This project will be phased out into multiple years to be able to accomplish the goals that are wanting to be met. This first year we are planning on doing a lop and scatter treatment on a piece of private property that is around 430 acres. Adjacent to the piece of private property is the Forest Service, where we are wanting to also do a bull hog mechanical treatment that will be around 3,575 acres. The cultural clearances and NEPA for this project will be done this year while the lop and scatter project on private property is being done. The following for this project addresses ecological needs and social needs of this area. 1. To reduce existing vegetation density, live fuel loads/fuel continuity and ladder fuels within the project area to reduce wildfire risk and diversify vegetation structure. The proposed treatments would improve habitat quality and productivity for big game and other wildlife and livestock by creating mosaics of vegetation composition and age class structures, and increasing forage production. The Gambel oak and pinyon-juniper zone in the La Sals is becoming degraded due to increasing pinyon and juniper density and dense, aging oakbrush stands. In areas where trees have become dominant, they have out-competed understory species for light, moisture and nutrients. This eventually results in a loss of many understory species and sagebrush openings. The lack of understory species will deplete the native seedbank, increase soil erosion, and increase non-native weed invasion. When the oak becomes overgrown it is inaccessible for livestock and wildlife to utilize as forage. Excessive fuel build up can result in catastrophic wildfires, which further degrades the habitat. Removing pinyon/juniper and mulching oak brush will improve site conditions. It will ensure the seedbank maintains desirable species, reduces the chances of catastrophic wildfires, and decrease the risk of weed invasion. 2. Riparian habitat in this area needs to be improved as well. Deer Creek is an important perennial spring fed stream that provides crucial water for livestock and stream/riparian habitat for fish and wildlife. 3. Increasing available forage for livestock in areas where currently there is little forage due to density of shrubs and trees will improve livestock distribution and spread use over a larger area in these pastures which allows for better management of the frequency and intensity of grazing. The expected increases to overall rangeland health should lead to improved livestock weight gains and health.

1) Promote a healthy understory of grasses, forbs and shrubs to increase available forage for livestock and provide quality habitat for wildlife. 2) Restore floodplain connectivity to reaches of Deer creek and induce sediment deposition in areas where erosion has occurred and improve channel complexity for fish. 3) Reduce the encroachment of pinyon/juniper trees and bring the oak brush to a level that can be utilized, but leave patches of trees and older oak stands for wildlife corridors and cover. 4) Reduce the density of pinyon/juniper trees and older stands of oak brush as a hazardous fuels treatment to protect habitat at risk from a catastrophic wildfire event. 5) Reduce overland flows of water from rain/snow events where there are heavy pinyon/juniper stands, allowing water to be infiltrated into the soils and slowly released back into the system. 6) Help bring this plant community back into a more natural state with a variety of age classes of oak.

This project focuses on pinyon/ juniper removal and oak brush disturbance as a means to maintain healthy sagebrush habitat and reinvigorate oak. Sagebrush habitat is at risk of being lost due to the increasing density of pinyon juniper, overly dense oakbrush, subsequent wildfire, and high potential for cheatgrass invasion. High severity wildfire could lead to an increase in cheatgrass and loss of native species and erosion. The cultural resource survey portion of this project for bullhog treatment of phase two (2022) includes in and around the sole power source corridor/power line to the community of Castle Valley. The project will protect that infrastructure and power supply for this community. This project will decrease the risk of high severity wildfire by reducing fuel loading, it will reduce soil erosion by promoting understory plant growth, and increase diversity in the vegetation, all of which are critical to maintaining ecosystem resilience. As the conditions in these areas declines so does herd health for wintering big game in the area and rangeland for livestock. This project will help improve and maintain diversity and improve ecosystem function in this target area. Treatments in this area are very important since there is limited potential for wildfire to create the desired disturbance and create a mosaic of different plant communities. The area is dominated by pinyon, juniper and oak, and this project will allow the site to grow grasses, forbs and shrubs that will benefit wildlife and livestock in the area. One of the threats identified by the LSSC to livestock producers is the vulnerability of their industry to wildfire and drought. Returning the ecosystem to one with high integrity and functionally will provide for ecological vibrancy, sustainability, and resiliency for their operation (LSSC, 2017). The local livestock operators have made a concerted effort to change their management to better distribute livestock and provide for a greater variation of timing across allotments and pastures. Part of this process was reducing allotments from 7 to 4 and increasing pastures from 38 to 59. Returning these pastures to earlier seral communities with more forage is integral to making this new operation work. This new system with changes in herding, pastures, salting, and other practices including a deferred rotation schedule and replacement of cow-calf pairs to heifers will allow for greater use of the landscape in turn reducing pressure on critical areas. The current objective for mule deer on the La Sal Unit is 18,100. From 2016-2018 the 3 year average population was 7,900. Recruitment on the unit is also well below what is needed to grow a population, with a 3 year average of 31 fawns/100 does from 2016-2018. There are several factors that can limit population growth, but habitat is critical to ensuring that healthy does are able to give birth to fawns that in turn survive and contribute to the population. Browse species such as sagebrush, are critical to over-wintering deer and ensuring their survival into the spring. With production as low as it is on the La Sal Mountains, quality forage needs to be available and this project will contribute to improving forage for mule deer. By encouraging oak sprouting, there will be almost immediate benefits of providing succulent forage for big game. This project also reduces the threat that remaining available sagebrush will be outcompeted for light and resources by pinyon and juniper. Native Colorado River Cutthroat trout (CRCT) are a species of greatest conservation need identified in the Utah Wildlife Action Plan and are also part of a tri-state conservation strategy. Threats to CRCT include habitat alteration, fire and fire suppression, and improper livestock grazing. As mentioned earlier, the livestock permittees have developed a plan to reduce impacts on both vegetation and streams, but in order to do that, their range has to be improved and this project will help to achieve that goal. This project will also reduce the threat of wildfire that can negatively impact streams and trout populations through increased erosion and sedimentation, as well as reduced shading and increased water temperatures. Lastly, this project will improve in-stream habitat by restoring floodplain connectivity in Deer Creek in areas where erosion has occurred. This project aims to increase channel complexity for fish production and life cycle.

>State of Utah Resource Management Plan Wildlife *Conserve, improve, and restore 500,000 acres of mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. *Protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state by 2025. *Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and domestic livestock forage on public and private lands. Livestock and Grazing *Improve vegetative health on public and private lands through range improvements, prescribed fire, vegetation treatments, and active management of invasive plants and noxious weeds. *Actively remove pinyon-juniper encroachment in other ecological sites due to its substantial consumption of water and its detrimental effect on sagebrush, other vegetation, and wildlife T&E Species *Work with stakeholders and partners to continue to implement recommendations from the Utah Wildlife Action Plan 2015--2025 to conserve sensitive species and their habitat. *Restore 75,000 acres of critical habitat for sensitive species each year through the Watershed Restoration Initiative and by partnering with other government and nongovernmental entities. >Grand County Resource Management Plan Land Use *Land Restoration (Public Lands Policy 7.) Encourages public land-management agencies to restore damaged areas. Forest Management *Support federal agencies in vegetative management treatments in forested cover types that provide for a full range of seral stages, by forested cover type, which achieve a mosaic of habitat conditions and diversity. Each seral stage should contain a strong representation of early seral tree species. Recruitment and sustainability of early seral tree species in the landscape is needed to maintain ecosystem resilience to disturbance. *Support the removal conifers as determined appropriate, and manage land to promote the establishment of aspen cover and attendant grass, brush and forbs. Wildlife *The County supports wildlife management that seeks an optimal balance between wildlife populations and human needs. Water Quality and Hydrology *Grand County supports maintaining in-stream flows to establish the proper functioning condition of streams and maintain their biological integrity. T&E Species *ii. 3.2 Vision: Ecology, Water, and Air: Wildlife and plant habitat, including for pollinators, is preserved and restored. Invasive weeds are reduced and native species thrive. Wildlife corridors connect natural areas throughout the county, creating ecosystem linkages and improving wildlife, and native plant vitality. Wetlands and riparian habitats are intact. Riparian Area *ii. Goal 3 - Preserve and restore wetlands and riparian habitats >Grand County Master Plan *Public Lands Policy 2- Grand County will work to protect watersheds. Public agencies are encouraged to adopt policies that enhance or restore watersheds for Moab. *Public Lands Policy 11- Grand County contains a number of damage areas and the County encourages public land agencies to restore these lands. *Sensitive Lands Policy 1- Sensitive lands are defined as watersheds; seen areas of elevated benches, mesas, ridges and slopes; and significant geological, biological and archeological sites. *Implementation Actions- Encourage responsible re-vegetation, preservation of existing native plant communities and control of noxious weeds. >La Sal Sustainability Collaboration Final Report and Consensus Recommendations, February 2017 *The goal of the LSSC is to create a collaborative approach to management where federal, state, and private lands are operated as an integrated, sustainable system. *Support an approach to livestock grazing management that better distributes use and provides for greater variation in timing of that use across allotments and pastures. *Implementation of these grazing recommendations is partially dependent upon planning, constructing, and maintaining watering and gathering facilities, fences, cattle guards and other grazing infrastructure. *LSSC members are supportive of restoring the health, diversity, and productivity of native aquatic resources and provide for their use and resiliency in the face of climate change. Secure the functionality of watershed, riparian and instream processes. Re-introduce self-sustaining native cutthroat trout populations to Deer Springs Creek and La Sal Creek. *Identify wildland-urban interface areas where modification of vegetative conditions and/or local zoning and building regulations are needed to reduce threats to communities. *Protecting soil stability and productivity is essential to the social, economic, and ecological vibrancy, sustainability, and resiliency of the southern La Sal Mountains and adjoining canyon lands. *High quality communication within agencies, among agencies, and between the agencies, producers, and interested stakeholders is critical to the successful implementation of LSSC recommendations and accomplishment of its goal for the social, economic, and ecological vibrancy, sustainability, and resiliency of the Southern La Sal Mountains and adjoining canyon lands. > Manti- La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan of 1986, as amended * Invest in range improvements where they will provide the greatest benefit (LRMP III-3). * Maintain upward or stable trends in vegetation and soil condition (LRMP III-3) * Protect and enhance riparian areas including dependent resources. (LRMP III-4) * Maintain/improve habitat capability through direct treatment of vegetation (LRMP III-23). * Minimize hazards from wildfire - reduce fuel loading, stand and crown/canopy density, and resultant fire hazard to vegetation, the public, private property, and firefighters (LRMP III-5). *Provide habitat needs for deer and elk (LRMP III-19), especially improving the cover:forage ratio. >The Utah Fire Amendment *Reduce hazard fuels. The full range of fuel reduction methods is authorized, consistent with forest and management area emphasis and direction. *Certain vegetative types are to be managed such that varying successional stages will be present to provide for a high level of vegetative diversity and productivity (III-2). Pinyon-juniper stands on gentle slopes and on lands with good soils will be treated periodically to maintain early successional stages (III-8). Intensive management practices would maintain structural diversity within the woody species in at least 25 percent of the area covered by the Gambel oak and mountain shrub type. In some cases, the Gambel oak would be encouraged to successionally develop as an open savannah or in a high seral stage (III-9). * Provide habitat to maintain the number and distribution of reproductive individuals to ensure the continued existence of a species throughout its geographic range *Vegetative communities, including structure, composition, patterns, and disturbance regimes must be provided across the state where they historically existed >National Fire Plan: A collaborative approach for reducing wildland fire risks to communities and the environment, December 2006 *Goal 2 - Reduce Hazardous Fuels Implementation Outcome Hazardous fuels are treated, using appropriate tools, to reduce the risk of wildfire to communities and to the environment. *Goal 3 - Restoration and Post-Fire Recovery of Fire-Adapted Ecosystems Part A - Restoration of Fire-Adapted Ecosystems5s Implementation Outcome Fire-adapted ecosystems are restored and maintained, using appropriate tools, in a manner that will provide sustainable environmental, social, and economic benefits. >Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer, 2020 *Habitat Goal: Conserve, improve, and restore mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges * Habitat Objective 1: Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts *Work with local, state and federal land management agencies via land management plans and with private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning, wintering, and migration areas *Work with local, state and federal land management agencies and ranchers to properly manage livestock to enhance crucial mule deer ranges *Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 700,000 acres of crucial range by 2026 *Work with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional Watershed Restoration Initiative working groups to identify and prioritize mule deer habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration (Figure 6). Emphasis should be placed on crucial habitats including sagebrush winter ranges and aspen summer ranges *Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that have been taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats, ensuring that seed mixes contain sufficient forbs and browse species *Encourage land managers to manage portions of pinyon-juniper woodlands and aspen conifer forests in early successional stages using various methods including timber harvest and managed fire > Deer Herd Unit Management Plan, Deer Herd Unit # 13 La Sal October 2015 *Protect, maintain, and/or improve deer habitat through direct range improvements to support and maintain herd population management objectives. *Work with federal, private, and state partners to improve crucial deer habitats through the WRI process. >Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Elk 2015-2022 *Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. *Reduce adverse impacts to elk herds and elk habitat. *Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat. *Coordinate with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional Watershed Restoration Initiative working groups to identify and prioritize elk habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration. *Encourage land managers to manage portions of forests in early succession stages. >Elk Herd Unit Management Plan Elk Herd Unit #13 La Sal, August 2016 *Cooperate with federal land management agencies and private landowners in carrying out habitat rehabilitation projects such as reseedings, controlled burns, water developments, etc. on public and private lands to maintain or increase biological carrying capacity. >Utah's Wild Turkey Management Plan *Goal A. Maintain and improve wild turkey populations to habitat or social carrying capacity. One of the strategies identified to reach this objective is to do habitat projects. This project will help to achieve this objective. *The plan also identifies as an objective increasing habitat quantity and quality for turkeys by 40,000 acres statewide by 2020, specifically by conducting habitat improvement projects in limiting habitats. This project will help to achieve this by increase herbaceous foraging habitat for turkeys. *Another objective in the turkey management plan is to increase hunting opportunity. This project will help to accomplish this because the project is located on Forest Service administered lands where hunters have access. *Enhance appreciation for wild turkeys in Utah. This project will help to allow easier access to turkeys by the public and greater opportunity to observe these animals. This will help to achieve this objective. >Conservation Strategy for Colorado River Cutthroat Trout in the States of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, June 2006 *Plan designed to reduce threats to CRCT and stablilize or enhance populations and to maintain its ecosystems. *One identified threat is destruction, modification, or curtailments of the species' habitat or range *Conservation goal: manage areas for increased abundance *Objective 3: Restore populations-Increase the number of populations by restoring CRCT within their native range. Local restoration goals and approaches will be developed to meet this objective. *Objective 4: Secure and enhance watershed conditions Strive to improve watershed conditions for CRCT, including development of protocols for monitoring Strategy 7: Improve habitat conditions for CRCT. Impacts outside the riparian zone should be considered as part of CRCT management. Land management agencies should work to mitigate adverse impacts of watershed activities on water quality, instream habitat, channel morphology, riparian areas, and population stability. Habitat improvement techniques will be used where appropriate to provide missing habitat components or improve existing ones. Examples of these techniques include building instream structures to improve pool to riffle ratios, stream bank stabilization, riparian management, instream cover, pool or spawning gravel enhancement, and provision of fish passageways. >Utah Wildlife Action Plan, 2015-2025 *Gambel Oak and Mountain sagebrush are key habitat in the 2015-2025 Plan Recommendations to improve condition include: 1)Promoting policies and management that allow fire to return to a more natural regime. 2)Promoting and funding restoration that reduces the uncharacteristic class, including cutting mulching of invading pinyon and juniper trees, and herbicide or mechanical treatment. 3) Single tree mulching/cutting invading conifer in the mountain sagebrush type. This WAP also identifies Colorado River Cutthroat trout and Golden Eagle as SGCN. This project will improve stream habitat for cutthroat trout as well as reduce fire risk that threatens stream function. This project will increase forage for golden eagle prey base in turn increasing foraging opportunities for golden eagle.

Treatment is designed to reduce vegetation density, overgrowth and ladder fuels by reducing the invasive nature of pinyon/juniper and oak causing an increased probability of a high severity wildfire. Private in-holdings with residences, outbuildings, and near by infrastructure would have increased protection from high severity wildfires. This proposal will reduce live fuels within the treatment area while restoring the natural sagebrush openings. This improved condition and reduced fire risk will aid in protection from fires (natural and man-caused) which can spread between private, state and federal lands. Treatment will provide fire fighters the opportunity to suppress fires under conditions that allow for fire fighter safety and protection of life, property and improvements. The cultural resource survey portion of this project for bullhog treatment of phase two (2022) includes in and around the sole power source corridor/power line to the community of Castle Valley. The project will protect that infrastructure and power supply for this community. This project will provide a direct long-term benefit by reducing the threat of large fires through reducing fuel loading.

This project will provide numerous ecological improvements to the watershed. Specifically for water quality and quantity any practice that will slow water down will benefit water quality and the riparian area. Slowing water down and reducing peak flow provides larger flows during lower flow regimes which decreases water temperatures and improves water availability in the riparian area. Slowing the water on upland areas and connecting the flood plain with the creek will also improve riparian conditions by preventing entrenchment and providing "deep" and continuous watering for the riparian area which can encourage expansion of the riparian area with natural flood resistant vegetation. All of the practices listed in this project encourage slowing the water and increasing flood plain-stream connectivity. The result of these practices will help the creek to meet and exceed Proper Functioning Condition and improve water quality. The LSSC FY2021 project area is in a 13-16" precipitation zone; therefore, it is expected that the opportunity to restore native species to the composition and frequency appropriate to the area is high. The area is dominated by pinyon pine and juniper (Phase 2 and Phase 3). There is noticeable soil erosion throughout the area due to the absence of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs. The project is expected to improve herbaceous understory, which will reduce water runoff and decrease soil erosion while increasing infiltration. A recent publication by Roundy et al. 2014 (Pinyonjuniper Reduction Increases Soil Water Availability of the Resource Growth Pool. Range Ecology and Management 67:495505) showed that phase 3 juniper removal can increase available moisture for more than 3 weeks in the spring. And removing juniper from phase 1 and 2 stands can increase water from 6-20 days respectively. Because juniper are prolific water users they readily out compete understory species which eventually die off. Results of the Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative study in Nevada (Desatoya Mt.) found that by removing (lop and scatter) P/J (130 trees/acre) there is the potential to increase water recharge yields 4% on wet years. On wet years this will increase recharge, but does not increase stream flow. Wet meadows and upland plants benefit by utilizing the increase soil moisture, providing for better resiliency during drought years. This provides for an increase in water quantity for herbaceous plants on sites where PJ is removed. 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 converting areas that are dominated by PJ to a diverse component of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs that is consistent with Ecological Site Description. 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.

DWR Archaeologist will do SHPO consultation for the private land lop and scatter. Private landowner has provided support for the project. DWR Archaeologist will contract arch. clearance for future FS lands project in this phase. USFS will complete the NEPA for future phases of the project.

This project would be handled under a contract. Removal of encroaching conifers will be done with hand crews using chainsaws. Trees would be cut in a mosaic pattern with all limbs being completely severed from the stump, no slash larger than 4 feet in length and higher than 2 ft. off the ground. Cut materials will be left on the site or lopped and scattered. There will be no piling, slashing, or burning of cut materials. Treatments will occur from mid-summer to fall. Existing roads will be used to access the project area. Further access will be by foot. No new roads would be constructed. DWR statewide archaeological contract will be used to do clearance on USFS lands while NEPA is being written.

The project area will be monitored for vegetative cover, ground cover, and grass forage production before and after treatment. At each monitoring site, a list of observed plant species will be compiled. A landscape photo will be taken, and 10 nadir (straight-down) photos will be taken along a 100-m transect. These photos will be analyzed for average vegetation and ground cover using SamplePoint software. Grass production will be measured using a 9.6-square-foot hoop placed at the 10-m, 50-m, and 90-m points along the transect. The double-sampling method will be used to estimate yearly grass production by species. These data will be taken starting in 2020, and will follow the same schedule as the LSSC Monitoring Plan. As part of the LSSC Monitoring Plan, data collection on Deer Creek began in 2017, and will continue in 2020 and every 5 years into the future. Riparian monitoring methods include photography; a species survey; line-point intercept; grass production; soil stability; and woody species density, age/height class, and browsed leaders. In-stream methods chosen from the Multiple Indicator Monitoring (MIM) protocol include greenline composition, streambank alteration, residual pool depth and pool frequency, and streambed substrate. Water quality and quantity are also being measured as a part of the Utah Division of Water Quality's 6-year intensive monitoring program. The Forest Service also currently has a migratory bird monitoring point within the project area and will continue to monitor and collect data at this site.

Trout Unlimited has played a key role in drafting the LSSC plan for the allotments held by La Sal Livestock and BLT livestock. TU will play a key role in project management for this and future phases of the LSSC plan implementation and will provide expertise when annual restoration includes stream and riparian projects. NRCS has been a valuable resource exert in planning grazing and rangeland improvements through LSSC. They will consult on all project plans and seek for ways to leverage Farm Bill programs with WRI to enhance the ability to complete restoration projects. San Juan County will play a rolein critically reviewing any porjects that are put on the ground within the county. They have invested many hours of time and expertise in the drafting of the LSSC plan. Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, through the Grazing Improvement Program, has been one of the convening organizations for the LSSC. They will play a role in project management and coordination with range improvements, grazing plans and pasture rotations La Sal Livestock Ltd and BLT Livestock are the grazing permittees on the La Sal Mountains and will provide on the ground expertise on time and timing of the project so that it can work in conjunction with livestock grazing to be successful. They will also provide consulting through Steve Deeter, a local grazing expert that works for them to provide rangeland and livestock health information. Manti-La Sal National Forest will complete all NEPA requirements before the implementation of this project. They will work to make sure that the permittees are in compliance with LSSC plans and permit requirements. They will also work with TU and DWR to coordniate and manage the project. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has been involved with the LSSC since it began. DWR is interested in the partnership and collaboration with multiple organizations to provide resource benefit to wildlife and as well as other resources. DWR is an active participant in developing rangeland improvements in the uplands as well as the riparian areas. DWR will be the contracting agency for most of the work in this phase of the LSSC project.

The treatment area will be grazed in accordance with grazing plan developed by the La Sal Sustainability Collaboration, and in accordance with USFS protocol. The producer has agreed that will graze after seed set of the following growing season post treatment. The area will then continue to be used as part of the pasture rotation system giving a few pastures rest each year. Over several years the La Sal Sustainability Collaborative created a diverse plan of action for the several allotments which included habitat improvements. This is the first year of implementation of the habitat treatment identified in the plan. This will include treatments as well as preparation for future actions. Riparian treatments will be planned for future phases when NEPA has been completed. Riparian treatments will improve rangeland conditions for many wildlife species as well as livestock and recreational users. Treatments will be completed with the goals of improving rangeland and improving the diversity, resiliency, and health of valuable trout populations on the La Sal mountains. Wildlife on the La Sals specifically mule deer have had low recruitment and habitat quality is suspected to be one of the leading causes of the low doe/fawn rates. By working on and towards habitat improvement this could lead to improvements in populations of mule deer on the La Sals. Pinyon/Juniper treatments in the foothills of the La Sals will allow for better management of wildlife fires in the area. Near the project area there are ponderosa stands that can burn often and treatment areas such as the proposed action, allow for better management of wildfire and prescribed burns that would be conducted in the surrounding areas.

Livestock grazing is an important multiple use of these lands. The proposed treatments would decrease the amount of woody vegetation (especially pinyon-juniper and oak) within much of the grazed areas in these allotments as well as increase riparian health. This would likely lead to an increased production of herbaceous vegetation (grass and forb species) on up 3,500 acres of rangelands. Grazing management in these allotments takes into account the frequency, intensity and timing of grazing. Improved forage allows for greater flexibility and improvement in the management of frequency and intensity of grazing and provides improved resources to wildlife as well. Stream, spring and riparian health is also important to both livestock and wildlife. Health riparian areas where the stream is connected with the surrounding floodplains and very productive areas. It is important that riparian areas are in proper functioning conditions to continue to provide water, forage, cover for livestock and wildlife as well as habitat for fish species. The livestock permittee has been heavily involved in our collaboration to help make decisions on which areas to start doing restoration work. We have multiple range improvement projects planned for future installment once all the NEPA and cultural clearances are done to improve the grazing management throughout the public/private lands within this collaboration. Noxious weeds are not expected to increase or spread as a result of the treatments as best management practices will be implemented. In the short-term there could be some interruption of grazing operations; however the long-term benefits to the range resource outweigh the short-term negative impacts. The removal of Pinyon Juniper (PJ) will open up the canopy and release soil moisture which will allow other vegetation to take advantage of the light and moisture that was previously being taken up by the PJ which will benefit wintering wildlife in the area. This is important since mule deer populations in the area are not doing well. Fawn recruitment is low on the La Sals and habitat quality is a contributing factor. Increasing quality and quantity of forage for game species will help the population.

06/01/2021

06/30/2021

2021

This project was partially funded. It was funded with NEPA planning funds. The archeological clearance was completed so NEPA Analysis could begin. This will help move the project forward for future implementation.

For the Forest Service portion of the project: In June 2021, the contractor finished an archaeological survey of approximately 2900 acres on National Forest lands within the LSSC project area. Areas that had been previously surveyed or had a known high site density were not included in the contract. The contractor prepared site forms and a report for the Forest Service to use in consultation.

Goals of future projects proposed by the La Sal Sustainability Collaborative: 1) Stream and Spring Restoration A) Beaver Creek - i. The Forest Service lands in the Beaver Creek watershed will continue to be managed for livestock grazing, recreation, and for the benefit of wildlife species and associated stream functionality. B.) Spring Development - i. The permittee is willing to take on the annual maintenance of the spring development and will be assigned maintenance through an agreement attached to the grazing permit. ii. SITLA will be responsible for annual checks and maintenance of the pole fencing around the spring source. C.) Upper Two-Mile Creek Fence and Road Crossing - i. SITLA will have maintenance responsibilities of the cattle guard crossing as part of the routes within the South Block Travel Management Plan. The associated boundary fencing will be assigned equally to the permittees through an agreement attached to the grazing permits. 2) Aspen Regeneration - i. the private lands will continue to be managed for wildlife benefits. The private lands are currently under a DWR Cooperative Wildlife Management Area which incentives landowners to manage large tracts of land for wildlife. The private lands allow for minimal livestock grazing but has a two pasture rotation system and if livestock grazing becomes and detrimental to wildlife grazing will be changed. The private lands have a Forest Stewardship Plan which gives direction from Forestry Fire and State Lands to improve forest resources on the property through several phases. Aspen regeneration project have been implemented with this private landowner in the past and have seen great success with brush fencing and landowner maintenance. The landowners were the recipient of the 2020 Stewardship Land Managers Award. SITLA lands are managed for the benefit of school children and other trust beneficiaries. The timber harvested from this project will be used for trustees. SITLA lands on the La Sal blocks will continue to be used for multiple recreational opportunities for the public. 3) Fuels Treatment (Lop & Scatter) - Pinyon/Juniper treatments in the foothills of the La Sals will allow for better management of wildlife fires in the area. Near the project area there are ponderosa stands that can burn often and treatment areas such as the proposed action, allow for better management of wildfire and prescribed burns that would be conducted in the surrounding areas.