Indian Hollow and Delong Creek contain a conservation population of Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT), which are the only trout native to the southwestern Utah's Bonneville basin. The BCT population in was established in the mid-1980s in order to replicate the genetics of remnant populations known from the Southern Region at that time and has had a relatively stable distribution but somewhat variable standing crop since the 1990s (Hadley, Ottenbacher, Golden, & Whelan, 2010; Hadley, Golden, & Whelan, 2015). During the past 20 years wildfires (Sequoia, Sanford, Twitchell) in areas with high fuel loadings, disproportionate portions of vegetative communities in late successional stages and poor riparian conditions have resulted in significant negative impacts to core and conservation populations of BCT and their habitat in the Southern Geographic Management Unit (GMU) for the species. Populations that were most impacted lacked redundancy and resilience as defined by Haak, Williams, & Colyer (2011) and Haak & Williams (2012). In 2012 the BCT Range-wide Conservation team conducted a summer field tour to discuss wildfire impacts and possible ways to mitigate this threat. Recommendations from the Team were for Forest biologists to pursue proactive vegetation management projects that would both reduce the risk of uncharacteristically large, severe wildfires and improve the ability of riparian areas to buffer the effects of future disturbance impacts. The Dixie National Forest has recognized the need for wildlife habitat and forest health improvement in the Threemile Creek watershed for a number of years; however, higher priority projects, lack of funding and understaffing have prevented project planning in this watershed. Observations and data collected in the Indian Hollow and Delong Creek watersheds show both upland and riparian management issues contributing to stream and bank habitat degradation, as well as an increased risk of high severity fire. Wild and domestic ungulates appear to have several areas of concentrated use where they are impacting stream or wetland configuration and function within the proposed project area. With some exceptions (see Sarr 2002), published literature suggests that for the most part riparian and upland exclosures can be effective at improving ground cover, the diversity and vigor of vegetation communities, bank stability, fish habitat, wildlife habitat and in maintaining and improving hydrology and water quality (see Keller and Burnham 1982, Bock et al. 1984, Schulz and Leininger 1990, Overton et al. 1994, Line et al. 2000, Yeo 2005, Bayley and Li 2008, Raganath et al. 2009, Madsen 2010). Currently aspen, ponderosa pine and aspen/ponderosa pine communities in the proposed analysis area are succeeding to white fir and Douglas fir. The seral aspen component is in decline. Stand structure is predominantly even-aged with scattered uneven-aged pockets. In aspen stands the stand structure is predominantly even-aged. Both climax and seral aspen stands are in decline. Wildlife and livestock forage are suppressed and fuel loadings and ladder fuels, along with dead and downed fuels are increased. Removal of these fuels and the corresponding successional change would help provide resiliency to the vegetative community, wildlife habitat and ultimately to the municipal watershed. To aid in protecting the genetic representation of the Indian Hollow and Delong Creek BCT populations, increase resiliency of BCT in the Southern GMU, follow the recommendation of the Range-wide Conservation Team for BCT, improve wildlife forage, maintain and improve watershed conditions and reduce the risk of uncharacteristically severe wildfire the Dixie National Forest has identified the need to analyze vegetation treatments in the Indian Hollow and Delong Creek subwatersheds.

The Panguitch Municipal watershed NEPA project would be to plan treatments that would: 1) Maintain and improve stream and watershed function, as well as to benefit habitat for Bonneville cutthroat trout and other wildlife species. 2) Protect the municipal water supply of the town of Panguitch. 3) Reduce the risk of uncharacteristically severe wildfire. The project would be designed to protect and maintain BCT habitat as well as increase forage and cover in crucial winter range for deer and elk (as well as some substantial summer range for deer) which supports the WRI arm to enhance Utah's Wildlife and Biological Diversity. The project would also be designed reduce the risk of high severity fire and convert stands highly successed by conifer back to earlier seral stages which should support the WRI arm to enhance Utah's Water Quality and Yield for all Uses. Finally, treatments would be designed to protect the water quality and infrastructure associated with the Panguitch City water supply which supports the WRI arm of Opportunities for Sustainable Uses.

As highlighted under the "Need for the Project" and "Objectives" sections the current conditions of both vegetation and fuels within aspen, ponderosa pine, spruce-fir and sagebrush communities in the proposed project area create an elevated threat for a fire of uncharacteristically high severity within the project area. In areas that are currently overstocked, climate change is likely to further exacerbate the potential threat of uncharacteristically intense and severe wildfires. The risks of an uncharacteristically severe wildfire include, but are not limited to: 1) Increased erosion and sedimentation. 2) Stream channel incision and loss of fish habitat. 3) Potential loss of the Conservation populations of BCT in Delong Creek and Indian Hollow, as well as downstream portions of Threemile Creek. 4) Loss of later seral stage wildlife habitat. 5) Threat of noxious weed invasion and a change in plant community type. 6) Degradation of Panguitch City water supply and potential loss of infrastructure for that supply. 7) Loss (at least temporarily) of wildlife and livestock forage. More specific to potential treatments of pinyon-juniper throughout the various vegetation types are the risks of continued loss of vegetation diversity and continued elevated erosion rates if left untreated. Aspen has decreased throughout the Intermountain West during the 20th century, and aspen-dominated acreage within the five national forests of Utah has declined by 50% or more in recent decades (Kay and Bartos 2000, O'Brien et al 2010). Since aspen does not commonly reproduce from seed the loss of an aspen clone may be the loss of a long-standing aspen presence not easily recovered. Human intervention to reduce natural disturbance has resulted in conifer succession throughout aspen in the project are and across the Dixie National Forest. Not planning treatments in these aspen stands elevates that risk that they will be completely lost to conifer succession.

Utah's Wildlife Action Plan (WAP): The WAP identifies the following key habitats that may be addressed through project planning in the Panguitch Municipal Watershed NEPA project: Riverine, Mountain sagebrush and Aspen-Conifer. The WAP lists Inappropriate Fire Frequency and Intensity a high level threat for BCT and Aspen-Conifer Ecosystems with the following as potential conservation actions. 2.3.14 Conduct upland vegetation treatments to restore characteristic upland vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings. 2.3.15 Conduct riparian vegetation treatments to restore characteristic riparian vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings. 2.3.17 Apply or allow more fire in habitats/locations where fire was historically more frequent or intense. An objective for this planning process would be to design riparian and upland treatments to restore characteristic vegetation, and reduce uncharacteristic fuel types and loadings with the end goal to be able to allow natural ignitions to be managed for resource benefits in the future. The WAP lists Problematic Plant Species -- Native Upland as a Very High level threat to Mountain sagebrush communities with the following as potential conservation actions. Promoting and funding restoration that reduces the Uncharacteristic and surpluses of older age class, including: Dixie/chain harrow, brush mowing or other treatments that reduce the older age class and stimulate the younger/mid age classes; herbicide or mechanical treatment of non-native invasive species such smooth brome; single tree mulching/cutting of invading conifer. An objective for this planning process would be to evaluate the conifer succession into mountain sagebrush communities and design treatments to restore earlier seral stages. The WAP identifies that Improper grazing is a High Threat for Riverine habitats and BCT and recommends: 2.1.2 Adjust grazing practices -- per the grazing principles of timing, duration, and intensity -- to improve conditions of habitat, water and wildlife. An objective for this planning process would be to evaluate potential improvements to reduce pressure on key emergent and riverine habitats where livestock use is causing damage. Dixie National Forest Land Resource Management Plan (as amended)- Goal 14 -- Improve the quantity and quality of aquatic habitats through direct habitat improvement and increased coordination with other land use programs (page IV-5). Goal 15 -- Maintain or enhance the terrestrial habitat for all wildlife species presently on the Forest (page IV-5). Goal 17 -- Managed Classified Species habitat to maintain or enhance their status through direct habitat improvement and agency cooperation (Page IV-6). This project has the potential to benefit conservation populations of BCT. BCT are an Intermountain Region Sensitive species and is managed under Conservation Agreement and Strategy that both DWR and the Forest Service are signatories or involved partners. Goal 32 -- Design and implement practices on the ground that will reestablish acceptable soil, hydrologic and vegetative conditions that are sufficient to secure and maintain favorable water flow (Page IV-9). 10B IV-156 Municipal Watershed: Forest Plan Management emphasis is to protect or improve the quality and quantity of municipal water supplies 9A IV-135 Riparian Area Management: Forest Plan Goals of management are to provide healthy, self-perpetuating plant communities, meet water quality standards, provide habitats for viable populations of wildlife and fish, and provide stable stream channels. 6A Livestock Grazing: The area is managed for livestock grazing. Intensive grazing management systems are favored over extensive systems. Range condition is maintained through use of forage improvement practices. Investment in structural and nonstructural range improvements to increase forage utilization is moderate to high. If conflicts occur between livestock and wildlife in areas of critical wildlife habitat they will be resolved in favor of wildlife. 1 General Direction: Maintain Structural diversity of vegetation on management areas that are dominated by forested ecosystems. Manage aspen for retention wherever it occurs. UTAH MULE DEER STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN The project would be designed to help meet Habitat Objective 2 to improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer habitat (p. 19). Specifically the strategies to Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats improve aspen communities that provide crucial summer habitat by increasing regeneration and reducing conifer encroachment, improve aspen communities that provide crucial summer habitat for mule deer and manage portions of pinion-juniper woodlands and aspen/conifer forests in early successional stages using various methods including timber harvest and managed fire. UTAH ELK STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN The project would be designed to help meet to meet Habitat Objective 1 - Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. Specifically the proposed treatment will contribute toward increasing forage production by treating elk habitat, will be conducted on summer ranges (aspen communities) to improve calving habitat and will manage portions of forests in early succession stages through the use controlled burning and logging. Finally implementation of this and future portions of the project will help to promote let-burn policies in appropriate areas that will benefit elk. Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Bonneville cutthroat trout (Lentsch et al. 2000): As outlined in the Project Need, Water Quality and Quantity and Threats and Risks sections the planning for treatments proposed here will support the following objectives and actions from the BCT CAS: Maintain or restore water quality to a degree that provides for stable and productive riparian and aquatic ecosystems; Maintain or restore stream channel integrity, channel processes, and the sediment regime (including the elements of timing, volume, and character of sediment input and transport) under which the riparian and aquatic ecosystems developed;

Visual observation of current conditions in the spruce-fire, aspen/mixed conifer and ponderosa pine communities within the proposed project analysis area indicate overstocking of understory vegetation, elevated levels of dead and downed woody debris and predominately late seral stage vegetation communities. Projects envisioned as the outcome of this planning effort would be designed to provide a successional change back to ponderosa pine and aspen with a grass understory from a white fir dominated understory with large fuel loadings. This successional change will create a forest which will be able to survive a fire during a 90% weather event with minimal rehabilitation undertakings. The watershed in question functions as a municipal watershed for the town of Panguitch so maintaining a resilient vegetative component throughout the watershed would help to maintain and protect that water supply, as well as wildlife values at risk.

The proposed planning would seek to design projects that would regenerate grass, forbs, and shrubs in the understory which should improve water quality by leading to less generation of sediment during overland flow events and thereby delivering less sediment to a riparian area and stream. Additionally, vegetation treatments would be designed to reduce the risk of severe wildfire and all of the associated undesirable water quality effects. Some studies have shown that water yield can decrease (by ~5%) as areas succeed from aspen communities to conifer communities (Jaynes 1978, Bartos 2007). Similarly, some research indicates that pinyon-juniper removal in mountain sagebrush can increase soil water availability (Roundy et al. 2014). Planning in this project would evaluate conifer removal from sagebrush grass lands and aspen communities. These activities should have a net positive effect on increasing water yield/availability. Additionally the project would be designed to evaluate ways to maintain and protect the City of Panguitch's water supply.

Project proposal is to complete NEPA planning and associated compliance.

While the Forest recognizes the need to analyze for treatments to improve wildlife habitat, reduce fuel loading and improve forest health for the proposed analysis area, current funding levels and other Forest priorities have delayed the analysis for a number of years. Given the nature and scale of the proposed analysis and the treatments types that are envisioned the Forest believes that the analysis could be completed under Categorical Exclusion Category #6: (6) Timber stand and/or wildlife habitat improvement activities that do not include the use of herbicides or do not require more than 1 mile of low standard road construction. Examples include but are not limited to: (i) Girdling trees to create snags; (ii) Thinning or brush control to improve growth or to reduce fire hazard including the opening of an existing road to a dense timber stand; (iii) Prescribed burning to control understory hardwoods in stands of southern pine; and (iv) Prescribed burning to reduce natural fuel build-up and improve plant vigor. Some of the potential treatments that may be considered in the analysis include: Pinyon/Juniper stands masticator treatments on slopes below 30% and hand treated above that. Juniper treatment within the valley bottom adjacent to the Delong Springs. Fencing of this 16 acre area 16 acres with chain link fence. Prescribed fire treatments in aspen and ponderosa pine stands using multiple entries if the objectives are not attained with the first entry. Reconstruction/Relocation of foot trails within the watershed that are not at standard. Since the scale and complexity of the envisioned analysis are low contracting the analysis would probably be more expensive than providing overtime for current Forest employees to complete the analysis over and above their normal workload assignments (see attached financial plan).

Riparian vegetation -- Within the proposed project analysis area the Dixie National Forest has established three Riparian Level III inventories (Winward, 2000). The inventories monitor trend in vegetation composition along the greenline throughout the drainage and will help to evaluate changes in riparian vegetation composition along with repeat photography. Inventory sites are read on a rotating five year interval and will continued to be monitored for Forest riparian objectives. Results of riparian inventories are detailed in annual monitoring reports by the Dixie National Forest and can be uploaded to the WRI web site (see attachments). Stream habitat -- Dixie National Forest personnel have also begun collecting data on bank stability, bank cover and greenline to greenline width using the Multiple Indicator Monitoring protocol (Burton, Smith, & Cowley, 2011). Bank stability, bank cover and greenline to greenline width have been evaluated at all three of the Riparian Inventory locations in the proposed project analysis area. Additionally, a transect for monitoring bank stability, bank cover and greenline to greenline width has been established in the Ranch Creek headwater meadow to be protected by the proposed aspen worm fence. The goal is to resurvey these sites for bank stability, bank cover and greenline to greenline width every 5 years. Results of Partial MIM monitoring are detailed in annual monitoring reports by the Dixie National Forest and can be uploaded to the WRI web site (see attachments). Fish -- UDWR has four monitoring stations on Delong Creek and Indian Hollow that are visited every 5-7 years to monitor the status and trend of the remnant BCT population in this stream using density, standing crop and occupied stream miles. UDWR and DNF both summarize results of their sampling efforts in reports that can be uploaded to the WRI web site (see attachments). Upland vegetation -- Within the proposed project analysis area the Dixie National Forest has established three long-term upland vegetation monitoring plots. Similar to the riparian inventories these studies are repeated every 5 years and are detailed in annual monitoring reports by the Dixie National Forest and can be uploaded to the WRI web site (see attachments). Wildlife monitoring - The Utah Division of Wildlife regularly conducts mule deer and elk population estimates in and surrounding the project area.

The proposed planning for this project is a direct result of the Range-wide Bonneville/Colorado River Cutthroat trout Team 2012 summer field tour and adheres to the recommendations of that team to design proactive vegetation treatments to create fire resilient watersheds around core and conservation population of cutthroat trout. Additionally, the City of Panguitch, Garfield County and the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands are supportive of the project and have a vested interest in the project. The lands to be analyzed are completely within the boundaries of the Dixie National Forest with no adjacent land ownership.

The Dixie National Forest has invested a considerable amount of time and money to improve watershed condition and MIS and Sensitive wildlife species in proposed project analysis area, including motorized travel plan implementation, aquatic organism passage projects, planning for improved transportation systems and monitoring. As mentioned elsewhere in the proposal Delong creek and Indian Hollow hold conservation BCT populations. Ensuring that the representation and redundancy present in these conservation populations is maintained is a UDWR and FS priority. Both UDWR and the Forest Service are signatories to the Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Bonneville cutthroat trout which will continue to direct management toward maintain and improving watershed function instream habitat and riparian and upland vegetation projects, such as projected to be generated out of the proposed analysis. Grazing rest after implementation may be a project design feature used if use of fire is the primary tool used to treat the watershed. One of the goals of future planning is to be able to manage fire adapted ecosystems through a combination natural fire ignitions (managed for Forest Plan benefits) and low intensity prescribed fire.

The proposed project analysis area covers portions of the Red Creek cattle allotment and Little Valleys cattle allotment. The types of vegetation treatments envisioned for this planning effort all involve removal of overstocked conifers. Within the targeted vegetation types, early successional species following treatment will be grass, forbs and browse species more palatable as forage to both wild and domestic ungulates. With an increase in available forage the envisioned treatments could help with alleviating current utilization issues on the allotment by improving livestock distribution.

05/17/2017

04/12/2018

2018

Funding was used to pay seasonal work force for archaeology and wildlife surveys.

Originally this project was to conduct a NEPA analysis using a seasonal work force for data collection and pay permanent employees overtime to complete a NEPA analysis for vegetation and fuels reduction treatments on a 1480 acre project area surrounding the City of Panguitch's Municipal water supply. While the seasonal work force completed surveys, the 2017 Brian Head Fire burned a good portion of the planned project area leaving slightly over 262 acres in need of treatment. A Categorical Exclusion was completed and the Decision Memo was signed in April 2018 (uploaded in documents section).

Stream channel morphology and functioning has been negatively impacted due to the fire and exacerbated post fire runoff and erosion. Doing some of the needed channel work for in-stream habitat and channel stability improvement would be less effective while the watershed response is elevated and therefore, additional funds may be requested for riparian and stream channel treatments in future years after there has been some recovery to watershed response. Also, as monitoring of natural vegetation recovery determines areas where vegetation recovery is less than desired, future actions of planting trees, additional seeding, or fencing may occur. As well, there may be the need for more road/trail rerouting if elevated watershed response leads to road/trail failure for those roads/trails located in areas that were of marginal risk pre-fire. NEPA compliance has been completed for most of these possible future actions, and additional NEPA will be initiated for other needs if they arise. Additionally, a Large Scale Event Recovery (LaSER) proposal was submitted by the Dixie National Forest to the Washington Office asking for more funding to help with additional work needed to correct or improve conditions of resources damaged by the fire and post fire threats.