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MDF Stewardship Position FY24
Region: Statewide
ID: 6738
Project Status: Completed
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Project Details
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Need for Project
There are a myriad of habitat restoration and stewardship agreements for the benefit of wildlife that could be accomplished on private and public lands in Utah. In many cases, there is adequate funding under programs such as the Conservation Permit Program, Federal Farm Bill, Watershed Restoration Initiative, Invasive Species Mitigation Fund, Grazing Improvement Fund, etc. A significant limiting factor for initiation, implementation and delivery of habitat development work is limited UDWR staff. There are many opportunities to improve private, state and federal lands for mule deer and other wildlife which are not being taken advantage of due to this shortage of personnel. MDF has the organizational infrastructure and experience necessary to supplement statewide capacity through this and similar positions.
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
The Mule Deer Foundation will help fill the land and wildlife management agency staffing void by hiring and supervising a habitat development and stewardship project specialist, MDF is uniquely suited to pursue this type of work because of the distinctive organizational structure that promotes local chapter investment of funding and volunteer efforts, and its status as a non-governmental 501(c)(3) that offers flexibility in pursuing contracts and agreements with a broad array of conservation partners and contractors. The MDF habitat specialist will focus primarily on stewardship agreements, in cooperation with the USFS & BLM, on summer range improvement to benefit mule deer and other wildlife species. The MDF habitat specialist will also help secure funding and implement habitat projects on other state, federal, tribal and private lands.
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?)
N/A
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
Statewide and Unit-specific Deer Management Plans<p> Statewide Elk, Moose & Pronghorn Management Plans<p> USFS Forest Plans (Multiple forests)<p> BLM Resource Management Plans (Multiple districts)<p> Other conservation and land management plans as appropriate
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
Many projects will have a fuels component designed to protect life & property, proactively reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire, improve wildlife habitat and restore natural fire cycles.
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
Many of the projects completed by this biologist serve to directly or indirectly improve water quality and increase water quantity available on the landscape.
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
All projects undertaken by this position will adhere to required compliance thresholds, as required by funding sources, and federal, state & tribal regulation.
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
Duties to be performed by the MDF habitat specialist will include, but are not limited to: contact with landowners; coordination with federal, state and tribal agencies; attending regional WRI meetings; site preparation, seeding, herbicide spraying, mowing, conifer thinning/mulching, coppice cutting, burning, aspen protection, tree and shrub planting, etc. The MDF habitat specialist will annually complete 3 or more habitat and/or stewardship projects throughout Utah designed to benefit wildlife, with some flexibility based on the scale and scope of projects. Each of these projects shall be entered into Utah's Watershed Initiative project database (wri.utah.gov). Whenever possible, projects should be reviewed and approved prior to implementation by the appropriate WRI regional team and reported on after completion according to WRI rules. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in termination of this cooperative agreement as outlined in the existing agreement.
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
Will be conducted as needed on a project-by-project basis to meet the needs of MDF and conservation partners associated with those projects.
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
MDF frequently partners with most federal and state land management agencies through stewardship and other agreements and contracts. Private landowners statewide may also be partnered with on a project-by-project basis.
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
See individual projects submitted by the MDF Stewardship biologist or federal partners for details.
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
The majority of projects completed by this biologist will aim to improve quality and quantity of sustainable uses such as big game hunting, recreation, timber harvest, biomass utilization, grazing, etc. to meet land management agency standards.
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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