Project Details

The overview of this project is to implement fences, water pipeline and troughs and treat previously bulldogged and chained area though lop and scatter methods in critical areas within the Fillmore WMA's located in Millard County.

Within the Youngsfield WMA UDWR would like to replace and old fence with a new construction fence located between two pastures the need for fencing is critical as we support livestock grazing on our WMA's.  Another project we want to implement on the Youngsfield WMA includes a new HDPE pipeline and associated culverts, in August a seasonal rain event  destroyed the pipeline connecting the two troughs together, incised the stream bed and destroyed the road. The culverts and pipeline are critical to making the WMA function correctly.

Within the Pioneer WMA we would like to remove smaller pinyon-juniper whips that have regrown in both the chaining and bullhog treatments that where done in 2013.  There is a need to provide water for wildlife in this area, a local landowner several years ago through an easement agreement provided UDWR with a water stub out of a pipeline, we would like to install two watering troughs and a pipeline allowing year round water on the Pioneer WMA.

The Halfway Hill WMA experienced a wildfire this year burning over 800 acres on the WMA, the loss was critical to mule dee, elk and turkeys in the area.  Through fire rehab efforts the seeding and chaining has taken place on the WMA.  With the latest news from SLO funding was cut short and we are now looking to replace all the fencing on the Halfway Hill WMA . 
We will be partnering with the BLM to replace a section of their fence as well.  Included with the Halfway Hill fencing project we would like to, reduce smaller pinyon and juniper trees within the WMA, targeting trees that are < 6" in diameter this will leave a lot of cover for wintering mule deer, elk and turkeys.

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.

Threats to this project will consist of additional loss of water that can be utilized in this area, allowing for no water to be stored for wildlife species and livestock grazing within the allotment. Increased maintenance on the watering facilities and pipelines by the grazing association, allow for additional time and effort, loss of forage value in specific areas of the allotment due to over grazing, not distributing the cattle effectively enough can increase noxious weed species.  By implementing and installing this pipeline, we can reduce the risk of overgrazing this allotment, improve water quality and quantity for wildlife and livestock for better rangeland health and overall management within the UDWR Youngsfield and Pioneer
WMA.

Ecological Threats and risks to of not treating encroaching young trees will allow for these trees to become larger overtime and encroach in on the treatment areas, providing a fuel loading for wildfire, over take treatment areas where valuable forage value for livestock and wildlife has been established. Additional threats will include soil erosion and loss of shrubs and perennial grass and forbs, if this project is addresses now would be the time to remove these smaller trees due to the size and height. General maintenance of these types of projects is key for wildlife species such as Sage Grouse, allowing for these trees to get lager will cause a reduction in the potential habitat for grouse and movement from one area to the other during different times in their life due to the increasing number of trees with the treatment areas.  In addition, grazing opportunities may result in increased noxious weed invasion due to heavier utilized areas where better forage is available. The increasing fuel loading is always a concern for wildfire in these areas, removal of these smaller trees will allow for less flame length and reduced topping of flames due to the removal of these pinyon juniper trees, a fire break could be utilized from the edge of these treatments to stop or reduce a future wildfire.

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 proposed projects will address some of the habitat management strategies outlined in the deer and elk management plans for herd unit 21B (Fillmore Pahvant Unit ) including:

*Continue to improve and restore sagebrush steppe habitats critical to deer according to DWRs Habitat Initiative. 
*Maintain habitat quantity and quality at a level adequate to support the stated population objectives while at the same time not resulting in an overall downward trend in range condition and watershed quality. 
*Work cooperatively with land management agencies and private landowners to plan and implement improvement projects for the purpose of enhancing wildlife habitat and range resources in general.
*The project also helps fulfill the state mule deer management plan section IV Habitat Goal: Conserve and improve mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges.
*The proposed projects will address the following goals and objectives of the Division of Wildlife Resources most recent strategic management plan:
*Resource Goal: expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat.
*Objective 1: protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state.
*Objective 3: conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered.
*Constituency Goal: Achieve broad-based support for Division programs and budgets by demonstrating the value of wildlife to all citizens of Utah.
*Objective 2: improve communication with wildlife organizations, public officials, private landowners, and government agencies to obtain support for Division programs.

*UDWR SR critical big game winter range are important browse communities that need to be enhanced and improved.  The Division will employ a variety of methods to achieve this including prescribed grazing, prescribed burning, reseeding and seedling transplants, also mechanical treatments.  Priority areas will include sagebrush-steppe and mountain browse communities. Falls within the rangeland focus area for WRI wildlife species for mule deer and elk.

*This plan is consistent with the Fishlake National Forest Plan for wildlife habitat enhancement and fuels management to improve habitat, reduce fuel loading, and protect against catastrophic wildfire.

*Other project have been completed by the Forest Service and UDWR in past years within the Ebbs Canyon. Along with the Meadow Creek, Half Way Hill and Baker Canyon Fire Rehab Projects completed on Forest Service, BLM and Private Properties.

*Project within the are also benefit the management plans objectives of the lower Sevier River Watershed, as this will reduced sediment run off and create a healthy rangeland communities.

*Management Plans are also in conjunction with NRCS overall goals of healthy rangelands and communities, improving watersheds and reducing erosion and sediment. The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment

*FFSL CWPP Process is a local Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is a collaborative plan created by the fire department, state and local forestry, land managers, community leaders, and the public.The planning process maps values at risk, and requires actions to reduce risk, such as prescribed burning, fuel reduction, or other measures that adapt a community to better confront their wildfire threat.  Area is also part of the Millard RWPP FFSL Plan which was implemented in 2014, there are Wildfire Codes and Ordinances associated with this plan.  Project would also be relevant to NCS Goals and supported through the FS National Cohesive Strategies. CAT FIRE Objectives and Strategies:
In 2013, the State of Utah developed the Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy (CAT FIRE) in response to the severe 2012 fire season. Reducing the catastrophic wildfire requires attention to three interdependent goals identified in the National Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy -- Restore and Maintain Landscapes, Fire Adapted Communities, and Wildfire Response. These goals have been embraced throughout the development of the state's CAT  FIRE strategy. Mitigation of hazardous fuels can change fire behavior making it easier to suppress. The effects of the mitigation, however, are not limited to life and property safety but will also affect forest health, water quality, vegetative species abundance, etc. As we continue to implement projects across the landscapes in Utah, the only way to truly be successful is to integrate existing programs, utilize local and federal partners and continue to educate the general public to create the desired shift towards more resilient communities and ecosystems.

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.

As Pinyon and Juniper trees continue to encroach in these areas, live fuel loading and canopy cover increase as well.  This increase in live fuel loading and a closed canopy will increase the likelihood of an unwanted wildfire and its negative effects.  Reducing the number of smaller diameter trees on the landscape will in turn reduce the live fuel loading and decrease the amount of canopy cover.  This modification in vegetation allows initial attack firefighting crews more options to safely and effectively suppress unwanted wildfires and limit the negative effects. 
In addition to modifying fire behavior, treating the vegetation in these areas will result in multiple benefits, which include but are not limited to, improving and protecting current habitat for wildlife dependent upon these various ecosystems, improving native species diversity, reducing hazardous fuel accumulations and breaking up the continuous fuel bed of pinion/juniper that currently exists. This treatment will promote a fire resilient environment that reduces the risk for large scale, intense unwanted wildland fires, with less risk to public and firefighter safety.  Fire risk would be reduced to multiple watersheds.  Existing wildfire risk index in the project areas ranges from moderate-high to very low, looking at fire modeling results, an unwanted wildfire in these areas at the 97th percentile weather would quickly spread into high risk areas and threaten multiple watersheds, private lands and numerous other values not only wildlife habitat, but structures, culinary water systems, and utility corridors to name a few.
The majority of the areas in this project are within fire regime III -- 35-100+ year frequency and mixed severity (less than 75% of the dominant overstory vegetation replaced); The Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) is estimated to be both moderate (FRCC 2) and high (FRCC 3) departure from the central tendency of the natural (historical) regime. The central tendency is a composite estimate of vegetation characteristics (species composition, structural stages, stand age, canopy closure, and mosaic pattern); fuel composition; fire frequency, severity, and pattern; and other associated natural disturbances.

The majority of this project would be in FRCC 3. This project will improve the fire regime condition class to FRCC 1 and FRCC 2.
This project will manipulate the vegetation in a manner that will modify fire behavior such that fire suppression personnel can safely initial attack unwanted wildfires in the area.  These treatments will provide anchor points, safety zones, and buffer zones for values at risk such as powerlines, communities, range improvements.  Instead of a crown fire that is wind driven with flame lengths of 30+ feet in Pinyon and Juniper requiring aerial resources to initial attach, this treatment will reduce the flame lengths to those that are easily managed with engines and hand crews

Sevier County Resource Plan States Objectives:
#5. Upon project completion, fuels projects should be managed and monitored to ensure long-term success, including persistence of seeded species and/or other treatment components, such as implementing maintenance actions and control invasive vegetation post-treatment.
#13. Hazardous fuels reduction treatments should be used to restore ecosystems, protect human, natural, and cultural resources, and reduce the threat of wildfire to communities.

Millard County also states:  Vegetation/Forage Management
Several County industries depend on open range grazing opportunities. Therefore, the County supports responsible rangeland management.

The County encourages private and Federal/State agency partnerships organized to improve range conditions. Methods supported by the County include prescribed burns, reseeding and reclamation. The County is particularly interested in wildfire management and post-burn rehabilitation efforts. The County also supports vegetation manipulation programs designed to re-establish traditional uses and use levels. The County will continue, and expand as financially feasible, current noxious weed management programs.  In order to adequately protect the land and accompanying resources, management decisions must be made in a timely manner and programs implemented quickly. Millard County will actively participate in these processes.

Within the Fillmore WMA's specifically the Youngsfield, Nixon, Circus Hollow, Black Cedar Hill, Cemetery, Halfway Hill, and the Kanosh-Dual Springs units.  Future projects will focus on maintaining these treatments as well as addressing more Pinyon and Juniper encroachment on all units within the WMA.

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.

This project will improve water quality and quantity due to the fact that we will be improving the efficiency of how the water is delivered on the WMA.  We will improve and increase the capacity of the pipeline on the Youngsfield WMA, in addition the added troughs and pipeline on the Pioneer WMA will play an important roll for mule deer elk and turkeys on the WMA.     The improved pipeline will prove to be more efficient than allowing the water to not be captured and disbursed on site, collecting sediment, debris and lose water due to evaporation.  The quality of the water will be improved as it will be held in water troughs that will allow cattle and wildlife to drink clean clear water verse allowing water to be lost or made unavailable in a damaged seep. Water Right is held by the USDA Fillmore Forest Service, approval has been granted to complete this project. Water Right #XXXX.

With water being in short demand during the summer months wildlife such as mule deer, elk, turkeys and small mammals will benefit from using this water.  The water will also allow the livestock permittee grazing the WMA to better utilize the allotments and cattle will be distributed over the landscape evenly.  With the development of this water system and the installation of watering troughs and cleaning of existing pond we are positive that this will help improve this aspect of the allotments, reduce time and energy from the permittee, save in fuel, labor and vehicle cost.  This project will allow for distribution of water within the the spring and fall grazing season as cattle move from UDWR properties in the spring on to the USFS allotments in the summer. Water infrastructure and distribution is critical for all wildlife species and livestock associated with the UDWR WMA's.

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.

Monitoring on this project will consist of photo points and vegetation transects along with data collected on shrub and browse species.  Wildlife Surveys will also be done in the terms of post season and spring classifications as it pertains to deer management plans on the Pahvant Mountain Unit, counts and survey data will be collected by the area Wildlife Biologist.  This project is a follow up maintenance project from previous WRI funded treatments, removing the small pinyon-juniper trees now is critical and cost effective in preserving our initial investment.  Continual monitoring in the coming years will be to re-read browse and plant transects through line intercept monitoring, which can be uploaded within the WRI Data Base for additional reference and use in the future. Project Manager will work with Area Biologist to collect browse data and winter pellet counts as determined by the Wildlife Biologist.

As monitoring pertains to the fencing and pipeline/trough aspect of this project, inspections will be done by the UDWR Project Manager and the Grazing Permittees.  They will be able to inspect the pipeline, and the watering troughs to make sure all connections are tight and working properly.  Also the permittees will be assigned to monitor the collection box or spring development and remove any sediment that may effect the pipeline, water will be turn off in the fall allowing for the pipeline to drain and not freeze.  Permittee, and UDWR will also monitor the livestock distribution as it pertains to the grazing allotment moving cattle when needed to allow for grass, forbs and shrubs to not be over utilized. Inspection of the fences will also be monitored by the Grazing Permittees, UDWR Project Manager and the UDWR Habitat Maintenance crew from our SRO Cedar City Office, this is usually done each year with seasonal technicians who inspect each WMA within the SRO.

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.

Within several of our WMA's livestock grazing of the properties occurs, we typically grazing the spring of the year during the months of May to June.  Within the WMA's over the past several years we have made great improvements on them to allow proper grazing and continued year around wildlife use.  Many projects have been implemented and completed, we continue to maintain and repair older aspects of the WMA's, future management will come from partnerships with UDWR and the Livestock Grazing Associations that graze our lands.  Each year we meet with the permittees and sign the grazing agreement, at that time it gives us an opportunity to discuss the range conditions within the WMA's.  We make adjustment s if needed and identify areas we can improve the WMA in a whole.  When opportunities arise for funding to complete habitat or water projects it is the partnerships that work well together, often time the permittees are the first to help repair or maintain what has been done. Good partnerships and working together makes our WMA's a showcase for all involved.

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.