Project Details

The Lower Weber River Basin is home to some of the most densely populated areas in Utah. This has resulted in historic and contemporary changes to the landscape and streams within it including vast development of infrastructure, water systems, and unsuitable land management practices (overgrazing and stream homogenization/channelization). In contemporary times, fragmented and degraded habitats threaten the ecosystem, the species within it, and the human population. The NOAA Climate Explorer projects increased temperatures and increased number of dry days for the Lower Weber Basin and rapid development of the area continues. These factors raise resource concerns and suggests that available habitat for fish and wildlife will continue to decrease. Already, populations of green sucker and Bonneville cutthroat are imperiled. Therefore, this project is needed to ensure that the current available habitat is maintained and maximized. Removing barriers to aquatic organisms will reduce habitat fragmentation, installing wildlife-friendly fencing will allow proper grazing management that enhances habitat for many riparian and upland species including wintering habitat for elk and deer, restoring and protecting floodplains will reduce fire risk and improve water quantity and quality during dry years and seasons, reducing sediment inputs in streams will improve fish and macroinvertebrate habitat and reduce cost and maintenance efforts incurred by water-distribution facilities, improving habitat complexity will improve the ability for fish and wildlife to persist throughout disturbances, and strategically implementing project elements with volunteer assistance and at education facilities (i.e., the Ogden Nature Center) will allow the general public to become more educated about watershed health.

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.

The purpose of this project is to improve ecological resiliency in the Lower Weber River Basin, where projected climatic trends and habitat degradation threaten at risk species. Objectives to meet this purpose include 1. Recover aquatic-organism passage at Beaver Creek to allow fishes in the South Fork Ogden River to access additional spawning habitat (up to 89 miles of perennial and ephemeral streams above the barrier), 2. Implement riparian fencing and grazing management strategies at Beaver Creek to prevent stream degradation and improve habitat for terrestrial species, 3. Use process-based restoration on Cottonwood Creek to recover and improve heterogeneous habitat and riparian health, 4. Improve and protect floodplain access on the mainstem Weber River while reducing sedimentation of the Stoddard-Peterson reach, 5. Make habitat improvements at the Ogden Nature Center by building beaver dam analogs to restore stream structure, expand riparian vegetation through stream restoration practices and native plantings, and restore upland areas to improve habitat for beavers, migratory birds, waterfowl, native pollinators, fish, amphibians, bats, and mule deer, while reducing fire risk by capturing sediment and reconnecting the floodplain, and 6. Demonstrate methods to reduce conflicts between humans and beavers and educate the public about the importance and value of beavers on the landscape.

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.

This project improves the ecological resiliency of the Lower Weber River. Species of concern including the green sucker and Bonneville cutthroat trout (the Utah State Fish) are at risk in this location due to increasing variability/extremes in weather patterns and reduced habitat availability resulting from habitat degradation and fragmentation. For example, 10 miles of the mainstem Weber River between Riverdale Bench Canal Diversion and Marriott-Slaterville Canal Diversion becomes uninhabitable to Bonneville cutthroat trout during dry years due to water temperature regimes that would result in mortality. Similarly, available habitat to bluehead sucker is lacking and is likely a limiting factor in their recovery according to Webber et al. 2012. The NOAA Climate Explorer projects increased temperatures and increased number of dry days for the Lower Weber River Basin; therefore, it is imperative that we immediately work to maintain and enhance habitat in the Lower Weber River to improve resiliency of the ecosystem and the species it supports. Each project element addresses foreseeable or already occurring problems that are related to publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents (see "Relation to Management Plans Section" for further details regarding management plans and benefited species).

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 Beaver Creek Aquatic-organism Passage element addresses fluvial Bonneville cutthroat trout passage and access to spawning habitat, which is considered an urgent need by the 2014 Weber River Watershed plan and by the Region-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (Lentsch et al. 2000). 
The Beaver Creek fencing and grazing plan element addresses grazing practices that affect wildlife habitat and riparian health (including habitat for ruffed grouse, dusky grouse, and white-tailed jackrabbit, wintering habitat for mule deer, and crucial wintering habitat for elk). This is in line with the Utah Upland Game Management Plan, the Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan, the Elk Herd Unit Management Plan Elk Herd Unit # 4 Morgan-South Rich August 2016, and the 2014 Weber River Watershed plan. Additionally, water quality on the South Fork Ogden River currently does not meet water quality standards due to nutrient and eutrophication (Ogden River 9-Element Watershed Plan 2023). This project will reduce nutrient loading by adding fencing that will reduce cattle impacts on Beaver Creek, which is in line with management practice suggested by the watershed plan. 
The Cottonwood Creek Process Based Restoration element addresses floodplain access, improved quantity and temperature of water during summer months, more heterogenous habitat including pool formation large woody debris using process-based restoration (e.g., PALs). These actions support the Lower Weber River Sub-watershed Plan (2019) by ensuring that clean cold water is delivered to a portion of the Weber Rive that has been heavily altered and at times has been considered impaired based on macroinvertebrate communities. Additionally, this project helps to provide habitat and support to spawning fluvial Bonneville cutthroat trout (Budy et al. 2020) and is in line with recommendations by the the Region-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (Lentsch et al. 2000).
The mainstem bank stability and floodplain connectivity project will reduce sediment loading in the mainstem Weber River especially in the Stoddard-Peterson Reach, which suffers from chronic low flows and sedimentation of substrate. This is in line with recommendations from the Weber River Basin Planning for the Future Utah State Water Plan (2009) and the 2014 Weber Watershed Plan. Additionally, a portion of this element intersects with an impaired reach of the Weber River that is listed as impaired based on macroinvertebrate bioassessments (Final 2022 Integrated Report on Water Quality), and high sediment loading is a likely contributor to poor health of the macroinvertebrate community. 
The habitat improvements at the Ogden Nature Center support the Utah Beaver Management Plan by increasing awareness and appreciation for the role of beavers in Utah's ecosystems and working to improve riparian habitats, associated streams, and wetlands.

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.

One of the primary goals of this project is to improve habitat quality in the Weber River system and to address degradation of water quality. The source of water quality degradation has not been thoroughly quantified throughout the basin, but the most likely causes are channelization, erosive action, a lack of floodplain connectivity, and lack of quality riparian vegetation buffers. Additionally, stream-bank erosion is a major contributing factor to suspended sediment loading and sedimentation of substrates, which negatively impacts macroinvertebrates and fishes. The floodplain and stream-bank stabilization project element will address erosive banks at the Morgan Ranch that are estimated to contribute 405 tons/year of sediment and erosive banks near the 2015 Thurston property project that are believed to have released about 300 tons of sediment in 2023. To reduce water-quality degradation resulting from these massive inputs, we will use natural channel design features to return the stream to a sustainable state of equilibrium. Other project elements will address hydromodifications by implementing process-based restoration, which will help to trap sediment, return streams to a natural state of equilibrium, and protect/revegetate riparian areas. Further, water quality on the South Fork Ogden River, which currently does not meet water quality standards due to nutrient and eutrophication (Ogden River 9-Element Watershed Plan 2023), will be improved by cattle exclusion fencing on Beaver Creek.

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.

Recovering aquatic-organism passage at Beaver Creek will be done by removing the diversion dam that is in place. We are currently exploring two options for ensuring the owner retains access to their water right -- 1. if feasible, the surface water right may be converted to a groundwater right and a well would be installed or 2. the diversion will be rebuilt using a natural-channel design that does not restrict fish movement and improves the ability to manipulate the quantity of water and measure flow.
Riparian fencing and grazing management strategies will be implemented at Beaver Creek to prevent stream degradation, reduce nutrient loading in Beaver Creek and the South Fork Ogden River, and improve habitat for terrestrial species. Fencing will be installed according to suggestions by the "Fencing with Wildlife in Mind" document produced by Colorado Division of Wildlife. By installing fence along the riparian corridor and splitting the 300-acre field into 2 or 3 smaller fields many grazing strategies will become available (e.g., rotational grazing, seasonal grazing, etc.). Then, after vegetation surveys are completed, a grazing prescription designed to reduce invasive species and enhance wildlife forage will be devised. 
Process-based restoration will be used on Cottonwood Creek to recover and improve heterogeneous habitat and riparian health. This will primarily include the implementation of post assisted log structures. Any materials used will be natural (i.e., wood) and posts will be untreated.
To improve and protect floodplain access on the mainstem Weber River while reducing sedimentation of the Stoddard-Peterson reach we will use natural-channel design principles and implement toe-wood structures and J-hooks to nudge the current unstable channel to a sustainable point of equilibrium. 
We plan to install beaver dam analogs on the northern extent of the Plain City Canal at the Ogden Nature Center. Untreated pre-sharpened wood posts will be used for the beaver dam analogs. Volunteers will fill in the gaps between fence posts with materials found on site (rocks, branches, etc.). Exact placement of structures will be determined after consultation with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 
We will plant at least 500 plants (native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species) along the riparian corridor at Ogden Nature Center with a large focus on willows. We will consult range maps in the NRCS technical note (Tilley et al. 2012) for riparian species in the intermountain west. Plantings will coincide with beaver dam analog placement to increase water availability to young vegetation. Before revegetation, we will treat the area as needed to remove invasive species from the riparian corridor and surrounding uplands. Invasive species removal will be key to ensure survival and success of native plantings. 
To engage the public, Ogden Nature Center will host a community event focused on beavers and low-tech restoration practices. We will invite a variety of stakeholders including families, agency professionals, producers, and community members interested in coexistence with beavers, particularly in an urban setting. During events, we will also demonstrate areas that have been fit with mitigation devices such as beaver-pond levelers and exclusionary fencing. Furthermore, we will invite conservation partners to table at the event and will conduct a public viewing of the documentary "Beaver Believers" to encourage attendance.

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.

All project element locations will be photographed before, during, and after implementation. Additionally, photos will be taken opportunistically in the months and years following implementation. 
To objectively measure stream response, Rapid Stream Riparian Assessment (RSRA) surveys (Stacey et al. 2021) will be used for stream reaches where process-based restoration is used. Surveys using the RSRA protocol allow the stream reach to be scored on a scale of 1--5 with 1 representing highly impacted and non-functional conditions and 5 representing healthy and completely functional conditions. At locations on the mainstem Weber River, the bank assessment for non-point source consequences of sediment (BANCS; Rosgen 2009) model will be used before and after implementation to evaluate changes in the predicted sediment contribution within the reach -- a reduction in sediment contributions will be considered a successful outcome. 
Improvements to riparian and upland habitats resulting from fencing and grazing plans will be monitored using orthoimagery from unmanned aerial system, and on-the-ground vegetation assessments, which will include surveys for invasive plant species.
Additional monitoring will take place at Ogden Nature Center, where trail cameras and wildlife survey's will be completed to help characterize wildlife activity. Ogden Nature Center has been collecting monthly bird surveys, which will provide baseline data, and will continue to so during and after implementation.
Photographs, orthoimagery, RSRA reports, and BANCS model output will all be reported and submitted to the UWRI website.

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.

In-stream projects will use natural-channel design and process-based methods that are expected to have long lasting benefits and allow the streams to naturally maintain equilibrium. Nonetheless, monitoring (described above) will take place and required maintenance will be implemented as soon as possible if a project site can benefit from additional efforts. Additionally, small changes to grazing strategies may be made using an adaptive-management framework. Therefore, grazed fields will be evaluated periodically to determine if minor changes could improve results. 
In the Weber Basin, Trout Unlimited maintains 2 full-time staff and over 300-chapter members who mobilize as volunteers when needed. If management efforts are needed for any project element, the TU staff and volunteers will be available to take action.
Ogden Nature Center has been in existence since 1975 as an urban nature preserve and has implemented a wide range of projects to establish wildlife habitat from a landscape that was essentially scraped gravel. Our Board of Directors recently approved our coexistence strategies, which provides long-term support for implementing restoration practices at the nature preserve. Given the close proximity to urban areas, Ogden Nature Center is well-positioned to serve as a long-term demonstration of these practices to other landowners and stakeholders that are interested in restoration using low-tech process-based methods and beaver reintroduction.

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.