Project Details

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.

The risk of invasion of cheatgrass and rabbitbrush and loss of sagebrush after a wildfire could further impact critical habitat. However, as with any surface disturbing activity, there is a low potential for weed invasion. Private landowners and Iron County will aggressively treat any noxious weeds in the area if found.

Mule Deer are one of Utah's most prized big game species.  This project is within the Pine Valley Mule Deer Management Unit, which has been one of most productivity mule deer herds in the state.  Managed as a general season unit, the Pine Valley Unit is one of the most sought general season tags in the state.  As of recent the survival has decline and is typically associated to malnutrition and coyote predation.  Mule deer have benefited for the Duncan Creek treatments completed by the BLM to the southeast.  This area is a staple for hunters that prefer to hunt low elevations and in pinyon and juniper.
The Pine Valley Pronghorn is strong and increasing to due numerous habitat improvements on private, BLM and SITLA land in the area.  Pronghorn provide an excellent limited entry opportunity for many hunters, include many youth hunters.   Yoakum et al (2004) found that in Utah, the majority of pronghorn populations occur in shrub-steppe habitat. Large expanses of open, rolling or flat terrain characterize the topography of most occupied habitats. Of particular importance in sustaining pronghorn populations is a forb component in the vegetative mix.  This area serves as year-round habitat, which should have provide succulent forbs for lactating females and fawn survival in the spring and early summer noted Ellis and Travis (1975), and High quality browse that is available above the snow level found Yoakum (2004).

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.

The Utah State Wildlife Action Plan 2015-2025 is a comprehensive management plan designed to conserve native species populations and habitats in Utah and prevent the need for additional federal listings.
Following the  Pine Valley Mule Deer Management:
"Coordinate with federal and state partners in designing projects that will improve fire resiliency and protect areas of crucial habitat."
"Cooperate with federal land management agencies and private landowners in carrying out habitat improvement projects. Protect deer winter ranges from wildfire by reseeding burned areas, creating fuel breaks and reseed areas dominated by cheatgrass with desirable perennial vegetation."

Utah Mule Deer Statewide Plan (12/5/2019-12/5/2024)
"Work with local, state and federal land management agencies via land management plans and with private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning, wintering, and migration areas"
"Work with local, state and federal land management agencies and ranchers to properly manage livestock to enhance crucial mule deer ranges."
"Minimize impacts and recommend mitigation for losses of crucial habitat due to human impacts."
"Continue to support and provide leadership for the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, which emphasizes improving sagebrush-steppe, aspen, and riparian habitats throughout Utah."
"Support existing and explore additional incentive programs for landowners that will increase tolerance, enhance habitat, and promote deer populations on private lands such as the CWMU, landowner permit, Walk-In Access programs, etc."
Utah Pronghorn Statewide Management Plan
*Identify crucial pronghorn habitats and work with public land managers and
private landowners to protect and enhance those areas.
*Encourage public land managers, permittees, and wildlife biologists to identify
areas of potential conflict between livestock and pronghorn and work together to manage conflicts for the benefit of livestock and pronghorn.
Utah Wildlife Action Plan
     *Lowland sagebrush is a key habitat identified in the WAP.
     *WAP identifies inappropriate fire frequency as a threat to lowland sagebrush.  This project will reduce future fire risk and act as a fire buffer to adjacent higher risk areas. Riverine habitat is threaten by Channel Down Cutting that can be related to unhealthy PJ forest and lack of an understory to promote infiltration of moisture into the soil.  
Iron County Resource Management Plan
"To improve range conditions through vegetation treatments and proper management,
allowing for an appropriate increase in livestock grazing."
"To maintain the AUM's at current levels and encourage increases as range conditions
Provide."
"Land management agencies shall take actions to control and eradicate harmful and
invasive noxious weeds and aggressively treat pinyon-juniper encroachment on
habitats which benefit wildlife."
"Wildlife habitat and range reseeding projects must employ a mix of desirable native
and non-native seeds that optimize forage requirements, range health and productivity."

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.

The potential for more extreme fires will intensify as decant brush increases quickly spreading into PJ.  This has been illustrated the recent fire activity in the area.  If not for the rapid response of the fire officials these fires would have surely burnt hundreds if not thousands of acres.  By reducing stand densities, the possibility for future larger-scale stand replacing fire events will be decreased.  An extreme fire event could lead to a loss of crucial habitat/understory vegetation and the potential for a noxious weed infestation. Current FRCC is FR I, CC 2, with moderate departure from the historic range of variability.  Fire regimes have been moderately and extensively altered and the risk of losing key ecosystem components from fire is high. This is mainly due to the expansion of pinyon and juniper. Without this project, fuel conditions are such that an unexpected wildfire may become increasingly difficult to contain, leading to an increased risk to firefighter and public safety, suppression effectiveness and natural resource degradation such as loss of important mule deer habitat.
This is immediately adjacent to the Antelope Fire from 2021 see WRI 5869.

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.

The forage quality and availability would greatly increase in the area after implementation of the project. Completion of this project would help distribute animal use over the area, which would reduce concentrated use in certain areas. This area is popular for hunting deer and pronghorn to the public who have written permission. Improving the habitat for hunting and wildlife viewing is important for the local community, and Iron County. 
The chaining will provide opportunities for fire wood collection that is a population past time with local families and the communities.  ATV and OHV frequent the areas often to view and enjoy the wildlife and wild places.  This treatment will enhance the beauty and the opportunity to view and enjoy Utah's wildlife and wild places.
Improving landscapes has the potential and has been proven to have positive economical impacts on the surrounding communities and the business in the area.  We anticipate that Iron County and their residents will be see positive economic impacts that will continue to help draw people to enjoy their county.

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.