Mitigate soil loss to erosion (sheet erosion and gully formation) by reseeding medium and high intensity wildfire burn scars with a balanced mix of native and introduced species to stabilize soils and increase resilience and resistance to disturbance. Mitigate invasive weed species noted within the burn scar, ie. Canada thistle, musk thistle, bull thistle, black henbane, and cheatgrass invasion pose a critical threat to approximately 30,000 acres due to the Goose Creek catastrophic fire. Additionally, this area has been identified as priority sage grouse habitat and ecosystem integrity is a high priority from all agencies involved.

Establish perennial grasses to a cover value of 12% by the end of the 3rd growing season. Establish perennial forbs to a cover value of 5% by the end of the 3rd growing season. Establish desirable shrubs to a density of 500 plants/acre by the end of the 3rd growing season. Prevent serious headcuts and down cutting of gullies on the treatment area. Prevent debris flows from reaching the adjacent reservoirs and highway 30.

Due to an existing seed bank with cheatgrass, there is a high likelihood that failure to introduce competing plant species would allow invasive annuals to out compete seeded species for rehabilitation. Doing nothing presents the risk of state and transition moving into cheatgrass dominated ecosystem. Low value for wildlife and livestock and a higher return interval for wildfire.

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Mule deer. Section IV Statewide management goals and objectives. This plan will address Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range by 2013 (p11-12). Strategy C. Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that are being taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats. Strategy F. Encourage land managers to manage portions of pinion-juniper woodlands and aspen/conifer forests in early successional stages. West Box Elder CRMP Objectives/Strategies: a) Vegetation cover is managed to promote infiltration and recharge. Continue On-going Public and Private Pinyon/Juniper Treatments. b) To maintain momentum, continue on-going treatment efforts, using mechanical means as well as fire to remove encroaching pinyon/juniper and reseeding areas with shrubs, grasses, and forbs, and ensure maintenance of areas treated in the past. c) Recognize and publicize successful treatments in maps, on websites, and in end-of-season press releases. d) Winter Rangeland Improvement. Implement Forage Improvements. Based on the results of the forage assessment, seek funding for recommended improvements. Start with projects on private land to avoid extended timeframes associated with NEPA review and other agency procedures. This project addresses reseeding for improving species diversity of understory species and browsing species in sage-steppe. This is a cooperative effort involving a CWMU, and four private landowners within important sagebrush habitat. http://www.utahcbcp.org/htm/groups/boxelder UDWR Mule Deer Unit #1 Mgt. Plan Objectives/Strategies: a) Pinyon-juniper encroachment on summer and winter range in Unit 1A is increasing resulting in less forage and increased fire risk. b) Additional threats and losses to deer summer and winter range in the West Box Elder area is the reduction in habitat quality due to the loss of critical browse species (sagebrush, bitterbrush etc). c) To address habitat quality and degradation, habitat improvement projects have been, and will continue to be planned throughout the unit. Through annual grass control and shrub plantings, and pinyon-juniper thinning/removal on summer, winter, and transitional range in West Box Elder. d) In critical winter range habitat, Pinyon-Juniper expansion is a crucial aspect of winter browse species loss. Projects that address the removal of P/J from these areas are of high importance and should be addressed whenever possible. e) These projects should be done on public and private lands when the opportunity is available. Addressing these needs on private land is crucial as a large majority of winter range falls on private lands. All tools that are available should be considered, such as chaining, lop and scatter, bullhog removal, and chemical removal as well. In accomplishing the removal of P/J on private land, private landowners' needs should also be considered. f) Raft River range should be focused on removal of encroaching pinyon-juniper, and reestablishing understory with summer and winter browse species as well as species of plants that can be used in the spring by wintering deer. This project addresses removal of PJ and reseeding for improving species diversity of understory species and browsing species in sage-steppe. This is a cooperative effort involving a CWMU, and four private landowners within important mule deer winter range. http://wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/plans/deer_01.pdf Utah Greater Sage grouse Mgt. Plan 2013 Objectives/Strategies: a) Enhance an average of 25,000 acres of sage-grouse habitat in Sage-grouse Management Areas annually. b) Increase the total amount of sage-grouse habitat acreage within Sage-grouse Management Areas by an average of 50,000 acres per year, through management actions targeting Opportunity Areas. c) Removal of encroaching conifers may create new habitat or increase the carrying capacity of habitat and thereby expand grouse populations, or the distribution of water into wet meadow areas may improve seasonal brood-rearing range and enhance greater sage-grouse recruitment. d) Aggressively remove encroaching conifers and other plant species to expand greater sage grouse habitat where possible. e) Livestock grazing is a major resource use in most SGMAs, and can be an effective tool to improve habitat quality and seasonal nutrition, and thereby enhance local populations. f) Removal of trees to less than 5% cover and g) maintenance of at least 10% sage brush cover; h) Maintain forb cover greater than 10% and grass cover greater than 10% during nesting/brood-rearing season; i) Maintain or improve wet meadows, when present; and j) Installation of green-strips or firebreaks to protect existing habitat. k) An improvement to existing habitat that does not result in an acreage gain. For example: Removal of pinon-juniper conifer trees in young open canopy stands still used by sage grouse. This plan will help toward the acreage goals for enhancement and increased Sage grouse habitat by removal of PJ in existing use areas, opening up new habitat and providing a diversity of seeded species for livestock and wildlife. Part of the plan is to enhance wet meadows through seeding. https://wildlife.utah.gov/uplandgame/sage-grouse/pdf/greater_sage_grouse_plan.pdf Utah's Comprehensive Wildlife Management Strategy or Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) Objectives/Strategies: Mountain Sagebrush and Lowland Shrub a) Funding restoration that reduces older age classes and stimulate younger age classes...treat non-native invasive species and...invading pinyon/juniper trees. b) Continue the development of new restoration techniques suited to this habitat. c) Deploying techniques to diversify the understory species composition and age classes of decadent even-aged sagebrush stands. d) Deploying techniques to diversify specie composition in monoculture or near monoculture stands of seeded non-native plants (e.g. crested wheatgrass). e) Promoting management that includes seeding a diversity of grasses, forbs, and shrubs that will lead to increased resiliency and resistance in the plant community. This plan addresses invading PJ, mitigation of non-native invasive species, new restoration techniques, and diversification of understory species composition in mountain and lowland sagebrush steppe. http://wildlife.utah.gov/cwcs/ Governor's Executive Order Objectives/Strategies: The Order ensures state agencies will conform to the Conservation Plan and make management and policy decisions that "maintain, improve and enhance Greater Sage-Grouse habitat." State agencies will continue to work with federal agencies to assure the conservation needs of the bird. The purpose of this plan is to improve and enhance Sage grouse habitat. http://www.rules.utah.gov/execdocs/2015/ExecDoc156045.htm NRCS SGI 2.0 Objectives/Strategies: a) Reduce threats...by grazing sustainably ...re-vegetating disturbed areas and combatting noxious weeds. Avoid further loss of sagebrush grazing lands to wildfire by reducing annual grass threat. b) Accelerate removal of conifer trees. c) Avoid further loss of riparian edges, wet meadows, restore and enhance degraded mesic areas to help increase (Sage grouse) populations." d) Reduce sage grouse fence collisions. This plan will support this initiative by removing conifers (PJ) revegetating disturbed areas and enhancing degraded wet meadows. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwjcn47rzK_KAhWLaz4KHVyACisQFggiMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nrcs.usda.gov%2Fwps%2FPA_NRCSConsumption%2Fdownload%3Fcid%3Dnrcseprd391816%26ext%3Dpdf&usg=AFQjCNHWGtF7AMa-Zb9dz3eZ82IG9FdBbQ Utah DWR Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer Objectives/Strategies: a) Programs that provide incentives to private landowners to manage their properties for mule deer and other wildlife are critical to the success of the state's deer management program. b) Conserve, improve, and restore mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. c) Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts. d) Work with local, state and federal land management agencies via land management plans and with private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning, wintering and migration areas. e) Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range by 2019. f) Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that have been taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats, ensuring that seed mixes contain sufficient forbs and browse species. g) Continue to support and provide leadership for the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, which emphasizes improving sagebrush-steppe, aspen, and riparian habitats throughout Utah. His plan addresses improving and restoring Mule deer habitat, by working in cooperation with partners, mitigating invasive annual species, ensuring that seed mixes contain sufficient forbs, and browse species, and improving sagebrush-steppe. https://wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/biggame/pdf/mule_deer_plan.pdf

Seeding of forage kochia will mitigate future fuel loads in this rehab area. All dozer lines will become green strips for future fire breaks and defensible spaces.

Reseeding efforts will improve precipitation infiltration and protect the burn area by mitigating sheet erosion. Check dams will also help prevent down-cuts during large precipitation events.

Evaluate impacts to the area of concern including soils, water, air, plants, animals, human, and energy. It also looks at all resource concerns and provides the landowner/lessee with alternative choices for ways of dealing with resource concerns. Archaeological clearance will be provided by WRI and take place before the project starts.

Photo points, Utah-2s, range trend site data, Mule deer, Sage grouse and Rangeland WHEGS, CPA-52 by project manager and NRCS Range Conservationist. Project assessment by BLM ESR team, NRCS, UDAF, GIP, DWR and landowners/permittees. NRCS Applications, eligibility, ranking, and obligation. Contracted CRI before starting ground disturbance. Order seed mix from the GBRC. Aerial seeding 15 Oct to 15 Nov 2018. One way chaining to knock down burned junipers and incorporate aerial seed mix. Contracted rangeland drilling of chosen seed mix. Aerial Plateau on approximately 700 acres of previously masticated sites on BLM.

DWR photo points, Sage grouse lek counts, range trend sites. Additionally, Utah State University will be collecting data using AIM protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of restoration activities. To do this they will be monitoring paired sites with different seed mixes as well as previously treated sites.

BLM, NRCS, SITLA, GIP, DWR, USFWS, KN Double Cone Ranches, Warr Land & Livestock, Grouse Creek Livestock Association, Della Ranches, Walker Family Farm, Delroy Kimber, West Box Elder Conservation District, and West Box Elder Coordinated Resource Management Committee

An agreement with the DWR to defer grazing for two growing seasons to allow reseeded species to establish. Monitoring two year post treatment to determine establishment of reseeded species.

All of the burned areas private and state lands are grazed as exchange of use with the BLM allotments. Seeded acres will be rested for 2 growing seasons from grazing. The restoration of perennial grasses and forbs will benefit livestock and the economy of Box Elder County.

09/10/2018

08/02/2021

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