UTTR - Bug Hill South
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Project ID: 3177
Status: Completed
Fiscal Year: 2015
Submitted By:
N/A
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Project Manager: Russ Lawrence
PM Agency: U.S. Air Force
PM Office: Hill Air Force Base
Lead: U.S. Air Force
WRI Region: Northern
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Description:
Restore ecosytem functionality to the Lakside Bench that has been burned reatedly due to military training activities utilizing a mix of techniqes and native and non-native seed materials.
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Location:
Project is located north of I-80 (Exit62) on the Utah Test and Training Range operated by the US Air Force. It is the west bench of the Lakeside mountains bordering Puddle Valley on Air Force managed lands.
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Project Need
Need For Project:
Site is currently dominated by invasive species such as bromus tectorum. Project would replace low-quality invasive species with more beneficial vegetation for multiple wildlife species. This site is also a wintering ground for pronghorn.
Objectives:
Restore ecosytem functionality to the area south of Bug Hill that has been burned due to military training activities utilizing a mix of techniqes and native and non-native seed materials and to create a buffer from further fire events to the patches of good habitat that are adjacent to the project area.
Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?):
Fire may cross the County Road into the project area, however the series of fire breaks that a fire will have to cross to access this area greatly diminishes fire potential.
Low spring moisture could keep some plants from germinating.
Relation To Management Plan:
Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan
UTTR Wildfire Management Plan
Fire / Fuels:
Water Quality/Quantity:
Compliance:
2 PMArchaeology, Cleared through Air Force 813 Process, Af Archaeologist, Jun 28 2014 / 6 NEPA, NEPA will be completed using the AF 332 and 813 Process, Jun 28 2014
Methods:
Disc, land imprint, broadcast and drill seed.
Monitoring:
We will monitor the success of shrubs in relation to native versus non-native grasses. Response of small mammals will be studied as well, and Photo points and existing transects will be utilized to trend and assess success.
Partners:
Future Management:
This project are is free from any livestock grazing or any military activities and will stay wildlife habitat.
Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources:
| Budget | WRI/DWR | Other | Budget Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $0.00 | $59,281.82 | $59,281.82 | $19,200.00 | $78,481.82 |
| Item | Description | WRI | Other | In-Kind | Year |
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| Personal Services (permanent employee) | Air Force Labor-In Kind | $0.00 | $0.00 | $7,000.00 | 2015 |
| Seed (GBRC) | $0.00 | $59,281.82 | $0.00 | 2015 | |
| Equipment and/or Seed Transport | Two Air Force Tractors and Fuel | $0.00 | $0.00 | $5,200.00 | 2000 |
| Personal Services (permanent employee) | BYU Labor-In Kind | $0.00 | $0.00 | $7,000.00 | 2015 |
| Funding | WRI/DWR | Other | Funding Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $61,860.22 | $0.00 | $61,860.22 | $19,200.00 | $81,060.22 |
| Source | Phase | Description | Amount | Other | In-Kind | Year |
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| Brigham Young University (BYU) | NC883 | $26,860.22 | $0.00 | $7,200.00 | 2015 | |
| United States Air Force | N6532 | $35,000.00 | $0.00 | $12,000.00 | 2015 |
Species
| Species | "N" Rank | HIG/F Rank | ||||
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| Black-tailed Jackrabbit | ||||||
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| Golden Eagle | N5 | |||||
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| Mule Deer | R1 | |||||
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| Pronghorn | R3 | |||||
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Habitats
| Habitat |
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Project Comments
| Comment | 01/10/2015 | Type: 1 | Commenter: N/A |
| Equipment owned by US Air Force | |||
| Comment | 01/08/2015 | Type: 1 | Commenter: Russ Lawrence |
| Needs to be moved back to current to do a completion report. We went searching for this project and it had the wrong FY | |||
Completion
Start Date:
11/01/2014
End Date:
12/19/2014
FY Implemented:
2015
Final Methods:
We first used a one-way offset disc on the described area so that desirable seedlings would not have to compete with the previously dominant cheat grass. This left our soil more loose than we wanted, so we used a land imprinter to provide a more firm seedbed. We also allowed a rain storm (<1") to pass through in hopes that the moisture would also help provide a more firm seedbed. We then used a rangeland drill followed shortly by a broadcast seeder to seed the area. All implements were pulled behind full-sized tractors (NH T9020 & JD 63330).
Project Narrative:
Overall, we are pleased with the result of this project. There were some difficulties associated with the logistics of the man-labor. This project was the first following the implementation of a new contract with Brigham Young University. It took time to hire BYU employees and these employees were inexperienced in large-scale habitat reclamation. Ideally, we would have preferred to disc the land earlier in the year (October) and allow precipitation to compact the soil to provide a firm seedbed.
Also, we initially planned to broadcast seed in front of the rangeland drill . However, we found that the rangeland drill overturned too much soil and was burying the small broadcast seeds deeper than we desired. So we reversed the order early in the seeding process so that we would drill and then broadcast.
Future Management:
We do not foresee performing any future management to this are. We do have active plans to monitor the success of our reclamation efforts and if we feel that some additional management would be beneficial, then we will act appropriately.
Map Features
| ID | Feature Category | Action | Treatement/Type |
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| 4736 | Terrestrial Treatment Area | Disc | Off-set (1-way) |
| 4736 | Terrestrial Treatment Area | Land imprinter | Land imprinter |
| 4736 | Terrestrial Treatment Area | Seeding (primary) | Drill (rangeland) |
| 4736 | Terrestrial Treatment Area | Seeding (secondary/shrub) | Ground (mechanical application) |
Project Map