To Provide a more reliable water source for livestock and wildlife in grassy flat. Currently there are 4 ponds that are on the property, they provide water early but as the grazing season goes on the ponds tend to dry up. A better more reliable source will provide the necessary water for livestock and wildlife in the area. This area is crucial to mule deer, providing critical fawning habitat as well as summer and fall use. If the water system is completed it will help to use the property in a rotational grazing system, there are multiple pastures fenced and supplying water to each pasture will help to manage the livestock better and reduce the need of water hauling.

To provide a pump system on a already existing well, and to install pipeline to to existing watering facilities as well as a couple new ones. This will allow Grays to be able to control and manage the livestock better, thus providing a better constant source for the mule deer heard in the area.

Not having enough available water for livestock and wildlife, having enough water will distribute the livestock, allow for proper grazing rotation and keep the wildlife spread out and not all congregated in a small area. Proper grazing can also reduce the threat of wildfire in the area by reducing hazardous fuels.

Pine Valley Deer Herd Management Plan, Deer Herd Unit # 30 -Habitat management objectives: Maintain and/or enhance forage production through direct range improvements throughout the unit on winter and summer range to achieve population management objectives. Project will help improve crucial summer range forage for wildlife. Utah Statewide Management Plan for Mule deer. Strategic Management Plan for Wild Tukey-Division of Wildlife Resources. Grasses provide food for adults and are especially important to poults as an evironment where they can effectively forage for insects. Poults need an environment that produces insects and in which they can efficiently forage. Poults need an area that provides enough cover to hide them, but allows the adult hen unobstructed vision for protection from predators. Project area will be seeded to provide grasses and forbs for prey habitat for turkey. Pine Valley Allotment Management Plan-Coordination of with other uses (IX-b.) "This area supports a sizable deer herd, some turkeys, grouse, cougar, and many small predator, rodent, and avian species. The revegetation projects and water developments are benefiting the wildlife, in terms of increased forage, increased "edge", lower successional stages of vegetation and better water distribution."

There have been several vegetation treatments with the area to help reduce fuel loading within the area to help protect the communities within the area. Proper livestock grazing can and will reduce the fine fuel loads.

The project area is within the Mahogany Creek-Santa Clara River and Pinto Creek HUC 6th watersheds which drains into the Santa Clara River system (3 miles south). Proper grazing and suitable forage and will help maintain adequate ground cover to reduce the risk of detrimental run-off and erosion. By redoing the spring and fence the head off livestock and wildlife will not degrade the spring head, thus keeping the quality of the water clean. Quantity will be increased to the current system and water more available because of new tanks.

N/A All necessary clearances will be completed, the well is already existing, a metal pipeline is on the ground, the new HDPE pipeline will be installed next to the metal pipe, the bottomless tanks already exist and will just be lined with concrete. Project is on private land the project will have less issues with clearance.

The permittee if funded will begin work ASAP, he may contract out part of the project and install much of it himself. The new solar system will be installed and new pipeline ripped into the ground and troughs finished and installed.

Matt currently has 8 fenced pastures, by providing water to each pasture he will be able to have a rotational grazing system that will allow for rest during the growing season. The pemittee will set up a photo point in each pasture and monitor each year to check the health of the pasture. Salt or mineral licks will be placed in each pasture to help distribute livestock.

Permittee UDWR UGIP

The new water system in Grays' ranch will allow the pastures to be grazed in a better rotational system and allow grassy flat valley to be managed according to the needs of the health of the pastures and needs of the land owner. Each pasture will be given a chance for rest during critical growing seasons because the existing fences and permittee wanting to sustain his livelihood. Livestock and wildlife distribution will become better with a functioning water system and having reliable water in each pasture.

Livestock distribution will be improved on Grays Ranch with reliable water being available on Gray's Bench in Grassy flat. By having a more reliable watering system the livestock can be used better as a tool for fire reduction and rangeland health. The new system will allow for better overall use of the ranch, better livestock distribution and more even use of the available forage. Other added benefits will be healthier livestock due to a clean reliable water source, added weight gain to calves and stockers because of less travel and less stress on the animals.

07/01/2017

05/07/2018

2018

HDPE pipeline was ripped into the ground, and troughs, storage tank and a solar system were installed.

Grays ranch is smack dab in the middle of prime mule deer habitat. The area is used heavily by does and fawns, and big bucks alike. The only water source on the ranch has been a couple of ponds that are not always full of water. Like all ponds they rely mainly on snow melt and heavy rain events to fill them. Over the last couple of years the snows and rains have been less than sufficient. The Grays have a well that they have tried to use for irrigation, but due to the costs of pumping enough water for irrigating, they had quit pumping. A new solar pump was installed in the existing well. Over two miles of HDPE pipeline, six tire troughs, were also installed and two existing 30 ft ring tanks were set and sealed in concrete. Once the project was completed the pump system was delivering 20 plus gallons a minute to the system. This project area now has 5-6 grazing pastures with drinkers available in each, and some have more than one, a specific wildlife drinker was installed on the knoll in the middle of the property. This knoll is covered in browse and now has its own water source, as well as water surrounding the knoll. With the new system, the well, troughs and storage the Grays will no longer have to rely on rain and know fall for available water. This project will now allow them to have rotational grazing and allow them to better utilize the feed and have rest periods.

The landowner will maintain and keep the water system flowing for the benefit of livestock and wildlife. The landowner has plans to continue to improve his property for livestock and wildlife.