Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in the Southeastern Region provide crucial habitat for numerous game and nongame species. Many of these WMA's are in close proximity to communities throughout southeastern Utah. These areas provide recreation opportunities, including hunting, fishing, bird watching, wildlife viewing, etc., for DWR's constituents. Associated with many of these properties are valuable water rights, which need to be used and proved up on. Water rights are exercised on many of the properties through active farming and irrigation. Farming, watering, and maintaining these fields provide critical forage for numerous species on the WMAs.

1. Mark property boundaries and where feasible build and repair wildlife friendly fence to reduce livestock trespass. 2. Implement a noxious weed control program by inventory and spraying on an annual basis. 3. Improve wildlife habitat through restoration projects, farming fields, maintaining ponds and guzzlers, and reducing erosion. 4. Maintain public access and recreational opportunities on authorized roads/trails through road maintenance activities. 5.Exercise DWR's water rights on all WMAs

Failure to maintain WMAs will result in habitat degradation and loss; conflicts with counties, local municipalities, and adjacent landowners; and failure to meet and/or comply with legal obligations.This proposal will protect and enhance the WMAs for wildlife.

All of the SER's WMAs lie within key habitats identified in Utah's Wildlife Action Plan. WMAs support many S1-S3 species listed in the WAP including bald eagle, southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow billed cuckoo, flannelmouth sucker, humpback chub, Colorado pikeminnow, fringed myotis, greater sage grouse, mule deer, raptors, and neotropical migratory birds. WMAs also support a variety of important game species including mule deer, bighorn sheep, elk, wild turkey, chukar, and waterfowl. WMAs are within conservation focus areas identified by the Southeastern Region UPCD team. The proposed projects will address the following goals and objectives of the Division of Wildlife Resources most recent strategic management plan. Resource Goal: expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat. Objective 1: protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state by 2010. Objective 3: conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered. Constituency Goal: Achieve broad-based support for Division programs and budgets by demonstrating the value of wildlife to all citizens of Utah. Objective 2: Improve communication with wildlife organizations, public officials, private landowners, and government agencies to obtain support for Division programs.

Wildfire has long been an active part of healthy ecosystems in several habitat types. Fire/fuel reduction can be a tool to provide a greater diversity of wildlife when set back to an earlier seral stage. On the Gordon Creek WMA, smooth brome fields are burned on a 2-3 year rotation to remove old growth material and increase young succulent vegetation. The care takers at the Nash Wash WMA help maintain weeds (cheatgrass) by mowing or weed spraying to reduce fuels loads around the housing infrastructure.

Ponds/guzzlers are annually checked to ensure they are functioning properly and maintaining water for wildlife. Without regular maintenance many water sources would become non functioning and decrease available water. Maintain healthy wetlands, floodplains, and riparian areas on WMAs as they act like sponges, absorbing and filtering out sediment to maintain and improve water quality.

UDWR archaeologist will be contacted prior to undertaking any projects that may or are likely to require clearance. Surveys will be required for project activities having the potential to affect the ground.

The habitat manager and maintenance specialist will coordinate maintenance activities in the region with other regional personnel. Habitat section personnel will coordinate with the regional Dedicated Hunter (DH) Coordinator to find projects where volunteers can be used. Weed control will be done under the supervision of the lead maintenance specialist with work completed by the assistant maintenance specialist and seasonal employees. Fencing and signing of WMA boundaries will be done by maintenance personnel with assistance from seasonal. Road maintenance will be completed by maintenance specialists where possible. Irrigation and farming will be under the supervision of the habitat manager and lead maintenance specialist to maintain water rights and produce forage for wildlife species.

Properties that have conservation easement will receive annual monitoring. Monitoring will be completed through annual WMA inspections and observational weed monitoring. Wildlife will be monitored through annual surveys by UDWR Biologists. Many WMA's have range trend studies established and will continue to be monitored.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a partner on the Gordon Creek through an MOU. The BLM has created a buffer from grazing to extend the wildlife values of the WMA.

Wildlife Management Areas will be managed according to the Habitat Management plans that are completed. The Gordon Creek and Nash Wash WMA will continue to have crops planted annually and irrigated.

Grazing is a tool used by the Division to reach habitat management goals/objectives. Grazing will be used on an as needed basis on WMAs following the grazing plans contained in the HMPs for each WMA. Grazing will be permitted under the Divisions Land Use Rule.

07/01/2017

06/30/2018

2018

In FY 18 July-August, we had four seasonals, an increase from previous years. As the manager was on career mobility, there was shifting in personnel. We increased seasonal employees to help cover WMA management through the summer. In May 2018, three seasonals were hired to work on regional WMA's through the end of the fiscal year. The three seasonals are primarily responsible for spraying weeds and maintaining fences, along with other miscellaneous WMA work. Seasonals were all licensed through the Department of Ag. to spray herbicide. In addition to seasonals, we also had two caretakers at our Nash Wash WMA. These caretakers had been on the property for 4 years until resigning in June. WMA maintenance funds were used to cover seasonal salaries as well as mileage and fuel on two seasonal vehicles. It also paid our caretakers a $1200 stipend. At our Matheson Wetland Preserve, we had a water pump go out. Nearly $3,500 was spent on the repair.We also use funds to cover an air monitoring station bill on that property. Other funds used were for rental of equipment such as cement mixers. Approximately $1,500 was spent on seed for farming the Nash Wash and Gordon Creek WMA's. The remaining current expense was spent on misc. tools and supplies such as fencing materials, equipment repairs, uniforms, herbicide, and spray equipment.

On Gordon Creek WMA, seasonals spent a majority of their time spraying weeds. This property is actively farmed. Disturbance through disking fields can create a prime niche for weeds to invade so seasonals need to be vigilant on keeping on top of them. Musk thistle, houndstongue, burdock,cocklebur white top, and a small patch of knapweed are the weeds most often encountered. In Gordon Creek and Bob Wright there fields that are planted and irrigated to benefit wildlife. Crops include three-way grain, corn, turnips and beets, alfalfa, sunflower, and oats. Trail cameras are put in place throughout the property to see wildlife use. The tractor rental arrived late delaying the planting season in the Spring of 2018. Instead of getting fields planted in April, it was mid-late May. With a late start and minimum winter and spring precipitation, the productivity in the fields has been reduced. Irrigation of the fields proves water rights on the property. In addition to farming and weed spraying, fences were maintained. Fence repairs were done around the upper fields as well as the forest service boundary. In FY18 there were numerous incidents of trespass cattle and sheep on the WMA. These were addressed by identifying brands and owners and contacting them. The lower field maintenance was completed by the grazing leasee, Joe Sacco. In the spring of 2018 the Sacco's used the south pasture with a reduced season due to lack of forage and drought. Primary benefitting wildlife on the WMA and those captured on trail camera in the fields are deer, elk, turkey, dove, pheasant, bobcat, mountain lion, bear, and moose. At Nash Wash, Matt and Marty McCreary, our caretakers, continued painting and maintaining buildings until their resignation in June. Two fields in the Spring of 2018 were planted and irrigated. Water in Nash Wash was also very limited due to a lack of winter and spring precipitation. Irrigation on the property proves DWR water rights. Weeds on the property include white top, musk thistle, and some black henbane. Caretakers and seasonals sprayed 2,4-D on weeds on the property. Wildlife regularly using the property were deer, turkey, chukar, and bear. On the Upper and Lower San Rafael WMA's seasonals sprayed weeds and maintained fences. The Lower San Rafael river was dewatered in the spring of 2018 but the artesian well on the Frenchman flowed. This well was fenced to reduce damage at the well head from cattle. With the aquatics section, a pond was built at Fuller Bottom which will be used to raise roundtail chub. The Hatt's Ranch continues to be leased to a pheasant farm. There were trespass cattle entering Hatt Ranch from the north end. This will be addressed with fencing in the future. There were also several trespass cattle on the Frenchman. Due to limited precipitation and high cattle numbers, a lot of forage was reduced on the property. Livestock continue to be a concern on this property with access from the river. Primary wildlife on the property include threatened fish species, turkey, pheasants, deer, and some antelope. On the Matheson wetland, the water pump was replaced in order to fill the waterfowl ponds on the north side of the property. In the winter, quail from the Price office were captured and relocated to this WMA. Weed control was completed on the property through mowing and herbicide. Knapweed is prevalent on the property as well as kochia. The Moab Bird Day was held on the preserve in May, 2018. This WMA primarily benefits turkey, pheasant, waterfowl, deer, sensitive fish, and neotropical birds. The heron rookery was active on the property in the Spring. Lower Fish Creek and Cold Springs WMA's are the higher elevation WMA's in the region. Weed control was performed in both areas. Primary weeds are musk thistle and houndstongue. Primary wildlife are deer and elk, bear, forest grouse, and sage grouse. Lower Fish Creek is a blue ribbon fishery and is stocked in the spring with brown trout. Access to the newly acquired 5,000 acres is still being addressed. At Cold Spring WMA wild horses continue to be a problem as their numbers grow exponentially. Misc. projects include guzzler maintenance and camera, chukar captures, goose banding, installing cross-overs, and signage

The following projects will happen in the near future: Completion of the Nash Wash retaining wall Access clarification at Colton Mountain, Lower Fish Creek Walkovers at Frenchman Ranch Fence at northern boundary of Hatt's Ranch Prescribed burn on the Matheson Wetland and creation of the razorback pond Kiosks at the Matheson and Nash Lower Fish Creek cut and pile fuels reduction project Dove trapping at Gordon Creek