Little Meadows Habitat Improvement Project
Region: Southern
ID: 5960

Project Status: Completed

Project Details

The purpose of this project is to improve wildlife habitat; including big game transition and winter range, improve vegetative understory providing forage and to minimize erosion, protect structures at risk of wildfire, reduce wildfire risk to the public and firefighters located on both public and private land and within the communities of Little Meadows, Otter Creek and Antimony. Winter range in the proposed project area has depleted resources that are required to provide nutritional needs for big game. Although pinyon and juniper is a vegetational state within the state and transition model for Mountain Sagebrush, the area is being dominated by this climax community and the area lacks desirable grass, forbs and shrubs putting the ecological health of this site at risk.

To accomplish this task, the  Color Country District, Richfield Field Office Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), Utah Forestry Fire and State Lands (UFFSLs), and Private Landowners near Little Meadows have determined there is a need to seed and mechanically thin pinyon/juniper (PJ) from ~2546 total acres of sagebrush/grass/forb areas  near the communities of Little Meadows, Otter Creek and Antimony. The PJ expansion and fading understory in this area is having negative impacts to big game wildlife species dependent upon this area and these ecosystems. On the ground surveys and site visits have allowed staff from the BLM, UFFSLs and SITLA to see the lack of understory plants in the PJ complex on the west side of the Parker Plateau. Approximately 509 acres of PJ in the project is in phase II transitioning to phase III. Some understory brush, grasses, and forbs still exists but is about to cross the threshold into phase III dominated PJ and lose the remaining understory. Forage productivity has diminished greatly over the past century and the PJ expansion continues on a yearly basis into the more productive sage/grass/forb communities. This PJ expansion largely results from reduced occurrences of natural disturbance. Approximately 2037 acres of the PJ is in phase I with portions transitioning to phase II. Most of these areas have a good understory still present but PJ encroachment continues on a yearly basis into these more productive sage/grass/forb communities. As PJ has become dominant on the landscape and the loss of understory vegetation increases, big game and small game animals are experiencing loss of foraging habitat. This expansion of more PJ with the reduction of sage/grass/forb habitat has contributed to the overall decrease in Mule deer populations and other wildlife species on the mountain. This expansion factor also contributes to the issue of big game moving closer to local agricultural crops in the valleys to find sustainable forage.  Depredation of crops by big game in the valleys have caused contention between landowners and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The UFFSLs, UDWR, SITLA and BLM anticipates the PJ areas that currently have very little understory will need to be reseeded and rested from livestock until new seeding is well established. Improving the habitat in these areas will result in multiple benefits, which include but are not limited to, improving habitat for wildlife dependent upon these various ecosystems, improving native species diversity, reducing hazardous fuel accumulations, reducing the risk for large scale, uncharacteristic wildland fires, which in turn creates a fire resilient environment with less risk to public and firefighter safety. These treatments will create a better balanced ecosystem diversity that will enhance population viability for a variety of big game, small game, neo-tropical migratory birds, upland game, raptors, small mammals, insects and key pollinator species.

The need of the project is: 
1. Promote the growth of perennial understory species, increase species diversity, increase structural diversity, rejuvenate remnant stands of sagebrush and bitterbrush, and slow encroachment of pinyon/juniper to enhance conditions for critical mule deer winter habitat and improve year around habitat for several species of wildlife including but not limited to mule deer, elk, turkey and many shrub steppe birds.

2. Reduce the risk of catastrophic wildland fire by breaking-up fuel continuity and reducing hazardous fuels in the area.  A hazardous fuels reduction treatment would remove encroaching pinyon and juniper, suppress cheatgrass invasion, and restore perennial understory diversity.

Removal of pinyon/juniper encroachment within historic sagebrush communities combined with the thinning of pinyon/juniper throughout the project area will help reduce competition for resources allowing more precipitation and other vital resources to promote understory growth.  In addition, thinning of pinyon/juniper as a hazardous fuels reduction project will decrease the threat and catastrophic effects of a wildfire throughout the area.  This will help promote long-term stability of soils leading to less erosion (wind and runoff) and protect water quality throughout the watershed.

Areas that become dominated by by pinyon and juniper out compete understory herbaceous species and leave bare soil prone to erosion.  This herbaceous vegetation is important to reducing overland flow and reducing soil loss.  Pinyon and juniper dominated sites can intercept 10-20% of precipitation (Horman et al., 1999).  By completing this project this will allow more precipitation to contact the soil and get into the water table.  Treating areas of lower densities will prevent a future situation as described above.  According to Folliott 2012, research showed that pinyon and juniper expansion into areas historically dominated by higher forbs and grasses impeded stream flow for off-site uses.  Because pinyon and juniper is very competitive for water this often reduces grasses and forbs within the area.  "The increase in bare soil, particularly in the spaces between trees, typically leads to increased runoff and soil loss as the juniper infestation increases" (Thurow, 1997).  Increased runoff and sediment load, decreases water yield and water quality within the watershed.  Studies have shown that an evaluation of alternatives using conversion treatments to enhance stream-flow in the pinyon and juniper should be made (Barr, 1956) where possible.  It could be thus assumed that by completing the pinyon and juniper removal project that more water will enter the soil profile and streams, wet meadows, and springs will continue to flow and have the potential to increase flow.

The area in and around the project site has been identified as being critically important mule deer habitat and the area has been identified in the Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan as being a "priority for restoration of crucial mule deer habitat" (Utah Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan, 2014).

The Little Meadows Habitat Improvement Project is located entirely within a UWRI focus area and is adjacent to multiple  previous UWRI funded projects. This project will help aid in there efforts along with several other adjacent WRI projects to create a larger more productive footprint.

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.

Project Objectives: 
1) Improve and/or maintain the quality of habitat on big game winter and transition habitat by thinning or removing PJ with prior seeding. Design forage to cover ratios to benefit a variety of wildlife species. 
2) Improve and expand habitat for sensitive, threatened and endangered species such as Sage Grouse by increasing acres of grass and forb communities. 
3) Improve or maintain quality of habitat for wild turkeys etc. by increasing acres of grass and forb communities. 
4) Reduce hazardous fuels while maintaining and improving fire resilient landscapes by improving the fire regime condition class to FRCC 1 and FRCC 2. 
5) Provide "Fuel Breaks" to protect the 10-20 structures and other infrastructures in the Little Meadows Subdivision in the event of a wildfire in the area.
6) Increase overall forage production, habitat quality, and species diversity by treating in a mosaic pattern of 60% treated and 40% untreated that will create biodiversity across the landscape.  
7) Enhance habitat on BLM and SITLA  lands to promote increased utilization of big game animals and lessen the impact on private agricultural lands.

*Currently this phase of the project is estimated to treat ~2,543 acres.

Our goal is to introduce a variety of grass and forbs to the site which will aid in soil stabilization.  Mechanically treated PJ areas would be aerial seeded with grasses and forbs prior to mechanical implementation. This proposal and treatment method would help maintain the existing sagebrush and grass/forb communities in the area and it would allow for additional acres of sagebrush/grass/forbs to be restored. This would also help improve age class and species diversity and it would improve habitat for wildlife species dependent upon sagebrush/grass/forbs.

A more fire resilient ecosystem would be promoted while reducing the risk for large scale, intense wildland fires to communities and watersheds located on or adjacent to Parker Mountain which include Little Meadows Subdivision, Antimony, Otter Creek State Park and surrounding areas.

This proposal and treatment method would help maintain existing sagebrush and grass/forb communities in the area while allowing for additional acres of sagebrush/grass/forbs to be restored. A well designed treatment would also help improve age class and species diversity and would improve habitat for wildlife species dependent upon sagebrush/grass/forbs communities and watersheds. Soil erosion from the site will be greatly minimized.

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.

Ecological Threats:
This project focuses on juniper removal as a means to mitigate threats to critical Mule deer summer/winter range, elk winter range.

Sagebrush habitat is at risk of being lost due to excessive in pinyon and juniper due too lack of disturbance, and high potential for invasive vegetation. High severity wildfire could lead to an increase in cheatgrass and loss of perennial native species. This project will decrease the risk of high severity wildfire by reducing fuel loading and promoting the growth of perennial understory species which are critical to maintaining ecosystem resilience.

This project will increase the availability of a diverse suite of vegetational communities.  As stated earlier the dominant vegetational state is pinyon and juniper woodland.  A healthy landscape has a diversity of vegetational states.  A diverse landscape benefits a larger community of wildlife and people.  A diverse landscape is also more resistance and resilient to disturbance.  By allowing this landscape to continue to move further into a dominant PJ woodland it increases the risk of its resistance to disturbance and its resilience to bounce back and heal after a disturbance.

Numerous projects have been implemented in the area with more planned to be implemented in the near future. The combination of all these projects are in effort to increase the pace and scale of implementation to help disperse browse pressure for both wild and domestic ungulates.

Ground surveys and site visits have allowed us to see the lack of understory plants in both the mountain sagebrush and lowland sagebrush.  Forage productivity has diminished greatly over the past century and the PJ encroachment continues on a yearly basis into the more productive sage/grass/forb communities. Some areas within the project have lost a majority of the understory sage/grasses/forbs, but other areas have not. One of the greatest threats to the area is no action. This would facilitate the continued loss of understory from those areas that have some sagebrush/grasses/forbs understory left and the immediate conversion of sagebrush to cheatgrass following wildfire.

Species Threats:
This area has been identified as priority for restoration of CRUCIAL mule deer habitat under the Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan. "Crucial" means the areas habitat is necessary to sustain the areas mule deer herd.  Allowing the area to move into phase 2 and 3 pinyon and juniper encroachment will mean less quality habitat to meet mule deer objectives. Mule deer on the Boulder Unit have seen a steady decline in population of over 2,073 animals in the last five years. Population estimate models show a decline from 8,373 deer in 2014 to 6,300 deer in 2020. When populations are modeled for the 2021 year the population will likely show another decline. 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.

Greater Sage Grouse :Although it was determined by the USFWS that listing under the ESA was not warranted for Greater sage grouse there is an impending review to see if further action or protection is needed. Continuing to do work as identified in the Statewide Sage Grouse Management Plan to conserve sage grouse will support a continued "not warranted" status. This project will increase and maintain the availability of a diverse suite of vegetational communities. A healthy landscape has a diversity of vegetational states within an ecological site. A diverse landscape benefits a larger community of wildlife species and people. A diverse landscape is also more resistance and resilient to disturbance. By allowing this landscape to continue to move further into a dominant PJ woodland it increases the risk of losing the sites ability for resistance to disturbance and its resilience to bounce back and and heal after a disturbance. In the past, Sage Grouse have been observed in the proposed treatment and surrounding area. In order to increase and continue this use, the proposal treatment is excepted to assist in establishing more Sage Grouse adapted areas.

Elk and Mule Deer: The Parker Plateau range is very important for mule deer and elk.  From higher to lower elevations elk and deer depend on the habitat with it's available forage and cover to complete their life cycle requirements.  This project will greatly improve available forage for elk and deer populations.  Treatments patterns will play an important role within the treatment implementation.  One of the primary objectives of this project is to improve habitat for elk and deer. Winter range improvements from this project will benefit elk and deer populations for decades to come.  Future monitoring and maintenance of the project will be essential to prolong the integrity of the treatment and health of big game populations. It has been said by land managers, biologist, and researchers familiar with the project area that this area is very important because Mule Deer are space limited here, meaning available habitat and water seem to be the limiting factor for population growth.  As habitat is made available by doing this project we are addressing an immediate threat to one of the primary limiting factors for this population.

Wild Turkey: Vegetation improvements from the treatments will enhance foraging opportunities for wild turkey. Increased grass and forb production will increase insect use in the newly seeded areas.

Domestic Livestock: As treated areas are allowed to establish from seeding and sufficient rest from livestock these sites will produce additional AUM's for the allotments.  Allowing livestock to enter the treatment areas before new seed establishment will greatly minimize the integrity of the treatment.  Annual operating plans will be in place to reflect the timeline for resting the treatment areas from livestock.

Social/Political Threats:
The project area also provides important recreational hunting for the local population and people travel from all over the state (and from other states) to hunt and recreate on the Parker Plateau unit for elk, and mule deer.  The highly sought after hunting opportunities within the project areas provide a financial boost to local economies in several ways.  Continuing to do work to maintain the habitat in this area will help to perpetuate the recreational and economic benefits.

Financial:
Financial thresholds need consideration when funding habitat conservation.  The type of pro-active work we are proposing reduces future cost from becoming prohibitive.

The partnership dollars currently available also need to be taken into consideration as an ecological and/or other threat.  With multiple partners actively funding, planning, and implementing conservation practices in the area costs are being shared.  If not done now, future costs may make implementing conservation practices at this scale prohibitive.

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.

The pinyon-juniper and big sagebrush areas lie within the sagebrush steppe type which is one of the key habitats identified in the Wildlife Action Plan (WAP).

The proposed projects will address some of the habitat management strategies outlined in the deer and elk management plans for herd unit 25C (Plateau Boulder Unit ) including: Continue to improve and restore sagebrush steppe habitats critical to deer according to DWRs Habitat Initiative. Maintain habitat quantity and quality at a level adequate to support the stated population objectives while at the same time not resulting in an overall downward trend in range condition and watershed quality. Work cooperatively with land management agencies and private landowners to plan and implement improvement projects for the purpose of enhancing wildlife habitat and range resources in general.
*The project also helps fulfill the state mule deer management plan section IV Habitat Goal: Conserve and improve mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges.
*The proposed projects will address the following goals and objectives of the Division of Wildlife Resources most recent strategic management plan: Resource Goal: expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat.
Objective 1: protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state.
Objective 3: conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered.
*Constituency Goal: Achieve broad-based support for Division programs and budgets by demonstrating the value of wildlife to all citizens of Utah.
Objective 2: improve communication with wildlife organizations, public officials, private landowners, and government agencies to obtain support for Division programs.
*UDWR SR critical big game winter range are important browse communities that need to be enhanced and improved.  The Division will employ a variety of methods to achieve this including prescribed grazing, prescribed burning, reseeding and seedling transplants, also mechanical treatments.  Priority areas will include sagebrush-steppe and mountain browse communities. Falls within the rangeland focus area for WRI wildlife species for mule deer and elk. 
*NRCS has also identified that the removal of pinyon-juniper trees is critical as it pertains to Greater Sage Grouse and the SGI Initiative working on Private, State and Federal Lands to reduce avian predation and elevated structures. 
*Utah has finalized it's Sage Grouse Management plan and enclosed are related goals and objectives from that plan that are associated with SGMA's (Parker Mountain-Emery):
#1) Protection of habitat that provides year round use.
#2) Ensure recruitment of a continuing population.
#3) Enhance or Improve sage grouse habitat
#4) Protect 10,000 acres on SITLA through habitat restoration practices.
#5) Enhance 25,000 acres annually with a SGMA.
#6) Increase 50,000 acres annually through management actions (prescribed grazing, invasive weed control, pj removal)
#7) Removal of encroaching PJ along with improved water development in wet meadows ponds and spring sites.

RICHFIELD FIELD OFFICE RMP (2008):
- pg 78 Vegetation Objectives - A. Manage for a mix of vegetative types, structural stages, and provide for native plant, fish, and wildlife habitats.  B. Sustain or reestablish the integrity of the sagebrush biome to provide the amount, continuity, and quality of habitat that is necessary to maintain sustainable populations of Greater sage-grouse and other sagebrush-dependent wildlife species.
- Management actions - VEG-1. Treat areas determined to need reseeding with a variety of plant species that are desirable for wildlife habitat, livestock, watershed management, and other resource values while maintaining vegetation species diversity.  VEG-3.  Maintain existing vegetative treatments to provide suitable habitats for wildlife and adequate forage for livestock.  VEG-4.  Implement additional vegetation treatments to achieve Standards for Rangeland Health and desired vegetation condition.  Vegetation treatments could be conducted up to 1,472,000 acres over the life of the plan.  These acreage figures include all vegetation and fire fuels treatments.
-Special Status Species Goals and Objectives - A. Manage, minimize, and mitigate impacts to plant, fish, and animal species and habitats so the need to list any of these species as threatened or endangered does not become necessary.
- Mgmt Actions -SSS-1. For listed species that do not have designated critical habitat, cooperate with the USFWS and other agencies, such as the UDWR, in managing the species and their habitat. SSS-6. Maintain the integrity of SSS habitat to provide the quantity, continuity, and quality of habitat necessary to maintain SSS populations.
- pg 92 Fish and Wildlife goals and objectives - A. Maintain, restore, protect, and enhance habitats to support healthy populations of diverse fish and wildlife species, recognizing crucial habitats as management priorities.  B. Manage habitat to prevent additional listings of species under the federal ESA, or the State of Utah's Species of Concern List.

MANAGEMENT ACTIONS: a. Treat areas determined to need reseeding with a variety of plant species that are desirable for wildlife habitat, livestock, watershed management, and other resource values while maintaining vegetation species diversity.
b. implement additional treatments to achieve Standards for Rangeland Health and desired vegetation condition. Vegetation treatments could be conducted on up to 1,472,000 acres over the life of the plan. These acreage figures include all vegetation and fire fuels treatments.

Central Utah FMP:
- Greater use of vegetation management to meet resource management objectives.
- Hazardous fuels treatments will be used to restore ecosystems; protect human, natural and cultural resources; and reduce the threat of wildfire to communities.
- Sagebrush/steppe communities will be a high priority for ESR and fuel reduction to avoid catastrophic fires in these areas.
Utah Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy:
- This places the shrubsteppe into a "key" habitat type
- Shrubsteppe habitat should be a target for restoration and conservation.
- Recommends where decadent pinyon juniper has increased into shrubsteppe due to lack of disturbance to disturb the decadent vegetation.

Deer Herd Unit Management Plan, Deer Herd Unit #25 
(Plateau, Fishlake #25A Plateau, Thousand Lakes #25B Plateau, Boulder #25C/Kaiparowits #26)-
- LIMITING FACTORS: The major concern throughout the unit is encroaching pinyon pine and juniper forest.
- HABITAT MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES: Encourage vegetation manipulation projects and seeding to increase the availability, abundance and nutritional content of browse, grass, and forb species.
- PERMANENT RANGE TREND SUMMARIES: Thick stands dominate much of the critical winter range limiting the winter carrying capacity for big game. There is a great potential to provide more forage for big game by treating the thick stands of PJ.

ELK HERD UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN (#25C/26 -Plateau, Boulder/Kaiparowits).
- Unit Management Goals: Conduct habitat projects to curb the invasion of PJ on winter range areas. Return these areas to productive plant communities - Unit Management Objectives: Habitat -a. Develop cooperative programs... with emphasis on high use areas, especially where we can entice animals away from agricultural depredation problem areas.
b. Encourage vegetation manipulation projects and seeding to increase the availability, abundance and nutritional content of browse, grass, and forb species.
c. Discourage the encroachment of PJ into sagebrush... Seek opportunities to improve habitat through...mechanical treatments to improve habitat where p/j encroachment is occurring.
- ACTIONS TO REMOVE HABITAT BARRIERS: Maintain and/or enhance forage production through habitat improvement projects throughout the unit on winter range to achieve population management objectives.
Work with private and federal agencies to maintain and protect crucial and existing

SITLA Management Plans:
Correspond with the  Utah Code Title  53C Chapter Five Section 101, 102 and 103 in accordance with Management of Rangeland Resources

Utah Adminstrative Code R850-50-1100 Range Improvement Projects within the SITLA Property.

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 majority of the area is at moderate to extreme on the fire risk index. Due too inappropriate fire frequency and intensity, Pinyon and juniper trees have expanded and moved into areas once dominated by shrubs, forbs, and grasses. Without this project, fuel conditions are such that a wildfire may be difficult to contain, leading to an increased risk to firefighter and public safety, suppression effectiveness and natural resource degradation. Fire Regime Condition Class within the project areas is predominately FRCC 3 which is where fire regimes have been extensiviely altered and risk of losing key ecosystem components from fire is high. Treatments identified within this proposal, including seeding with more fire resistant vegetation, would help reduce hazardous fuel loads, create fuel breaks, and reduce the overall threat of a catastrophic wildfire which could impact the community's of Little Meadows and Antimony and outlying residential properties and infrastructure. Treatments in and around the sagebrush areas would break up continuous fuels and reduce the risk of wildfire entering these sensitive areas. Removing pinyon and juniper in a mosaic pattern would also break up continuous fuels and reduce the risk of a high intensity wildfire. Because there is a geater risk of conversion of shrublands to annual grasslands under a high intensity fire, managed, pro-active treatments proposed would reduce the likelihood of cheatgrass invasion and help perennial grasses and forbs persist long-term to create a more resilient landscape.

The National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy currently guides fire and fuels management for Utah BLM. The strategy encourages collaboration among all stakeholders and across all landscapes, using best science, to make meaningful progress towards the three goals of: 1) resilient landscapes; 2) Fire adapted communities; and 3) Safe and effective wildfire response. This project will address all three of these goals.

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.

The project area current conditions are a diminished understory of grass and forbs. Proposed aerial seeding will be an important factor to establish future soil stability, stimulate understory growth and reduce the risk of erosion and sedimentation, another positive for long term water quality. Project treatment may result in short term (1 year) impacts to water quality, but project design features will prevent long-term degradation. Both the potential increase in herbaceous vegetation and the masticated or chained tree material should help stabilize the soils by reducing erosion, enhancing water quality throughout the watershed.

By removing PJ it is anticipated that water quantity will be enhanced (seeps, springs, bogs--improved) in the short and long term. Some research indicates that PJ removal in mountain sagebrush can increase soil water availability (Roundy et al. 2014). PJ removal activities should have a net positive effect on increasing water yield/availability as fewer conifer trees use water. Risk of fire will be reduced within multiple watersheds.

Since the area suffers from a diminished understory of grass and forbs, the planned aerial seeding will be an important factor to establish future soil stability and reduce the risk of erosion. Project treatments may result in short to moderate term impacts to water quality, but project design features will prevent long-term degradation. Treatments will considerably lessen the risk of catastrophic large scale high severity fires that could result in long-term watershed degradation. By maintaining watershed function, long-term water quality will be maintained or enhanced.

Both the potential increase in herbaceous vegetation and the masticated or chained tree material should help stabilize the soils by reducing erosion and protect the water quality throughout the watersheds. By removing PJ this should allow for more precipitation to contact the soil and increase biomass on the ground. In areas where hand thinning will be used there should be adequate vegetation to avoid soil erosion but this should increase the amount of water into the system instead of evaporating before it reaches the ground. Wet meadows and upland plants benefit by utilizing the increase soil moisture, providing for better resiliency during drought years. This provides for an increase in water quantity for herbaceous plants on sites where PJ is removed. Treatments on this project will be occurring in sagebrush and mountain mixed brush ecological communities. Restoring uplands within all of these ecological communities will reduce impacts from future wildfires along with reducing risks of future impairment to the watersheds.

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.

In this phase of the project, planned treatment methods will include;

BLM 
1) aerial seeding followed by a mastication contract for approx. 509 acres. (Fall 2022) 
2) hand thinning/lop and scatter contract for approx.1,127 acres of encroaching Pinyon and Juniper. (Fall 2022)

SITLA 
1) hand thinning/lop and scatter contract for approx. 910 acres of encroaching Pinyon and Juniper (Fall 2022)

Archeology surveys will either be contracted out and done in house this spring using a fuels archeologist.

Slopes over 40% and/or areas classified as phase I PJ expansion will be hand thinned utilizing chainsaws, and/or lopped/scattered . Slopes under 40% or classified phase II or III PJ expansion will be thinned utilizing mastication and chaining methods by machine. A mosaic treatment pattern combined with travel corridors will be designed into the project to allow some hiding, thermal and migration cover for big game. Curl-leaf mahogany and other key brush species will be designed away from fire opportunities to maintain browse integrity and avoid cheat grass invasion. The UDWR, SITLA, UFFSLs and BLM will seed with a mix of brush, grass and forbs. Areas needing to be seeded would be temporarily rested from domestic ungulate use where needed, for 2-3 growing seasons, to allow new vegetation sufficient time to establish. Instructions regarding temporary rest would be incorporated into the Annual Operating Instructions (AOIs) for the livestock permit holders. We realize it is imperative that seedling establishment is achieved before livestock are allowed to utilize newly treated areas.

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.

BLM:
This majority project area lies within one BLM grazing allotment (East Bench) with some small portions in the BLM's Dry Wash allotment .  All areas that are seeded will be rested for a minimum of two complete growing seasons or until the seedlings become established and set seed.  Once seeding establishment has been confirmed, BLM may authorize grazing according the Utah's Fundamentals of Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Grazing Management (2007).  Vegetation will continue to be monitored for utilization, cover and trend.  Following the rest period, the current management plan will govern. If needed, grazing adjustments would be made in Grazing Allotment Plans and through the grazing permit renewal process.  Future maintenance of projects to protect investments made by UWRI, BLM, SITLA, have been addressed and allowed through the project planning document (NEPA).  Adaptive management has been allowed for in the NEPA documents.  Many tools have been analyzed in the NEPA planning process to allow other methods in the future.

Permittee: 
Currently the Range Management Specialist is working with the permittees to sign an agreement that East Bench and Dry Wash  Allotments will be rested for a minimum of two complete growing seasons.

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 treatment will provide a variety of resource benefits, including a grazing management benefit. The acres of the allotments within the project area are in mid to late seral stages with a static to downward trend due to even-aged, decadent sagebrush and encroachment and infilling by pinyon and juniper. Pinyon and juniper is out competing the shrub and herbaceous components thus reducing available forage for livestock and wildlife. The SITLA, and BLM administered lands are all part of domestic livestock grazing rotations.  This project will have a big benefit to permittee's. Working across landownerships will have a greater ecological and economic impact for livestock producers.

Rangeland conditions are expected to improve following implementation of the proposed vegetation project. The health, vigor, recruitment and production of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs would improve which would provide a more palatable and nutritional source of forage for both livestock and wildlife. This will aid in improved rangeland conditions throughout the allotment. Implementation of this project would eventually improve overall livestock performance (e.g. increased cow weights, increased calf crops, increased weaning weights, etc) and improve the economic stability of the permittees due to an increase in the quantity and quality of grasses and other herbaceous forage which are important to livestock grazing.

The project area is used for big game and upland game species. This area is critical for general season mule deer, limited entry elk. The area is popular for dispersed camping, sightseeing, driving for pleasure, wildlife viewing and an overall heavy recreational use. Creating a more fire resistant and resilient landscape will add to an overall positive experience.

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.