When the South Creek Property was purchased it did not have a fence on it. Due to the cost of the fence and the benefit to wildlife we decided not to fence the property. Recent acquisition of adjacent land through a trade with SITLA has now made the value of having a fence in place worth the cost of the fence

The main objective of this project is to fence the boundary to exclude livestock from the property and to be able to better manage the plant community on this land for the benefit of wildlife. Through this process we will also be strategically placing gates in locations that would minimize overland travel and us of roads and help to encourage use by wildlife.

By not fencing this property we are risking crossing a threshold within areas where livestock are currently using and congregating (Beaver County is a Fence Out County). These areas are starting to show negative impacts and could transition totally to not growing anything or even worse to growing invasive plant species. Once we get to the point of these areas being invaded then we have an uphill battle trying to remove them and replant desirable plant species back.

Beaver Wildlife Management Area Plan: states that the purpose for owning this property is to preserve the land and forage for critical winter range for mule deer from the Beaver deer herd (Unit 22). This management plan recognizes the poor condition that the WMA is in due to overgrazing and calls for rehabilitation to the area. Rehabilitation only makes sense if a fence is in place to protect the investment that rehabilitation would be. This plan also calls for a complete grazing rest of the South Creek WMA for 4-5 years. This rest would only be possible with a fence in place. One of the components of the plan calls for better signage of the property and a fence would help facilitate this management objective.

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The only real benefits to this project in terms of water quality/quantity would be that there would be more ground cover and should result in less erosion and loss of soil on the property. There is not really any stream or bodies of water that would be impacted either positively or negatively due to the implementation of this project.

An archaeology survey of the property has been completed previously and clearance of the line to construct a fence has been approved. Other than archaeology we are not required to complete any other actions to build this fence. We did however have the line surveyed and points along the line were marked with permanent markers.

We plan to construct a fence made out of cedar and steel posts. This fence will meet the specifications of a wildlife friendly fence made from 3 strands of barbed wire with one strand of smooth wire. In some areas along the fence line tree removal or clearing may be necessary to facilitate easy building. We will not however be requiring that a line be dozed along the fence. We have specified on a map locations where we will need gates to be installed in the fence line. Installation of the gates will also be contracted out and part of the fence construction. These gates will be 12' steel gates hung on hinges.

There will be a habitat staff member on site during construction of the fence monitoring installation and making sure that the fence meets specifications lines out in the contract. Then habitat seasonal staff will monitor the fence annually to make sure that it is still up and tight and serving it purpose. If repairs to the fence are needed then they will make the repairs if possible. If something happens and major repairs are needed in the future then we would contract a fence builder to come and make the repairs.

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This will allow us to manage the WMA and the forage on it in a much better manner. We will watch closely once the fence is in place and decide if there is future management within the WMA that needs to happen to make this property the best it can be for the wildlife in the area.

This fence should facilitate better grazing management of the property. It will also force the livestock grazing outside of the WMA to be watched a little bit more closely and to distribute cattle according to the feed that is available. No real benefit for livestock is expected by this project. It is being completed for the benefit of wildlife, and sustainable grazing by wildlife species.

11/25/2019

04/01/2020

2020

Once funded we issued a contract for the construction of 3,800 feet of top-rail fence, and an additional 22,600 ft of 4 strand barbwire fence at the Beaver South Creek Wildlife Management Area. Contractor was Rocky Mountain Fencing INC from Panguitch Utah which made communication and coordination easy. Contractor Started in mid November and was complete by first of April.

Fence was a 4-strand barbed wire fence with a section of top-rail fence, and icluded 4 metal gates positioned on the main through roads on the WMA. All corners were H-Style braces. Wood to steel post ration was 1:5 and line braces were placed as needed. There were a few hiccups along the way with winter weather and some really steep rocky terrain but all things considered this fencing project was a success that should protect the habitat and allow it to be utilized by wildlife in the future.

Fence will be monitored and maintained annually by UDWR habitat WMA Maintenance seasonal staff.