The Red Cliffs NCA is a significant area in Washington County Utah because of its' rich ecological diversity resulting from the convergence of three major ecoregions - the Mojave Desert, Colorado Plateau and Great Basin. This area contains critical habitat for and high densities of the threatened Mojave Desert Tortoise, as well as provide critical habitat for the endangered Shivwitz milkvetch, a small native plant that grows only in Washington County on specific soil types. The area is also home to other desert plants and animals, including mule deer and sensitive reptiles such as the common chuckwalla, gila monster, sidewinder, western banded gecko, western thread snake, zebra-tailed lizard, and Arizona Toad. This area also contains important riparian corridors, scenic and recreational sites, archaeological sites with evidence of Archaic, Ancestral, Puebloan, and Southern Paiute occupations and land uses, mid-19th century historic areas, and also exposures of scientifically important paleontology resources. Over the past 20 years this area has grown in popularity due to its' proximity to five large cities in Washington County (Hurricane, Ivins, Santa Clara, St. George and Washington). Two primary transportation routes provide access to and around the NCA - I15 abuts the southern, western and eastern boundaries of the NCA, and Highway 18, a north-south route, transects the NCA. Over the past 15 years this area has experienced frequent wildfire, which has greatly impacted all of the above-mentioned resources within the area. Additionally, Washington County has experienced exponential growth, and currently has the highest growth rate of any county in Utah. As this area continues to grow in popularity both as a tourist and residential destination, the risk for human-caused fires increases, putting resources further at risk. As the primary landowner (73% of the suface acres), BLM proposes to utilize existing roads to pro-actively reduce the risk of fire to resources within the NCA. Because of the sensitivity of this area, actions proposed would focus on utilizing existing infrastructure within the NCA to "compartmentalize" smaller important habitat areas, so that when a fire does occur, there are increased opportunities to isolate the fire and keep it from spreading throughout the entire NCA and into adjacent communities. Over the past 10 years, a variety of different "fuel break" methods have been utilized within the NCA, specifically along the Cottonwood Road. These efforts have consisted of completely removing vegetation in some areas, smaller fuel break seeding, and utilizing goats to remove the vegetation along the side of the road. This effort differs from previous efforts by offering a longer term, and much broader fuel break. In the past 10 years native seed availability and viability has increased which makes this project much more feasible than in previous years.

** Protect the biodiversity, ecological integrity and ecosystem resiliency within the Red Cliff's Reserve by implementing pro-active fire management efforts. ** Use a chain horrow to incorporate fire tolerant native species along 8 miles of the cottonwood road to slow and stop the spread of fire and protect soils from wind and water erosion. **Minimize the loss of late successional shrubs (i.e. creosote-bursage and blackbrush communities), perennial understory and soil crusts to wildfire by preventing and suppressing wildfires along previously-designated roads, utility corridors and recreation trails. **Work to control and eradicate non-native invasive annual grass species by increasing resilience to fire and stand replacing weather events **Re-introduce native species that have been lost in the Mojave Desert by introducing other appropriate native species, where feasible. **Apply BMP's and other management techniques designed to minimize impacts on native vegetation communities and identified resources above for all activities proposed. **Prioritize pro-active efforts to those areas that provide for firefighter safety, protect private property values, conserve and protect NCA resource values and that will minimize the overall suppression costs and losses, should a wildfire occur.

Given today's climate change predictions, and current vegetation conditions on the Red Cliff's NCA, there is no doubt that fires will continue to burn, which could further convert remaining areas from native desert shrublands to exotic invasive grasslands. Furthermore, soil erosion during flooding events (monsoons), after fire has denuded vegetation will continue to threaten neighboring communities and transportation corridors. Native tortoise numbers have declined by 50% in some areas of the reserve due to habitat degredation from wildfires. While all of these risks cannot be eliminated, projects such as this have the potential to mitigate the extent of fire movement across the NCA, by providing some kind of physical change on the ground, such as denser areas of more fire-resistant vegetation or areas that are physical cleared of vegetation and fine fuels. The complexity of managing desert landscapes has left land managers with few options to reverse these destructive trends, and there is no assurance that the current cycle will not continue as in the past. However, this plan represents a pro-active step in the right direction, given the difficult parameters in this area. Ecological Thresholds have already been crossed in these areas, and successes will be small, but are necessary. WAP Threats and Risks Addressed - Mojave Desert Scrub The Mojave Desert has had long fire intervals and low-intensity, patchy fires in the low-elevation valleys where fuels are sparse. The current climate conditions found in the Mojave Desert remained constant, with very few stand replacing fires until about 1,440 years ago (Koehler et al. 2005). This supports the idea that fire regimes changed little in the region until the late 1800s when human land use and invasion by non-native annual grasses such as bromes (Bromus spp.) began to impact the area. This project cannot reverse the current climate change, past land uses and fire regimes. However, it can help to mitigate the extent of stand-replacing fires that will likely continue to impact these desert systems. This project will look at a longer term solution to break up the continuity of fuels and to do so for more than one year at a time. Small successes and the ability to stop destructive fire trends may at some point help these areas become more resilient and resistant to climate change trends, fire interval trends and introduction of invasive annual grasses. WAP Species Threats and Risks Addressed (Desert Tortoise, Mule Deer, Quail and Gila Monster) The above listed species represent a cross sample of species present in desert ecosystems and that could be impacted by the listed threats and risk. The threats and risks in the Mojave Desert are the same for all of the species listed as well as a host of other species of plants and wildlife that are not listed (drought, inappropriate fire frequency and invasive annual grasses). This specifically includes native bird and amphibian species and special status plants. For all of these species, this project aims to benefit and address the indirect affects. These green strips will likely not directly benefit desert tortoise or provide additional forage for desert tortoise because the tortoise fence along the Cottonwood Road (which actually keeps wildlife from succumbing to human/vehicle traffic and/or allow them to take advantage of the vegetation planted along the road). Unlike many re-vegetation projects, this project's sole focus is to mitigate indirect impacts to wildlife and desert ecosystems and not create actual habitat. There is the potential that vegetation along the Tortoise Fence and Cottonwood road would be such that desert tortoise would be harder to see from the road, thereby mitigating the potential for human/tortoise contact and the potential for disease spread within desert tortoise populations.

This project closely follows those recommendations listed in the Revised Recovery Plan for the Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise (USFWS 2014) and the Recovery Plan for the Desert Tortoise (Mojave Population; USFWS 1994). Additionally, the Red Cliff's NCA RMP and the St. George Field Office RMP call for pro-active vegetation management efforts to protect a variety of resources, including wildlife, recreation, and cultural (see compliance section below). The relationship to these management plans and associated objectives are as follows: Revised Recovery Plan for the Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise (USFWS 2011) and the Recovery Plan for the Desert Tortoise (Mojave Population; USFWS 1994) * Protect existing populations and habitat (2.0), Restore desert tortoise habitat (2.6 ) * Monitor progress towards recovery (4.0), Track changes in the quality of desert tortoise habitat (4.3) * Conduct research on the restoration of desert tortoise habitat (5.2) Recovery Action Plan for the Mojave Desert Tortoise in the Upper Virgin River (USFWS 2014) * Restore habitat in burned or otherwise disturbed areas; identify polygons of high potential or importance and create islands of seeded or planted habitat to enhance recovery (Priority 1, 4.02). * Conduct habitat restoration by controlling cheat grass and other non-native and invasive plant species (Priority 1, 4.05). * Restore habitat with large-scale seeding or plantings within the Reserve (Priority 2, 4.03). Recovery Action Plan for the Mojave Desert Tortoise in the Northeast Mojave (USFWS 2014) * Reduce coverage of exotic annual grasses and thus fire risk, and increase the coverage of native species and plant diversity for this area (Priority 1, 1.02). * In recently-burned habitat on the Beaver Dam Slope, re-seed multiple polygons, no smaller than 40 acres each (Priority 3, 1.12). Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan (WC 1995) * Preserve and enhance desert tortoise populations and their habitat within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve (1.5) * Provide protection for other listed and candidate species and their habitats (1.5) * Fund surveys and other actions to help gather information and identify and implement actions to help other listed and candidate species Gila Monster Conservation Strategy (UDWR 2007) * Identify, maintain, protect, and enhance important habitat to protect and conserve Gila monsters in southwestern Utah (Goal 2) * Identify and implement management actions that would protect and enhance Gila monster habitat (2.2). * Maintain biological integrity of protected habitat areas (i.e., Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, 3.1.1) Utah Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (UDWR 2005) * General Conservation Action to control and monitor invasive species with specific conservation action to protect and maintain habitat (6-2, 6-7). * Restore degraded habitat by managing previously or potentially suitable habitat to achieve or approach properly functioning condition with specific conservation action to maintain habitat integrity (6-2, 6-7). * Dixie Resource Area Resource Management Plan (BLM 1998) and Resource Management Plan for the Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Areas (BLM draft 2016) * Maintain wildlife habitats in properly functioning conditions to support natural wildlife diversity, reproductive capability, and appropriate human use and enjoyment (2.24) * Manage suitable public land habitats for the recovery or reestablishment of native populations through collaborative planning with local, state, and federal agencies, user groups, and interested organizations (2.24). * Work with state, local, and other federal partners to minimize or eliminate the need for additional listing of species under the Endangered Species Act in Washington County (2.24) Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan (UDWR 2014) * Expand and improve mule deer populations throughout the state within the carrying capacity of available habitats and in consideration of other land uses (VI, pg 17). * Conserve, improve, and restore mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges (VI, pg. 18). Landscape Conservation Forecasting for Washington County's National Conservation Areas (TNC 2011) * Improve or maintain condition of all ecological systems; improve the condition of ecological systems that are currently in an undesirable (highly departed) condition (Pg. 4-5). * For the six ecological systems that are vital tortoise habitat, reduce departure from desired future condition (tortoise habitat departure) from high to low (Pg 4). * Protect reference vegetation classes, unburned and only once-burned shrubland classes (Pg. 4). * Decrease fuel loading and continuity to help reduce risk of loss from wildlife to natural and cultural resources in the NCA's (Pg. 4). Southwest Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan, Cedar City Office (BLM 2004) * Prevent invasive species and restore watershed function and biological communities through short-term stabilication and long term rehabilitation (II,A., pg. 11). * Restore healthy, diverse, and resilient ecological systems to minimize uncharacteristically severe fires on a priority watershed basis through long-term restoration (II,A., pg. 11). Virgin River (Watershed) Management Plan (WCWCD, 2006) * To maintain and enhance water quality and associated natural resources of the Virgin River Watershed by reducing soil erosion, wildfires and flooding (Chapter 1, III-14).

FMU ***The Red Cliffs NCA is divided between the Great Basin and Mojave Desert Fire and Fuels Units (FMU's). Most of the area is critical habitat for desert tortoise and there are numerous Wildland Urban Interface areas along the perimeter of the NCA. Therefore, the FMU calls for full suppression for wildfires that occur within the NCA. Fire History **During the past 20 years, the Red Cliff's Reserve has experienced 16 wildfires that have burned over 19,206 acres (15,682 actual burn). Some of these areas (3,524 acres) have burned more than once, which is indicative of what has become a "new" fire regime for the Mojave desert - a burn-reburn cycle that triggers increased production of annual invasive grasses and uncharacteristically large fires. The largest fire to date was the Diamond Valley Complex Fire (2005) which burned 5,809 acres. Overall, 25% of the Red Cliff's area has experienced wildfire over large contiguous acres. Fire Regime: Fire Regime Condition Class is a function of the degree of departure from historical fire regimes resulting in alterations to key ecosystem components. The higher the number (i.e. FRCC3), the more significantly the fire frequency has department from historic regimes. In this case of the Red Cliffs NCA, the area has experienced more frequent fire, rather than less fire, with approximately 22,477 acres in FRCC2 (36%) and 37,974 acres in FRCC 3 (62%). Less than 1% of the remaining area is in FRCC1 (normal Fire frequency). Fire has never been a frequent change agent within the mojave desert, so actions proposed would likely not return natural fire frequencies to the area; however, these actions would help to modify current frequent fire behavior trends and provide opportunities to reduce the scale and liklihood of large, stand replacing fires that are predicted to occur in the future. A complete chart of FRCC descriptions is contained in the Images/Documents Section.

The Red Cliffs NCA portion of Cottonwood Creek falls within the Gould Wash and Lower Santa Clara River Watersheds. Average annual precipitation for the NCA is approximately 14 inches. Leeds, Quail Creek and the Virgin River, are the primary surface waters within the area. Water Quality and Quantity is influenced by seasonal monsoons and winter precipitation. Contrary to simple logic, wetter than normal winters result in early green-up and more developed invasive annual grasses, which can influence fire risk. This is especially problematic when heavy winter precipitation causes increased fire frequency and hotter than average fires and soil damage, and then monsoonal moisture causes flooding and sheet erosion. This not only impacts water quality by moving soil and debris into ephemeral washes and outlying communities, but there have been numerous instances where flash flooding has trapped visiting recreationists and motorists that are unsuspecting of the areas' quickly changing conditions. Any type of vegetation that can stop or slow the spread of water across the landscape can reduce these negative conditions, especially along a road, where there are a) more people, and b, topography is such that water flows along that path. As the Cottonwood Road is one of the major thoroughfares through the area, this first phase will help to alleviate potential water quality issues, and provide protective benefits to the watershed. Watershed Health - The current fire regime and subsequent influx of invasive annual grasses has already impacted soil compation, soil nitrogen content and temperature, and has impacted surface water flows. This project will have an indirect impact to mitigate these actions in the future. The Mojave Desert system is one of the most threatened systems in the Western United States. Overall watershed health cannot be achieved with a single project, but this is the type of project that could begin to protect the watershed as a whole, and help to promote more sustainable ecosystems.

Arch clearances were completed in 2018 for the area proposed. Additionally a tortoise barrier fence prohibits tortoises from entering onto the Cottonwood road and within the footprint of the proposed treatment. BLM also consulted on other T&E species in the area for other projects along the road shoulder and the findings were may affect not likely to affect both Desert Tortoise and California Condor. There are several NEPA documents (both at an EIS and EA level) that cover this project, including the REd Cliffs ROD and approved RMP (2016) and the two EA's that discussed fuel breaks along the road (EA-UT-CO30-2011-023 Cottonwood Road Fuels Project and EA-UT-C031-2012-0003 using herbicides along the Cottonwood road. Much effort has been expended by the BLM, Washington County and the Fish and WIldlife Service to pro-actively manage the Red Cliff's NCA. During the planning process and subsequent NCA designation (1996) consistency reviews were completed for a variety of state and local plans (Mohave County General Plan (2005); Washington County RMP (2009), Washington County General Plan (2012), State of Utah Cod (63j-401, as affected by 6311-1-263) see Table 3-6 through 3-8, p. 171. Partners continue to work together to incorporate all of the planning efforts that are applicable to the NCA. The Objectives proposed above are specifically called for in the: National Conservation Lands Proposed Resource Managemen tPlans Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area, Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Proposed Amendments to the St. George Field Office Resource Management Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement (DOI-BLM-UT-C030-2015-1-EIS). 2016. The Management Plan Goal, Objectives and Management Actions are contained in Chapter 2 and include those proposed to benefit: Water Resources (2.9.2), Geologic and Paleontological Resources (2.9.3), Soil Resources (2.9.5), Native Vegetation Communities (2.9.6), Fire and Fuels Management (2.9.7), Invasive Species and Invasive Weeds (2.9.8), Vegetation Resource Uses and Livestock Grazing (2.9.9),Special Status Species (2.9.11), Special Status Species (2.9.12), Special Status Bird Species (2.9.13), Desert Tortoise (2.9.15), BLM Sensitive Species and other wildlife (2.9.17 through 2.9.23), Heritage Resources (2.9.24) Wilderness (2.9.25), Visual Resource Management (2.5.26), and Recreation and Visitor Services (2.5.28). Also see Relationship to Management Plans, above.

The ROW along the Cottonwood road would be seeded with a fire-tolerant and drought resistant mix of native vegetation. The fuel break would be approximately 100 feet wide on each side of the road, and would travel for approximately 8 miles (280 acres total). The seeded area would then be chain harrowed (a small single anchor chain pulled by a small tractor) to incorporate the seed into the soil.

2 Line intercept transects would be established within the treatment area, likely in conjunction with Utah's AIM monitoring Protocol. Plots would be read the first two years and then every 5 years thereafter. Area managers, Washington County and NCA partners are particularly interested in seeing the success of this project, and the feasibility of duplicating it in a checkerboard fashion throughout the NCA, at a later date and where appropriate. NCA staff, Washington County, and BLM fire personnel already heavily monitor this area as part of the Red Cliffs NCA Management Plan. Visual monitoring in the way of visitor use data counts and compliance monitoring will incorporate monitoring of vegetation success in this area. An Annual report is completed each year for the Red Cliff NCA Area Manager and Staff. At this time the 2017 year report and monitoring data is complete and available upon request. The 2018 annual and monitoring report is currently in progress, but was delayed by the shutdown. The fact that this is in an NCA better assures that monitoring is complete, reported and available to the public. In the past, this actually appeared on the BLM home page, but more national web pages have deleted "landings" for these types of reports. However, as mentioned, they are complete and readily available upon request.

UDWR and Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan Administrator's Office NCA Steering committee have expressed interest in working together to find solutions to pro-actively managing the Red Cliff's NCA, and to ensure that non-native, annual grasses do not further increase at the expense of native shrublands, and to ensure that soil erosion during flooding is kept to a minimum to help protect all the values at risk. This current effort may be expanded at the discretion of the partners, depending on success. In 2018, the HCP Technical Committee met with BLM Fuels staff, St. George Field Office and Forestry Fire and State Lands to discuss what would be the priorities for fuel breaks for the "Reserve"/NCA. Cottonwood Road, I-15, and SR 18 were the top three, followed by secondary power line access roads, which are not open to public travel. This project acts on those suggestions to begin at the Cottonwood Road. This portion of the project would only involve BLM, but the partners are all at the table, to implement pro-active efforts on the reserve. The steering committee will be involved in all decisions made now and into the future.

If this project proves successful, similar fuel breaks and seedings may be established along other appropriate corridors (see partners above). Regardless of success, some sort of "break" will continue to be explored along the Cottonwood Road, and could include planting additional native vegetation, using fire crews to provide periodic water from a water tender, targeted grazing (goats), and removing all vegetation to provide a physical "break" in vegetation to stop or slow the spread of fire. This area will continue to be managed for recreation use, and as such, opportunities to mitigate potential direct human impacts (wildlife mortality and noise) and indirect impacts (fragmentation, edge effect, dust and other airborne pollutants, invasive species and fire risk) will continue to be explored by NCA managers and users.

The majority of the area along the Cottonwood Road is not available for livestock Grazing via. a decision from the 1999 SGFO RMP. Federal permits for livestock grazing were voluntarily relenquished by the permit holders, who were compensated for the value of the permits by Washington County (Alger Hollow and Yellow Knolls). There are still areas within the NCA that are grazed, but they would be unaffected by this proposal. The area would continue to not be available to livestock grazing. Additionally, this area is not available for energy development. The largest sustainable use on the Red Cliffs Reserve is recreation. In 2018, recreational monitoring data showed that the Red Cliffs NCA received 202,700 visitors at the 5 trailheads that are accessed off the cottonwood road. This does not account for the visitors that did not register at a trailhead or other motorized travel that occurred throughout the area and utilized the Cottonwood Road as access to the Dixie National Forest recreation sites, private in-holdings in the Forest and to Diamond Valley. With Washington County currently the fastest growing county in the Western United States, it is expected that anthropogenic uses will continue to increase along the Cottonwood Road, especially with UTV's and side-by-sides. In 2018, there were 202,305 legally registered off-road vehicles in Utah. Just ten years early, there were only several thousand. What is interesting to note, is that of these registered vehicles, 21,791 were UTV's that were considered street legal. The Red Cliffs NCA, and its' proximity to sprawling Urban areas in Washington County, ensures that use will increase along the Cottonwood Road as it continues to be used for recreational uses. This area SHOULD remain an important recreational use area, but then it is also increasingly important to anticipate the increase in this desired sustainable uses on the NCA, by reducing the potential risks that come with increased recreation and vehicle travel in this area (increased potential for introduction and movement of non native grasses and potential for increase in human caused fires). This project is a pro-active look at decreasing these risks for more than one season.

02/04/2021

02/05/2021

2021

Project area was aerial seeded by helicopter with a mixture of warm and cool season grasses and various forbs. One pass of seeding was done on each side of the Cottonwood Road, within the right of way.

This project has been delayed many times trying to work through desert tortoise, national conservation area, and wildfire issues. The treatment area was finally seeded during the Turkey Farm Road and Cottonwood Trail Fire ESR treatments. The seeded area was contracted in concurrence with both of these fires to ensure a good price per acre. Only the seeding portion of the treatment was applied at this time. Chain harrow was to follow the seeding application, however, with continuing issues of desert tortoise habitat, National Conservation Area policies and some emergency road construction due to municipal water concerns it was decided to just seed the area at the same time as the fire rehab and postpone or cancel the harrow. The area was seeded with a mixture of warm season grasses and various forbs that will hopefully be successful in this climate. BLM worked with GBRC on which of the variety of species would be most suitable. GBRC was crucial to getting the amount and kinds of species that were needed. The seeded area consisted of one pass on either side of the Cottonwood Road to hopefully establish a "greenstrip" of perennial vegetation to create a fire break within the area.

Future management of the area consists of monitoring for success of the seeding through photo plots. No other future management is planned at this time unless monitoring shows that more treatment should occur. At this time, there is no livestock grazing that occurs within the treatment area.