Project Details

Recapture Reservoir is increasingly becoming more popular for recreationalists every year.  The boat launch is a non-fee site with public access to the entire reservoir.  Recapture is the largest reservoir in San Juan County where large watercraft can be launched.  This makes it a very popular location for anglers and boaters.  The dam was constructed in Recapture Canyon which flooded the canyon and the old state highway.  A new highway was constructed across Recapture dam, but the old highway was never removed.  Boaters use the old narrow highway on the Blanding side of the reservoir as a boat launch (see photos).  The asphalt is breaking apart and developing large pot-holes in the boat ramp.  The shoreline and old highway was never remodeled to adequately handle large number of watercrafts.  There is room for only one vehicle to launch at a time.  Once a boat is launched there are only a few spots where a boat can be shored safely between boulders and large rock outcroppings.  There is not an adequate shore or dock for boaters to use while parking their vehicles.  Visitors also utilize the boat launch as a swimming and sunbathing area increasing the difficulty for launching watercraft.  For the past several years anglers have voiced their concern to Blanding City and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources about the difficulty of launching watercraft, the increased danger of launching between groups of swimmers and the lack of a boat dock to safely secure their boat.  Blanding City will formalize a Recapture Reservoir Recreation Improvements Plan in 2022.  The first phase identified by all partners is to hire an engineering firm to develop plans to renovate the boat ramp and parking lot.

Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.

Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.

LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.

TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.

List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.

If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.

Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.

Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.

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.

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.

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.