The wildfire burned important habitat for Utah prairie dog (UPD) (9,499 acres), Greater Sage-grouse (brood rearing (9,331 acres), (summer (9,331 acres) and (winter (16,422 acres), mule deer (crucial winter (11,420 acres), pronghorn (year-round (8,586 acres) and livestock grazing lands. The Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation (ES&R) project will focus on re-establishing wildlife habitats; specifically, for Utah prairie dog and Sage Grouse throughout the wildfire area. The two primary species that were impacted by the fire were the Utah Prairie Dog and the sage grouse. A portion of the project area is located in the Adams Well Utah Prairie Dog Management Unit. This area has been identified as critical for the recovery of the Utah Prairie Dog. ES&R efforts are expected to help provide additional Utah prairie dog habitat to ensure that the Utah Prairie Dog Management Unit Plan Path to Recovery is attainable in the short-term and long-term. The wildfire also occurred within a portion of the Bald Hills Sage Grouse Priority Habitat Management Area (PHMA). Past sage grouse telemetry data indicates that a considerable portion of the wildfire perimeter has been utilized by sage grouse. The ES&R project will be designed to benefit all wildlife species that are present in the area. Multiple treatments have been identified in the wildfire perimeter as follows: 1. Cultural Clearances - 10,853 acres 2. General Wildlife (Grass/Forb) (Aerial Seeding/Chaining) - 13,208 acres + 1,673 SITLA 3. Sage Grouse and General Wildlife (Aerial Seeding Only) - 2,355 acres + 71 SITLA 4. Sage Grouse (Shrub) (Aerial Seeding/Chaining) - 10,129 acres + 1,673 SITLA 5. Fuel Breaks/Green Strips (Grass/Forb (Aerial Seeding/Chaining) - 729 acres + 61 SITLA 6. Chaining - 10,853 acres 7. Sagebrush Seedling Planting - 2,000 acres 8. Bitterbrush Seedling Planting - 250 acres 9. Plateau Treatments - 2,149 acres + 362 SITLA 10. Sage Grouse Telemetry - 10 - 15 solar PTT transmitters 11. Wildlife Guzzler (Replacement/Upgrade) - 1 guzzler

The overall objective of this project is to rehabilitate the burned area to provide habitat for wildlife (i.e. Greater Sage Grouse, Utah Prairie Dog, mule deer, pronghorn, etc...) and livestock grazing. This will be accomplished by seeding a diverse mix of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs. The long-term goal of the project is to improve the areas resistance and resilience to future wildfires and to the spread of invasive species including cheatgrass.

Cheatgrass has high probability of returning and re-establishing before other plant species due to the nature of this annual grass. As this happens, other plant species struggle to re-establish, which results in the landscape being dominated by cheatgrass. If the area is not rehabilitated through ES&R efforts it is expected that a pattern of more fires similar to the Neck Fire will continue to occur within the area. The proposed treatment is expected to increase the likelihood of desirable plant species (perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs) to re-establish. A more diverse and fire resistant vegetative community would provide desirable wildlife habitat. Annual precipitation fluctuations may affect the germination and establishment of seeds that are planted; however, the project is located at an elevation of 5,000 - 6,000 feet, which is expected to help counteract the impacts of drought. Typically, rangelands at this elevation receive adequate precipitation to promote vegetative growth and viability in the short-term and long-term.

The project is consistent with the following BLM land use plans and associated decisions: * Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony Resource Management Plan Resource Management Plan (1986). * Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Approved Resource Management Plans as Amended (ARMPAs 2015 and 2019) * Southwest Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan (May, 2006) * The project is in conformance with the Normal Year Fire Stabilization and Rehabilitation Plan Environmental Assessment (EA UT-0040-03-28). The project is in conformance with the applicable land use plans because it is provided for in the following land use plan decisions: Record of Decision and Approved Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Resource Management Plan Amendments (2015 and 2019) Goal SSS-1: Maintain and/or increase GRSG abundance and distribution by conserving, enhancing, or restoring the sagebrush ecosystem upon which populations depend in collaboration with other conservation partners Special Status Species (SSS): Objectives SSS-1, SSS-2, SSS-3, SSS-4, and SSS-5; Management Actions (MA) MA-SSS-1, MA-SSS-3, and MA-SSS-4, MA-SSS-7. Vegetation (VEG): Objective VEG-1; MA-VEG-1, MA-VEG-2, MA-VEG-3, MA-VEG-4, MA-VEG-5, MA-VEG-6, MA-VEG-10, MA-VEG-11, MA-VEG-12, MA-VEG-14. Fire and Fuels Management (FIRE): MA-FIRE-2, and MA-FIRE-3. Other Plans/Strategies Utah Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-Grouse (2019) State of Utah Executive Order 2015/002- Implementing the Utah Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-Grouse (2015) Utah State Wildlife Action Plan (2015) State of Utah Resource Management Plan (2018) National Fire Plan (2000) Utah Pronghorn Statewide Management Plan (2009) Southwest Desert Deer Herd Unit Management Plan (2015) Coordinated Implementation Plan for Bird Conservation in Utah (2005) Local Sage-Grouse Working Group Plans Southwest Desert Greater Sage-Grouse Local Conservation Plan (2009)

The Neck fire encompassed 18,769 acres. In addition, numerous large fires (Baboon, Badger, Black Mountain, Maple Springs, Roundabout, Rush Lake and Wrangler) have burned within the immediate vicinity of the project area. The Neck Fire is located in the Mineral Black Mountain Fire Management Unit (FMU) (646,151 acres). Approximately 241,620 acres have burned over the past 20 years within this FMU. This amounts to over 37% of the FMU being impacted by high intensity wildfire. Approximately 40,000 acres have burned more than once (cheatgrass burn/re-burn cycle). Most alarming is the fact that for the 22 years in which fire records are available (1993-2014) the number of fires has decreased over the past 10 years; however, the acreages burned has increased more than 200%. If the Neck ES&R project does not occur it is expected that cheatgrass will invade and dominate this area. Future fires will continue to be more difficult to control and have devastating effects by burning at a higher intensity, which could lead to fires getting larger and burning unburned habitat. Treatments identified within this proposal, including seeding with more fire resistant vegetation and creation of fuel breaks/green strips are expected to reduce the overall threat of future wildfires, which could impact unburned areas in the watershed.

The Project Area is located at 5,000 - 6,000 feet above sea level; therefore, it is expected that the opportunity to restore herbaceous species to the composition and frequency appropriate to the area is high. The project is expected to stabilize and improve the herbaceous understory that was burned in the fire, which will reduce water runoff and decrease soil erosion while increasing infiltration. Improvements to the Standards and Guidelines for Healthy Rangelands (Standard 1 and Standard 3) are expected through project implementation. It is expected that Standard 1 (Soils) -- will improve by allowing soils to exhibit permeability and infiltration rates that will sustain/improve site productivity throughout the area. This will be accomplished by making improvements to the Biotic Integrity of the community by restoring areas to a diverse component of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs that were present prior to the wildfire. Indicators will include sufficient cover and litter to protect the soil surface from excessive water and wind erosion, limiting surface flow and limiting soil moisture loss through evaporation, which will promote proper infiltration.

The treatment will be rested from livestock grazing for a minimum of two years (2 growing seasons) following project implementation to ensure adequate rest and seedling establishment. A cultural contract will be issued and cultural clearances will be completed prior to the project implementation. Project Inspectors will ensure that all contract specifications are adhered to for aerial seeding, chaining, etc... Extensive monitoring data (upland and wildlife) has been collected throughout the area, which will provide baseline data to determine the success of the treatments.

The following are the methods for each treatment type: 1. Cultural Clearances Cultural Clearances will be completed prior to project implementation. 2. Sage Grouse and General Wildlife (Aerial Seeding/Chaining) A diverse seed mix (perennial grass, forb and shrub) will be identified to promote successful rehabilitation to improve wildlife habitat. Chaining will be utilized to cover the seed. 3. Sage Grouse and General Wildlife (Aerial Seeding Only) A diverse seed mix (perennial grass, forb and shrub) will be identified to promote successful rehabilitation to improve wildlife habitat. Steep and rocky areas will only be aerially seeded. 4. Utah Prairie Dog (Aerial Seeding/Chaining) A diverse seed mix (perennial grass and forb) will be identified to promote successful rehabilitation to improve wildlife habitat. Chaining will be utilized to cover the seed. 5. Fuel Breaks/Green Strips (Seed Mix/Chaining) An aggressive seed mix (perennial grass and forb) will be identified along major roads and travel corridors. Fuel Breaks/Green Strips will provide a barrier to control spread of future wildfires, contain the spread of a wildfire from a source and provide for fire fighter protection. Chaining will be utilized to cover the seed. 6. Sagebrush Seedling Planting Sagebrush seedling planting will occur in areas that provide habitat connectivity for sage grouse. Information from past telemetry studies will be utilized to identify these areas. 7. Bitterbrush Seedling Planting Bitterbrush seedling planting will occur in areas that have been identified as important for mule deer. 8. Plateau Treatments Plateau treatments will be utilized in areas where there are cheatgrass concerns. 9. Sage Grouse Telemetry The sage grouse telemetry will be utilized to determine if habitat loss and/or fragmentation is a constraint, determine dispersal and connectivity of habitat, determine if there are changes to previously documented sage grouse corridors and allow for analysis of sage grouse use of treatments at various stages of succession (i.e. Neck Wildfire and new treatments vs. 3-5 year old treatments). (Refer to Neck Fire Sage Grouse Telemetry Proposal). 10. Wildlife Guzzler (Replacement/Upgrade) There are three wildlife guzzlers within the wildfire perimeter. The guzzlers provide important water sources for pronghorn and mule deer.

Monitoring data would be collected at 10 key management areas (8 existing and 2 new). Monitoring may include some support from UDWR or other cooperators. Standard surveys will include: Nested Frequency (Trend), Line Intercept (Shrub Cover and Age Class), Standards and Guidelines for Rangeland Health Assessment, Photo Points, Noxious weed inventory/monitoring. In addition, 2-6 AIM plots would be established within the wildfire perimeter. Vegetation and wildlife monitoring data will be collected throughout the project area to determine the success of the ES&R efforts. This monitoring data will be compiled into an overall monitoring report that will help determine the level of success for the project in the short-term and long-term. Sage Grouse telemetry data has been collected in the area in the past. If funding is received a follow-up sage grouse project would occur within the area. The goals of the project would be as follows: * Determine if habitat loss and/or fragmentation is a constraint within the Bald Hills PHMA * Determine dispersal and connectivity of habitat within the Bald Hills PHMA * Determine if there are changes to previously documented sage grouse corridors * Allow for analysis of sage grouse use of treatments at various stages of succession (i.e. Neck Wildfire and new treatments vs. 3-5 year old treatments). It is expected that all treatments identified would at the minimum serve as opportunity areas even if sage grouse do not move into them immediately following treatment.

The BLM Cedar City Field Office will be working with Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative to complete this project. SITLA will be involved because state lands (1,954 acres) were burned in the fire. Of the 1,954 acres of trust lands 1,673 will be chained, 1,744 will be seeded, 362 will be treated with plateau, and 61 acres will be put into green strips. Non-use agreements will be identified with livestock permittees to ensure adequate rest following project implementation.

A mandatory 2 year (growing season) minimum rest period will be initiated for the portions of the allotments that were burned. Deferrment of livestock grazing for a minimum of two years (two growing seasons) will be used to exclude livestock from the burned area to provide seeded species the opportunity to establish.

The fire burned in portions of six grazing allotments (Adams Well, Desert, Lowe Jones, Minersville 3, Minersville 5 and Nada). Ten livestock grazing permittees have been impacted by the wildfire. The areas or pastures burned will need to be rested from grazing for a minimum of two years (growing seasons). In the long term, this project will likely have an overall positive impact on domestic livestock grazing because of added forage value following seeding.

12/20/2019

06/23/2021

2021

The methods to perform the emergency stabilization and rehabilitation on the burned area of the Neck Fire (18,769 acres) were aerial seeded and chained using an Ely chain. The aerial seeding was done in multiple applications. First the general seeding was done on 14,945 acres on BLM and State land. The seeds were forbs and perennial grasses. At same time seed was applied on 793 acres of private land in the burn. The following applications were a shrub seeding on 11,802 acres of BLM and State land and a supplemental (reseeding) on 4,265 acres over part of the previous general seeding. Hammond Helicopter was the seeding contractor and GBRC supplied the seed for all of the seedings. The chaining was done in two stages. First the BLM fire personnel performed the chaining on cerca 6,000 acres. Secondly, a contractor (Deer Valley Sand & Gravel) chained an area marked at 4,265 acres. The chaining is useful for turning applied seeding into the soil and putting down dead burned vegetation, mainly tree skeletons, that were still standing after the fire.

The Neck Fire burned this area in September 2019. The initial general seeding was done in December 2019 and January 2020. Chaining started later in the winter of 2020 and continued into the spring of 2020 as cultural surveys where completed. The acres that could be chained were also limited by topography and soil types conducive to where traversing with bulldozers pulling the large anchor chain was possible. The cultural survey contract was entirely completed in 2020, though chaining would need to be resumed after the summer season for fire safety and logistical reasons. The shrub seeding was applied in spring 2021 along with a supplement reseeding of the areas not yet chained. The last portion of project needed to be chained was contracted out and done in June 2021.

Photo inventory before and after treatment has been done and will continue to monitor the state and progress of vegetation reestablishment. Rest from livestock grazing for two growing seasons is planned to occur for plant re-establishment. BLM employees will monitor the site for compliance. The AIM method of monitoring has been implemented in at various sites in the project to quantify plant species frequency and diversity. Nested frequency and utilization monitoring will also continue as it was before the fire in this area.