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Sage Grouse Initiative Biologists FY23
Region: Salt Lake Office
ID: 6101
Project Status: Completed
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Project Details
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Need for Project
Sagebrush once occurred on more than 150 million acres, stretching from the Canadian Rockies to the Southwest. Today, sagebrush habitat is rapidly being lost, degraded or fragmented by residential and commercial subdivisions, tillage agriculture, energy development, conifer encroachment and catastrophic wildfire. The impacts on sagebrush habitat are great enough that the FWS determined the sage-grouse is warranted for listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Listing sage-grouse could have major impacts on land use and the economy in Utah.
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
To reverse the decline of sagebrush habitat and reduce the need to list sage-grouse, the NRCS launched the SGI, an effort including many partners to achieve spatially targeted, landscape-scale sage-grouse habitat conservation, using Farm Bill conservation programs--Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). The principle objective is to conserve sage-grouse populations through habitat improvement and conservation.
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?)
Lack of action could result in: -continued degradation of sage grouse habitat -ESA listing of sage grouse
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
Utah's Conservation Plan for Greater Sage Grouse
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
N/A
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
N/A
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
N/A
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
Two wildlife biologist positions will be staffed through Pheasants Forever to help build the capacity to successfully deliver NRCS Conservation Initiatives in Utah. The positions will be located in NRCS field offices in Tremonton and Vernal. Funding will be provided through a variety of State, Federal and NGO partners that have interest in restoring sage grouse habitat, furthering participation in farm bill programs and reducing the need to list sage grouse. The wildlife biologists will work with private landowners to implement farm bill programs to conserve sage grouse habitat.
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
N/A
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
Natural Resources Conservation Service, Intermountain West Joint Venture, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Pheasants Forever
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
N/A
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
N/A
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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