Establishment of tamarisk and other non-native invasive plants along the Middle Colorado River Basin (MCRB) during the 20th Century has significantly impacted riparian and aquatic habitats. Dense stands of tamarisk displaced native plants, degraded wildlife habitat, reduced livestock forage, limited human access, interfered with the natural fluvial processes, and increased the risk of severe wildfires. In addition to terrestrial impacts, tamarisk impacts aquatic systems by eliminating side channel and backwater habitats that provide critical spawning and nursery habitat for native fish by trapping sediment. This reduction of habitat complexity in stream channels negatively impacts rare native fishes, and reduces the input of key nutrients that support aquatic food webs (Graf 1978, Geological Society of American Bulletin 89:1149-1501; Bailey et al. 2001, Wetlands 21:442-447; Keller et al. 2014, Environmental Management 54:465-478). Inventory and monitoring of riparian habitats by the Tamarisk Coalition and the USGS revealed a pattern of establishment and spread of very dense stands of tamarisk accompanied by the displacement of diverse native plant communities along major stretches of the Colorado River Basin. As part of a statewide effort, Grand County released tamarisk leaf beetles (Diorhabda elongata) in several locations on the Colorado River in 2004. Tamarisk in the entire Colorado River Corridor "browned out" by 2007, and the leaf beetle was fully established in this region. In 2006/07 State, Federal, County, non-profit and private organizations identified and began treating over 4,000 acres of impacted riparian habitat dominated by tamarisk and other invasive plants in an effort to restore native vegetation and improve the quality of riparian and aquatic habitats. In addition, tamarisk trees are definitely feeling the effects of the leaf beetle, and are beginning to die in many areas along the river, falling into the river or standing dead (or nearly dead) on the banks of the river. Monitoring efforts show that in some areas native plants are beginning to establish under the declining tamarisk, although in other areas Russian knapweed and other exotic plants are dominating. In addition, Russian olive, elm and tree of heaven are establishing in some areas as tamarisk decline, as well as Ravenna grass. The proposed project is needed : (1) to keep Ravenna grass, Russian olive, elm and tree of heaven out of areas where tamarisk is in decline along over 200 miles of the river and its side canyons; (2) to continue to manage 300 acres of previously treated areas in need of follow-up weed treatments; (3) to implement active revegetation efforts in areas where passive regeneration has not occurred, or in high use areas where active recreation inhibits restoration; (4) re-connect side-channels which provide important backwater habitat for juvenile native fish while restoring channel complexity; and (5) to contain Russian knapweed in areas that regularly flood, and control it in areas that are not often flooded but can become vector points for seed spread. This proposal builds off of years of previous WRI-funded projects, as well as links projects funded through other grants or agency budgets. This project continues the collaborative and cooperative approach adopted in FY 2018, and links projects througtout the watershed. By grouping many projects around the area together, continuing follow up work at locations initially treated a decade ago, and building off those locations where native plants have gained an advantage over tamarisk and olive, we increase our efficiency in regenerating a vast amount of habitat in connected but distinct areas, without disturbing areas so large that the disturbance creates other issues. An attached SCOPE OF WORK will provide details about the project locations and work anticipated in FY 2019. If the work of WRI project #4009 is any indication, it is probable that other funding will become available during this work cycle, allowing us to increase our impact in an organized manner. Without WRI funding, some of these projects would not move forward, and certainly would loose connectivity to other work. WRI and UPCD help soften agency boundaries and jurisdictions and can settle contentious issues with property ownership on the river. By setting forth collaborative projects funded through WRI, agencies can work effectively across administrative boundaries, which reduces costs in the long run. This project exemplifies what can happen when multiple state, federal, county, private and nonprofit organizations come together under common goals. This project also seeks to incorporate social goals and involve community members and organizations in river conservation, as outlined under the partners section. Effective collaboration increases the impact of every partner, large or small, and provides many opportunities to link this conservation work to the larger community of Moab and its visitors.

The overall project goal is to work towards increasing native plant cover in locations along the Colorado and Green Rivers. The intention is to improve native plant diversity and build overall resilience in these river systems as the tamarisk presence has been changed by the leaf beetle establishment in 2004 and activity since that time. Work at new project locations should be viewed as an opportunity to initiate changes to encourage native plant regeneration and enhance or protect backwater habitats rather than the last opportunity for this type of work. At other sites, the work is intended to further past efforts, and is also not an end. The first work priority is to reduce, or eliminate when possible, the invasive tree species that are not yet dominant in the system. These include Russian olive, elm, locust, tree of heaven and in some cases mulberry trees. These are to be removed (when in groupings over 3 trees) or treated and left standing (when trees are individual, using herbicide in a frill or girdle cut treatment). Triclopyr is the herbicide of choice based on BLM documentation and Pesticide Use Proposal (PUP) for most of this work, except when species treatment suggests otherwise. Ravenna grass is a perennial grass of particular importance that also needs to be addressed during this project. This very distinctive grass can be dug out when it is found. First bag all seed heads. It is important to record GPS locations of Ravenna grass for future monitoring and follow up. Tamarisk biomass removal will be the most visible task of this project, and in most areas only a portion of the tamarisk biomass will be removed. The project proposal cites removing 30% of the invasive species biomass at each site to encourage native plant regeneration. In areas of high tamarisk concentration, begin tamarisk removal at native plants found on site, and move out from these native plants in irregular patterns until 30% removal is completed. In areas where backwater and slackwater occurs, removal of dying tamarisk biomass will help reduce debris falling into the river, which will help keep existing backwater and slackwater from filling in. Removal of 100% of the tamarisk biomass will only occur in sites where the overall invasive plant composition is 30% or less. This occurs in some retreatment sites. See notes for each specific site for clarification. In some areas active restoration will be implemented. These locations are mostly where the removal of tamarisk has resulted in large areas of bare earth, or locations where annual exotics have continued to dominate the site many years after initial removal was complete. In these areas seeding may be done, as well as some containerized plantings of locally sourced plant materials. More detail about active revegetation is included in the attached SOW. Revegetation work will take into account the need for knapweed and other herbaceous invasive weed control. Progress will be assessed based on long-term ecological objectives for each project location including: (1) reducing live tamarisk to less than 5 percent of the vegetation cover in the long term; (2) reducing other herbaceous invasive, non-native plants to less than 15 percent of the vegetation cover, and preventing other woody invasive plants from forming well established thickets from which they will spread; (3) maintaining total vegetation cover equal to or greater than 30 percent even during removal processes; and (4) documenting passive recruitment of native plants towards species-specific thresholds in the riparian corridor. In the Matheson wetland preserve, reducing bullrush densities to promote open water for waterfowl and amphibians. This will be done by using prescribed fire to burn the bullrush areas. Burning has occurred in the same areas in the past and it has been determined to maintain open water prescribed burning will need to occur ever 5-7 year. In addition to these restoration goals, this project will enable partners to conduct outreach events to the local community and engage people with natural resource management. Social goals for this project include: (1) engaging with local community members and visitors to inspire them about river restoration efforts; (2) decrease river degradation in high use areas through interpretation located within active restoration projects; (3) educate and inform visitors about sensitive riparian species and efforts to mitigate loss of habitat through hands-on learning in tree planting events; (4) hiring local crews and organizations to stimulate the local economy through river restoration.

A variety of threats that have degraded riparian habitat throughout the riparian and adjacent upland areas in SE Utah will be addressed with this proposed work. Dramatic increases in recreation volume has damaged native plant communities in some areas, and leads to increased spread of noxious weeds. Dense stands of tamarisk have increased fuel loads in riparian areas and nearby uplands, where there are many campgrounds and other high use recreation areas. Coupled with altered river flows, the deep root systems of tamarisk and Russian olive have altered the sediment transport balance and in some areas simplified riverine habitat along vast stretches of the Colorado and Green Rivers, and up some critical side drainages. Many of these stretches are also dominated by a suite of invasive, non-native plants that accompany such as Russian Knapweed and Kochia. Another risk is that past restoration investments to effectively restore native plant communities to a healthier, increasingly self-sustaining level are not completed. All native plant regeneration work requires follow up to ensure effectiveness. In the areas proposed within this project, invasive plant densities are not yet reduced to a level of low-intensity maintenance; failure to build on past work in these areas in a timely manner will detract from previous restoration efforts and increase costs down the road for improving habitat and reducing fuel loads. Russian Olives and Elms in particular have increased in many stands of declining tamarisk trees. Knapweed spread out of the regular flood zone into transitional zones and upland areas can be contained to some degree, but requires regular follow up. With increased decline of tamarisk, and in some cases mortality, there are now very dense stands of dead and dying tamarisk that may be stuck within an ecological threshold. By approaching this project through a phased approach (as outlined in methods and the attached SOW), we will help tip the ecological threshold to a more diverse and sustainable plant community perhaps more quickly than it may regenerate on its own. Careful and incremental tamarisk removal can prevent these areas from transitioning to thickets of Kochia, Russian Knapweed and other herbaceous noxious weeds, or to dense stands of Russian olive, elm and tree of heaven. There are no negative impacts to conducting careful and incremental treatments at this time. As beetle monitoring conducted by Grand County have shown, tamarisk mortality has been increasing over the past decade since the beetle introduction. Without management intervention, we may see the areas of the riparian community and adjacent uplands areas in this ecosystem transition to a new suite of woody and herbaceous weeds rather than to robust native plant communities. Acting now to revegetate these important riparian and adjacent upland communities will help them become more resilient and supportive of wildlife and livestock while significantly reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

(1) The Moab Field Office (MFO) Programmatic Invasive Species Management Plan (PISMP) is an integrated pest management approach to eradicate, contain, control and prevent targeted weeds within the MFO. The desired goal is to contain or control the spread of invasive species and eradicate species that pose the greatest threat to the biological diversity within the MFO, and prevent any new weeds from becoming established by utilizing a wide range of treatment options (i.e. mechanical, manual, herbicide, etc.). The resulting proactive management of these plants would promote the area's ecosystem health and promote diverse native communities by maintaining and improving native forbs and grass species, increasing the regeneration of native cottonwoods and willows in riparian corridors, and ultimately preventing the loss of wildlife habitat, species diversity, and wildfire risk. (2) Moab BLM Resource Management Plan (RMP) prioritizes management of riparian vegetation and emphasizes the control of noxious weeds, prevention of the spread of invasive species, and restoration of vegetated areas. Reduction of tamarisk and restoration of native riparian vegetation addresses management objectives for improving the quality and health of riparian habitats while improving the quality of resources used in recreation and reducing fuels in a manner that decreases the likelihood and severity of wildfires. Specific management decisions in the RMP that are directly related to the primary objectives of the proposed project include RIP-9, which calls for restoring riparian vegetation "through biological, chemical, mechanical, and manual methods (e.g., tamarisk control, willow plantings)," and RIP-16, which calls for implementation of strategies to "restore degraded riparian communities" and "protect natural flow regimes." (3) The project addresses goals and objectives of the BLM Utah Riparian Policy, which states that "riparian areas are to be improved at every opportunity." (4)The NPS conducted an Environmental Assessment in 2009, with full compliance before it was approved. In particular, pages 4-5 in chapter 2 outline specific herbicides and management goals which are supported through this WRI proposal. (5)The Comprehensive Management Plan completed in year 2015, identifies the management of invasive species as a priority in section 2.4 on page 39 of the final plan. Specifically the document states: "Since 2009 the southeast area fire wardens removed 17 acres of tamarisk using the cut, pile and burn method" and further states that "The Utah Noxious Weed Act (Subsection R68-9) dictates weed control on sovereign lands, where all state listed weeds are put in to categories based on the threat of spread and the priority of removal." This indicates that State Sovereign Lands are to be managed for the removal of such noxious weeds. (7) The Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan calls for an emphasis on improving riparian habitat and use of seed mixes that include sufficient forbs and browse species (Habitat Objective 2). (8) Pursuant to the Utah Noxious Weed Act, Section 7, to every person who owns or controls lands in Grand County, Utah, that noxious weeds standing, being, or growing on such land shall be controlled and the spread of same prevented by effective cutting, tillage, cropping, pasturing, or treating with chemicals or other methods, or combination methods, or combination thereof, approved by the County Weed Supervisor, as often as may be required to prevent the weed from blooming and maturing seeds, or spreading by root, root stalks or other means. Listed species include hoary cress, tamarisk, Russian knapweed, and Russian Olive. (9) Middle Colorado River Watershed Cooperative Weed Management Area Cooperative Agreement - partnering organizations working along the Colorado River work towards the CWMA's goal "to promote an integrated weed management program throughout the MCRW-CWMA that includes public relations, education and training in the non-native invasive weed arena as well as inventory, monitoring, controlling and preventing the spread of non-native invasive weeds, sharing of resources, and designing other desirable resource protection measures relative to weed management." (10) BLM Healthy Lands Initiative: The project area has been identified as a focal area of this vegetation-resources enhancement initiative to restore and improve the health and productivity of western public lands. The Healthy Lands strategy increases the effectiveness and efficiency of vegetation enhancement treatments by focusing on treatments on a significant percentage of lands -- both Federal and non-Federal -- within six geographic locations, rather than focusing on the local project level. The strategy increases opportunities to leverage cooperative solutions across ownership's and jurisdictions. (11) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Utah Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Strategic Plan: This project falls within a priority area, priority habitat (riparian), and addresses threats to priority species (SWFL and YBCU). (12) Conservation Planning for the Colorado River in Utah: With the help of local and regional natural resource professionals, we have developed a broad-scale, spatially-explicit assessment of 146 miles (~20,000 acres) of the Colorado River mainstem in Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah that will function as the basis for a systematic, practical approach to conservation planning and riparian restoration prioritization. For the assessment we have: 1) acquired, modified or created spatial datasets of Colorado River bottomland conditions; 2) synthesized those datasets into habitat suitability models and estimates of natural recovery potential, fire risk and relative cost; 3) investigated and described dominant ecosystem trends and human uses; and 4) suggested site selection and prioritization approaches. Partner organizations (The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Utah Forestry Fire and State Lands) are using the assessment and datasets to identify and prioritize a suite of restoration actions to increase ecosystem resilience and improve habitat for bottomland species. Primary datasets include maps of bottomland cover types, bottomland extent, maps of areas inundated during high and low flow events, as well as locations of campgrounds, roads, fires, invasive vegetation treatment areas and other features. The attached document at the end of the proposal outlines a list of management plans and objectives which the BLM compiled for project number 3342 and 3572 for the Courthouse Wash Watershed, as well as another attached document outlining the BLM's management plan compliance for this current WRI project proposal. The BLM has completed the NEPA document and Pesticide Use Plans (PUP) to fully cover this work on BLM lands. Utah Wild Turkey Management Plan Goal A. Maintain and Improve Wild Turkey Populations to Habitat or Social Carrying Capacity Objective1.Stabilize populations that are declining outside of natural population fluctuations; especially through catastrophic events (i.e. following fires, severe winters, etc.). Strategy c: Conduct habitat projects to address limiting factors. Objective 2.Increase wild turkey habitat, quality and quantity, by 40,000 acres statewide by 2020. Strategy d: Conduct habitat improvement projects in limiting habitat(s). Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve Habitat Management Plan 1994 -Ecological Goals- 1-Preserve Wetland and Associated Habitat Patterns b-spring and fall migratory stopover c-nesting, young rearing, and year-round habitat for local resident wildlife 3-Enhance or create habitat for rare and/or desirable species, where possible, without damaging important existing habitat or wetland functions.

This project will decrease the risk of high severity wildfire by reducing dead stands of beetle-killed and declining tamarisk trees. Recent occurrences of wildfires in this river stretch have been high intensity with negative consequences including mortality of all native vegetation and up to 100% noxious weed infestation. Studies have shown that these stands of tamarisk as well as associated Russian olive can serve as ladder fuels, carrying fire into the crowns of native cottonwoods. Fire spread and intensity are enhanced when there is a buildup of dead and senescent material in the tamarisk crowns, as is currently the case. Treatments will begin by clearing these ladder fuels from around cottonwoods and other native plants to protect them in the event of catastrophic fires. Treatments in following years will expand these clearings as the cleared areas stabilize with lower growing grasses and forbs. Removing this fuel loading will promote the establishment of under-story native vegetation and will reduce soil erosion, which is critical to maintaining riparian ecosystem resilience. Dead and declining tamarisk poses a fire hazard to numerous recreation sites, campgrounds, roadways, structures, energy infrastructure, fire personnel, recreating citizens and endangered species habitat. The current fire regime condition class in the tamarisk galleries is high (3), and would be reduced to moderate (2) immediately after treatment. Additionally the removal of dead tamarisk trees would create breaks in the tree canopy where firefighters could safely begin suppressing wildfires. According to the Utah DNR Wildfire Risk Portal (Cat. Fire Map or UWRAP) the area is at risk of low to high intensity fire. The project area has had increasing wildfires over the past ten years since the release of the tamarisk beetle in 2004. Studies have shown that contiguous stands of tamarisk in the riparian zones lead to fire return intervals that are too frequent for the successful establishment of native cottonwoods and willows -- a key component of our restoration efforts on the Colorado, the Green, and their tributaries. In some areas, like the Castle Creek portion of the project, work will extend an existing fuel break that is protecting homes and infrastructure and will allow the completion of a phased removal of woody invasives from a previously treated reach of the creek. Other locations will improve fire safety near campgrounds and high use recreation areas, and other sites will protect critical seed sources for cottonwoods and other native plants critical for passive regeneration.

Tamarisk thickets tend to have higher cumulative rates of evapotranspiration than the native upland plant communities that it tends to displace from floodplain and adjacent upland habitats. Consequently, the project has the potential to reduce water lost through evapotranspiration in riparian and floodplain habitats and therefore increase not only the quality of water but the quantity as well. Removing tamarisk and Russian Olive from the banks of streams and riverbeds, will help establish natural hydro-morphological processes and more effectively distribute water resources throughout the project watershed area. After invasive species are removed, passive restoration of native plants as well as targeted seeding and planting of trees and shrubs will stabilize natural drainage conditions. With more stable and natural conditions, soil erosion and sedimentation rates will be reduced. Decreased erosion and sedimentation rates would be a direct improvement to water quality conditions. By removing Tamarisk and Russian Olive from the watershed in some areas we can promote channel dynamicism and therefore a more complex channel planform. Work during the first phase of this project created access to what are apparently old high flow channels and potential backwater areas. Opening access to these areas will allow for following projects to reestablish these high flow and overflow channels, increasing the potential for fisheries restoration in some areas. This can in turn improve water quality in the river over the long term. This effect from the removal of non-native woody trees will not be seen in the short time frame but would be apparent in the long term.

NEPA has been completed by the BLM Moab Field Office's Programmatic Invasive Species Management Plan (PISMP). The project area has a current federal Pesticide Use Plan (PUP). Archaeology clearance is usually not required for work within riparian lands adjacent to the river on State sovereign lands. However, if any cultural resources are suspected or discovered throughout work on this project all work will cease until expert archaeologists can assess and determine appropriate action. The State of Utah does not have a formal NEPA process to follow for restoration work but will defer to the federal partners involved to ensure compliance with any applicable federal restrictions or reporting requirements. The Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands can assist in any compliance documentation necessary to complete work on this project and looks forward to closely working with federal partners to complete all necessary permitting. This project is also broadly supported by the Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership's plan, and many of its members are listed as partner organizations. FFSL will write/update the burn plan for the Matheson Rx.

See Attached Scope of Work as well as Excel Workbook for detailed methodology information and specific project sites. The overall project goal is to work towards increasing native plant cover in locations along the Colorado and Green Rivers. The intention is to improve native plant diversity and build overall resilience in these river systems as the tamarisk presence has been changed by the leaf beetle establishment in 2004 and activity since that time. Work at new project locations should be viewed as an opportunity to initiate changes to encourage native plant regeneration and enhance or protect backwater habitats rather than the last opportunity for this type of work. At former treatment sites, the work is intended to further past efforts, and is also not an end. The first work priority is to reduce, or eliminate when possible, the invasive tree species that are not yet dominant in the system. These include Russian olive, elm, locust, tree of heaven and in some cases mulberry trees. These are to be removed (when in groupings over 3 trees) or treated and left standing (when trees are individual, using herbicide in a frill or girdle cut treatment). Triclopyr is the herbicide of choice based on BLM documentation and Pesticide Use Proposal (PUP) for most of this work, except when species treatment suggests otherwise. Ravenna grass is a perennial grass of particular importance that also needs to be addressed during this project. This very distinctive grass can be dug out when it is found. First bag all seed heads. It is important to record GPS locations of Ravenna grass for future monitoring and follow up. Tamarisk biomass removal will be the most visible task of this project, and in most areas only a portion of the tamarisk biomass will be removed. The project proposal cites removing 30% of the invasive species biomass at each site to encourage native plant regeneration. In areas of high tamarisk concentration, begin tamarisk removal at native plants found on site, and move out from these native plants in irregular patterns until 30% removal is completed. In areas where backwater and slackwater occurs, removal of dying tamarisk biomass will help reduce debris falling into the river, which will help keep existing backwater and slackwater areas from filling in. Removal of 100% of the tamarisk biomass will only occur in sites where the overall invasive plant composition is 30% or less. This occurs in some retreatment sites. See notes for each specific site for clarification. At all the identified restoration areas throughout the river corridor, a phased approach is planned for denser stands of tamarisk, removing no more than 30% of the non-native trees during this phase, leaving at least 60% of the existing vegetation and associated multi-storied canopy intact. This phased approach allows for better shading and cooler surface temperatures to promote passive restoration of native vegetation as well as habitat benefits for bird species. Crews will cut strips through thick tamarisk stands equaling nearly 30% of the total stand. These strips will then be seeded in the winter, and trees/shrubs will be planted in the fall. Crews will focus on the removal of tamarisk in high use areas, and areas with native trees such as oak, cottonwoods, netleaf hackberries and willows. These areas are being targeted to reduce fire risk, and promote the expansion of native vegetation and wildlife habitat. The removal of tamarisk from underneath cottonwood groves will promote the expansion of cottonwoods, and reduce the fire risk. Areas of high recreational use are at risk of human caused fire, which will damage native vegetation habitat areas; therefore these areas will also be targeted. In appropriate areas, we will plant cottonwoods and other species of trees and critical shrub species. Natural recruitment of cottonwoods and other tree species along the large river systems throughout the desert southwest is extremely limited due to changes in flood patterns and encroachment of non-native tamarisk and Russian Olives. As diversity is important, we will include a seed mix (attached) and other tree species such as netleaf hackberry and box elder as well as shrubs such as fourwing saltbush, New Mexico Privet, and Threeleaf Sumac. Local seed collection in calendar year 2017 and previously means that local genetic stock can be used in any replanting projects. In some areas plantings will be irrigated using barrels or in high use areas, asking recreationalists to water the plants while they are there. In other locations, long stem planting techniques will be used to establish trees and shrubs like cottonwoods, hackberry, oak, new mexico privet and three leaf sumac with little to no follow up watering planned. Longstem planting is more expensive up front, but this technique has proven itself at locations up Mill Creek among other places. There will be a prescribed fire with the Matheson Wetland to maintain the open waters in the wetlands of the Matheson Wetland. The burn plan will be written/update by FFSL. Implementation will involve partners from FFSL, DWR, Moab Valley fire and other fire certified personnel. The attached SOW and table of projects, along with the mapped areas, gives more detail about exact locations of work with a summary of the work to be done. The affected area polygon associated with this project refers to the area where mapping and monitoring will occur to reevaluate past project sites, as well as areas where the Partnership will scout for Ravenna grass, olives and other small patches of invasive species in preparation for planning for future work.

Monitoring will be conducted as part of this project to evaluate the success of the treatments and to evaluate any additional treatment needs. Monitoring efforts will be conducted prior to treatment, immediately after treatment, several times over a one year period after treatment and several years later. Baseline data collection will be accomplished in the spring and summer including water quality sampling in coordination with UDWQ, macro-invertebrates sampling using National Aquatic Monitoring Center protocols, shallow ground water monitoring, soil sampling, vegetation transects, insects and small mammal trapping, and climate monitoring (rain, air temp, soil temp, etc). Local researchers may conduct bird surveys in coordination with UDWR staff. Other monitoring efforts include assessing which treatments were most successful in order to improve treatment techniques over time. An initial monitoring report will be completed after treatment implementation. Rim to Rim Restoration has been collecting vegetation response data at tamarisk and olive removal sites along the main-stem Colorado River periodically since 2007 and completed new data collection at all river sites in 2017. In 2018 a summary report of the 10 years of data collection will be completed for review by project partners and others interested. Rim to Rim has found that annual data collection is not necessary at these sites after the first few years, but rather data collected every 3 to 5 years provides a good indication of site conditions once the initial disturbance has stabilized. The SE Utah Riparian Partnership will be conducting a re-assessment of ALL tamarisk and olive treatment sites along the River and side canyons where work has been done since 2007 in an effort to better understand the impacts of these projects over the long term. Rim to Rim Restoration will use an intern and staff time to collect this data and make it accessible to the entire group during the summer of 2018. Projects completed during phase 1 of this project will be included in this re-assessment. BLM Aquatics and Terrestrial Crews will conduct monitoring according to recently implemented AIM protocols. This will include randomly located vegetation transects with the purpose of measuring both overstory and understory vegetation change. Measurements will include line-point intercept cover, tree density, species richness, and seeded species frequency using BLM's Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) protocols. Repeat photography will be conducted from year to year for visual comparison. A sample monitoring report from Rim to Rim Restoration is available upon request, the file is too large to upload to the WRI database at this time. A report will be generated from monitoring data collected and funded through this WRI proposal, as outlined above. A first draft of the new, and more current, report will be available by June of 2018 and can be forwarded to any interested in reviewing it.

Most partners on this project work together through the SE Utah Riparian Partnership, a group of land management agencies, local governmental units, and other organizations interested in riparian work and health in SE Utah. This group has been meeting for 10 years. Bureau of Land Management The BLM Canyon Country District is fully involved with this project and restoration effort. The following BLM programs have supported and contributed to this project; Fire & Fuels, NEPA, GIS, Archaeology, Wildlife, Hydrology & Water Quality, Riparian, Botany, Weeds, Range, and Recreation. Additionally Fire & Fuels crews will help implement tamarisk removal and restoration work. The Weeds program will contribute time and herbicide for noxious weed control. Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands; Sovereign Lands The Division will assist through in kind labor working with crews on the ground, as well as project planning and monitoring support. FFSL has committed ample amount of time in helping to write and plan for this grant and the work to be completed throughout the watershed area. FFSL will write/update the burn plan for Matheson Rx as well as they will be lead agency on the Rx. National Park Service The National Park Service is supportive of the project and some NPS lands are included in the proposal along the Colorado River in Arches National Park. The NPS river program will also provide boats to be used to access restoration areas in labyrinth canyon and along the Colorado River daily section. Rim to Rim Restoration (non-profit) Rim to Rim Restoration (RRR) is involved in ongoing vegetation monitoring throughout the watershed area and has provided expertise in riparian restoration design and planning. RRR will use WRI funding from this project to assist with project coordination, continue data collection for long term vegetation monitoring along the Colorado River, and assist the land agency partners in planning restoration projects and non-native tree removal throughout the watershed area, RRR has many years of experience and expertise to contribute to this project. RRR is uniquely qualified to perform these tasks for the project due in part to their role coordinating the SE Utah Riparian Partnership. RRR has worked with FFSL, BLM, Grand County, Moab City, DWR and other local non profits and contractors for over 15 years, and can bridge administrative boundaries. RRR also has direct experience with running removal crews, revegetation implementation crews and growing locally collected native plants in SE Utah. Plateau Restoration Inc. (non-profit) Plateau Restoration Inc. (PRI) will use WRI funding from this project to complete work at Jackson Bottom as well as assist at other revegetation areas on the Colorado River. PRI is uniquely qualified for this work as they have been working in this area for over 10 years with the land owner as well as the County Weed department, FFSL and the BLM. Their ability to bring volunteers the site has been a valuable means for keeping costs low. Grand County Weed Department This local agency conducts re-treatments of tamarisk and herbaceous weeds, as well as provides technical assistance (e.g. sharing findings from biological control monitoring) to inform restoration work. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources This state agency provides technical assistance (e.g. surveying for side-channel project) and monitors the avian community along the UT-portion of the Colorado and Green Rivers to increase understanding of how restoration affects bird and aquatic species. DWR also owns and co-manages lands with the project area. They have actively actively removed tamerisk and Russian olive from their properties. DWR promotes wetland and riparian habitats in and along the Colorado River and is an active partner is this project. Such as the Rx in the wetland and the shrub planting that is planned. Utah Conservation Corps The SE Utah Riparian Partnership is open to working with all conservation corps that want to work in SE Utah, but over the past two years the UCC has worked closely with the SE Utah Riparian Partnership on this project and others and is uniquely qualified to provide consistent and efficient logistical support and project implementation on projects along the Colorado River. The regional coordinator is intimately familiar with these project sites, how to reach even the most remote, and what treatments work best in our region. The Nature Conservancy They own and co-manage lands with the treatment areas. TNC has actively removed tamerisk and Russian olive from their properties. TNC promotes wetland and riparian habitats in and along the Colorado River and is an active partner is this project. Such as the Rx in the wetland and the shrub planting that is planned.

The project is part of a multi-year effort that will require follow up re-vegetation and treatments to control remaining infestations of priority non-native invasive plant species such as tamarisk, Russian olive, and Russian knapweed. Repeated will be required to remove the remaining 30-60% of invasive species and apply herbicide to stumps and any re-sprouting invasive vegetation. Additionally passive restoration is a by-product of tamarisk removal and has shown impressive recruitment of willow in the annual floodplains. In addition to passive restoration and willow recruitment we will be seeding and planting trees in the removal sites each year of the project's duration. As outlined in the methods section, all partners will be revisiting each site for the next several years to continue tamarisk removal efforts. This year, the goal is to build upon areas of tamarisk removed at identified project areas by either following up on knapweed and other secondary invasives, or expanding removal areas to meet other restoration goals. The SE Utah Riparian Partnership will be working on a new Riparian Plan for our focus area (the drainages feeding the Colorado River from the Colorado stateline to the confluence with the San Juan River) in 2018. This project, particularly the monitoring phases of it, will feed the plan and the plan will inform future project proposals. We plan on submitting a collaborative proposal each year in the foreseeable future. This incremental and continued approach will ensure the highest success of these restoration areas. The long-term goal is to restore riparian and floodplain habitats in our area in a manner that creates diverse and resilient riparian communities comprised primarily of native plant species as a means of improving the condition of riparian and aquatic habitats. By promoting native vegetation throughout the river corridor, it is anticipated that this will support more complex channel habitats and promote channel dynamicism in the future. The SE UT Riparian Partnership are fully committed to provide resources through federal, state and non-profit organization support for the long-term success of this project. As with this project, any future project budgets will be supplemented by agency money as well as WRI funds.

Livestock will benefit from the proposed project by having fewer noxious weeds in the area to compete with and more palatable vegetation. As the targeted treatment of the noxious weeds continues into future years the river system would be expected to see the native herbaceous understory increase allowing for more forage for livestock. In addition to, the treatment areas of tamarisk along the Green and Colorado Rivers would allow access for the livestock to water along the rivers. Currently, there are cattle that graze within the Courthouse Wash area on state lands. These cattle will benefit from the reduction of tamarisk and Russian olive and continued treatment of herbaceous noxious weeds within the project area. Grazing permits from FFSL are active throughout the project area and livestock forage will be increased through seeding and distribution will benefit from further access to the area. Additionally, areas along the Colorado and Green Rivers have grazing permits from the BLM and will benefit from better access to water as well as the added benefit from treatment of herbaceous noxious weeds as mentioned before. The removal of tamarisk and Russian knapweed is expected to greatly benefit domestic livestock in three ways. First, it will facilitate the reestablishment of perennial grasses, native forbs, and shrubs that have much higher forage value than tamarisk. Past knapweed treatments within the project area have led to rapid reestablishment of perennial grasses, even in the absence of seeding. However, targeted broadcast seeding will be used to accelerate recolonization of native grasses in selected areas where native grasses are sparse in habitat adjacent to the treatment site. Second, control of tamarisk can make managing livestock easier. Previously dense stands of tamarisk that have either been removed or thinned (depending on site-conditions) increase access for ranchers to monitor and manage cattle on public allotments. Therefore grazing and animal distribution will increase since more river bank is accessible for watering livestock and wildlife. Third, Russian knapweed is known to be toxic to horses, potentially causing facial paralysis, malnutrition, dehydration, and necrosis (USDA Agr Info Bulletin Number 415). Controlling this noxious weed will reduce the potential for these and other livestock health issues.

07/01/2018

05/31/2019

2019

The Colorado River Restoration 2.0 project coordinators successfully implemented work across property boundaries and amongst agencies. Coordination took many forms including planning meetings, as well as on the ground touring of sites with contract crews, interagency work, and final assessments of sites. On the ground methods were primarily: * Hand removal and herbicide treatment to clear tamarisk from important native plants including willow and cottonwood * Hand removal and herbicide treatment to clear tamarisk from side channels to open them to high water scouring flows. * Spraying knapweed and other high priority exotics along the river corridor focusing first at high traffic sites that can be a vector for seed transportation * Mapping and removing Ravenna grass, a newly emerging invasive exotic that has shown explosive growth in this area lately RRR: Coordination Rim to Rim Restoration successfully facilitated and supervised many projects this season working across property boundaries and between different agencies. There has also been continued progress about effectively creating and communicating project procedures to contract crews on the ground, especially when there is limited contact with those crews. Castle Valley Riparian Plan The Castle Valley Riparian plan was drafted in June and two meetings were held with the Castle Valley water committee on this topic. The plan is to be finalized soon including input gathered from Castle Valley residents through surveys and input from the water committee. The plan shows that most of the private portions of Castle Creek's riparian areas have already implemented cut stump methods to remove Russian olives and encourage native plant growth. The Town of Castle Valley will not use herbicides on its portions of Castle Creek, which resulted in that section of creek being removed from this project. The plan also shows that the Town section of creek is very overgrown with native and non native plants -- and that a great deal can be done to improve the health and safety of this reach of creek without the use of herbicides. Site Evaluations 54 Sites were evaluated using a presence absence form developed by RRR, BLM, and FFSL. Sites included all early BLM tamarisk removal sites from the Dolores river confluence to the potash boat ramp. Part of data collected includes a basic scoring of sites of their diversity and amount of native plants. Data collected on possible follow-up work per site has been put into an excel sheet to be used for contract crews if they finish work early. This process has helped us find exotic invasives along the river corridor that we were unaware of and that will get treated in future years. In 2020, with the assistance of BLM funding additional sites will be assessed along the river corridor and these assessments will be used to better plan future work. All these assessments as well as data outlining initial and follow up treatments at this site is being assembled in a database that will be accessible to all collaborators. FFSL: As part of its contribution to the Colorado River Cross-Watershed Phase II collaboration; FFSL worked with Grand County Noxious Weeds to identify and treat secondary herbaceous weeds through spot applications of herbicide within tamarisk removal sites previously established through work done in Phase I. Each polygon was visited periodically throughout the year using Grand Counties specialized herbicide tank raft. Spot applications were able to be completed at a much higher rate than if workers had been dependent on backpacks alone. In areas where public presence or interest precludes the use of chemicals, mechanical treatment using handheld brush mowers was used. TNC Matheson Preserve: The purpose of this project was to remove 34 acres of Russian knapweed, Hoary Crest, Perennial Pepperweed in 25 locations within the Matheson Wetlands Preserve in an effort to reduce these non-native herbaceous weeds and keep them from spreading. A four-person crew was hired through Utah Conservation Corps. The crew applied a mixture of Milestone and Escort. Work was completed and inspected in May 2019. Plateau Restoration Inc. Jackson Bottom: Restoration work continued at Jackson Bottom site with weed removal, clearing wildlife routes, chain-sawing live tamarisk, willow pole planting, seeding, and transplanting native grasses. In addition, plugs of grass plugs were collected and planted into about 150 1-gallon pots for staging and later planting. Work was done during 22 site visits conducted throughout the year. Sites still lacking in native vegetation were selected for transplanting of Saltgrass and Alkali Sacaton collected from healthy stands in the site, and planting of rabbitbrush and sage in xeric areas. Planting was done with volunteers in November and again in March. Most transplants were watered again in May and in June. Volunteers also assisted with removing fallen Tamarisk from clearings where native vegetation had become established, in order to keep access routes open through the Tamarisk and to the river. Both paid and trainee Youth Corps crews chain-sawed tamarisk from near the bank and widened wildlife routes in tamarisk thickets, applying Pathfinder II herbicide to cut stumps. Native seed mix was hand scattered into about 1 acre of newly accessible areas from this clearing. A total of 41 volunteers together contributed 666 hours to this project in FY 2019. PRI staff identified areas of Russian Knapweed and Perennial Pepperweed and coordinated with Grand County Weed Department to apply herbicide to these patches in early April, 2019.

The total proposed area for this project was 661 acres. 6 projects weren't executed, totaling 342 acres, leaving 318 proposed acres. 310 of those acres were implemented associated with this project. In addition, 32 russian olive and 11 elms were treated in the 46 river miles from Dewey Bridge to Jacksons Bottom. 54 legacy tamarisk and Russian olive removal sites were monitored using a presence absence form developed by RRR, FFSL, and BLM to evaluate project successes. Sites dropped from the proposal due to bidding being higher than budgets include: Westwater Canyon, Fish Ford, Castle Valley Town Property, Matheson Burn, Gold Bar Campground and Williams Bottom. RRR: Coordination Coordination has been fine-tuned over the course of Colorado River Restoration 1 (WRI 4009) and this project. A challenge with this project was splitting out the money by agency. It delayed contracts being released. This has been changed for the 3.0 budgeting. Other coordination improvements being implemented in Colorado River 3.0 include more active oversite and overall project orientation and training by RRR with youth corps crews at the start of the project Site evaluations Site evaluations were completed over 54 different sites. It helped us with early detection of important invasive species such as Russian olive, Canada thistle, and Ravenna grass. It also helped give us a quantifiable score of the number of natives on site and the number of invasives. Most importantly we were able to take overview photos at all sites so that in the future repeat photos can be taken to compare. UCC: Below is a list of lessons learned/important project considerations moving forward from UCC crew leaders. Colorado 2.0 BLM camp knapweed treatment: Crews working in campgrounds got a lot of questions from the public about herbicide use that was already on posted signs so simplifying signs without sacrificing necessary detail is important. Castle Creek Retreatment Communication between the sawyer and herbicide applicator is really important in effective woody invasive treatment. The sawyer needs to slow down and communicate directly with the applicator so nothing is missed. New Rapid Good: A large section of tamarisk was removed in one of the densest areas on the polygon, this created open space around natives and making a large visual impact. Bad: Starting in the densest areas made it harder to find places to put all of the biomass. Learned: This year work at this site will begin in the less dense areas to make room for biomass piles and then work into the denser areas. Also, when working with a large number of crews on a small site, it would be more effective to assign individual crews to different areas to avoid creating a chaotic worksite and compounding the effects of less motivated members. However, when using this strategy, it is extremely important that all leaders make time to communicate at the end of the day to assure that overarching project goals are being met and that work is consistent. Salt Wash While we were able to use the wash as a location to store biomass in hopes that it would be naturally removed during highwater, there was not enough space to fit the amount of biomass that was slated to be removed without worrying about clogging the channel. It would be helpful to be able to create piles along the mainstem of the river. Kane Creek In instances where multiple crews are scheduled to work on one project over different time frames, it would have been helpful to have a crew leader stay out and overlap with the next crew to ensure consistency. Also, in instances where burn piles are being utilized for biomass control, it is helpful to receive direct input from the entities that will be doing the burning. FFSL: Secondary herbaceous weeds are a consistent and predictable complication of tamarisk removal efforts along the Colorado River. Following an initial entry within the project focus area, it should be expected that Russian knapweed, Canada thistle, and Perennial pepperweed will become established unless follow-up treatments are completed. To that end, FFSL and Grand County consistently treat previously cut sites to decrease competition from exotics. TNC: Coordination with Utah State University went smoothly and UCC did a great job with the execution of the work. Jake Deslauriers, project manager for UCC, ensured the terms of the contract were satisfactorily met. One challenge associated with this project was in locating invasion sites. The project area is approximately 900 acres with limited access in certain areas so it was necessary for the crews to spend time in advance of treatment to locate these sites. Another challenge for a project involving weed treatment is the timing for optimal effectiveness of the treatment. It was recommended that the work take place in late spring rather than late fall as originally planned due to the nature of the target weeds. The delay of completion did not cause any issues, and it was a good lesson learned for me as a preserve manager to better understand the ecology of weeds and weed treatment. Plateau Restoration Inc.: Tamarisk removal and restoration have been conducted on 67 acres at Jackson Bottom since 2010 by PRI and Grand County, Utah DNR, and USFWS partners. PRI uses college students as volunteers for much of the labor. This private land near the Potash mine has been set aside as valuable wildlife habitat and is ideal for experimentation and training of future resource managers in SW riparian restoration. Most of the original tamarisk was bull-hogged in 2010. Clearings in remaining Tamarisk were later bull-hogged or chain-sawed to create wildlife routes to the river and sheltered areas for establishment of native vegetation. Seeding with saltgrass, alkali sacaton, saltbush and beeplant, has had good results especially within clearings in the Tamarisk. Plantings using Tamarisk to provide shade from the SW have been remarkably successful and now that grass stands are established, we've had success transplanting native grasses within the site. Cottonwoods planted in the lower end of the site had become established but were topped by beavers this spring above the protective wire, although re-sprouting has occurred. Native Sueada in the upper end has shown significant regeneration following die-off in the drought of 2018. Russian Knapweed and Perennial Pepperweed persist in the site and appear to be spreading. River flows were the highest since 2011, just above 2014 levels, and in late June about half of the mid-section of the site was still under water.

The work on Colorado River 1.0 and 2.0 has built strong collaborative relations between land managers at the local BLM Field Office, NPS office, the local FFSL Sovereign Lands office, the County and non profit land managers. With the many administrative boundaries in our area the continued communication through the SE Utah Riparian Partnership is creating continuity across these boundaries and across intra agency boundaries as well. RRR: Coordination: RRR coordination efforts will continue through Colorado River Restoration 3.0 as well as through the SE Utah Riparian Partnership. Colorado River 3.0 projects begin next month at multiple sites and the legacy site assessments will help refine future planning efforts. Castle Valley Riparian Plan The Castle Valley Riparian Plan includes project suggestions to improve the riparian corridor in Castle Valley. Projects will eventually be taken from the report and implemented. Site Evaluations: Site evaluations along Mill and Pack Creek have begun and will be completed over the next few months. Sites may be added along river corridor as well as more tamarisk and olive removal happens. FFSL: Through continued monitoring of restoration sites, FFSL will be able to make a determination of areas where the need for active revegetation is greatest. Such sites will be candidates for seeding or planting depending on specific site conditions. In areas which appear to have a native species which are self-propagation, emphasis will remain on subduing exotic competition. Matheson: The TNC and DNR plan to continue active management of the preserve to improve fisheries habitat, and bird habitat. Plateau Restoration Inc.: PRI has an agreement with landowner, Intrepid Potash to work on this site through 2026. Noxious weed control will be managed by Grand County Weed Department and Utah FFSL. The land owner has pledged to leave the property undeveloped and has offered to rip the road in the center of the property when it is no longer needed for the project.