Vegetation restoration and fuel reduction projects have been successful for increasing plant diversity and resilience, however disturbance, whether from fire or mechanical methods, often promotes cheatgrass expansion. The purpose of this project is to control cheatgrass in by using pre-emergent herbicides which are effective at preventing cheatgrass seed germination and growth.

The objective is to aerially apply pre-emergent cheatgrass herbicide in late winter or early spring (previous to germination) over 11 thousand acres. The goal is to reduce cheatgrass expansion and give native forbs, grassed and brush improved environmental conditions for growth, diversity and fire resilience.

Cheatgrass continues to invade newly disturbed or treated areas, reducing potential for vegetative diversity and success. If not specifically targeted, cheatgrass may eventually dominate the landscape and propagate a seed source that furthers invasion into native vegetation and adjacent areas. Cheatgrass monocultures burn frequently and newly burned areas typically convert from some native vegetation to pure cheatgrass monocultures. Cheatgrass monocultures decrease forage for wildlife grazing and restrict vegetative diversity. There is a risk that, once the area is re-burned and seeded, poor moisture regimes could result in seed crop failure and cheat grass re-sprouting. Using the herbicide Plateau will reduce this risk for several years, but if failure occurred the area may need to be re-sprayed, re-burned and/or re-seeded. As areas convert to cheatgrass it reduces the amount of small rodents in the area. Kit fox then have to go longer distances to find prey species. Without this project there will be a diminished habitat for kit fox.

Moab Field Office Resource Management Plan (RMP), approved 2008 (BLM-UT-PL-09-001-1610 UT-060-2007-04) Pg 139 (WL-23): Management of pronghorn habitat will be done in coordination with DWR and may include the following actions 'Increase forage through vegetation treatment on approximately 4,400 acres. (note: this RMP action was developed specifically for the Bitter Creek area fire restoration area of this project). Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1701 Sec 103 (C); The BLM is directed to manage public lands in a manner that will best meet present and future needs of the Nation. Public Rangelands Improvement Act 1978, Title II (43 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.), as amended. Among other management objectives, this act provides for temporary discontinuance of grazing uses for the specific purpose of improving public rangeland conditions and production. BLM Grazing Management Regulations, 43 CFR Subpart 4120.2, objectives are to promote healthy sustainable rangeland ecosystems; to accelerate restoration and improvement of public lands to properly functioning condition...requires development of guidelines to address the restoration, maintenance and enhancement of habitats to promote the conservation of Federal proposed, Federal candidate, and other special status species. BLM National Policy Guidance on wildlife and Fisheries Management (Manual 6500). This manual provides direction 'to restore, maintain and improve wildlife habitat conditions on public lands through the implementation of activity plans. Cisco Wildlife Habitat Management Plan, 1978; overall objective of the plan is to improve the 242,560 acres of area to provide habitat capable of supporting adult antelope year-round. Utah Pronghorn Statewide Management Plan, 2008: Statewide Management Goals and Objective: Goal B. Habitat Management Goal: Assure sufficient habitat is available to sustain healthy and productive pronghorn populations. Objective 1: Maintain or enhance the quantity and quality of pronghorn habitat to allow populations to increase. Grand County General Plan: On page 50 of the county plan update, Grand County points out that throughout the county there are a "number of damaged areas and the county encourages public land agencies to restore these lands." Utah Wildlife Action Plan Lowland Sagebrush is a Key Habitat in the 2015-2025 Plan One of the threats identified to lowland sagebrush is Invasive plant species/non-native and Improper grazing/Current Recommendations to Improve condition are: 1) Promoting policies that reduce inappropriate grazing by domestic livestock, feral domesticated animals, and wildlife. 2) Promoting and funding restoration that reduces the Uncharacteristic class, including cutting/mulching/chaining of invading pinyon and juniper trees, herbicide or mechanical treatment of non-native invasive species such as cheatgrass and secondary perennial weed species, and rehabilitation of burned areas following wildfire. 3) Developing and deploying techniques to diversify species composition in monoculture or near monoculture stands of seeded non-native plants (e.g. crested wheatgrass). 4) Promoting management that includes seeding a diversity of grasses, forbs and shrubs that will lead to increased resiliency and resistance in the plant community. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Mule Deer 2014-2019 Section VI Statewide management goals and objectives. This plan will address 1: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range. 2. Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that are being taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats. 3. Encourage land managers to manage portions of pinion-juniper woodlands and aspen/conifer forests in early successional stages. 4. 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. 5. Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that are being taken over by invasive annual grass species, and ranges being diminished by encroachment of conifers into sagebrush or aspen habitats. 6. Continue to identify, map, and characterize crucial mule deer habitats throughout the state, and identify threats and limiting factors to each habitat. 7. Work with land management agencies and private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning and wintering areas. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Statewide Management Plan for Elk 2015-2022 1) Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. 2) Reduce adverse impacts to elk herds and elk habitat. 3) Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat. 4) 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. 5) Identify habitat projects on summer ranges (aspen communities) to improve calving habitat. 6) Encourage land managers to manage portions of forests in early succession stages. DEER HERD UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN Deer Herd Unit # 10 Book Cliffs March 2012 A) Maintain and/or enhance forage production through direct range improvements to support and maintain herd population management objectives. B) Work with private landowners and, federal, state, local and tribal governments to maintain and protect critical and existing ranges from future losses and degradation. C) Provide improved habitat security and escapement opportunities for deer. Habitat Management Strategies; A) Work cooperatively to utilize grazing, prescribed burning and other recognized vegetative manipulation techniques to enhance deer forage quantity and quality. A)Protect, maintain, and/or improve deer habitat through direct range improvements to support and maintain herd population management objectives. B)Work with private landowners and federal, state, and local governments to maintain and protect critical and existing ranges from future losses and degradation through grazing management and OHV and Travel Plan modifications. C)Work with federal, private, and state partners to improve crucial deer habitats through the WRI process. Elk Herd Unit Management Plan Elk Herd Unit #10 Bookcliffs Improve forage and cover values on elk summer ranges. Practices will include prescribed fire, selective logging, and mechanical treatments that promote a diverse age structure in aspen communities. Over 300 acres per year will be targeted. * Remove pinyon-juniper encroachment into winter range sagebrush parks and summer range mountain brush communities. Over 500 acres per year will be targeted using primarily mechanical treatments. Habitat * Promote sustainable livestock grazing practices that minimize negative impacts to plant health and diversity, especially on summer ranges and on SITLA and DWR lands where DWR holds the grazing permit or controls livestock grazing. * Develop new and protect/improve existing water sources for wildlife and livestock to improve distribution and minimize overutilization in proximity to water sources. * Remove coniferous and juniper tree encroachment into winter range, sagebrush park lands, and summer range aspen forest and mountain browse communities. Approximately 1,500 acres per year will be targeted. * Open the closed canopy pinion--juniper forest lands at mid elevation zones throughout the Book Cliffs to enhance perennial understory vegetative maintenance. Approximately 1,500 acres per year will be targeted utilizing mechanical and prescribed fire technology. * Enhance riparian system and canyon bottom vegetative communities through continued agricultural practices, prescriptive grazing and mechanical or chemical treatments. Emphasis on greasewood community improvement will continue. * Manage to minimize wild horse herds and their impacts. * Explore ways to improve Wyoming sagebrush community condition and perennial vegetative health. * Improve existing canyon bottom riparian communities by treating greasewood and over mature sagebrush through chemical, mechanical, and other methods, and minimize impacts on croplands in these habitats.

In rangeland, the most profound impact of cheatgrass is its influence on fire regimes. Cheatgrass increases the continuity of fine-textured fuel which promotes larger and more frequent fires. Because the fire return interval is shortened, perennial vegetation is unable to completely recover before the next fire. At the same time, cheatgrass continues to increase, promoting larger and more frequent fires. Perennial vegetation is eventually removed from the system, resulting in a near monoculture of cheatgrass (MT200811AG Revised 6/12). Wildfire in 1994 and 2005 have resulted in a dense cheatgrass mono-culture which dominates this area. The loss of sagebrush and other native vegetation combined with the invasion of cheatgrass into the burned area has altered the ecosystem integrity and productivity. The project intends to reduce unnatural increases in wildfire frequency in project areas and in adjacent sagebrush communities. Additionally, by treating the area with Imazapic (Plateau) herbicide prior to seeding this project should reduce the amount of flammable cheat grass in the area. Without treatment, the area is considered to be at a very high risk of more frequent and intense wildland fires. Reducing the fire risk in the Phase 3 treatment area would reduce fire risk in Phase I and Phase II treatment areas and adjacent sagebrush areas. These areas offer crucial antelope habitat, potential pronghorn fawning grounds, critical winter habitat for mule deer and year-long habitat for elk. The area also supports habitats for ferruginous hawk, white-tailed prairie dogs and kit fox and forging areas for eagles and various other raptor and migratory bird species.

In addition to reducing cheatgrass cover and creating vegetative diversity, this project will create structural diversity on this landscape. Sagebrush plants are good at catching drifting snow and holding that snow longer into the spring. This could result in more available moisture for other plants. Cheatgrass, as a winter annual, gains a competitive advantage over native and rangeland species that may not grow very much through the fall and winter and do not begin growth as early in the spring. Soil water depletion is one of the primary mechanisms by which cheatgrass competes with vegetation. This is especially problematic when attempting to revegetate land infested with cheatgrass. As spring precipitation diminishes and summer temperatures rise, perennial grass seedlings may not be big enough to survive, while cheatgrass plants are already producing seed to continue the next generation (MT200811AG Revised 6/12).

NEPA has been completed.

Aerial spray all locations with Plateau herbicide during the late winter or early spring before cheatgrass germination begins.

Monitoring will consist of randomly located vegetation transects with the purpose of measuring both over-story and under-story vegetation change. Measurements will include line-point intercept cover, tree density, species richness, and seeded species frequency using BLM's Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) protocols. Repeat photographs will also be taken.

BLM, UDWR will contract the spraying

The goal is knock back cheatgrass infestation with one application of pre-emergent herbicide which has be shown to decrease germination for two growth cycles. After two seasons the areas will be assessed to validate if additional or more aggressive applications are needed.

although this may affect grazing in the short term. It will hopefully lead to better forage in the long term.

11/01/2023

11/30/2023

2024

Fixed wing aircraft was used to apply herbicide on the entire project area. Plateau was used in areas north of Moab. Any areas south of Moab used a granular formula called open range. hidden valley trail was closed temporarily while the flew on the granular herbicide. 1) Application rates 7lbs an acre for open range, Plateau 4 oz./acre with a mix of 10 gallons of water and Super Spread MSO 32 ounces per acres. Active ingredient in both herbicides imazapic 2) Herbicide was applied through out the month of November 2024 3) Contract completed by Colorado fire and aviation contracted through the state of Utah 4) BLM and State land treated 5) Total acres treated 11,016

Plateau was applied on northern section granular open range was applied to the hidden valley unit and the moab operations center. Granular formula was used in areas closer to the city of Moab so dry times were not a issue upon for public reentry.

Native seed mix will be flown on November 2025, monitoring on project areas for will continue to see if follow up treatments are required.