Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in the Southeastern Region provide crucial habitat for numerous game and nongame species. Many of these WMA's are in close proximity to communities throughout southeastern Utah. These areas provide recreation opportunities, including hunting, fishing, bird watching, wildlife viewing, etc, for DWR's constituents. Associated with many of these properties are valuable water rights, which need to be used and proved up on. Water rights are exercised on many of the properties through active farming and irrigation. Farming, watering, and maintaining these fields provide critical forage for numerous species on the WMAs.

1. Mark property boundaries and where feasible build and repair wildlife friendly fence to reduce livestock trespass. 2. Implement a noxious weed control program by inventory and spraying on an annual basis. 3. Improve wildlife habitat through restoration projects, farming fields, maintaining ponds and guzzlers, and reducing erosion. 4. Maintain public access and recreational opportunities on authorized roads/trails through road maintenance activities. 5.Exercise DWR's water rights on all WMAs.

Failure to maintain WMAs will result in habitat degradation and loss; conflicts with counties, local municipalities, and adjacent landowners; and failure to meet and/or comply with legal obligations. This proposal will protect and enhance the WMAs for wildlife.

All of the SER's WMAs lie within key habitats identified in Utah's Wildlife Action Plan-including aspen-conifer, desert grassland, gambel oak, lowland sagebrush, mountain meadow, mountain sagebrush, mountain shrub, aquatic scrub/shrub, riverine, emergent, and open water. These habitats on the WMAs support many species of greatest conservation need. SGCN's which benefit from SER WMA management include northern leopard frog, bald eagle, black rosy finch, golden eagle, greater sage grouse, southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow billed cuckoo,bluehead sucker, flannelmouth sucker, Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, razorback sucker, fringed myotis, and white-tailed prairie dog. WMAs also support a variety of important game species including mule deer, pronghorn, elk, wild turkey, chukar, forest grouse, pheasant, sandhill crane, waterfowl, rabbits and black bear. The Lower Fish Creek WMA also provides blue ribbon fishing opportunities for trout including tiger trout and brown trout. The San Rafael properties may provide opportunity for warm water gamefish, but are primarily managed for the three species. WMAs are within conservation focus areas identified by the Southeastern Region UPCD team. The proposed projects and maintenance activities will address the following goals and objectives of the Division of Wildlife Resources most recent strategic management plan. It will help the DWR achieve its mission of serving the people of Utah as trustee and guardian of the state's protected wildlife by maintaining and improving key wildlife habitats throughout the region. The DWR has an agency goal of creating a culture of respect, innovation, efficiency, and effectiveness. One objective to reach this goal is to increase coordination with partners, including local, state, and federal agencies; non-governmental organizations; universities and others. On our WMA's we regularly work with the surrounding land owners to try to find a shared management purpose. The Matheson Wetland is prime example of a WMA owned and managed by two entities. We also invite diverse groups to help with projects on the property to reach management objectives. The DWR also has a constituency goal of strengthening support of wildlife management by demonstrating the value and importance of wildlife to all Utahns. Objectives to reach this goal include: increasing participation in hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-related activities. This is achieved by allowing sportsmen access to our properties as well as keeping our properties in good condition to allow events for non-consumptive users. In the SER, the WMA's also contribute to increasing hunting and fishing opportunities. We have high elevation and low elevation uplands and streams that provide access to blue ribbon fisheries, trophy big game, and plentiful opportunity for upland and waterfowl hunting. We manage our lands to maintain habitat for species year-round while also providing areas near town for put and take hunting opportunities. One example, the Cold Springs WMA provides some of the only public summer range hunting opportunity for big game in the Nine-Mile unit. Lastly, the strategic plan outlines a goal for conserving, enhancing, and actively managing Utah's protected wildlife populations. Objective 1 tasks the agencies with increasing, decreasing, or maintaining wildlife populations to meet the objectives in our management plans. On our WMA's we strive to maintain quality forage and other needs for wildlife to thrive. Objective R2 is to maintain existing wildlife habitat and increase the quality of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state. Our WMA's cover a broad range of key habitats in the state from aspen-conifer communities and cold-water streams, to desert grasslands and streams. We manage for game animals and also non-game wildlife providing protection through managed habitats and maintained water. There are recently updated habitat management plans for the following WMA's: Lower Fish Creek, Cold Spring, Upper San Rafael, Lower San Rafael, and Nash Wash.

Wildfire has long been an active part of healthy ecosystems in several habitat types. Fire/fuel reduction can be a tool to provide a greater diversity of wildlife when set back to an earlier seral stage. On the Gordon Creek WMA, smooth brome fields are burned on a 2-3 year rotation to remove old growth material and increase young succulent vegetation. At the Nash Wash WMA we maintain weeds (cheat grass) by mowing or weed spraying herbicide to reduce fuels loads around the housing infrastructure. The Matheson wetland has experienced numerous human caused wildfires. Weed maintenance through herbicide and mowing, especially along travel ways, is used to reduce fire on the WMA. Pertinent DWR owned roads on WMA's are maintained and will allow easier access for fire personnel to access our properties in the event of a wildlife that is threatening habitat or infrastructure. Additional habitat projects reduce fuels on properties such as Lower Fish Creek, Cold Spring, Upper and Lower San Rafael, and the Matheson but are not typically performed as annual maintenance.

Ponds/guzzlers are annually checked to ensure they are functioning properly and maintaining water for wildlife. Without regular maintenance many water sources would become non-functioning and decrease available water. The DWR maintains healthy wetlands, floodplains, and riparian areas on WMAs as they act like sponges, absorbing and filtering out sediment to maintain and improve water quality. The DWR maintains water rights, including water rights for in-stream flow that ensure water is used for the benefit of wildlife and the stream corridor, reducing the amount that may be lost through other water uses.

UDWR archaeologist will be contacted prior to undertaking any projects that may or are likely to require clearance. Surveys will be required for project activities having the potential to affect the ground.

The habitat manager and maintenance specialist will coordinate maintenance activities in the region with other regional personnel. Habitat section personnel will coordinate with the regional Dedicated Hunter (DH) Coordinator to find projects where volunteers can be used. Weed control will be done under the supervision of the lead maintenance specialist with work completed by the assistant maintenance specialist and seasonal employees. Fencing and signing of WMA boundaries will be done by maintenance personnel with assistance from seasonal employees. Road maintenance will be completed by maintenance specialists where possible. The heavy equipment crew out of Ephraim will be used on larger road and pond projects. Irrigation and farming will be under the supervision of the habitat manager and lead maintenance specialist to maintain water rights and produce forage for wildlife species.

Properties that have a conservation easement will receive annual monitoring. Monitoring will be completed through annual WMA inspections and observational weed monitoring. Wildlife will be monitored through annual surveys by UDWR Biologists. Many WMA's have range trend studies established and will continue to be monitored.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a partner on the Gordon Creek WMA through a Memorandum of Understanding. The BLM has created a buffer from grazing to extend the wildlife values of the WMA. The BLM has also partnered to eliminate grazing on the Nash Wash Wildlife Management Area and surrounding BLM. Forestry Fire and State Lands is a partner on several of our properties with assistance with fuels and fire. FFSL also holds a conservation easement on our Cold Spring property. Forest Stewardship plans exist for the Cold Springs and Lower Fish Creek Wildlife Management Areas and will be updated this year. The Nature Conservancy assists the DWR with management of the Matheson Wetland Preserve. We also partner with livestock permittees on our Gordon Creek and Lower Fish Creek properties to help reach WMA objectives.

Wildlife Management Areas will be managed according to the Habitat Management plans that are completed. The Gordon Creek and Nash Wash WMA will continue to have crops planted annually and irrigated.

The main purpose of WMA's is to provide habitat for numerous wildlife habitat that can be protected to ensure wildilfe prosperity that can be enjoyed by the public. The diversity of habitat types on these 7 WMA's provide for hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing opportunities throughout the entire year. Some of the WMA's have unique hunting and viewing opportunities. The following highlights a few, but by no means captures everything the SER WMA's have to offer. The Cold Spring WMA provides some of the only publicly available summer range in the Nine-Mile Unit and is popular for mule deer and elk hunting. The Lower Fish Creek WMA provides access to several stream miles of a blue ribbon fishery and walk-in hunting opportunity for big game and upland game surrounded by private lands and CWMU.. The Matheson Wetland provides waterfowl hunting near Moab, Utah adjacent to the Colorado River. The Nash Wash WMA provides public hunting and viewing opportunities on a limited entry deer unit. The Lower San Rafael provides unique pheasant and turkey hunting opportunities in a desert landscape. The Gordon Creek WMA is our largest and arguably our most visited WMA located near Price, the largest city in our region. It provides numerous hunting and viewing opportunities for big game in the winter (and is one of the best places to see a moose). It also provides for pheasant and chukar opportunites which have become increasingly popular in the area. The Upper San Rafael WMA is becoming extremely popular as recreation in the San Rafael desert booms. It provides an access point for horseman and river runners to begin their journeys. It is also used for pheasant hunting and protecting native fish. Each WMA has something unique to offer and the SER WMA's provide for great diversity which leads to numerous, diverse recreation opportunities. Grazing is a tool used by the Division to reach habitat management goals/objectives. Grazing will be used on an as needed basis on WMAs following the grazing plans contained in the HMPs for each WMA. Grazing will be permitted under the Divisions Land Use Rule.

07/01/2020

06/30/2021

2021

Due to transfer of funds, WMA maintenance was limited to $57,500 of the original $74,500 request. These funds were used to hire two seasonals, rent seasonal vehicles to access properties, tractor and equipment rentals, seed and irrigation supplies, herbicides, protective equipment, and miscellaneous tools. WMA work included weed control, farming, fence maintenance and new fence construction, and pond and irrigation maintenance. Work was also done by seasonals to check and maintain guzzlers throughout the region and maintain the Sego trailhead drinker.

Budget: Two seasonal employees $20,880.29. Travel $414.00 Motorpool for two seasonal vehicles $3,520.66 Uniform $745.19 Tractor Rental $4,775.00 Seed $598.18 Herbicide $3303.47 Irrigation $200.29 Fencing $1212.02 Tools $1,338.77 Personal Protective Equipment $59.96 Other Supplies $973.87 Excavator Rental $3,612.00 Stream alteration permits $1,000 DWR Lands Habitat Improvements: Gordon Creek Wildlife Management Area- planting and irrigating crops for winter wildlife feed and upland game opportunity continues to occur. This year, the habitat section worked with FFSL to conduct a burn in the fields to reduce litter and soil disturbance. This fire helped to keep regional employees current in their fire qualifications. Stream restoration work is also beginning on the WMA as the Miller Creek project moves North. BDA's will be completed in Second Water before the end of the year. A lot of pond maintenance occurred this year. Diversion work was completed on USFS lands to continue irrigation. Work is still ongoing to address issues associated with Price River Energy and the powerline infrastructure. On the Matheson Wetland the razorback sucker pond and associated pipeline infrastructure was completed. Future phases will include a water study and potential use of Mill creek. The North ponds continue to require maintenance. Human-caused fires and inappropriate use of the WMA have forced closures on The Nature Conservancy portion. Weed control has become a priority on the property as knapweed, and white-top continue to spread. Russian olive and tamarisk removal continue as part of the greater Colorado River restoration project. Work is also occurring to create defensible space in WUI areas in partnership with FFSL. On the Cold Springs WMA, aspen work was completed early in the fiscal year. Habitat also worked in partnership with the local MDF chapter to protect wet meadow habitat from wild horses for the benefit of wildlife including greater sage-grouse. MDF also assisted with some maintenance and upkeep of fencing on the property. Work on Lower Fish Creek continues with FFSL as it was identified as a priority for the local catastrophic fire committee. Nearly 400 old piles were burned this winter and an additional roughly 80 acres of new timber treatment continued with hand crews. Work will continue in FY22 on aspen regeneration and conifer reduction. The Colton Mountain portion was seen on the ground this year and a grazing plan is in development for the property. On the San Rafael properties, the habitat section has worked closely with the Law Enforcement section to start addressing trespass livestock issues. On the Upper San Rafael WMA fencing was completed to protect the existing pond, and put up as barriers to reduce off-road driving on the WMA. At Hatt's Ranch a beaver deceiver was installed to reduce issues to the irrigation system. A dilapidated bridge on the property is being evaluated for replacement with DFCM. The lessee at Hatt's Ranch had a fire get away from him when burning ditches which resulted in the loss of a historic structure and burning on 99 acres. Burned habitat has been irrigated and is returning without additional need for seeding. Nash Wash was planted but due to an extreme lack of water, nothing has been irrigated this year. Habitat trials and monitoring by GBRC and partners continues to occur on the property. Land and Water Assets: The lease was renewed on Hatt's Ranch for the pheasant hunting operation. Work is being completed to renew the lease on the Summerhouse properties on the Gordon Creek WMA. A new grazing bid was put out on the Gordon Creek WMA, and a total of 3 grazing permits were issued on WMA's this year. The 5 year agreement was completed with The Nature Conservancy on the Matheson Wetland. We worked with lands and the AG on encroachment permits for the pipeline companies to install the waterline at the Matheson Wetlands

New fences need to be installed at the Lower San Rafael properties to further limit trespass livestock. Fencing on the south end of Gordon Creek needs to occur to protect riparian areas from trespass cattle. Diversion upgrades need to occur to properly measure water at the Gordon Creek WMA. A weed contractor may be necessary to target weeds on the Matheson Wetland and Gordon Creek WMA's.