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.

The proposed project is consistent with and supported by the following management plans:
I. Dixie National Forest - Land and Resource Management plan - pp. IV-84, Standard: A. Maintain habitat capability at a level at least 80 % of potential capability for all emphasized species. And. pp. IV-112, 6A management direction, (1) Maintain and manage forested inclusions to provide a high level of forage production, wildlife habitat, and diversity.

II. Garfield County current desired future conditions and Draft resource management plan. pp. 5 Wildlife Goal: Prior to December 31, 2025, land managers will seek to have habitats supporting important fish and wildlife species.

III. Utah Statewide Elk Management Plan pp. 16, Strategies: C. Watershed Restoration Initiative, a) Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat. and b) Coordinate with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional WRI working groups to identify and prioritize elk habitats in need of enhancement or restoration.

IV. Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan, 2025. pp. 20-22 - Habitat Goal: Conserve, improve, and restore mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges.

Habitat Objective 1: Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts. 
Strategies: 
B. Habitat Management and Conservation
a. Work with local, state and federal land management agencies via land management plans and with private landowners to identify and actively manage and protect crucial mule deer habitats including summer (especially fawning), winter, and migration areas as defined in Sawyer et al. 2009
I. Wildlife-Friendly Fencing
a. Consider installing or modifying wildlife-friendly fencing for effective and safe mule deer movements.

Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a
minimum of 600,000 acres of crucial range by 2030.
A.	Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI)
a.	Utilize WRI as a tool to improve deer habitat with all partners across the state
b.	Continue to support and provide leadership for WRI, which emphasizes improving sagebrush-steppe, aspen, and riparian habitats throughout Utah
c.	Work with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional WRI teams working groups to identify and prioritize mule deer habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration (Figure 6). Emphasis should be placed on crucial habitats which include summer range habitats such as improving aspen, winter ranges sagebrush habitats, and improving riparian areas
e. Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve and restore mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that have been taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats, ensuring that seed mixes contain sufficient forbs and browse species

V.  Plateau Boulder Deer Herd Management Plan Unit #25C- Objectives:
1) Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the unit by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and
mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts.
2) Encourage vegetation manipulation projects and seeding to increase the availability, abundance and nutritional
content of browse, grass, and forb species.
Map 2.5: 2018 Desirable Components Index (DCI) ranking distribution by study site for WMU 25B, Thousand Lakes Plateau.
3) Seek cooperative projects and programs to encourage and improve the quality and quantity of deer habitat,
with public and private land managers to maintain a stable or upward trend in vegetative composition.
4) Provide improved habitat security and escapement opportunities for mule deer keeping habitat restoration projects a priority for wildlife

VI.Utah Elk Statewide Management Plan
This project helps to meet Population Objective 2 - Foster support among stakeholders for Utah's elk management program. Specifically, the project helps increase tolerance of public land grazers not enrolled in a CWMU or LOA by conducting habitat projects that will benefit livestock and wildlife. The proposed treatments will also assist with meeting Habitat Objectives 1 - Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock.

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.

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.