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SRO WMA and Guzzler Maintenance FY24
Region: Southern
ID: 6671
Project Status: Completed
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Project Details
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Need for Project
SRO WMA's provide some of the most critical wildlife habitat in the region as well as recreational opportunities for constituents of the UDWR. As such, UDWR has an obligation to maintain, improve, and manage these lands to meet the goals and objectives for which they were acquired. Specific maintenance needs vary from year to year and property to property but typically involve: access improvements, fencing, signage, habitat improvement projects, trash removal, and weed control. Additionally, UDWR has a complex of more than 300 guzzlers that have various maintenance needs each year typically including: turning big game guzzlers on and off in the spring and fall, minor repairs, and noting major repairs needed for future proposals.
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.
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Objectives
1)Securing and maintenance of existing fence boundaries. Also property signage and maintenance; 2)Implement a noxious weed control program by inventory and spraying on an annual basis; 3)Maintain public access and recreational opportunities on authorized roads/trails through road maintenance activities; 4)Maintain water developments for wildlife and livestock grazing; and 5)Implement habitat restoration activities to improve wildlife habitat values of WMA's.
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.
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Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?)
Failure to maintain WMA's, CE's, and wildlife guzzlers will result in habitat degradation and loss; conflicts with counties, local municipalities, and adjacent landowners and failure to meet and/or comply with legal obligations.
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.
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Relation to Management Plans
WMA maintenance will help achieve the recommendations and goals of each individual WMA Management Plan. In addition this project will help implement goals A-D of the UDWR's Strategic Plan. Improvements on WMA lands will help specific Tier I, II, and III species listed later in this proposal and identified in the WAP. Numerous key habitats as defined by the WAP will also benefit from improvement and protection of WMAs in the SRO.
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.
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Fire/Fuels
Implementing annual noxious weed control programs by inventory and spraying will reduce the fire risk by reducing quick burning annual weedy species and maintaining more desirable fire resistant species. Maintaining fences also aids us in controlling grazing regimes; this further reduces weedy fire prone species. Proper grazing practices also help reduce annual fire prone grasses and weeds.
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.
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Water Quality/Quantity
WMA maintenance (fencing, vegetation) of desirable healthy landscapes improves water quality and quantity. Also guzzler construction and maintenance provides critical water sources for wildlife throughout the southern region.
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.
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Compliance
Archaeology, UDWR archaeologist will be contacted prior to undertaking any projects that may or are likely to require clearance. Survey required for project activities having the potential to impact the ground.
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.
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Methods
Primary tasks include; fence maintenance, construction of new fences, water developments, road closures, weed control, cattle guard construction, surveys, and sign construction. The habitat manager and maintenance specialist in the region will coordinate maintenance activities in the region with other regional personnel. Habitat section personnel will coordinate with the Volunteer Services Coordinator to find projects where volunteers (Dedicated Hunters) can be used. Weed control will be done under the supervision of the lead maintenance specialist. Special attention will be given to Weed Control in the Richfield and Parowan areas this year due to known weed outbreaks. Fencing and signing will be done by maintenance personnel with assistance from seasonal's and volunteers where appropriate. Road maintenance will be completed by maintenance specialist where possible and in conjunction with county road departments in some instances. Guzzler maintenance will be carried out by assistant maintenance position with assistance provided by other staff as requested.
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.
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Monitoring
Established range trend studies on WMA's will be read on regular rotation. Photos and documentation of specific maintenance duties will be collected as needed. Wildlife monitoring will be conducted on those WMA's in which specific surveys for game and non-game species are already in place. Many of the WMA's are included in big game classification routes. Continued development and use will occur with the WMA Maintenance App and Guzzler App with visits being recorded including items such as current condition and recommended future tasks.
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.
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Partners
The SRO holds several Conservation Easement Properties in conjunction with multiple NGO's. Several of those are maintained by the SR habitat staff. We work in conjunction with those groups to ensure the integrity of the objectives for which they were purchased. UDWR also works cooperatively with counties on management plan implementation and has partnered with them on activities such as road maintenance and weed control.
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.
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Future Management
Lands owned and managed by the Division will continue to be managed for wildlife according to individual Habitat Management plans. This year efforts will be made to update HMP's for the Parowan Front Wildlife Management Area. We have also recently entered into an agricultural lease agreement with a local rancher at the Elbow Ranch and the nature of that lease will be evaluated and changed as needed as we watch and see how that relationship works out.
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.
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Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources
Grazing is utilized by the Division to reach habitat management goals/objectives within the southern region. Grazing will be used on an as needed basis on WMA's following the grazing plans contained in the HMP's for each WMA. Grazing will be permitted under the Division's Land Use Rule by SRO habitat section personnel.
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.
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