Project Details

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published the Sage-grouse Habitat Assessment Framework (HAF) -- Technical Reference 6701 which identified the tools and processes to help the BLM and its partners develop a landscape approach in the greater sage-grouse (C. urophasianus; sage-grouse) conservation initiatives. The HAF fills the need for a multiple-scale, sage-grouse habitat assessment tool that can be easily integrated into the BLM landscape monitoring approach.  The HAF establishes indicators to determine the status of sage-grouse habitat needs at multiple scales for seasonal habitats.  Because the HAF assesses habitat needs at multiple scales, various datasets and the input of multiple partners will be needed for the analysis and assessment completion. Implementation of the BLM Resource Management Plans (RMP) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Land Use Plan (LUP) sage-grouse amendments will require the BLM and USFS to complete a HAF (Third Order) seasonal habitat home range descriptions for populations that inhabit Utah's SGMAs and the overlapping BLM and USFS Priority and General Habitat Areas in Utah.  Completion of the HAF will require extensive monitoring at multiple spatial scales. Currently, the BLM field offices in Utah will be primarily responsible for monitoring microhabitat characteristics (4th Order HAF). 
Utah State University (USU) maintains a 20 plus year database that contains sage-grouse seasonal microhabitat information recorded at thousands of known nest and brood sites. These data were collected at locations obtained by monitoring sage-grouse marked with very high frequency (VHF) radio transmitters.  USU will work with BLM, the USFS, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah's 11 Greater Sage-grouse Adaptive Resources Management Local Working Group, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and private landowners to complete HAF (Third Order) that incorporates existing VHF sage-grouse location data augmented by new habitat-use data obtained by deploying global positioning systems transmitters on sage-grouse. These data will be used in modeling applications (e.g., resource selection functions) to refine seasonal habitat mapping for Utah's SGMAs and BLM and USFS priority and general habitats and Sagebrush Focus Areas (SFAs). The public benefit of this project will be the combination of all of the sage-grouse third order seasonal habitat data that the BLM and partners have collected over the past 20 years into one cohesive and integrated database and the synthesized information produced to guide future management. This database would begin to better inform seasonal habitats based on where birds are really using the habitats and begin to have a strategy about how to approach future conservation and land management decisions based on collected data.  With the data standardized and located in one place it will allow BLM and its partners to retrieve information necessary to complete the RMP and LUP amendments.

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.

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.

1)	Database management -- USU actively maintains a long-term telemetry database consisting of over 2000 individual sage-grouse and > 800,000 global positioning system (GPS) and very-high frequency radio-telemetry locations.  The HAF-C will be the primary contact responsible for maintaining and updating this state-wide database. Emphasis will be on keeping the database current by incorporating new data from GPS and VHF radio-marked sage-grouse. Because this project works with multiple state-wide cooperators, the HAF-C will be responsible for working across various database structures.  Thus, flexibility and creativity are beneficial traits for this position as the HAF-C would be expected to maintain and further improve this database so that it can be readily available to address both management and research questions at local and state-wide scales.
2) Research - Research duties may vary based on need and the interests of the partners and the HAF-C professional development.  However, the HAF-C would actively be involved with on-going research and monitoring projects.  This may include assistance with study design, quantitative support, and/or manuscript development.  The HAF-C would also develop new and improve existing conservation tools that enable the partners to prioritize conservation actions and projects.  The HAF-C would have latitude to explore relevant research questions, both applied and basic, as along they are deemed valuable and of importance to the conservation efforts.  
3) Reporting - Within this context, science and information dissemination is critical. Previous CBCP experience has demonstrated a strong need for and desire among the partners for outreach activities that go beyond research and peer-reviewed publication (Belton et al. 2017).  The HAF-C would be expected to give both formal and informal presentations at professional conference venues as well as agency meetings and USU extension events.  This is not to discount peer-reviewed publication. The Fellow would be expected to publish in relevant journals including both applied and high-impact journal outlets.  Some current research activities currently underway that the Fellow would be involved with would include the refinement of sage-grouse seasonal habitat models including the addition of spatial and demographic information (e.g., combining Resource Selection Functions with Integrated Population Models). 
4) Technical Assistance -- Currently, we receive regular requests for data including the provision of spatial maps that can guide local land management decisions and state-wide policies.  The HAF-C would be highly responsive to these requests in a timely manner. The HAF-C would work with the partners to develop additional tools that best address conservation and management issues for sage-grouse and agency needs.
Database Access- the HAF-C will work with the partners create a data repository next-generation database to consolidate all sage-grouse tracking data collected in Utah since 1996. In July 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding was finalized between Utah State University, Brigham Young University, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources that formalizes the process of data sharing. The agreement establishes rules for use of data by partners as well as mechanisms for protecting data confidentiality on private land. Data access will be restricted to users with login credentials within partnering institutions. The content of the database will be automatically synchronized with UDWR's Wildlife Tracker, where the data will be displayed as view-only. As of July 2021, the database contains more than 800,000 sage-grouse locations for more than 2000 individuals; new data will be added annually as collection efforts continue. The final release of the database is expected by end of 2021. The HAF-C will develop and offer training webinars to all partners regarding access and use of the database

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.

The HAF-C will be augmented by research support obtained from the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordination Office (PLPCO). The PLPCO is providing support for the preparation of publications to peer-reviewed journals reporting on research completed in the state of Utah to guide conservation actions. Database Access- the HAF-C will work with the partners create a data repository next-generation database to consolidate all sage-grouse tracking data collected in Utah since 1996. In July 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding was finalized between Utah State University, Brigham Young University, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources that formalizes the process of data sharing. The agreement establishes rules for use of data by partners as well as mechanisms for protecting data confidentiality on private land. Data access will be restricted to users with login credentials within partnering institutions. The content of the database will be automatically synchronized with UDWR's Wildlife Tracker, where the data will be displayed as view-only. As of July 2021, the database contains more than 800,000 sage-grouse locations for more than 2000 individuals; new data will be added annually as collection efforts continue. The final release of the database is expected by end of 2021. The HAF-C will develop and offer training webinars to all partners regarding access and use of the database. The partners are interested in sustaining long-term access to an integrated sage-grouse conservation state-wide data base. Sustaining this database and its management at USU would ensure partners and managers access to real time data for rapid decision making without the need for official freedom of information requests.  To sustain this process, we will require additional support beyond 2022 at the level of $100,000 a year.

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.

Because half of Utah's greater sage-grouse populations inhabit private lands at some time during their life cycle (UDWR 2002, 2009, State of Utah 2013, Dahlgren et al. 2016a), successful conservation will require broad support from local communities and private landowners. In 1997, USU Extension, through the CBCP, began organizing and facilitating sage-grouse local working groups (LWGs) throughout Utah (Messmer et al. 2008, Messmer et al. 2011, Messmer et al. 2013, Messmer et al. 2016, Belton et al. 2017, Messmer et al. 2018). The CBCP has enhanced coordination and communication between community-based adaptive resource management working groups, private, and public partners.

To accomplish this, the CBCP facilitated the development and implementation of "seamless" plans for designated Utah geographic areas that have contributed to the conservation of sage-grouse and other wildlife species that inhabit Utah's sagebrush ecosystems and enhance the economic sustainability of local communities (Messmer et al. 2008, Belton et al. 2009). The CBCP process embraced a unique model that not only engaged LWG participants in conservation planning, but also identifying research questions, research funding, and conducting the research.  As such, prior to any research being published in peer-reviewed journals, the LWGs and those  most affected by conservation policies, are implementing management strategies and actions based on the research (Belton et al. 2017). Membership and participation in LWG meetings has grown steadily in Utah.  The LWG sage-grouse conservation plans, previous annual reports, and meeting minutes can be accessed at www.utahcbcp.org.  
  
There are 11 active regional LWGs in Utah. Each LWG has developed a local conservation plan that contributed to the development Utah's sage-grouse conservation strategies. The LWG plans laid the framework for the species threat analysis and conservation strategies (Messmer et al. 2008) that were incorporated into the Utah Plan (PLPCO 2018). The LWG and their plans continue provide the basis of implementation of sage-grouse conservation actions in Utah. The CBCP facilitators work closely with LWG members, state and federal, and private partners to implement the Utah Plan's goal of protecting high-quality sagebrush habitat and ameliorate the threats facing the sage-grouse while balancing the economic and social needs of the residents of Utah through a coordinated program (Messmer et al. 2008, Belton et al. 2017).

The 2013 and 2018 Utah Plans (State of Utah 2013, PLPCO 2018) endorsed and incorporated the CBCP LWG process, network, education and outreach efforts, research, and local conservation plans.  The Utah Plan (PLPCO 2018) provides additional guidance and support to continue area-specific management programs focused on maintaining, improving, and restoring local sage-grouse populations and their habitats. The LWGs operate under the umbrella of the revised Utah Plan (PLPCO 2018). The scientific foundation of the 2018 Utah Plan is based on research conducted by USU, BYU, UDWR, and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).  The HAF-C will work with the Utah CBCP to engage the LWGs in the implementation of the HAF.

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.