Currently many of the stream miles in the system consist of a narrow fairly straight channel with little complexity. Very little water is being exchanged with the riparian zone. The riparian grasses along the stream are in good shape, and some locations have healthy stands of willow. Most of those willows are in Rat Hole Canyon in an area with lots floodplain, connectivity, and higher water tables, providing water to a wider riparian zone. Areas without willow in the system are lacking this hydrologic complexity. The lack of sufficient fish habitat and riparian habitat in the system threatens the persistence of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout.

1) Improve fish habitat 2) Increase riparian woody species 3) Improve measurements of BLM land health standards 4) Increase the streams resiliency to fire events 5) Improve water quality 6) Increase baseflow discharge

The project is focused on improving the condition of both instream fish habitat and the riparian zone by concentrating on instream woody instream structures to improve composition and vigor of woody riparian species. Without restoration intervention it is unlikely that degradation to Bitter Creek will be reversed, and may worsen, resulting in greater cost if restoration is delayed. Actions aimed to improve habitat conditions are needed to ensure the persistence of cutthroat trout and native riparian vegetation. For example, natural recovery from incision can take centuries to millennia without restoration actions.

CONSERVATION STRATEGY FOR COLORADO RIVER CUTTHROAT TROUT. Objective 4 -- Secure and enhance watershed conditions. Strategy 7 -- Improve habitat conditions for CRCT (utilizing habitat improvement techniques including stream bank stabilization, increased water temperature refugia, and riparian management) UINTAH COUNTY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN. 8.4.8 -- Support efforts to protect water quality and the quality of the associated fisheries. 8.4.9 -- Support efforts to improve fish habitats while balancing the rights of adjacent landowners and holders of water rights. 9.4.2 -- Encourage the restoration of floodplain connectivity for improved flood control in suitable areas. 20.4.2 -- Conserve and protect riparian areas through application of best management practices. 20.4.12 -- Encourage efforts to enhance streambeds and control erosion. Increase coverage and composition of vegetation. VERNAL BLM RMP: Riparian resources: Maintain, restore, improve, protect, and expand riparian-wetland areas so they are in Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) and meet BLM Utah Standards for Rangeland Health and Guidelines for Grazing Management for their productivity, biological diversity, and sustainability, and achieve an advanced (late-climax seral stage) ecological status, except where resource management will require an earlier ecological status for such purposes as vegetation diversity. Special status species: Conserve and protect special status species and enhance their habitats, Implement the management recovery measures necessary to increase populations of special status species, including federally listed animal species, and restore them to their historic ranges by enhancing, protecting, and restoring known and potential habitat and the ecosystems on which they depend, Manage non-listed sensitive species and the habitats upon which they depend in such a manner as to preclude the need to list them as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The guidance for this management is put forth in the BLM 6840 Manual. BLM Grazing Management Regulations, 43 CFR Subpart 4120.2 * Objectives are to promote healthy sustainable rangeland ecosystems; to accelerate restoration and improvement of public lands to properly functioning condition...requires development of guidelines to address the restoration, maintenance and enhancement of habitats to promote the conservation of Federal proposed, Federal candidate, and other special status species. Deer Statewide Management Plan: Habitat objective 2 line e: states use WRI to improve riparian habitats throughout Utah.

The proposed project will mitigate fire risk by creating areas unlikely to burn due to high water tables, and in some areas standing water. Maintaining high water tables and increased surface water due to beaver dams and woody debris reduces the probability that such areas will burn. Furthermore, maintaining physically complex and healthy streams and riparian areas acts to buffer post-fire sediment and runoff, limiting post-fire erosion. The proposed project will help create a landscape more resilient to fire. Given the cost of post-fire rehabilitation and the risks associated with stream erosion post-fire maintaining healthy streams and riparian areas is of special importance. An example of fire resilience is shown in the images/documents section of this proposal. The picture was taken immediately post fire showing a section of healthy riparian stream surrounded by burned hillsides.

The proposed project will use woody structures to essentially provide the same function as beaver dams; in that the structures will impound water, capture/settle/stabilize stream supplied sediment, increase water levels and corresponding water table, and aid in establishment of riparian vegetation on banks and adjacent floodplain. Water quality benefits of the proposed project would include reduction of suspended sediment, capture of sediment loads, increase DO, decrease overall water temperatures and increase base flows.

NEPA will be completed by the Vernal BLM, included in the NEPA will be archeology and cultural resource clearance. A stream alteration permit, and temporary water right for BDA structures will also be acquired if deemed necessary be the permitting entities.

For this pilot phase 60-80 woody instream structures will be constructed over an 8-day period. This phase is separated into two different complexes located on Chapita Creek, and in Rat Hole Canyon. Many of the woody instream structures will act as BDAs and mimic the structure and function of beaver dams, while other structures will mimic natural accumulations of large woody debris (LWD). Ponding and increased floodplain connectivity due to dams and other structure types will cause an elevation increase in the water table and groundwater levels (Woo and Waddington, 1990) which will also aid in riparian recovery and expansion. Ultimately, with a high enough density of structures they can attenuate water table decline during the dry season elevating base flow (Westbrook et al., 2006; Burchsted et al., 2010) and improving water quality. A healthy riparian corridor will increase the surface roughness of the floodplain which will increase the magnitude of overbank deposition during high flows providing an increase in sediment storage on the floodplain and benefits to downstream water quality. Water quality benefits of the proposed project would include reduction of suspended sediment, capture of sediment loads, increase dissolved oxygen, decrease overall water temperatures, and increase base flows. The initial structures will serve as a pilot project to test the site-specific geomorphic and hydrologic responses, which will inform the larger-scale restoration. Based on the lessons learned from the pilot project we will ultimately expand the scale of the structure treatment as needed to achieve restoration objectives. The installation of structures will be completed by youth crews trained and overseen by BLM. The area has an abundance of large sagebrush (many over 6ft tall). Sagebrush will be cut using chainsaws and used to build the instream structures; dependent on-site specific logistics pinyon pine or other conifers will be harvested if it is closer to the restoration area, with preferential removal of these species from aspen stands, aiding in aspen regeneration. Harvested wood will be moved to the stream using a UTV and small trailer. All digging in the stream bank will be done with hand tools.

To determine effectiveness of the structures pre- and post-treatment fish sampling by UDWR will occur to measure fish abundance and health in the restoration reaches. Site specific monitoring will include a mixture of instream pebble counts, installation of water temperature loggers, vegetation, and water measurements. Pre and post proper functioning condition assessments will be completed to measure land health standards (dependent on staff availability).

Partners in the project include UDWR, who has attended pre-proposal site visits, conducted prior fish sampling, and fish stocking. Utah State University researches have also made pre proposal site visits and advised on restoration techniques.

The project is part of a multi-year effort that will involve follow-up monitoring, and treatments to achieve project objectives. The long-terms goals are to restore riparian and floodplain habitats along Bitter creek and its tributaries in a manner that creates diverse riparian communities comprised primarily of native plant species as a means of improving the condition and resiliency of riparian and aquatic habitats, and as a result improve conditions for trout. If riparian woody vegetation becomes established in enough of this system it may be suitable for beaver re-introduction in the future.

In 1994 the Nature Conservancy and Rocky Mountain Elk purchased AUM's in this allotment. The number of cattle has been reduced, therefore overutilization is usually not an issue in the riparian areas as extra forage is available. This allotment is monitored by BLM range staff and if any one area is receiving too much grazing pressure cattle can be moved to other pastures within the allotment. As a result any extra riparian forage created by this project will be available to wildlife like Elk and Mule deer. These type of structures have been shown to store spring runoff in ponds and alluvial water tables, this water is then released later in the summer increasing base flows, and this will improve summer water availability to downstream users, and make the stream more drought resistant. Currently much of the stream system is extremely narrow and difficult to fish, these structures will create more fishable pools, and grow larger trout.

02/11/2019

06/30/2025

2025

Many hours were spent on addressing the permitting process and it is still on going. As the project was later determined to need a 404 (ACE) and a 401 (EPA) permit in addition to the completed NEPA and completed State of Utah stream alteration permit. These steps have proven to be uncharted, and a learning process was needed to complete the work in the general area. There were 200 BDA post purchased and are ready to be implemented with hand tools such as sledgehammers and shovels using in-house staff and not requiring any additional funds needed to complete the groundwork. The permitting process included the BLM, Trout Unlimited, Army Corp of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Uinta-Ouray Ute Tribe.

The project focus was to increase the habitat complexities, continue the presence of water availability for aquatic species and for terrestrial species. Low-tech process techniques are used to improve riparian health, increase habitat complexity and will once the office work of completing permits is completed. Due to the permitting for ground implementation project setbacks were exhibited and hinder the ability for the project to be completed to its fullest extent. The number of structures for the project were increased because of needing to complete a Nation-Wide Permit 27 (NWP 27). A state of Utah permit limits actions to only 300 linear feet of disturbance and NWP 27 allows for up to 500 linear feet of disturbance; it was decided to increase the number of structures to utilize the full effect the applied permit. The additions did not result in the delays or increase the needed permitting experienced.

Future work will consist of placing the structures in the streams with having the official and completed permits in place. Future projects the permitting process should be under way before the WRI presentation to address any concerns from other agencies. These locations were selected as initial sites of address success and feasibility in completing the work in Bitter Creek. The primary target for restoration for success of aquatics species is the mainstem Bitter Creek, which is supporting populations of Brook Trout and Cutthroat Trout. Continue improving the riparian habitat, the availability of water, and increasing the habitat complexity.