Upper Price River Watershed
Region: Southeastern
ID: 6043

Project Status: Current

Project Details

The Upper Price River Watershed provides numerous benefits to residents and visitors of the area, including water supply, recreational opportunities, aesthetic beauty, and habitat for all wildlife including those with greatest conservation need and those valued for sport. All culinary, industrial, and agricultural water for Carbon County communities come from Upper Watershed. Some of these sources are impaired or at-risk due to water quality or inputs as a result of fire. In addition to protecting and maintaining streams and creeks as a water source, it is critical to maintain wet meadows that provide unique benefits ecologically compared to surrounding areas including wildlife habitat, stabilization of highly erosive environments, and act as infiltration systems. Specific threats impacting this watershed addressed by this projects are as follows:

Mud Creek, Winter Quarters Creek, and Fish Creek/Other Tributaries
Scofield Reservoir are listed as impaired by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for a 3A, cold water fishery and the parameters of concern are total phosphorous concentrations and low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations; this condition also leads to algal blooms which may be related to seasonal fish kills. Scofield Reservoir has an accepted total maximum daily load (TMDL) and is considered a high priority in Utah's 2016 303(d) list. The State Department of Health completed a Phase I Clean Lakes study for Scofield Reservoir in 1982. In this report (Denton et al., 1983) it was determined that Fish Creek and Mud Creek accounted for most of the nutrient input to Scofield Reservoir, 52% and 29%, respectively. The Utah DEQ/Division of Water Quality (DWQ) has approved the TMDL for one pollutant (total phosphorous-TP) because low DO is scientifically linked to high total phosphorous levels. Any reductions in phosphorous loadings will likely improve the DO content in the reservoir. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has documented fish kills for several years in the last decade which has corresponded to blue-green algae blooms which are a result of excess nutrients such as phosphorous. 
Streambank restoration and grazing practice modification have been identified as the primary ways to reduce TP input into Scofield Reservoir.  This phase will focus on stabilizing banks and adjusting grazing practices along 1 mile of Mud Creek, 1/2 mile of Winter Quarters Creek, and developing a project plan for the next phase at Fish Creek and other tributaries.
Scofield Dam Modifications and Lower Fish Creek Instream Flows
In 2018, Carbon Canal Company approached Trout Unlimited with the opportunity to lease water right 91-766 for instream flow in Lower Fish Creek throughout the winter.  Low winter flows have been identified by biologists as a limiting factor for sustaining it as a Blue-Ribbon Trout Fishery.  Currently, the Carbon Water Conservancy District and Price River Water Users Association close the gates at Scofield Dam after irrigation season and cut flows to near zero during the winter months.  With the addition of a low flow gate modification to the dam water will be able to be delivered without causing cavitation damage to the existing infrastructure.  Fish affected by low winter flows include Bear Lake cutthroat trout, Colorado River cutthroat trout, brown trout, and bluehead sucker.

Emma Park:
The goal of the proposed treatment locations is to maintain the understory vegetation; forbs, grasses and sagebrush by removing encroaching PJ. There is also a need to create and enhance wet meadow type habitat as these areas have historically been eroding. Brood rearing habitat is considered a limiting factor for sage grouse due to a loss of wet meadow habitat. The Nine-Mile mule deer herd is currently below population objective. Increased vegetation in these areas will allow for better body condition.

Lower Fish Creek Fuels Reduction: 
This portion of the project addresses significant douglas fir encroachment into sage areas with documented sage grouse populations. Downstream, wildfire impacts have been a large concern to the Carbon County Council since the Seeley fire and all of its associated post fire impacts and now the 2021 Bear Fire. A fairly long response time to any wildfire in this project area coupled with critical infrastructure (Helper City spring development, rail line, and downstream highway) has made this area a priority for wildfire mitigation work. In the case of a catastrophic wildfire, downstream impacts on the Price River and adjacent downstream infrastructure could be significant. Post-fire effects from the Seeley fire were devastating to in stream fish habitat, and potential negative effects to fish habitat would be significant in this area due to Lower Fish Creek's designation as a Blue Ribbon fishery.

Most north-facing timber stands are in Fire Regime Condition Class 3 with significant Douglas-fir beetle mortality from recent years and significant deadfall in the units. Given the steepness of some of these forest stands (some stands average 54%) there likely could be significant mass erosion in the case of wildfire, impacting mid slope spring developments, bottom slope spring developments, and permanently damaging existing forest ecosystems and habitat. Some shaded fuel breaks have been implemented via a Catfire grant over the last four years but more work is needed to connect and complete fuel breaks at Lower Fish Creek. Priority in this project has been given to protecting Helper City's spring development along the river and then to parallel fuel breaks on ridge tops to allow firefighters to make a stand should there be a fire.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek Restoration
1.	Repair bank erosion on Mud Creek and Winter Quarters Creek within the property boundaries of the Jensen family and Carbon Water Conservancy District using a combination of rerouting the creek, process-based methods, and Rosgen style structures.
2.	Plant appropriate riparian and mesic vegetation throughout the restoration area to ensure future banks stability and provide good cover for species using the stream. 
3.	Implement a grazing rotation that reduces erosive potential of the streams and the potential for effluent increasing phosphorus loads draining to Scofield Reservoir.
4.	Spray weeds throughout the restoration area.
Watershed Planning
1.	Develop a plan with restoration alternatives that reduce Total Phosphorus input to Scofield Reservoir to plan for future phases and ensure the success of leveraging future non-point source and EPA 319 funding.
Scofield Dam Modifications
1.	Install low flow gate in the air shaft of Scofield Dam
2.	Develop a rating curve for flows as they are released in relation to reservoir elevation.
3.	Continue to deliver winter instream flows in Lower Fish Creek to restore the potential of Blue Ribbon fishery.

Emma Park 
1.    Maintain understory vegetation and sagebrush.
2.    Reduce and minimize the increase in hazardous fuels to diminish the potential for a larger catastrophic fire event.
3.    Create and enhance wet meadow areas to benefit wildlife species such as sage grouse, mule deer, etc.

Lower Fish Creek Fuels Reduction: 
1) Conserve & protect the Price River watershed by maintaining a functioning network of resilient forests; return forest structure to a balanced, healthy and historic level. 
2) Reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and its post fire impacts on the watershed. 
3) Improve and maintain existing sage grouse habitat. 
4) Maintain functional conifer habitats with intact understory.
5) Maintain hunting and angling opportunities for DWR constituents. By maintaining and improving habitats for diverse game and fish species.
6) Reduce fuels in piles to reduce fire risk to support the retention of spruce, ponderosa, and older age classes of Douglas-fir.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek Currently excessive phosphorus is making it into Scofield Reservoir resulting in toxic algae blooms and low dissolved oxygen. This project corrects some of the phosphorus input to Scofield Reservoir. Fish species affected by the bank erosion and phosphorus input include Bear Lake cutthroat trout, Colorado River cutthroat trout, brown trout, and bluehead sucker. 
Scofield Dam Modifications 
Current practice is to close the gates of Scofield Dam during the winter months to store water in the reservoir, leaving little to no flow for much of Lower Fish Creek. This results in the need to stock the creek with fish every year to provide a fishery and has caused the downgrade of the creek from Blue -Ribbon status. The low amounts of water needed to sustain the creek can not be released through the gates without causing cavitation damage. This modification will allow low flows to be released while maintaining the integrity of the dam infrastructure.
 
Emma Park: If the PJ continues to increase in cover and density, there is a substantial risk in diminishing the understory vegetation and browse which will ultimately affect sage-grouse, mule deer and elk that use the area as breeding and wintering habitat. Increase in tall-structure from encroaching trees will reduce sage-grouse use of nearby sagebrush. When PJ reaches 40-50% cover, a threshold is crossed where understory grasses and forbs may not rebound (Chambers 2008). As the PJ cover increases, encroachment prevention turns into restoration which can lead to a substantial increase in cost to maintain the project area. It has been shown that when PJ cover increases overtime from phase I to phase III, forage AUMS can decrease by 60% which negatively affects both livestock and wildlife (McLain 2012, University of Idaho). Also, the potential for a more extreme fire will intensify as the density and cover of the PJ expansion increases, endangering the sagebrush steppe habitat that sage-grouse, mule deer, elk and other sagebrush species rely on for survival. Financial Threats: The site hasn't crossed a financial threshold where cost becomes a prohibitive factor. If we don't do the project now when pinyon and juniper is low density, the area may become phase 3 at some point in the future and cost will substantially increase. The wet meadow treatments are also a low cost conservation practice. Continued degradation and erosion of the habitat will increase future costs of restoration.

Lower Fish Creek Fuels Reduction: 
Currently, wildfire is the greatest threat to these overgrown north-facing timber stands. There has previously been significant Douglas-fir mortality due to the Douglas-fir beetle and there are many jackstrawed areas within these stands. There is significant possibility for erosion within these stands. Average slope within the thinning units on the downstream end is 24 percent, while on the far upstream end it reaches an average of 54 percent slope with great variability within units. Anecdotally, in some of the steeper drainages on the downstream end slumping of sections of soil are visible. If the area experienced a catastrophic fire over a significant portion of Lower Fish Creek, we would expect to see mass erosion due to the slope steepness alone in this area. If we saw mass erosion similar to what we saw on the Seeley Fire of 2012, it could compromise Blue Ribbon-designated fish habitat within the Price River that would be difficult to recover.

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)TMDL -- Scofield Reservoir has an approved TMDL for total phosphorus (DEQ, 2015). The document describing the TMDL lists the primary TP contributors as inappropriate grazing in riparian areas and bank erosion. Currently TP input is estimated at 6723 kg/yr with the primary areas of input coming from Fish Creek and Mud Creek. Fish Creek has been determined to be a low feasibility area for restoration and changes to agricultural practices due extremely steep and unstable streambanks (DEQ, 2015) but contributes the largest portion of TP at 3508 kg/yr. 
303d list -- The Price River including Scofield Reservoir appear on the DEQ 303(d) list (DEQ, 2016) 
Watershed plan -- A watershed plan was finalized in 2015 that includes an abbreviated plan for improving water quality in the Price River watershed by continuing restoration activities along Mud Creek. It lists a total budget of $640,280 to complete restoration objectives (Appendix A). 
CRMP -- In 2017, updates were made to the above listed watershed plan to add more projects in the watershed. The Mud Creek project was still listed under projects in the management plan. The updated plan was renamed the Price River Coordinated Resource Management Plan.

2) USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Strategic Plan
     *Project addresses habitat threats for a priority species (sage grouse an UPD) within a PFW priority area (Plateau Focus Area) for restoration work.
3) Utah Greater Sage Grouse Conservation Plan
     *Protect 10,000 acres of habitat on private and School and Institutional Trust Lands 
Administration (SITLA) lands
     *Increase habitat by 50,000 acres per year, and improve an average of 25,000 acres of habitat each year.

4) Lower Fish Creek Forest Stewardship management plan identifies reducing the potential for insect outbreaks and catastrophic fire while maintaining wildlife habitats through hand cut and pile methods including post-treatment pile burning.
5) Utah Partners in Flight Avian Conservation Strategy Version 2.0
     *Create, enhance and protect small ephemeral "wet areas" within nesting and brood-rearing habitats for sage grouse.
     *Manage large blocks of land for contiguous Shrub steppe habitat and avoid activities that cause fragmentation.

6) Carbon County Resource Management Plan: This plan establishes a vision, influences growth, justifies ordinances, protects private property rights, and anticipates capital improvements. The RMP identified local knowledge and developed management objectives and policies related to natural resources. The RMP is based on the needs and preferences of the county, its residents, and property owners. It is the county's foundational document for management of public lands and the basis for communicating and coordinating with land management agencies on land and resource management issues. This updated county plan will provide clear objectives, goals, and policies that can be applied across agency boundaries, and will be more effective in protecting the customs, culture, and traditional uses of county residents while providing for the conservation and use of the county's resources.

This project initially developed out of a desire by Carbon County to address fire concerns in culinary watersheds following the Seeley Fire. This project is designed to reduce the threat of catastrophic fire through fuels reduction, but also creating space for fire managers to access critical fire fighting locations if needed. This project contributes to the following areas of the county plan:

6a) Land Use: 1) The county supports land use practices which promote proper
ground cover to prevent erosion. The county will promote practices which will decrease the growth of noxious weeds and other undesirable plants. 2)Encourage coordination between federal agencies and local governments, public land managers, and private landowners. Support responsible development and the long-term health of the land.

6b) Forest Management: 3) We support the Utah Watershed Initiative under the direction of the Utah Department of Natural Resources and the Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003. We encourage the creation of healthy forests and actively promote the use of silvicultural tools to prevent the loss of forests due to insect and a disease activity. 4) Manage forests for continuous yields of wood products, wildlife, fisheries, and water while protecting soil resources. 8) Support the management of beetle-killed timber to protect local water resources, reduce fire hazards, and protect soil and vegetation. 9) Promote forest health and sustainability on private forest land by providing education and cost sharing with private forestland owners. 10) Support the management of non-commercial aspen stands in mixed age groups to provide a source of forage. 14) Support the use of mechanical, chemical, prescribed fire, or wildland fire use to alter or perpetuate timber stands and increase herbaceous yield or cover as appropriate in areas where harvest methods are impractical or demand does not exist. 16) Support agencies in identifying, maintaining, and restoring forests with late successional characteristics to a pre-fire suppression condition. Support the removal conifers as determined appropriate, and manage land to promote the establishment of aspen cover and attendant grass, brush and forbs.

6c) Fire Management: 1) Fuel reduction techniques such as conifer reduction, grazing, prescribed fire, and chemical, biological, and mechanical treatments may be acceptable, given site-specific variables. 3) Support watershed management, including use of prescribed fire to avoid catastrophic fire, encourage aspen regeneration, remove dead standing trees, manage bark beetle impacts, and increase vegetation and diversity in plant communities. Work with the private landowner(s), federal, or state agency, in cooperation with Utah Forestry Fire & State Lands to remove fuel load buildup by prescriptive grazing, silviculture prescriptions or mechanical means.

6d) Wildlife: A. Forest and range health are managed to provide more forage for both livestock and wildlife. 1. Promote hunting and wildlife photography in the area. 5. Support and cooperate with the UDWR for projects related to wildlife management decisions. 9. Continue efforts to improve and increase forage through habitat manipulation. 13. Support agencies in maintaining or improving habitat carrying capacity for elk or deer. 17. Support responsible wildlife management; ensure that wildlife interests are given due consideration in all public land use and resource development decisions. Encourage partnerships among county residents, the county administrators, and federal and state agencies to practice watershed and rangeland management principles. The County values game hunting as part of the custom and culture of the county. Healthy wildlife populations support local ecology.  Thriving wildlife populations provide wildlife viewing and hunting experiences for residents and visitors to the county.  Hunting continues to be part of the economy and traditions of the area

6e) T&E Species.  4. Support efforts to help ensure that the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) remains under the management of UDWR and does not become listed as threatened or endangered.

6f) Water Quality and Hydrology: 18. Where water resources on public lands have diminished because grasses have succeeded to woody vegetation, a vigorous program of mechanical treatment should be applied to promptly remove the woody vegetation and stimulate the return of grasses. These efforts would be intended to provide a watershed that maximizes water yield and water quality for livestock, wildlife, and human uses. 19. Manage watersheds to maintain or improve soil quality and long-term productivity. 23. The county encourages actions by individuals, groups, and local governments that are aimed at improving water quality and supporting the hydrology of the county.

7) Utah Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) (2015-2025):  The WAP identifies sensitive species and their habitats and pinpoint their threats, limiting factors, and crucial data gaps. This plan provides strong, clear guidance for improving habitats and strengthening wildlife populations.  It is a strategic tool that can reduce and prevent listings under the endangered species act. Utilizing mechanical hand treatments in conifer and aspen stands will contribute to stand health and also improve forage and habitat for wildlife. Creating fuel breaks will also protect important sagebrush habitats from fire. This projec will also address threats to Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCNs) by improving habitats and reducing threats.

Greater Sage-Grouse occur in the sagebrush habitats on the upper elevations of the Lower Fish Creek WMA. This project addresses the following WAP listed threats to the species; problematic native species (removing encroaching conifer), and fire and fire suppression (creating fuels breaks to reduce risk of fire into sagebrush habitats). Encroaching conifer reduce overall quality and and use of sagebrush habitats by sage-grouse.

Lewis's Woodpecker use aspen patches surrounded by shrubs and riparian bottoms as a secondary breeding habitat, with primary habitat being ponderosa.  Limited ponderosa are being protected through the project area by removing other encroaching conifer.  Aspen regeneration is being promoted through the project. This project addresses the fire/and fire suppression threat identified in the WAP.

Golden eagles have been documented nesting in the cliffs on the north side of Lower Fish Creek. One of the threats identified in the WAP to golden eagles in inappropriate fire/fire frequency. This project brings fire-like disturbance back to the project area. This can positively influence prey species of golden eagle. Some small brush piles from thinning are retained to provide small mammal habitat.

Aspen-Conifer is a key habitat in the WAP. Aspen has declined greatly for two main reasons: (1) departure from natural fire regime (reduction in disturbance), resulting in widespread forest succession to conifer dominance; and (2) heavy ungulate browsing on young aspen stems, following disturbance. This project will cause disturbance which encourages rejuvenation of aspen stands, and will protect browsing in treated areas using brush fences. This project addresses the threat of inappropriate fire frequency and intensity. Strategy: Applying mechanical disturbance agents such as timber harvest. This can also be used to stimulate aspen regeneration and avoid or reduce resource losses to conifer beetles. As with fire, larger mechanical treatment areas serve to distribute browsing pressure and reduce damage to individual stems, increasing regeneration success.

Mountain Sagebrush is another key habitat in the WAP. 1) Surpluses of older and Uncharacteristic classes, the latter reflecting abundance of invasive nonnative annual grasses and encroachment by conifers. This project addresses the following threats: inappropriate fire frequency and intensity (creating fuel breaks to reduce risk of fire through sagebrush stands).

8)The State of Utah Resource Management Plan supports WRI and encourage projects to reduce wildfire acreage and suppression costs, reduce soil loss from erosion, improve water quality and yield, improve wildlife populations, increased forage, reduce risk of additional federal listing of species under the Endangered Species Act, and resistance to invasive plant species.

9)Utah Deer Herd Management Plan for Unit #11 Nine Mile October 2020 habitat objectives include: Protect, maintain, and/or improve deer habitat through direct range improvements to support and maintain herd population management objectives. It also lists work with federal, private, and state partners to improve crucial deer habitats through the Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) process. Both of these objectives will be completed with this project.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek Restoration riparian areas need to be enhanced to create suitable fire breaks for any future fires in the area. Completion of this project would act as a fire break near the town of Scofield.

Emma Park:
Juniper and pinyon trees have steadily encroached over the last decade into sagebrush habitat. As these trees increase in size and numbers, habitat values for wildlife and grazing are lost as available forage declines. The project area according the the Utah Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal is located in an area with moderate to high threat and high to extreme for fire intensity. Pinyon and juniper trees have expanded and moved into areas once dominated by shrubs, forbs, and grasses. Treatments identified within this proposal, will help reduce hazardous fuel loads, create fuel breaks, and reduce the overall threat of a destructive wildfire which could impact outlying properties and oil & gas infrastructure.

Lower Fish Creek Fuels Reduction:
This project began in 2016 as an identified high priority area for wildfire mitigation work from the Carbon County Commission, Desert Edge Fuels Committee, and Statewide Catfire group after the 2012 Seeley Fire burned over nearby Huntington Canyon and caused significant post fire effects to the watershed. The major concerns being addressed were: impacts to Helper City's spring development and culinary water supply, impacts to rail and highway routes, and post fire mass erosion effects on the Price River and surrounding communities. From 2016 to 2021 a number of shaded fuel breaks were implemented (including under WRI#5639) and while these offer access and defensible fuel breaks in the case of catastrophic fire, more work needs to be done to prevent future catastrophic fires below  Scofield Reservoir.

A portion of this project consists of burning piles from previous fuels reduction treatments in aspen/conifer forested areas under WRI#4840.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek Restoration
This part of the Upper Price River Watershed Project is designed to reduce bank erosion as per TMDL and Utah Impaired Waters list documents.  It has the potential to reduce Total Phosphorus input to Scofield Reservoir by over 500 kg/yr.
Scofield Dam modifications
This small construction project will enable the delivery of the full 3.5 cfs of water right 91-766 in to Lower Fish Creek from October 1 through March 31 every year.  That flow is a total contribution to the Price River watershed from Scofield Dam downstream of 1,260 AF that otherwise wouldn't flow through during the winter months.

Lower Fish Creek Fuels Reduction: 
A large portion of this project is centered around protecting Helper City's water infrastructure that is present on site. Fuels reduction work above and around the spring development will directly reduce the likelihood of culinary water impacts post fire. In addition much of the downstream water is used for irrigation. By reducing post fire impacts we will be preventing sedimentation of these irrigation systems.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek Restoration
The appropriate 404 permit through the US Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Utah Stream alteration permit will be obtained prior to construction.  Both permits entail doing biological and archeological surveys.
Scofield Dam modifications
The necessary permitting has already been completed through the US Bureau of Reclamation to make modifications to the dam.  Design is complete and reviewed and construction is shovel ready.
Any NEPA and archeological survey requirements will be completed by project partners as needed per requirements for federal funding and federal land management oversight before implementation.

Emma Park:
BLM NEPA will be completed prior to project implementation of the pinyon juniper removal. No additional clearances will be required on the private property. any necessary archeological clearances will be completed for wet meadow creation/enhancement.

For the Lower Fish Creek fuels reduction portion, smoke related compliance will be adhered to for burning. Otherwise no other regulatory compliance will need to be completed prior to implementation.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek
A combination of traditional restoration structures built with heavy machinery (log rollers, step pools, cross vanes) as well as process-based structures (BDA's) will be used to stabilize the stream channel, preventing further down cutting. Rock and log structures structures will likely be needed to stabilize the the larger bank cuts.  Willow waddles, addition of topsoil, and coir fabric will be used around rock structures to ensure vegetation establishment and long term stability.  
Within the moderate slope sections, gravel and other finer substrate is still present in the bed material. Within these sections log structures, including log rollers and log step pools maybe installed. The log roller structure was designed to emulate natural features of stable streams with high slopes and low sinuosity typically found in low order streams that drain steep hillsides.  In the American west, these stream types are often adjacent to conifer forests such as lodgepole and limber pine that grows in Utah from 7,000 to 10,000 feet, or douglas fir forests found in Utah at elevations ranging from 6,000 to 9,000 feet.  When these trees die and fall or wash into the channel they significantly contribute to the hydraulics and function of the stream. The in channel trees redirect flow, creating sinuosity or scouring pools, over time, the trees can become embedded in the channel with gravel and sand, and acting like a dam they back up water and stabilize the bed elevation.  Using the natural process as a guide, machinery is used to precisely arrange and bury logs in the channel to maximize benefits to the stream. These structures provide grade control, add flow resistance to dissipate energy, and decreases near bank stress by directing flow to the center of the channel.  
All structures will be installed late summer and fall 2022.  Based on previous experience on in southeast Utah the structures will quickly work as intended, facilitating aggradation of sediment or scouring pools as needed. In the spring 2023, likely after rain events have interacted with the structures we will evaluate each structure making modifications as needed as well as develop a plan for re-vegetation that will focus on transplanting willows and other woody plants during the dormant season.
Watershed Planning
TU staff will work with a qualified environmental consultant to evaluate the tributaries to Scofield Reservoir and develop a report that will outline best management practices to use in future phases of restoration.  The tributaries evaluated will include Fish Creek, Eccles Creek, Pontown Creek, Gooseberry Creek, and Clear Creek.
Scofield Dam Modifications
Plans have already been specified for the construction of the low flow bypass gate into the air shaft of Scofield Dam.  A qualified construction contractor will be sought out to install the gate and pipe during the winter months of 2022-2023.  Tu will then proceed to work with the Price River Commissioner to develop a flow rating curve for the low flow bypass and ensure the ability to accurately deliver instream flow water into the future.

Emma Park
Juniper and pinyon removal:
The units will be accomplished using a saw crew to lop and scatter trees as close as possible to 100% in polygons. 
Rock Structures: 
Wildlife tracker will be used to identify areas that are currently being used as brood rearing habitat. These areas will be visited and evaluated to identify if any erosion control structures are needed. If not other areas with similar characteristics will be identified where head cutting is happening in small ephemeral drainages and washes.  We propose to use simple rock structures that are being use across the West in several other states to stop and repair head cuts once these areas are identified.

Lower Fish Creek Fuels Reduction:

196 acres of pile burning will be implemented during the fall of 2022 when there is snow on the ground using FFSL staff and likely requesting help from the Lone Peak Conservation Center engines. We anticipate that pile burning may take a full week to implement. On larger old logging slash piles that we will be burning during this project we will likely need to use alumigel bags to get the old bone piles lit. Otherwise it will be a straightforward pile burn project.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek
1. Photo Point Surveys -- Photo points will be established and shot yearly for 5 yrs post project. 
2. Change in landscape form -- Drone aerial imagery will be used to generate pre and post restoration digital elevation models of the creeks to compare the change in landform and erosive potential. 
3. Fisheries monitoring -- Division of Wildlife will lead efforts to monitor fish populations pre and post restoration to verify the effects on aquatic fauna. 
4. Water Quality Monitoring -- Partners will work with DWQ to develop appropriate water quality monitoring protocols and sampling intervals for the project. 
5. Fence maintenance -- The partners will work with the landowner to ensure fence maintenance in a long term agreement to exclude livestock from direct interaction with stream in areas other than those designed for water gaps. 
Emma Park:
1. Sage grouse Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Guide to be done pre-treatment to assess habitat conditions.
2. Sage grouse monitoring via GPS loggers will be going on in the Carbon SGMA.  These may show if grouse are using newly treated areas.  This could be put together in a map form and uploaded as part of the completion report.
3.Area sage grouse lek counts each spring
USFWS:
Will work with partners to complete some of the monitoring described as well as doing their own photo point monitoring.  Also as part of the USFWS landowner agreement USFWS biologist will visit the site at minimum once per year to assess needs, success, failures, and need for any follow-up treatments/maintenance for the duration of the 10 year Landowner Agreement.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek Carbon Water Conservancy District/Carbon County 
Carbon Water Conservancy District currently oversees the operation and maintenance of Scofield Dam and manage the storage in the reservoir. As such, they are interested in improving the water quality to provide water to the downstream community that is safer for consumption and irrigation among other uses. They currently own an easement with the Jensen family for the 13.69 acres along the corridor of Mud Creek. They recently installed several bridges to move equipment and livestock around the property and are now interested in improving the banks of Mud Creek to reduce and prevent erosion and match the section that was stabilized in 2009-2010 just upstream. 
Fred and Sheila Jensen 
The Jensen family owns 139.5 acres of pasture around Mud Creek and Winter Quarters Creek at their confluence and have used it for summer grazing for decades. The Jensen's sold an easement to Carbon Water Conservancy District a few years ago and have been willing to consider conservation minded alternatives that benefit their property. The majority, if not all, of the project will be implemented on their property and the easement. 
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 
UDWR biologists and project managers have long been interested in improving conditions in tributaries around Scofield Reservoir and were the lead agency in 2009 during the first phase of restoration on Mud Creek. They will work as a joint lead for the currently proposed phase of the project and will provide expertise and operators for installation of restoration techniques. 
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food -- Grazing Improvement Program 
The local coordinator for the Grazing Improvement Program (GIP) will be engaged to design and implement proper grazing plans that rotate livestock to promote healthy pasture and uplands and give adequate access to water without causing bank shearing. GIP will interact with landowners and permittees to educate livestock owners and write grazing plans. 
Trout Unlimited 
Trout Unlimited (TU) will be the lead partner for this application and the project manager for restoration activities for the Scofield Reservoir tributaries. Trout Unlimited is interested in improving water quality throughout the Price River watershed. Trout Unlimited's mission to reconnect, protect, and restore coldwater fisheries drives us to work toward a healthy native trout fishery in the upper end of the Price River Watershed.
Utah Department of Water Quality
Utah Department of Water Quality (DWQ) will manage the funding through the EPA in conjunction with TU.  Additionally, DWQ will take charge of annual water quality monitoring throughout the project for the next five plus years.
USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
UFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (PFW) will work with the landowners to develop agreements for additional funding and lend expertise in planting and grazing management to the project.

Emma Park:
BLM, UDWR, USFWS, SITLA, NRCS and several private landowners have all worked together to identify locations where tree removal would be beneficial. BLM has completed the NEPA and UDWR will complete the contracting when the time comes. Several members of the group as well as the Carbon Sage Grouse Local Working Group also had a summer field trip in 2021. Project development was discussed including methods and potential locations of wet meadow creation/enhancement. These ideas will be used in implementation.

Lower Fish Creek Fuels Reduction: 
FFSL WUI: has implemented the previous phase of this project using Catfire grant dollars and is looking to expand the work completed for the protection of critical infrastructure and the protection of these forests.

FFSL Forestry: is expanding aspen regeneration work in Carbon County currently being completed with 106 forestry using money acquired through the Landscape Scale Restoration grant program. Work completed on the Lower Fish Creek WMA will be expanded onto neighboring private properties in subsequent years.

Private Landowners: Adjacent private landowners have been interested and willing to participate in timber thinning work on their land. Part of this project occurs on adjacent private land. Future phases of this project through LSR as well as other grants will likely include these adjacent private landowners.

Helper City: A small portion of this project is on Helper City land that includes their spring development next to the river. They have been engaged and interested in this work occurring since the earliest planning stages of the previous Catfire project.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek
Carbon Water Conservancy District has already fenced cattle grazing out of the immediate riparian corridor.  The Utah Grazing Improvement Program has committed to helping the landowner develop an appropriate low duration/high intensity grazing rotation to keep field healthy and reduce any effluent runoff from cattle.  The restoration areas will be continuously monitored and maintained as necessary.  Carbon County will monitor the area for weeds and spray them as necessary each year.
Watershed Management Plan
Fish creek and other tributaries will be parts of future phases of the restoration of the Upper Price River Watershed.  The development of a management plan will guide fundraising and project planning for the next several years.
Scofield Dam modifications.
TU will continue to call for and monitor winter instream flows.  The new low flow gate will be monitored and maintained to ensure proper function and minimal future maintenance needs.
Emma Park:
No sage grouse hunting is permitted at this time.  The area is carefully managed as core sage grouse habitat.  Any actions undertaken by agencies consider both Federal and State management plans.
PJ regrowth will be monitored at 3 to 5 year intervals to determine future actions in the project area.
The private landowners will enter into a contract with NRCS and USFWS.  As part of the landowner agreement with USFWS the landowner agrees to leave the habitat restored in place for a 10 year period and during that time will work with the USFWS biologist to monitor and access needs, success, and any needed adaptive management.
Landowners will be contracted with the NRCS to manage grazing to maintain minimum stubble heights on in contracted areas for 2 years.  Grazing will be allowed, because this lop and scatter practice does not require seeding and the understory in good condition.
Lower Fish Creek: 
This project occurs on DWR-owned lands and will protected and managed for long-term habitat health for the benefit of wildlife and the public. Lands are managed by state-code, a habitat management plan, forest stewardship plan, and rules set forth through the Pittman-Robertson act. Forest-management will continue being evaluated on the property. The use of prescribed fire has been discussed as an additional phase of this project and possibly as a long-term maintenance tool for certain units within the WMA.  The property will be visited annually as part of regular DWR maintenance activities to address weed concerns that may arise through time and as a result of bare-ground created from pile burning.

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.

Mud Creek/Winter Quarters Creek
The land adjacent to the Creeks will continue to be grazed by a small cattle operation. Appropriate water gaps will be left for livestock watering.  Additionally, the bank stabilization structures will be built to provide cover and habitat for fish migrating into the tributaries to spawn.  Wildlife friendly vegetation will be planted throughout the restoration reach to attract neo tropical migrating birds, large game animals, etc. A fence will be maintained and weeds sprayed into the future to ensure the success of the project and the adjacent ag operations.
Scofield Dam Modifications
This infrastructure modification allows water to flow through the river channel sustaining fish populations and a Blue Ribbon fishery.  It also provides water that will be critical to wildlife species through the river corridor.  It will also be critical for future water banking and instream flow work with the water users in the Price River Watershed.
Emma Park:
The private, SITLA, and adjacent BLM administered lands are all part of grazing rotations.  This project will have a big benefit to the private grazing operations.  Working across landownerships will have a greater ecological and economic impact for livestock producers.
The lop and scatter treatment may slightly increase available forage but more importantly prevent future loss of forage.  
Wet meadow restoration will increase herbaceous vegetation.

Lower Fish Creek Fuels Reduction:

Forage should be improved for both cattle and wildlife fairly quickly by increasing sunlight to the forest floor thereby increasing understory plants. Once piles are burned wildlife, cattle, and hunters will have increased access to areas which were previously unwalkable. There are four connected fuel breaks that go from the ridgetop sagebrush down to the river being proposed or improved in this proposal and they should improve movement of wildlife, cattle, and people throughout the project area.

Creating, improving, and maintaining diverse habitat types through this treatment create opportunity for hunting and angling.  Mule deer and elk will benefit through increased forage throughout the year, and individuals may experience improved survival or recruitment through improved nutritional quality. These species are often available to hunt during fall seasons within the project area. Black bear are hunted on the property and will benefit from improved food resources through this project. Upland game including forest grouse, and rabbits will benefit from increased and improved forage with leafy forbs and fruit-bearing or leafy shrubs being encouraged through this treatment. Ruffed grouse habitat will improve with increasing cover and forage, while Dusky grouse habitat will be maintained by thinning conifer stands allowing light to reach the understory and maintain important existing cover and food. A few smaller burn piles will be maintained to provide cover for small mammals, including rabbits.  The Lower Fish Creek blue ribbon fishery may be protected from sediment loading as a result of erosion through this project in the event that a wildfire that becomes unmanageable. Treating the upper slopes through a managed approach can help to reduce these impacts. Fuel breaks can be used to slow down fire in the future and create places for firefighters to manage.

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.