Project Details

Shivwits milkvetch is a federally listed species at high risk of extinction. It is currently comprised of six populations, most of which are very small (<300 plants including seedlings) and at least two of which (Harrisburg and Pahcoon Wash) have been documented to be in decline over the last 20 years (FY2019 BLM long-term monitoring report). Studies of reproductive output (Houghton unpublished data) indicate an abnormally high percentage of aborted ovules, resulting in sometimes much-reduced seed set in comparison with other more successful Astragalus species, possibly indicating inbreeding depression. A genetic analysis carried out on samples collected in 2005/2006 suggested that these populations were formerly connected through gene flow but were showing reduced genetic diversity due of fragmentation, loss of connectivity, and small population size (Breinholt et al. 2009). It is likely that populations that formerly occurred in suitable habitat on the Chinle formation in the intervening area have been extirpated due to human activity. We propose to augment three small populations directly through transplanting to increase numbers, and also to explore the option of reciprocal transplanting among these populations in an attempt to restore genetic diversity that has been lost.

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.

The timeline for this study includes a jump-start this spring to enable us to meet our objectives within the ESMF one-year time frame. We have initiated propagation efforts to produce the plants for outplanting and plan to collect tissue for genetic analysis in April 2020. Genetic analysis and interpretation will be carried out during the summer of 2020, and outplanting of dormant transplants will take place in autumn. We will evaluate the short-term success of the planting in spring 2021 and prepare our report the following summer.

To meet Objective 1, we will collect ca. 1 cm2 of fresh leaf tissue for genetic analysis from approximately 30 actively growing individuals in each population and preserve the labeled samples in silica gel for later extraction. We will also include tissue collection from one population of the close congener A. eremeticus for use as an out-group in the analysis. If there are insufficient actively growing individuals in Shivwits milkvetch wild populations, we will supplement with tissue from greenhouse-grown individuals. DNA extraction, quantification, and library preparation will be carried out by genetics summer interns at Southern Utah University under the direction of Dr. Jacqualine Grant. DNA extraction will utilize a Qiagen DNeasy Plant Pro kit. We plan to use a methodology called ddRADseq (double digest restriction-associated DNA sequencing) to obtain sequence information from each sample to use in the genetic analysis (Peterson et al. 2012). This method works well for non-model species because there is no need for a reference genome. Because plants have very large genomes, it is necessary to include a genome reduction step (in this case digestion with restriction enzymes) to obtain just a small subset of the genome prior to sequencing, most likely using an Illumina Hi-seq instrument. This methodology is complex and will be outsourced to a commercial genotyping company. Dr. Grant will carry out the analysis and interpretation once we have the sequence dataset in hand using available bioinformatics software. Population structure, inbreeding coefficients, and heterozygosity are calculated with GENALEX 6.5, and estimated pairwise genetic differentiation (FST) with SPAGeDi software. This will permit us to evaluate whether reciprocal transplanting would likely have the desired effect of increasing genetic diversity without high risk of negative effects (e.g., outbreeding depression). We will also be able to evaluate how much the situation has changed as a consequence of continued decline in these populations since the last genetic analysis.

To meet Objectives 2 and 3, we modify a propagation protocol developed by Laura Schrage and Kathy Dilley of Zion National Park to obtain plants of Shivwits milkvetch for transplanting. We will use seeds from each population collected as part of our reproductive output study last spring (2019). We plan to try to obtain 100 individuals from each collection. Seeds will be scarified if necessary, moist-chilled in petri dishes for 2 weeks, then permitted to initiate germination at room temperature. Newly germinated seeds will be planted into Ray Leach conetainers containing a coarse-textured soilless mix amended with field soil from an occupied site.  The young plants will be grown from emergence in March through early summer. Shivwits milkvetch has a spring ephemeral life history; the plants will go into dormancy as temperatures warm in mid-summer.

The dormant plants will be held until outplanting in October. Thirty to 100 plants of each population will be planted back into their population of origin, depending on the results of Objective 1. If we go ahead with the reciprocal transplanting experiment, approximately 30 plants of each population will be outplanted at each of the three planting sites. Otherwise we will do simple augmentation, with all plants outplanted at their site of origin. The plants will be tagged at the time of outplanting in the field.

To meet Objective 4, we will evaluate these outplantings the following spring. Surviving plants will emerge in March or April on the planting sites. They will then be evaluated nondestructively for survival, growth, and reproductive success.

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.