Colorado River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus; CRCT) are a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Utah Wildlife Action Plan, an Intermountain Region of the Forest Service Regional Forester Sensitive Species and are managed under a Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy to which the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) and the Forest Service are both signatories (). CRCT are the native trout to the Escalante River drainage and joint conservation efforts between the UDWR and the Forest Service have been ongoing for this species in this drainage since the 1990s (Hadley, Ottenbacher, Chamberlain, Whelan, & Brazier, 2008; Hadley, Golden, & Whelan, 2014). In 2011 the Forest Service completed a nationwide Watershed Condition Class Assessment. The Watershed Condition Class Assessment identified the Birch Creek 6th field Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) watershed (140700050102) as Functioning at Risk, with Aquatic Habitat/Habitat Fragmentation and its resulting threats to Aquatic Biota/Native Species as key watershed issues contributing the Functioning at Risk rating. Simultaneous to the Watershed Condition Class Assessment, the Dixie National Forest, as a signatory partner to the Escalante River Watershed Partnership (ERWP), was helping to develop and implement the ERWP's Ten Year Action Plan. The Action Plan calls for identifying barriers to fish passage that exacerbate other limiting factors in the Escalante River Watershed and removing those barriers. In 2011 the Dixie National Forest identified the Birch Creek watershed as a priority watershed because of it's Functioning at Risk rating, and the potential to move the watershed to a Functioning rating with the help of the ERWP. Birch Creek, Hall Creek and Water Canyon are all within the Birch Creek 6th field HUC watershed. The Watershed Action Plan developed for the Birch Creek watershed listed the following actions related to fish passage: 1) "Remove check dam barriers to fish passage, with emphasis for management for Colorado River cutthroat trout (CRCT)," and 2) "Remove culverts that impede aquatic organism passage, with emphasis for management for CRCT." In Federal Fiscal Year 2012 the Dixie National Forest received $780,000 to implement the bulk of the Birch Creek Watershed Action Plan, which included fish passage projects, as well as riparian and upland vegetation treatments, road decommissioning and road maintenance. All the projects were designed to improve watershed resilience and aquatic habitat for the benefit of the CRCT populations. Implementation included the 2012 removal of two Civilian Conservation Corps era grade control check dams, which were replaced with fish passable stream simulation, as well as the 2013 replacement of the culvert at the Forest Highway 17 crossing of Hall Creek, just upstream from its confluence with Birch Creek. The FSR 30150 road crossing was originally part of this project but had to be removed because of issues with the route designation under the Forest's 2009 Motorized Travel Plan. A subsequent Environmental Analysis Decision in 2015 (Mitchell Springs Vegetation Improvement Project) changed the route designation and paved the way to move forward with completing fish passage projects in the drainage. Replacing the culvert on FSR 30150 where it crosses Hall Creek will link all suitable fish habitat in the drainage; reconnecting 10.3 miles of stream and facilitating genetic exchange between Hall Creek and Water Canyon.

The overall objective of the Hall Creek AOP Project is increase the resiliency of the remnant Colorado River cutthroat trout populations in Water Canyon Creek and Halle Creek by providing upstream access to 2.6 miles of stream currently blocked by the perched culvert on FSR 30150, as well as to reconnect over 10 miles of occupied CRCT habitat and facilitate additional genetic exchange between these two remnant populations.

Currently the remnant populations in both Water Canyon Creek and Hall Creek both have relatively low densities of fish and occupy small stretches of stream, some of which can have marginal flows at times. Fish passage projects completed in 2012-2013 have allowed connectivity between the two streams via Birch Creek which functions as a travel corridor, but probably does not provide year round habitat between the two streams. The area upstream from the FSR 30150 culvert provides the best habitat for CRCT in that stream and currently contains the highest densities of fish. Without access to that section of stream following any future disturbances in the Hall Creek subwatershed, recolonizing fish from Water Canyon Creek may not be successful at reestablishing a population in Hall Creek. At this point $40,000 dollars of outside grants have been committed to the project for Federal FY 2018 and Calendar Year 2018. If the remaining funds are not acquired there is the risk of losing this funding and not being able to complete the project. The NFWF funds are match for non-federal dollars so if the TNC funds are lost, the probability of maintain, or reacquiring the NFWF funds is low.

Utah's Wildlife Action Plan (WAP): The WAP identifies Roads and Transportation Networks as a High level Threat to Colorado River cutthroat trout and a Medium level Threat to Riverine Ecosystems with the following objectives and conservation actions: When existing roads are maintained, barriers to wildlife movement are altered to allow for movement. 2.3.11 Create selective fish passage structures at priority barriers. 2.3.12 Remove undesired instream barriers or consolidate multiple barriers where feasible. The proposed project would remove an instream barrier and create fish passage for Colorado River cutthroat trout. Range-Wide Conservation Agreement for Colorado River cutthroat trout/Range-Wide Conservation Strategy for Colorado River cutthroat trout Objective/Strategy 3: Restore or enhance CRCT populations Create metapopulations where possible - Where it is possible to protect larger drainages from invasion by non-native species, barriers should be removed to allow the reconnection of habitat within a metapopulations framework. This will ensure persistent gene exchange, as well as allow for the recolonization of habitats following local extinction. The objective of this project is to allow for gene exchange and recolonization potential throughout Hall Creek and with Water Canyon Creek. ESCALANTE RIVER WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP TEN-YEAR ACTION PLAN In the Conservation Action Planning process for the Escalante River Watershed fish passage was identified as an issue affecting native fish species implementing the proposed project would help meet the follow objective and action step from the Escalante River Watershed Partnership 10 year Action Plan. Objective 3.1 - Identify aquatic organism passage problems within the Escalante River Basin. Action Step 3.1.c - Implement priority aquatic-organism passage projects. The Hall Creek Aquatic Organism Passage project has been identified as a priority project by the Conservation Targets Committee of the ERWP. Dixie National Forest Birch Creek Watershed Restoration Action Plan Identifies "Fish habitat fragmentation" as a primary concern and identifies the culvert on FR 30150 where it crosses Hall Creek as one of four fish passage barrier to be removed. The other three barriers were removed in 2012-2013. Dixie National Forest Land Resource Management Plan (as amended)- The Hall Creek Aquatic Organism Passage project would directly address the following goals and direction in the Dixie LRMP, by removing a fish passage barrier and replacing is with a geomorphologicallly sound structure that would allow for fish passage, as well as appropriate water and sediment transport. 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 17 -- Managed Classified Species habitat to maintain or enhance their status through direct habitat improvement and agency cooperation (Page IV-6). This project will directly benefit core, remnant populations of CRCT. CRCT are an Intermountain Region Sensitive species and is managed under Conservation Agreement and Strategy that both DWR and the Forest Service are signatories to. General Direction: Riparian Management -- 5B. Select stream crossing points to minimize bank and channel disturbance. Maintain fish passage during all flow levels except peak flow events.

Replacing this culvert will maintain and improve the Forest's ability to manage vegetation in the area for forest health and fuels objectives, including the continued implementation of the Mitchell Spring Vegetation Improvement Project. Vehicle and equipment access will be improved to a 424 acre stand that is marked for a group selection harvest. Within this stand high tree densities are limiting growth and vigor, increasing the potential of tree mortality from insects and disease and elevating the risk of an uncharacteristically high severity fire (Mitchell Spring Vegetation Improvement Project EA is uploaded in attachments).

The current culvert on FSR 30150 is undersized and was not built to accommodate bankfull flows and natural sediment transport processes. Because of this the stream had widened upstream from the culvert and developed a scout pool downstream from the culvert. The new structure on FR30150 will have a natural bottom surface, with a span adequately designed for high and low flow maintenance of all aquatic species and flooding cycles. The structure will also allow for the passages of bedload and large woody debris, which will support the development and maintenance of channel structure. All of this should reduce channel erosion and the potential for road slope failure in the future, which could result in a large influx of sediment to the stream.

Culvert replacements for Aquatic Organism Passage are considered part of the Forest's road maintenance work.

The Forest Service will contract out the removal of the current, perched, 24 inch diameter culvert and its replacement with a 16 foot timber crib bridge (Photos showing the existing culvert and an example of a timber crib bridge are attached). In order to catch grade and allow for fish passage through this bottomless structure, rock vortex weirs will be used as stream simulation of step pools through the location of the existing road bed, as well as for a short distance upstream. The Preliminary Engineering designs have already been completed for this project and have been uploaded.

Fish -- UDWR and the Forest Service have two monitoring stations on Hall Creek that are visited every 5-7 years to monitor the status and trend of the remnant CRCT population in this stream using density, standing crop and occupied stream miles (Hadley et al. 2013). UDWR and DNF both summarize results of their sampling efforts in reports that can be uploaded to the WRI web site (see attachments).

UDWR and Trout Unlimited personnel have visited the site and expressed support for the project. UDWR and Garfield County were partners on the three prior AOP projects in the drainage. The Nature Conservancy is a partner through the Escalante River Watershed Partnership and is providing funds toward the project via a private donor. ERWP has been a supporter of all fish passage work in the watershed and included fish passage and connectivity as a component of their 10 year Action Plan. Project is entirely on NFS lands.

The proposed project is part of a larger project to improve the function of the Birch Creek subwatershed. The Dixie National Forest has invested a considerable amount of time and money (over $1,000,000) to put our management focus toward MIS and Sensitive wildlife species in this area, including motorized travel plan implementation, road maintenance and drainage improvement activities, aquatic organism passage projects, riparian vegetation improvement projects, fuels reduction projects, forest health projects and monitoring. Hall Creek and Water Canyon Creek hold a remnant, core CRCT populations. Ensuring that representation of these CRCT populations are maintained and expanded is a UDWR and FS priority. Both UDWR and the Forest Service are signatories to the Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for CRCT which will continue to direct management toward maintain and improving watershed function through projects, such as the one contained in this proposal.

Other than improving access to control livestock distribution the project does not have an appreciable effect on livestock management or forage. The project does benefit CRCT which have previously been proposed for listing under ESA. Projects to improve distribution and connectivity of CRCT populations help to reduce the risk of future ESA listing. If CRCT were ever to be listed under ESA, these streams would likely be proposed as critical habitat which could impact livestock use in this pasture.

11/01/2018

07/31/2019

2020

The Forest Service contracted out the removal of a perched, 24 inch diameter culvert and its replacement with a 16 foot timber crib bridge. In order to catch grade and allow for fish passage through this bottomless structure, rock vortex weirs were used as stream simulation of step pools through the location of the existing road bed, as well as for a short distance upstream.

We contracted the replacement of a culvert that was undersized, and a barrier to fish passage, with a bridge on Forest Service Road 30150 where it crosses Hall Creek. The goal of the project was to open access to 2.6 miles of stream above the site, a reach with some of the most suitable habitat in the watershed for native Colorado River Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus). This creation of fish passage reconnects, and allows genetic exchange between, the now opened reach in upper Hall Creek which contained the highest densities of the fish, and the 10.3 miles of lower Hall Creek, Birch Creek and nearby Water Canyon Creek, which were occupied by lower densities of the fish. This new connection, along with previous fish passage improvement projects allows for greater resiliency and success of the two remnant Colorado River Cutthroat Trout populations, and to facilitate recolonization throughout the watershed as a whole. Additional benefits of the project include a huge reduction in risk of road failure due to the undersized culvert, macroinvertebrate and amphibian passage, and improved access to vegetation, fire, and fuels management, and recreation opportunities in the area. An important part of the project was instream structures, built of onsite rock, designed to create an even gradient and simulate step-pools that allow cutthroat trout to readily move up and downstream. After completion of the project fish were seen in the pools upstream of the new bridge.

Monitoring for fish populations are planned to be conducted at two monitoring stations on Hall Creek every 5-7 years. Bare areas will be seeded in the fall 2019 to prevent fine sediment erosion. Additionally several vegetation management activities are planned and ongoing to reduce the risk of high severity fire and improve watershed conditions for CRCT.