Project Details

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.

June Sucker Recovery Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1999.
Listed actions to achieve recovery include monitoring status and trends in the June sucker population. The June Sucker Recovery Program has established conservation and recovery action priorities that include population monitoring and acquiring funding for and implementing numerous research projects into June sucker life history.

Utah Lake Fisheries Management Plan
Efficient monitoring of multiple June Sucker life history stages in the Provo Delta and other locations in Utah Lake supports multiple objectives in the FISH goal of the draft UL plan.
Efficient monitoring/capture/removal of Common Carp and Northern Pike in the Provo Delta and other Utah Lake habitats supports multiple objectives in the FISH and HABITAT goals of the draft UL plan.  
Goal 1.  Manage the Utah Lake fishery to promote diverse fishing opportunities and support June sucker recovery. (FISH)
Goal 2.  Improve lentic and lotic fisheries habitat and water quality within the Utah Lake system. (HABITAT).

Utah Lake Authority Plan
Goal2: Restore and support existing robust and resilient fisheries in addition to populations of native fish and wildlife to Utah Lake.
Objective 2: Support the lead agencies' (JSRIP and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources [DWR]) efforts on the coordination of the working groups focused on efforts to study, pilot, and
implement programs around restoring healthy and resilient populations of native fish and wildlife to Utah Lake.

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) Underwater Diving
Scuba diving will allow certified personnel to conduct visual underwater surveys of deeper habitats where current gear does not reach. It will also enable surveyors to obtain underwater images and video of threatened June sucker for educational and public outreach purposes. Dry suits are needed to perform this work, which we currently lack. Our research indicates that specialized OS Systems stream counting dry suits are the best option and do not require special certification to use for diving. Two suits are being requested so that two surveyors can work in tandem, moving downstream through the deeper outflow channels and into deeper pools to estimate the abundance and document the distribution of juvenile suckers. These habitats are deep enough (6-8 feet) such that snorkeling will not be suitable for viewing fish. These types of suits cannot be rented, and wetsuits will not provide the needed thermal protection.

2) Trawling
Conventional seines are unable to be used to sample the deeper habitats which comprise much of the delta because they require wading. We have conducted extensive research which suggests that a "Siamese"-style trawl is considered to be the best and most effective option currently in the industry for our purposes. The trawl can be tailor-built to our specifications, with certain modifications to improve effectiveness and longevity. However, because large, potentially woody debris is widespread in the delta, we recommend securing two of these trawls in the event one is irreparably damaged so that the effort can proceed. The trawl will be affixed to the stern of one of our Crestliner boats and towed upstream along predetermined timed transects. Multiple transects will be performed in different areas of the delta within the deeper outflow channel and delta ponds. The mesh will be fine enough so that juvenile fish can be retained. After each tow, site location will be verified using GPS units. Each species will be counted, and length and weight measurements recorded for a subset of each species.

3) Boat Electrofishing
For monitoring communities in the delta channels and ponds which occur along the channels, the boat will meander through the delta and its course tracked using GPS. The intent will be to systematically survey the entire delta where depths are sufficient. Final shock time will be recorded so that catch per effort can be assessed and compared to other such efforts. The plan is to survey at a minimum during the spring and summer. Summer sampling has been shown to be most effective in other such efforts due largely to the greater activity in many species during that time of year. Spring sampling is also very important in the delta due to the presence of Northern pike, a recently introduced top predator, which threatens the suckers. The Apex unit, which we would like to retrofit to our existing boat electrofisher, has been used by UDWR personnel in another region and shown to be more effective at the range of conductivities that may occur in the delta depending on lake level. High lake levels can result in much of the delta being under lake influence, resulting in conductivities in excess of 1,000 uS/cm in many areas. Conductivity can also be very low in areas more influenced by the Provo River. Conventional units are typically less effective in these situations. It is critical to have appropriate equipment in the delta because electrofishing remains the best option to survey fish by active means.

4) Backpack Electrofishing
Backpack electrofishing has proven to be fairly effective at sampling smaller bodied fish in the delta like juvenile suckers, particular in areas of greater cover (i.e. woody debris and rooted aquatic plants). However, our existing Smith-Root 20B unit is aging, less reliable in that it frequently overloads or malfunctions, and lacks the capability to sample as effectively in areas of the delta with higher conductivity. A new Apex unit should have that capability and would also be much more reliable. It is a crucial piece of sampling equipment, not just in the delta, but also for fish sampling in many other systems. Surveyors use GPS tracking to monitor their course and record shocking time, number of species, and length and weight measurements. June suckers are also marked using various means if they are of sufficient size to track recruitment into the adult population.

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.