Degradation to wetlands and surrounding riparian habitat inside the project area has resulted from cattle grazing. This project seeks to protect the wetlands and riparian habitat from future degradation as well as restore and improve the habitat for wildlife and human resources. Currently, the area has an incised stream channel with low perennial water flow, unstable and bare banks due to cattle overuse, and non-native species. Historically amphibians, including woodhouse toads and Columbia spotted frog were present but have not been observed in many years. By restoring the channel and flow through beaver dam analogs and restoring native plants wildlife, such as the amphibians mentioned above, may return or be reintroduced and larger animals such as mule deer will have increased forage and water access. Archaeological sites have also experienced negative effects from cattle grazing and will be protected as well by the completion of this project.

The goal is to preserve, restore and improve the wetland and Riparian habitat for wildlife and human resource benefit. Objective 1 - Exclude Cattle from wetland and riparian habitat to stop degradation. This will be accomplished with a fence built around the area to prevent further degradation by livestock while still allowing native wildlife to use the habitat. Objective 2 - Restore and improve previously degredated wetland and riparian habitat through beaver dam analogs that will be installed to restore the stream bead and raise the water table. Monitoring will be implemented to insure this objective is being accomplished. Objective 3 - Restore Native Riparian plant communities and ecological function. Non-native species will be removed and native plant species that are beneficial for wildlife will be planted in the project area. Monitoring will take place to insure this objective is met. Objective 4 - Restore habitat to conditions favorable and suitable for historically occurring wildlife, particularly amphibians. Work with DWR to establish healthy populations of previously present amphibians. These objectives directly support the public benefits identified by UWRI by increasing watershed health and biodiversity through stream and habitat restoration for wildlife and watershed health, improving water quality and yield for all uses by managing water appropriately while still incorporating grazing and livestock use on the installation, and lastly, providing opportunities for sustainable use through monitoring and adaptive management of the previously mentioned objectives.

The proposed action takes place on Camp Williams, an active military installation. The primary use of the property is for military training which must be considered when making conservation and restoration decisions. However, the SIKES act states that military lands will be managed for native ecosystems and wildlife and therefore future actions will be able to be implemented under this law.

Camp Williams Integrated Resource Management Plan (INRMP) Under the SIKES act all military installations with significant natural resources are required to draft and maintain an INRMP. The INRMP outlines and guides how resources will be managed and conserved for sustainable and future use. INRMPs are reviewed and signed by interested and regulatory agencies, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The Camp Williams INRMP states that valuable habitat such as riparian areas will be managed for wildlife use and not allowed to be degraded by livestock or human use. Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan This management plan outlines loss/degradation of habitat and water availability and major issues/concerns for mule deer population resilience. Camp Williams is a major source and refuge for mule deer in the central region of Utah as there is currently no hunting and the area provides excellent winter and summer habitat. This project directly addresses the concerns/issues of the Mule deer management plan by restoring/improving habitat through preservation and conservation as well as increasing water availability and access through fore-mentioned restoration and management techniques.

The project seeks to raise the water table in the project areas and increase size and total area of surface waters. This will aid in natural fire breaks as well as allow for increased use of available and accessible water for wildfire fighting needs.

This project will directly benefit water quality and quantity. Water quality will improve by keeping cattle out of the watercourse and surrounding habitat that will decrease the amount of livestock feces in the water lowering the negative nutrient loading as a result. Exclusion of cattle will also allow for bank stabilization and decreased sediment disturbance, reducing over sedimentation form dredging and erosion. Restoration of native plants will also assist in reduced sediment and nutrient loading by increasing bank stabilization and decreasing erosion. Water quantity will increase as a result of using beaver dam analogs that have been proven to increase the water table and result in a gain of total surface water. The project is located in a drainage where the stream has been receding over recent years and this project aims to extend flow to previous extents. The project will also result in increased and restored native hydric vegetation.

NEPA A REC will be completed for the proposed project under the Camp Williams EA. There is a 100% chance this will be completed before the start of the project. Cultural All surveys and requirements with SHPO will be completed before the start of this project. Consultation with SHPO has taken place and a concurrence letter stating the project will end in "no adverse effects" was received on Dec 7th, 2018. We will provide them with updates as the project develops. The concurrence letter can be found in the Images/documents of this proposal.

Cattle Exclusion A fence will be constructed around all wetland and riparian habitat to keep cattle and livestock out. Fences will be constructed following specs outlines by the DWR and allow for access to the area by native wildlife. The fence will be constructed and installed by a contractor using the materials and methods for the standard design four strand barbed wire fence. The fence will be erected in the summer/fall of 2019. Stream Restoration Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) will be installed in the stream channel by Camp Williams staff and DWR staff in the summer/fall of 2019. BDAs will be constructed from wooden posts and follow documentation and methods outlined by the Beaver Management Institute. Riparian Habitat/Vegetation Restoration Non-native plants will be removed by physical means (i.e. pulling, cutting, digging). Native plants will be planted along the stream and in Riparian areas in association with BDAs in order to restore habitat and provide bank stabilization/erosion control. Plants will be installed in the spring of 2020 by Camp Williams and DWR staff. Species to be planted include Rhus trilobata, Shepherdia argentea, Salix spp., Symphoricarpos occidentalis, and Amelanchier utahensis.

Monitoring will take place at both sites to ensure objectives are met and provide data for adaptive management. Fence and livestock exclusion monitoring The entire fence boundary will be walked every year in the late winter early spring before livestock grazing begins on Camp Williams to check for any breaks or weaknesses in the fence. Any areas of concern will be repaired or replaced to ensure complete exclusion of livestock. Periodic checks of the fence will be performed through the summer and fall as personal and time allows and all damaged areas will be repaired. Stream & Riparian Monitoring - RSRA Effectiveness of stream restoration (e.g., BDAs) will be monitored with the Rapid Stream-Riparian Assessment (RSRA) survey (see attached in Images/Documents section). The RSRA generates a score for water quality, hydrogeomorpohology, fish and aquatic habitat, riparian vegetation, and terrestrial wildlife habitat. This method was selected because it is a time and cost efficient means to monitor restoration projects. Wild Utah Project biologists and their volunteers will conduct the RSRA surveys before and after restoration. Wildlife monitoring Previously existing transects for standard bird point count surveys will be conducted during the breeding season and compared with previous year's data for relative abundance and diversity. Success will be shown by either a higher diversity when compared to previous years or a higher relative abundance of riparian habitat associated birds than in previous years. Results of surveys and diversity/abundance values will be uploaded to the project page as a report/document. Auditory point count surveys will also be conducted for presence not detected of amphibian species and visual encounter transects will be established for reptiles and amphibians to determine relative abundance and presence of species. Surveys will be conducted for a minimum of 3 years and will assess diversity and relative abundance from year to year. Success will be measured in the same manner as the birds and uploaded to the project page as a report/document. It is of note that there have been no amphibians detected in the project area in at least the last five years. There have been historical occurrences of species and if habitat features and quality are deemed appropriate reintroduction of amphibian species will be considered. If this is the case a more rigorous monitoring plan will be developed to monitor the species or population of amphibian that is introduced. Monitoring to determine presence and abundance of monarch butterfly will also be conducted in the fall of each year. This will be accomplished by surveying milkweed along the riparian corridor for eggs and larva. Data collected from these surveys and the results will be uploaded to the project page as a report/document.

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources We are working with multiple groups within DWR to ensure efficient, effective and most current restoration methods will be used. Also to insure the most benefit to wildlife, habitat and watershed are achieved in conjunction with plans and guidelines such as the Utah Wildlife Action Plan and other management plans mentioned above. Wild Utah Project We are partnering with Utah Wild Project to ensure effective, cost efficient, reliable and useful monitoring of treatment effectiveness in relation to objectives is achieved. Adaptive management practices will be implemented based on their help and expertise.

The Camp Williams INRMP will be used to guide for future management and inform adaptive management strategies. Restoration will continue into future years with future phases that will address outcomes as part of the adaptive management process. The INRMP will be updated as needed and is required to be reviewed for operation and effect every 5 years. This will further assist in future management guidance. Maintenance will be conducted on structures such as fences and BDAs to ensure they perform as anticipated and contribute to the success of the project. They will also be added and adjusted as habitat improves to insure conservation and accomplishment of objectives. Monitoring will be implemented as described above to provide quantifiable data in reference to completion of objectives or insight to areas where adaptive management strategies are necessary.

By insuring exclusion of livestock from wetland and riparian areas, livestock will be allowed to continue grazing on Camp Williams property. The alternative to excluding live stock is to discontinue grazing all together or confine livestock use to smaller, permanent areas that would be subject to overgrazing and other environmentally harmful effects. This solution allows for the most beneficial outcome for livestock and sustainability of environmental resources. Water will still be available for livestock use to be taken from the water sources and contained in vessels where livestock are designated to graze. More surface water may also become available to livestock as restoration effects result in increased surface water that may extend outside the bounds of the exclusion fence.

10/18/2019

08/12/2020

2021

Cattle Exclusion A fence was constructed around all wetland and riparian habitat in Tickville gulch to keep cattle and livestock out. The fence was constructed and installed by a contractor using the materials and methods for the standard design four strand barbed wire fence outlined by the UDWR. The fence was completed in March of 2019 and totaled 7,815ft. Stream Restoration A total of 12 Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) were installed in the stream channel by Camp Williams staff and DWR staff in the Summer of 2020. BDAs were constructed from wooden posts and coconut fiber and follow documentation and methods outlined by the Beaver Management Institute. Riparian Habitat/Vegetation Restoration Russian Olives were removed by physical means (i.e. pulling, cutting, digging). 300 Native Willow stakes were planted along the stream and in Riparian areas in association with BDAs in order to restore habitat and provide bank stabilization/erosion control. Plants were installed in the spring of 2020 by Camp Williams staff.

This project sought to protect the wetlands and riparian habitat from future degradation as well as restore and improve the habitat for wildlife and human resources. We addressed an incised stream channel with low perennial water flow, and unstable and bare banks by excluding cattle so the existing vegetation could grow, installed BDAs to raise the water table and planted native plants such as willow to help stabilize banks and provide habitat for wildlife. All objectives outlined in the project proposal have either been met or are underway and it will take time for the restoration efforts to be fully realized. This project relies on process based techniques which happen slowly overtime and will be augmented each year. Current monitoring shows promising results and trends in the right direction. Archaeological sites have also been protected by the completion of this project.

Camp Williams will continue process based restoration in both areas. BDAs will be maintained and more native shrub plantings will take place. Adaptive management and monitoring will continue to occur, using the methods and monitoring practices outlined in the proposal of this project.