  Our WMA's cover a broad range of key habitats in the state from aspen-conifer communities and cold-water streams, to desert grasslands and streams. We manage for game animals and also non-game wildlife providing protection through managed habitats and maintained water.

There are recently updated habitat management plans for the following WMA's: Lower Fish Creek, Cold Spring, Upper San Rafael, Lower San Rafael, and Nash Wash.

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.

Wildfire has long been an active part of healthy ecosystems in several habitat types. Fire/fuel reduction can be a tool to provide a greater diversity of wildlife when set back to an earlier seral stage.

On the Gordon Creek WMA, smooth brome fields are burned on a 2-3 year rotation to remove old growth material and increase young succulent vegetation.

At the Nash Wash WMA we maintain weeds (cheat grass) by mowing or weed spraying herbicide to reduce fuels loads around the housing infrastructure.

The Matheson wetland has experienced numerous human caused wildfires. Weed maintenance through herbicide and mowing, especially along travel ways, is used to reduce fire on the WMA.

Pertinent DWR owned roads on WMA's are maintained and will allow easier access for fire personnel to access our properties in the event of a wildlife that is threatening habitat or infrastructure.

Additional habitat projects reduce fuels on properties such as Lower Fish Creek, Cold Spring, Upper and Lower San Rafael, and the Matheson but are not typically performed as annual maintenance.

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.

The habitat manager and maintenance specialist will coordinate maintenance activities in the region with other regional personnel. Habitat section personnel will coordinate with the regional Dedicated Hunter (DH) Coordinator to find projects where volunteers can be used. Weed control will be done under the supervision of the lead maintenance specialist with work completed by the assistant maintenance specialist and seasonal employees. Fencing and signing of WMA boundaries will be done by maintenance personnel with assistance
from seasonal employees. Road maintenance will be completed by maintenance specialists where possible. The heavy equipment crew out of Ephraim will be used on larger road and pond projects. Irrigation and farming will be under the supervision of the habitat manager and lead maintenance specialist to maintain water rights and produce forage for wildlife species. Larger restoration projects on the WMA's, such as stream restoration in Gordon Creek, will be proposed separately through the WRI process and will be planned by the restoration biologist or other interested biologists.

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.

The Nature Conservancy assists the DWR with management of the Matheson Wetland Preserve.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a partner on the Gordon Creek WMA through a Memorandum of Understanding. The BLM has created a buffer from grazing to extend the wildlife values of the WMA. The BLM has also partnered to eliminate grazing on the Nash Wash Wildlife Management Area and surrounding BLM.

Forestry Fire and State Lands is a partner on several of our properties with assistance with fuels and fire. FFSL also holds a conservation easement on our Cold Spring property. Forest Stewardship plans exist for the Cold Springs and Lower Fish Creek Wildlife Management Areas.

We also partner with livestock permittees on our Gordon Creek, Lower Fish Creek, and Upper San Rafael properties to help reach WMA objectives.

The dedicated hunter program is used where possible to assist with property management or construction of wildlife-related structures.

Several other partners help plan, implement, and fund larger scale habitat restoration projects on WMA's that are proposed through the Watershed Restoration Initiative.

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.

The main purpose of WMA's is to provide habitat for numerous wildlife that can be protected to ensure wildlife prosperity that can be enjoyed by the public.  The diversity of habitat types on these 7 WMA's provide for hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing opportunities throughout the entire year. Some of the WMA's have unique hunting and viewing opportunities. The following highlights a few, but by no means captures everything the SER WMA's have to offer. The Cold Spring WMA provides some of the only publicly available summer range in the Nine-Mile Unit and is popular for mule deer and elk hunting. The Lower Fish Creek WMA provides access to several stream miles of a blue ribbon fishery and walk-in hunting opportunity for big game and upland game surrounded by private lands and CWMU. The Matheson Wetland provides waterfowl hunting near Moab, Utah adjacent to the Colorado River. It's also home to numerous neotropical migratory birds that bring tourists bird-watching. It features a heron rookery that is a fun attraction. The Nash Wash WMA provides public hunting and viewing opportunities on a limited entry deer unit. The Lower San Rafael is managed to provide critical water for sensitive fish species to complete their life-cycle. It also provides unique pheasant and turkey hunting opportunities in a desert landscape.  The Gordon Creek WMA is our largest and arguably our most visited WMA located near Price, the largest city in our region. It provides numerous hunting and viewing opportunities for big game in the winter (and is one of the best places to see a moose).  It also provides for pheasant and chukar opportunities which have become increasingly popular in the area. The Upper San Rafael WMA is becoming extremely popular as recreation in the San Rafael desert. It provides an access point for horseman and river runners to begin their journeys. It is also used for pheasant hunting and protecting native fish. Each WMA has something unique to offer and the SER WMA's provide for great diversity which leads to numerous, diverse recreation opportunities.

Grazing is a tool used by the Division to reach habitat management goals/objectives. Grazing will be used on an as needed basis on WMAs following the grazing plans contained in the HMPs for each WMA. Grazing will be permitted under the Divisions Land Use Rule.

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.