Project Details

Utah's many wildlife management areas (WMAs) are vital in helping the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources achieve its mission of serving the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state's wildlife. The WMAs help the UDWR achieve its resource goal of expanding wildlife populations and conserving sensitive species through protecting and improving wildlife habitats.

The Hardware WMA is a popular recreation area, especially for those living in the Cache and Ogden valleys. The WMA is heavily utilized for camping from Easter weekend through the elk hunts in November. The Wapiti Area, in particular, is very popular. It's near the upper and more huntable end of the WMA. It's also close to the Blacksmith Fork River and the highway. On busy weekends, including the Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekends, camping outfits (RVs) can exceed 30 units, with every conceivable spot in the area holding a tent, a trailer, or a passenger vehicle.  Camping also occurs in other dispersed areas on the WMA along SR-101 and between the Curtis Creek and Rock Creek drainages.  These numerous sites are filled almost every weekend and if a spot is not available new ones are "carved out" by the camping public.

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.

1) Enforce established WMA Camping Season:  
*	Signage placed at the 3 main entrances to the WMA (SR-101, Ant Flat, & Laketown Rd.) indicating camping is in permitted areas only within designated dates.
*	Signage identifying designated camping areas & conditions of use

2) Reduction or Elimination of Approved Camping Sites:  Consolidation of some camping sites and elimination of others will improve our ability to monitor public use, reduce the drain on man-hours utilized to monitor camping, and simplify enforcement of rules and regulations that deal with camping.  It will also protect the resource by removing problematic contamination sources to waterways and reducing widespread impacts on surrounding habitats.  
*	Convert Pole Hollow/Tie-out area to Day Use livestock access and parking.
*	Relocate the camping area over on Baxter Sawmill Rd. away from the river.
*	Remove existing feed bunks and relocate to the Baxter-Rock Creek camping area on Baxter Sawmill Rd.
 
3) Identification of Approved Camping Sites:  Identified sites will direct the camping public to areas we designate and feel can sustain the impact, will reduce the amount of pollution in WMA streams and rivers, and simplify enforcement for where camping can occur.  (See Baxter/Rock Creek, & Hardware Flats Maps)
*	Baxter-Rock Creek Camp, Baxter Rock Creek Livestock, & Hardware Flats Designated Camping Areas
o	Use fencing and rock blockades to covert Pole Hollow to Day Use
o	Use signage to designate sportsman access points, parking, and livestock areas

*	Baxter/Rock Creek Designated Camp Area
o	Use signage to designate permitted camping and livestock areas in order to protect sensitive habitats and waterways
o	Use rock blockades to separate regular camping & livestock camping portions
o	Install feed bunks and tie-outs in the livestock area

*	Hardware Flats Designated Camp Area
o	Permitted camping from Aug 1 -- Dec 31 (limited to hunting seasons)
o	Use rock blockades and fencing to close the southern half of this high meadow to camping and vehicle damage.

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.