Project Details

The Southern Leatherside Chub (Leatherside; Lepidomeda aliciae) is a small fish endemic to streams within the southern portion of the Bonneville Basin, and is considered a Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources because of population and range declines. Recent evidence indicates the Southern Leatherside is one of two taxa formerly known as Leatherside Chub (Gila copei) and qualifies as a unique species (Johnson and Jordan 2000, Dowling et al. 2002, Belk et al. 2005, Johnson et al. 2004). The need for conservation actions to address the decline of Leatherside was evaluated for the entire historical range of the species and conservation needs are now assessed for each species within their range. In 2010, the State of Utah initiated the Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Leatherside. The goal of this agreement is to ensure the long-term persistence of Leatherside within its historical range and support development of statewide conservation efforts (UDWR 2010).

In order to achieve the goals outlined in the Conservation Agreement and Strategy, the Washington County Field Office of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources proposes to continue implementing conservation activities for Leatherside in the East Fork Sevier River, Middle Sevier River, and Upper Beaver River HUCs in Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23). Planned activities include evaluating the success of recent reintroductions of Leatherside into former habitats (including Clear Creek, Shingle Creek, and Blubber Creek).

A current habitat restoration project funded by the Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) includes the area surrounding Bear Creek (WRI Project 5638). This project aims to improve sagebrush steppe as well as spring and riparian areas. Evaluating the current status of Leatherside in Bear Creek is vital for establishing a pre-project baseline to understand if restoration activities will have benefits or negative impacts on the population.

Also planned are inventory surveys of historic habitat where the current population status is unknown (Beaver River and tributaries). Leatherside have not been documented in the Beaver River since 1949. The last comprehensive surveys of the Beaver River drainage were in 1995; Leatherside were not encountered.

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.

Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Southern Leatherside Chub (Lepidomeda aliciae) in the State of Utah (2010)
This project would fulfill goals outlined in the Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Leatherside, specifically:
Objective 1) Determine the existing range of the species.
Objective 2) Maintain and monitor the currently known and newly discovered or established 
Leatherside populations and their habitat.
Objective 3) Identify, prioritize, and implement actions to reduce threats to Leatherside populations and habitat and evaluate the effectiveness of these actions.
Objective 4) Restore populations in selected localities within the historical range,
Objective 5) Augment selected populations if necessary.
Objective 6) Maintain genetic diversity and integrity. Ensure persistence of genetically distinct populations.

Utah Wildlife Action Plan (Utah Wildlife Action Plan joint team 2015):
The goal of the Wildlife Action Plan is "to manage native wildlife species and their habitats, sufficient to prevent additional listings under the Endangered Species Act." Many of the habitat restoration actions that have been implemented were outlined in the Wildlife Action Plan, and restoration of Leatherside into its historic range addresses threats outlined in the Wildlife Action Plan.

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.