Project Details

Wildlife fencing to facilitate mule deer migration through the corridor.
Preserve open space and functionality of the corridor from development and recreation.
Between now and 2030, 20+ miles of fence will be needed to accomplish the goal of preserving the corridor.

Human development in Salt Lake and Utah counties now spans the entire valley bottoms between the Wasatch front and the Oquirrh Mountains/Lake Mountains. The impacts that this has had on wildlife is shown through multiple forms of evidence including; loss of native biodiversity, increased human-wildlife conflicts, and direct wildlife mortality on roads. The city of Eagle Mountain has begun expanding the development into the valley between the Lake Mountains and the southern end of the Oquirrh Mountains. Eagle Mountain is currently the 4th largest city in Utah in terms of area but is only ~22% developed as of 2022. The low proportion of developed space in the city and the desire of city leadership to preserve open space provides the opportunity to proactively plan to avoid impacts on wildlife in Eagle Mountain that have already occurred in the cities of Salt Lake and Utah Counties. If no space is preserved for a corridor in Eagle Mountain there will be a loss of genetic connectivity and the risk of increased human/wildlife conflicts in the area.

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.

Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan- "To address deer/vehicle collisions, DWR and our partners have worked to identify deer migration routes and locations where deer are commonly hit on roadways. This information has allowed us to know where to place underpasses and fences to increase deer survival. These studies have also provided data on the types of underpasses and structures these animals will use (Cramer 2014). Although costly, these efforts are helping to prevent future collisions, increase public safety, and minimize deer mortalities."  Additionally, they will "Conserve, improve, and restore mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges." "Work with county, state, and federal agencies to limit the negative effects of roads by reclaiming unused roads, properly planning new roads, and installing fencing and highway passage structures where roads disrupt normal mule deer migration patterns."
 
Utah's Wildlife Migration Initiative -- specifically states that we are to "...identify and preserve wildlife migration corridors"

DOI Secretarial Order 3362 - "... improve the quality of big-game winter range and migration corridor habitat on Federal lands under the management jurisdiction of this Department in a way that recognizes state authority to conserve and manage big-game species and respects private property rights.

Utah Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) - The project area includes multiple key terrestrial habitats identified in the WAP including Lowland Sagebrush, Mountain Sagebrush, and Mountain Shrub.

Sentential Landscape bill (2018) - there is further recognition from the state on the importance of open lands and the preservation of these open lands.  See also Camp Williams INRMP, Private lands/conservation easements https://ut.ng.mil/Resources/Environmental-Resources-Management/Natural-Resources/.

The Eagle Mountain City Plan- The city of Eagle mountain and its leadership has expressed great interest in preserving the natural setting of the area wherever possible. This project has been explicitly endorsed by the Mayor and City Planner of Eagle Mountain City.  Eagle Mountain also passed city code 17.49 to specifically protect this migration corridor. See https://www.codepublishing.com/UT/EagleMountain/html/EagleMountain17/EagleMountain1749.html

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.

Eagle Mountain City will conduct regular inspection of permanent fences is a part of an ongoing maintenance program that ensures proper function of the fence for the lifespan of the practice.

To include the following: 1-conduct inspections of fences after storms and other disturbance events, 2-repair or replacement of loose or broken material, gates, and other forms of ingress and egress, 3-removal of trees or shrubs that are encroaching into the fence, 4-repair of eroded areas as necessary, 5-repair or replacement of markers or other safety and control features as required, 6-maintain fladry or signage as necessary.

The migration routes in and around Eagle Mountain were identified by data gathered using GPS collars. The successful of this project would be able to continue to be monitored using the same collars and collars placed on additional individual deer and other species, such as pronghorn. The success of this project will also be able to monitored through analysis of roadkill data observed on the Utah Wildlife-vehicle Collision Reporter app.

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.