Lost Spring Guzzler
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Project ID: 5370
Status: Completed
Fiscal Year: 2021
Submitted By:
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Project Manager: Curtis Roundy
PM Agency: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
PM Office: Southern Region
Lead: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
WRI Region: Southern
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Description:
Construct a wildlife guzzler in the Southwest Desert of southern Utah. Water is a limited resource for wildlife in the Southwest Desert; specifically for mule deer. We anticipate that the use of this Guzzler will primarily be for Mule Deer, with use expected from time to time from Pronghorn and Elk.
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Location:
The Lost Spring Guzzler will be located approximately 17.4 miles Northwest of Enoch in Iron County Utah.
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Project Need
Need For Project:
The Lost Spring Guzzler will provide water for wildlife, specifically mule deer. It will also provide water for pronghorn antelope, small mammals and several bird species. Currently there is habitat available, but is not under-utilized due to a lack of an adequate water source. This guzzler will increase the potential for the area to support wildlife, which in turn will improve the area for recreational wildlife viewing and hunting opportunities.
Objectives:
Acquire the materials needed to construct a 10,500 gallon wildlife guzzler to provide water for wildlife on the southwest desert (Unit 20) in the mountain range just east of Neck Fire burnt area and on the south end of the range that connects to baboon peak.
Increase utilization of available and recently created habitat from the Neck Fire, as well as a few habitat restoration projects within the vicinity by supplying a water source.
Increase wildlife recreational viewing and hunting opportunities in the area.
Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?):
Availability of water limits wildlife utilization of the area. Without establishing a functioning adequate water source the habitat would become less available for wildlife, and our restoration efforts in this area would be de-valued.
As with any type of ground disturbance there is some risk of invasion of non-native undesirable plant species. With the relatively small footprint of the disturbance, it's unlikely that this would be a risk associated with this project. There is also a potential threat / risk of temporary displacement of wildlife species while the project is being implemented. Normal and increased wildlife use is likely to occur after implementation.
Relation To Management Plan:
Water is listed as a limiting resource in the Southwest Desert Mule Deer Management Plan; this guzzler project will increase available water for mule deer on this unit.
The Utah Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan states, "The mule deer population in Utah has been in a state of decline for over thirty years. There are many factors contributing to this decline, but the loss and
degradation of habitat have likely had the most significant impact on mule deer numbers." Habitat in this area is potentially underutilized because of a lack of water. This guzzler project could potentially improve habitat across the unit by dispersing use more evenly across it.
The Utah State Wildlife Action Plan 2015-2025 (Final) is a comprehensive management plan designed to conserve native species populations and habitats in Utah, and prevent the need for additional federal listings. Please refer to attached excerpts from the Utah State Wildlife Action Plan 2015-2025 that identify Strategy for Management (Pg. 41 and Pg. 50).
Southwest Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan (May, 2006)
The SUSAFMP identifies the Black Mountains as a priority for conversion of encroached pinyon and juniper dominated communities to a sagebrush community with a diverse component of perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs. This project would create better range use within this area thus allowing for a healthy range and would be consistent with this plan where it talks about diversity of species and a need for healthy rangelands.
National Fire Plan (2000), BLM National Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Strategy (2004)
The project is also consistent with the NFP. The goals and objectives of the NFP is to manage BLM administered public land to maintain, enhance and restore sagebrush habitats while ensuring multiple use and sustained yield goals of FLPMA. Goals/Strategies identified in the NFP include the following:
1. Provide guidance to ensure integration of sage-grouse habitat conservation measures for actions provided through the management in land use planning process.
2. Issue mandatory guidance on management of sagebrush habitat for sage-grouse conservation.
3. Enhance knowledge of resource conditions and priorities in order to support habitat
Fire / Fuels:
Not Applicable
Water Quality/Quantity:
Project will increase water availability for wildlife species in the area surrounding the guzzler.
Compliance:
Project will take place on BLM lands. A NEPA document for the BLM Cedar City Field office has been written and approved. This location is not currently covered under this NEPA document but the plan is for a DNA to that NEPA to take place and this should not hinder the implementation of this project. All necessary NEPA is anticipated to be in place and valid prior to implementation. Arch survey will be conducted by the BLM in-house.
Methods:
UDWR will purchase materials for construction and will contract the excavation for the tanks. The UDWR southern region equipment and maintenance specialist, Todd Nebeker will oversee the construction of the 10,500 gallon wildlife guzzler. Labor will be provided by UDWR seasonal's and permanent employees.
Monitoring:
Guzzler will be added to UDWR inventory list and monitored at least every other year. District biologist may monitor for wildlife usage during annual deer classification.
Partners:
UDWR has worked with both BLM and interested sportsman groups in planning for this guzzler. It is anticipated that local conservation groups will have an interest in funding the guzzler as well.
Future Management:
This guzzler will be fenced to provide access for Wildlife while excluding livestock. Guzzler would be added to UDWR inventory and checked regularly to monitor and address repair needs.Grazing will not be impacted by this action.
Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources:
Not Applicable
| Budget | WRI/DWR | Other | Budget Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $36,000.00 | $0.00 | $36,000.00 | $12,200.00 | $48,200.00 |
| Item | Description | WRI | Other | In-Kind | Year |
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| Contractual Services | Excavation and dirt work | $7,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 |
| Personal Services (seasonal employee) | Habitat Seasonal's to assist with guzzler construction. | $2,500.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 |
| Archaeological Clearance | In Kind Arch Survey | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2,000.00 | 2021 |
| Materials and Supplies | Tanks, Apron, Cement, Plumbing, Big Feet, Legs, and Drinker | $24,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 |
| Personal Services (permanent employee) | Biologists and other permanent employees to plan and construct the guzzler. | $0.00 | $0.00 | $10,200.00 | 2021 |
| Motor Pool | Truck mileage associated with construction | $2,500.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 |
| Funding | WRI/DWR | Other | Funding Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $36,750.00 | $0.00 | $36,750.00 | $12,200.00 | $48,950.00 |
| Source | Phase | Description | Amount | Other | In-Kind | Year |
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| Habitat Council Account | QHCR | $12,870.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2020 | |
| Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) | Archaeology and Permanent Employee contributions to build guzzler. | $0.00 | $0.00 | $12,200.00 | 2021 | |
| Habitat Council Account | $13,880.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 | ||
| Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) | S023 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2021 |
Species
| Species | "N" Rank | HIG/F Rank | ||||
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| Mule Deer | R1 | |||||
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| Mule Deer | R1 | |||||
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| Pronghorn | R3 | |||||
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| Pronghorn | R3 | |||||
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Habitats
| Habitat | ||||
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| Lowland Sagebrush | ||||
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| Lowland Sagebrush | ||||
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| Lowland Sagebrush | ||||
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Project Comments
| Comment | 01/14/2020 | Type: 1 | Commenter: Keith Day |
| Curtis: The type of drinker available at a guzzler will determine how many non-target species (i. e. birds, small mammals, bats) may benefit. Will the drinker for this guzzler provide access for bats - which need an open flight path for drinking? I presume there are other guzzlers in the area to distribute use. Keith | |||
| Comment | 01/14/2020 | Type: 1 | Commenter: Curtis Roundy |
| The drinker for this guzzler would be about one foot by one foot by 10 inches deep with an escape ramp. I doubt that this will be enough area for bats. The access would make it available I think but the size of open water doesn't lend itself to bat use. There are other guzzlers in reasonable distance of this guzzler area but this is a spot that could use some extra water to distribute habitat use. | |||
| Comment | 08/24/2022 | Type: 2 | Commenter: Alison Whittaker |
| This is just a reminder that completion reports are due August 31st. I have entered the expenses in the Through WRI/DWR column on the finance page. Please do not make any changes to numbers in the Through WRI/DWR column. Any "Through Other" or "In-kind" expenses will need to be entered by the PM or contributors. Be sure to click on the finalize button on the completion report when you have your completion report ready to be reviewed by WRI Admin. Don't forget to upload any pictures of the project you have of before, during and after completion. Thanks. | |||
| Comment | 08/31/2022 | Type: 2 | Commenter: Alison Whittaker |
| Thank you for submitting your completion form on time. I deleted your map feature because the guzzler was not installed. I have moved this project to completed. | |||
Completion
Start Date:
01/07/2020
End Date:
10/18/2021
FY Implemented:
2022
Final Methods:
This one did not go as planned. As such all that was completed was to purchase the tanks to install the guzzler.
Project Narrative:
This project was originally planned to be one of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Style 10,200 gallon big game guzzler. After it was funded and an approved project, we had a meeting with the BLM and the Livestock Producers using this area for grazing along with the Division of Wildlife Biologist for the area, and we collectively decided that it would be a better use of these funds to update and fix the Lost Spring Catchment and the water delivery system that was associated with it. Then COVID hit us and things went south. We weren't able to get supplies and materials and the plans began to unravel at the seams. It then came time to make some hard decisions on what was to be carried over and this project did not make the cut. So we will report that we have 6 cistern tanks purchased that we will use on the next guzzler that is funded and we will look for other opportunities to add water to this area with a better plan to carry through with the funds and do what is needed.
Future Management:
No future management except to protect the tanks that have been purchased until the time comes that we can use them on another guzzler project.
Map Features
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Project Map
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