The Willow Creek corridor has been severely impacted by flash flooding, trespass cattle, and estray horses over the past 20 years. Issues such as lack of stream habitat complexity, stream bank erosion and stream bed downcutting, and ground table dewatering have occurred as a result. The DWR has been making great strides in improving the habitat of this area; this project is located in an area that we wish to protect and enhance for greater habitat suitability for terrestrial and aquatic species. This area houses a great diversity of wildlife due to the habitat potential that exists on this landscape, along with the wild characteristics of the remote location. This project identifies an area of Willow Creek that is suitable for beaver dam analogues (BDAs). Research has shown that BDAs have the potential to 1) elevate the water table - which would greatly enhance terrestrial forage opportunity, 2) provide increased habitat diversity and complexity by breaking up what is essentially one large "run" type habitat into a cascading pool complex - which will provide increased habitat availability to resident trout, sucker species, and speckled dace. The presence of beaver dams allows for better groundwater exchange potential as well, which may be able to cool the stream water, which will allow for a much more suitable habitat for resident trout. Willow Creek is currently almost unsuitable for trout species due to high stream temperatures. We will conduct wet mowing and herbicide applications - 2 quarts per acre - in identified area to promote better meadow health. An evaluation of aerial imagery shows that our meadow areas along Meadow and Willow Creeks are shrinking due to encroaching sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and greasewood.

Removal of the Greasewood and Rabbitbrush will provide the access needed to irrigate and cultivate the fields. The grass hay that will be grown in the fields will serve as a food source for wintering big game. Install BDAs in Willow Creek to promote stream habitat diversity while allowing channel aggradation and a return of groundwater to surrounding terrace.

There is still an existing understory of grasses that could be irrigated and productive for big game feed. Without treatment, the area will become completely dominated by undesireable plant species. BDAs will help agrade the stream channel, connect with the flood plain, and provide stream characteristics that are more desirable for fish and beavers.

Utah Bighorn Sheep Statewide Management Plan B.d. Initiate vegetative treatment projects to improve bighorn habitat lost to natural succession or human impacts. Bookcliffs Bison Herd Unit Management Plan Habitat Management Goal 4. Discourage bison from areas with potential conflicts by improving range conditions in areas where conflicts do not exist. Bookcliffs Deer Herd Management Plan Habitat Management Strategy: Utilize recognized vegetative manipulation techniques to enhance deer forage quantity and quality. Bookcliffs Elk Herd Management Plan Habitat Strategy: Treat Greasewood communities and reestablish native woody vegetative species in riparian habitat types. Willow Creek WMA Management Plan: IV.A. Improve the quantity and quality of rangeland vegetation on the unit land parcels. IV.B. Maintain irrigated crop lands and protect fields currently used for agriculture purposes. 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) UTAH BEAVER MANAGEMENT PLAN 2010-2020. This management plan encourages managers to consider using beaver as a stream restoration tool. The construction of BDA's will encourage the expansion of beaver in this reach. WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (WAP): This project addresses threats identified in the Utah Wildlife Action Plan to several aquatic and upland habitats, as well as multiple species that use those habitats. See the Species and Habitats tabs for more. Utah Bat Conservation Plan 2009-2014 - "Drinking water is of critical importance to most bats in Utah. Drinking is mostly accomplished by skimming the water surface with open mandible (jaw). Surface waters also provide rich foraging sites since flying insects are often abundant over even small bodies of water, and surface water often is bordered or surrounded by more luxuriant vegetation that favors insect abundance". Additionally, one of the prime objectives is to "Minimize loss or degradation of riparian habitats used by bats", which explicitly identifies discouraging channelization as a management action. The plan also states "Bat species that typically fly only short distances in a single night, and species that are strongly associated with water" as especially vulnerable to channelized streams and other land management actions that make water unavailable. This proposal seeks to reverse this trend in the project area by holding abundant water and foraging zones available to local bat populations. UINTAH COUNTY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN. 8.4.1 -- Support the Maintenance, enhancement, and expansion of sport fishing opportunities 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. 20.4.11 -- Modify grazing use to avoid overgrazing if appropriate. 20.4.12 -- Encourage efforts to enhance streambeds and control erosion. Increase coverage and composition of vegetation. 22.4.1 -- Maintain or improve water quality to protect the health and well-being of county residents and the desirability of the county as a place to visit and recreate. 22.4.13 -- Support projects that improve water quality and increase quantity and dependability of water supply. STATE OF UTAH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN. --The State will seek to protect, conserve, and improve Utah's fish and aquatic wildlife and the habitats upon which they depend. --The State supports ensuring the persistence of the diversity of native fish and aquatic wildlife in Utah while at the same time providing excellent opportunities for anglers and other recreationists. --Managing for self-sustaining fisheries in Utah streams should be a priority. --The State supports implementing active management and restoration projects on federal lands to restore sinuosity, vegetation, and floodplain function which mimic the natural hydrologic system in suitable areas --Improve vegetative health on public and private lands through range improvements, prescribed fire, vegetation treatments, and active management of invasive plants and noxious weeds. --Active management should be used to improve and enhance riparian resources to provide for appropriate physical, biological, and chemical function. --Prioritize and manage riparian areas to attain desired future conditions for riparian- related resources --The State supports the use of structural and non-structural improvements in unstable water courses to restore riparian areas properly functioning/desired future conditions. --Expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat. --Conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered. --Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and domestic livestock forage on public and private lands.

Irrigated fields will provide a green strip along the Willow Creek corridor and serve as a potential barrier for future wildfires in the area. This green strip will serve as a protective barrier for the riparian plant community as well as the adjacent rangelands.

1. Enhance water quality by promoting sediment deposition in key areas in order to slowly rebuild channel height with reference to surrounding floodplain (channel aggradation); this will also be accomplished in a long-term goal of establishing beaver through the system. A small colony of beaver is currently on site and will expand given favorable conditions. 2. Water increase: A. beaver dams have a proven ability to moderate floods into more stable baseflow conditions B. Through surface to groundwater connections/links (groundwater discharge/recharge, increase baseflow capacity by holding soil moisture.

No ground disturbance from this project. Project is entirely on UDWR owned lands. A Stream Alteration Permit for BDAs in the project area was granted in summer 2019 and is valid until October 31, 2022.

A medium sized tractor will be used to pull a standard two-blade brush mower through the treatment area. The back of the mower has a boom sprayer attachment that treats the freshly cut stumps with herbicide. The exact herbicide mixture and rates will be recommended by Utah State University research personnel. Treatment will be performed October 2020. BDAs will be installed by several methods, including direct application by excavator or other machine, and by hand via a hydraulic post pounder when other equipment is unavailable or the application site is difficult to reach.

Project area will be monitored by UDWR Habitat and Aquatics personnel for effectiveness and possible re-treatment needs in the future.

Partners include consultation with Utah State University as to herbicide treatments that have shown the greatest success in similar areas. Partner with NER Aquatics staff for BDA construction and monitoring.

Treated fields will be irrigated with existing water rights to produce feed for wintering big game. Areas in need of re-treatments will be identified and proposed for additional work. BDA installation will continue until Fall 2022 pending funding acquisition.

Improved distribution of wintering big game within adjacent grazing allotments.

10/25/2021

10/30/2021

2022

Anabranch solutions designed a plan to be implemented in Willow Creek for river restoration using Low Tech river restoration techniques. A crew of 6 people from Anabranch Solutions were contracted to complete the construction of 39 new structures and the reinforcement of 6 existing structures. A hydraulic post pounder was used to place 6 foot posts in the stream and locally sourced vegetation was used to weave a structure in place between the posts. Wet mowing of 150 acres was completed Fall 2021 by a private contractor. The adjacent areas that would normally be part of the functioning floodplain were targeted to reduce competition for species responding to raising the water table in these areas. Wet mowing was performed with a three-point attachment mower on a tractor that has spray nozzles on the cutting blades to treat the vegetation with herbicide while it is being mowed.

BDA structures are designed to help raise the water table in the riparian area and reconnect with the natural floodplain. The treatment of upland undesirable species will reduce competition with native species that are responding to the rising water table.

River restoration is an ongoing effort in the Willow Creek area. Future projects have been proposed to continue restoration efforts and maintain structures that have been completed. Upland wet mow areas will be monitored for a shift in plant species and may need to be re-treated to further reduce competition while the area rehabs.