At 15,644 acres, Gordon Creek Wildlife Management Area is the Southeastern Region's largest WMA. Its high wildlife habitat values and close proximity to Price make it a favorite hunting spot for residents of southeastern Utah. It is home to 5,000 wintering mule deer and 300-400 elk. This proposal would lease the Summerhouse property grazing rights for wildlife within the WMA boundary. Since 1996, the DWR has leased 840 acres on the Summerhouse parcel for spring and fall elk forage and wintering mule deer. Due to a few springs and ponds, the majority of the elk in the GCWMA area use the Summerhouse parcel heavily. This lease has always been important for management of the WMA due to DWR's neighboring property. DWR's 2009 acquisition of an additional 2,589 acres at Gordon Creek that neighbors the Summerhouse property, make this lease even more crucial for overall WMA management. The Summerhouse property is unfenced and, with the recent acquisition, is completely surrounded by the Gordon Creek WMA. The landowners of the Summerhouse property needs to make money on their property and have been pursued by livestock operators who would like to lease the property for cattle and sheep grazing. Carbon County is a "fence-out" county which means that DWR has the burden of building/maintaining a fence and/or keeping trespass livestock off the WMA from neighboring lands. If this property was leased by a livestock operator, livestock would move throughout WMA and DWR's ability to manage the property for wildlife would be impaired. The Summerhouse property owners appreciate wildlife and habitat and therefore have accepted DWR's offer to lease the property for wildlife. This lease reduces heavy cattle and sheep grazing and leaves forage for deer and elk winter and spring use. Also, by leasing the property, livestock grazing trespass issues are lessened on the WMA.

1. Lease 840 acres of land for deer and elk 2. Protect the Gordon Creek WMA from livestock use and trespass

The Summerhouse property is unfenced and is completely surrounded by the Gordon Creek WMA. The landowners of the Summerhouse property need to make money on their property and have been pursued by livestock operators who would like to lease the property for cattle and sheep grazing. Carbon County is a "fence-out" county which means that DWR has the burden of building/maintaining a fence and/or keeping trespass livestock off the WMA from neighboring lands.

Gordon Creek Habitat Management Plan

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There are several pond on the property that provide good wildlife habitat.

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Lease 840 acres of private land that would otherwise be grazed by livestock. From 1996 to 2008, the property was leased on an annual basis. A five-year contract was established in January 2010 and renewed in 2015. This proposal requests $4,000 to fund Year 3 of the 5 year lease (expires 2020).

The 820 acres will be managed for wildlife habitat. Seasonal crews will spray noxious weeds.

1. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 2. Oman Estates

The lease agreement is contracted for 5 years at a time. This is year 3 of the current agreement.

Since DWR has lease the property, all livestock grazing has been discontinued within the Summerhouse area.

07/01/2017

06/30/2018

2018

Payment on the lease was processed on June 1, 2018. The property was managed according the lease. Weed management occurred on the property using 2,4-D to control noxious weeds, primarily musk thistle. Weed treatment occurred during the month of June. The property was also monitored for trespass livestock grazing. Owners of any livestock near the property, according to brand, were called immediately to remove livestock to reduce the risk of trespass livestock.

The lease is for the purpose of forage availability for wildlife that inhabit the area. The lease also includes the lease of water rights. DWR, as lessee, is obligated to control noxious weeds and maintain fences. Obligations of the lease were met.

The property will continue to be managed for deer and elk, with the option for sportfish. Roads in the area are being degraded making access to the property difficult. Caution should be exercised near the property as erosion has resulted in exposed power lines from oil and gas infrastructure.