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Buckskin Overlook Guzzler Enlargement/Replacement
Region: Southern
ID: 5975
Project Status: Completed
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Project Details
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Need for Project
The existing guzzler has two small, tin aprons, and a total storage capacity of 4,000 gallons. This has proven time and again to be insufficient to support the amount of wintering mule deer in the area. Furthermore, two fires in 2020 burned over 12,000 acres of critical winter habitat just south of this guzzler. This has forced more deer to winter in the area of this guzzler, exacerbating the lack of water. UDWR and BLM have had to haul water to this guzzler for many years to keep up with the amount of use. Water hauling has proven inefficient, costly, and dangerous.
Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.
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Objectives
The objectives for the project are to construct a new, larger apron and store almost five times the current amount of water. This water will be provided to all wildlife at a drinker that will be kept on year-round. Cattle are excluded from this 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.
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Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?)
This is a water project. There really is no threat of a threshold being crossed. This is an effort to provide enough water to support the existing numbers of wintering deer in the area.
LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.
TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.
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Relation to Management Plans
The Paunsagunt Mule Deer Management Plan (2015) has goal to *"Balance deer herd impacts on human needs, such as private property rights, agricultural crops andlocal economies." While water development is not implicitly stated in the plan, the addition of water will help to achieve this goal by reducing the amount of deer utilizing private property such as as Jepson Pond. The Statewide Management Plan for mule deer states "Water is a fundamental need for mule deer. The spatial distribution of mule deer populations is often positively associated with the availability of water in arid regions of western North America (Hervert and Krausman 1986, Boroski and Mossman 1996). Consequently, recent work by state wildlife agencies depicts large expanses of the Intermountain West ecoregion as water-limiting to mule deer (Wasley et al. 2008). Wildlife water developments, or guzzlers, can help provide water to mule deer in arid areas."
List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.
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Fire/Fuels
Not applicable to this project.
If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.
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Water Quality/Quantity
Benefits to water quality and quantity from this project are extremely localized to the project area itself. This is not a watershed project. Local mule deer and other wildlife species would benefit from the collection and storage of available clean drinking water.
Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.
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Compliance
A class III cultural survey has been completed. While three sites were found within the vicinity of the project, none will be impacted. The affected tribes and the Utah SHPO have concurred with BLM's finding of No Adverse Effect. NEPA was completed in December 2021 for this project.
Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.
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Methods
Utilizing the BLM's backhoe, an apron site 110' by 70' will be cleared of all vegetation and sloped. On this cleared area, a reinforced polyethylene apron will be placed. The collected water will flow into a 4-6" pipe that will convey the water into a fully enclosed water storage tank. From the tank, an undergound pipeline will convey the water into a wildlife drinker, controlled by a float valve. The drinker area will be fenced with lodgepole 60' by 60'. The apron area will be fenced with barbed wire. All equipment and personnel will be provided by the BLM.
Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.
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Monitoring
Occasional camera trap monitoring will occur to document wildlife use.
Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.
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Partners
Coordination with the UDWR has occurred throughout the project planning. The UDWR and BLM biologist have coordinated water hauling efforts in the past at this location, and have looked at the project area on the ground together. The UDWR fully supports the project and has been involved in all aspects of project planning and will continue to be involved through the implementation. The Paunsaugunt Landowners Association is supportive of the project and has already committed to providing monetary support. In past years, this organization has paid for the water hauling effort to this and other locations on Buckskin mountain. By maintaining sufficient water at several locations, the need for deer and other animals to use water at private locations, usually intended for cattle is diminished.
List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.
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Future Management
The new guzzler will be maintained several times annually by BLM or volunteer staff to insure that it is functional and is carrying out its intended purpose.
Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.
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Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources
The proposal will sustain the Paunsaugunt mule deer herd and will collect and store sufficient water so that water hauling is no longer needed. Recreation such as hunting, photography and shed-antler gathering will see a benefit by the addition of dependable water.
Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.
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