Utah Lake and its shores are utilized for sports, recreation, agriculture, and as valuable wetland habitat. The success of this work improves watershed health as well as the biodiversity along the shoreline and in the lake. The restoration of native vegetation improves water quality and reduces the consumption of water; effectively enhancing both quality and quantity. According to the WAP this project benefits both Key Species and Habitat of greatest conservation needs (June Sucker and Invasive plant species in shoreline habitat). Utilizing 2006 aerial photos of Utah Lake, it was estimated that there are over 8,000 acres of Phragmites around the lake's 75-mile shoreline. The removal of Phragmites greatly benefits the watershed and wildlife habitat. Phragmites chokes out valuable wetland and continues to intrude on habitat areas of endangered or threatened wildlife species. This invasive vegetation also greatly limits public access around the lake and creates a wall of vegetation which is a clear safety hazard for boaters in emergency situations. In addition to the Phragmites found along the shoreline, large numbers of tamarisk and Russian olive are also a problem around the lake. Their removal and establishment of desirable plant species greatly benefits the watershed. Phragmites proliferation has the potential to choke out valuable wetlands found around the lake. Phragmites is difficult to eradicate without an aggressive vegetation management program. Phragmites is capable of surviving the harshest conditions including fire, frost, high pH and flood. It is tolerant of low water, storm water discharge, road salts and nutrient pollution. It spreads by rhizomes and forms a dense mat that out competes and eliminates native vegetation and destroys valuable wetlands. It was added to the Utah County list of noxious weeds by the Utah County Commission in 2008. Stands of phragmites can grow to over 14 feet tall and create an impenetrable insecticide buffer which allows breeding mosquitos to thrive. Mosquitoes around Utah Lake and the County have tested positive for West Nile Virus. Each year when the phragmites dies back and dries out, lake shore residential developments, parks, bridges and other structures face the risk of extreme fire danger. In 2007 the Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands was court ordered to create a 30-foot firebreak as a safety measure to protect the homes in case of a fire. The Utah Lake Commission has coordinated the creation of a long-term shoreline restoration program with local municipal governments, Utah County, and applicable state and federal agencies as well as private land owners to remove phragmites and other invasive plant species such as tamarisk and Russian olive from the shoreline of Utah Lake and to restore native vegetation where beneficial. It is a multiple section removal effort which requires yearly dedicated funding to ensure its success.

This year's efforts will continue monitoring of previous years projects, however, the more aggressive treatment regime which started two year's ago will continue based on the latest research out of Utah State University on Phragmites removal. This research indicates that aggressive treatments on the same area for at least three consecutive years is needed before re-vegetation efforts take place. As such, the area from Saratoga Springs north and east through Lehi, American Fork, Lindon, Orem and south to Provo Bay has been identified as a priority for this aggressive treatment regime and will be treated either aerially or terrestrially with marsh master spray booms. The treatment regime is closely monitored and where areas Phragmites has faded, competitive seed mixes of native and desirable vegetation is spread. A secondary priority area to the south of Provo Bay is included in the project area which will be treated as funding can be leveraged with additional sources and additional work can be completed. As monocultures of Phragmites are reduced, native species can take hold to conserve valuable habitat more sustainably.

Phragmites proliferation, which began a mere 17 years ago, unchecked, will eventually choke out the biodiversity found within the rich ecosystem of the lakeshore and valuable wetlands around the lake. Phragmites puts littoral, emergent and riparian habitats at risk. Utah Lake is at the confluence of multiple HUC 12 watershed resources making the lake a critical Utah watershed that is a much less health and much less resilient when invaded by Phragmites. Phragmites continues to intrude upon the habitat area of several endangered or threatened species, as well as species of concern. These include, as recommended by UDWR, June sucker, Utah sucker, channel catfish, bullhead catfish, panfish including bluegill and crappie, and large-mouth bass; shore birds, neotropical birds, and water fowl including the Avocet, Stilt, Caspian Tern, Plover, and Long-billed Curlew. Removing Phragmites allows for the restoration of vital littoral, emergent, riparian and even upland habitats around the lake which all support the resilience and long-term survival this biodiverse ecosystem.

(Management Plans and objectives are named and then numbered in brackets or parenthesis) This project will continue the process needed to help several agencies accomplish their goals and objectives. The agencies, the plans and objectives are listed below. The Utah Lake Commission [1,2 (two objectives)] and Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands [3,4 (two objectives] adopted the Utah Lake Master Plan in June 2009. It specifically lists removal of phragmites around Utah Lake as a high-priority goal. The Master Plan also lists the importance of insect control to benefit public health--a direct result of this removal effort. The Utah County Commission (5) has identified phragmites as a noxious weed at the recommendation of the Utah County Weed Board. This board meets regularly to strategize treatment of numerous types of noxious weeds in Utah County. This is outlined in the 2013 County Resource Assessment. Restoration of the shoreline of Utah Lake is a high priority of this board. The Utah County Mosquito Abatement (6) district has identified phragmites removal as a priority as well. Listed as a noxious weed that needs to be controlled in the 2013 Alpine Conservation District Resource Assessment (7) and the 2013 Timp Nebo Conservation District Resource Assessment (8) Removal of phragmites also helps the Division of Wildlife Resources (9) reclaim valuable habitat for wildlife. It is also a priority of several municipalities, including the City of Saratoga Springs (10) and Provo City (11), Lehi City (12) to have this invasive species controlled as it grows closer to existing homes and planned developments. The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (13) has identified phragmites as one of their top priorities for invasive species control, within the new Invasive Species Mitigation program, which is a partner in this grant. The June sucker Recovery Implementation Program (14) has identified phragmites at Utah Lake to be detrimental to habitat and has been supporting efforts to remove phragmites around the lake. This project lies within the wetland type which is one of the key habitats identified in the WAP. This area supports a variety of wildlife species including many that are listed in the WAP such as fish, Neotropical birds, raptors, and wading and shorebirds. June sucker, an endangered fish endemic to Utah Lake, may also receive benefit from a long-term phragmites removal effort of which this project is the first step. Other species of concern, as identified by UDWR include, fish such as the Utah sucker, channel catfish, bullhead catfish, panfish including bluegill and crappie, and large-mouth bass; birds, including the Avocet, Stilt, Caspian Tern, Plover, and Long-billed Curlew. This project lies within a wetland/lake conservation focus area as determined by the Central Region UPCD team.

Lakeside developments are springing up around a majority of the north half of Utah Lake along with municipal infrastructure to support the growth. As phragmites invades the shoreline, it creates a substantial fuel load and hazard not only to the lakeshore ecosystem, but also to residential neighborhoods, golf courses, parks, campgrounds, commercial structures and associated infrastructure that all border the lake. A lawsuit between Saratoga Springs and the Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands highlighted the reality of this fire risk after which the State was ordered to create fire barriers by removing the phragmites vegetation. Our multi-year project reduces the fuel loading around the lake and prevents the risk of Catastrophic Fires. Reducing the fuels along the shoreline also prevents the negative impacts of large fires to the Air quality along the Wasatch Front which is uniquely susceptible to poor air quality.

Treating and removing Phragmites allows native riparian, emergent and littoral wetland vegetation to reestablish, this creates positive impacts to both the water quality and that water quantity in Utah Lake. According to UDWQ, replacing Phragmites with other native species provides better uptake of nutrient pollution by native vegetation species. Removal efforts of Phragmites also creates a more complex riparian root system that is better habitat for juvenile fish and other species. This assertion is confirmed by a local study: (http://etgreatsaltlake.weebly.com/), which suggested that Phragmites consumes more than double the water to that of native wetland vegetation. The restoration of Native vegetation on the lake has the potential to save an estimated 12k Acre/feet of water annually according to the study which estimated that the 25,000 acres of Phragmites found on the Great Salt Lake was consuming just over 71K acre/feet annually. There are 8,305 acres of mapped phragmites on Utah Lake. Utah Lake is a priority on the current Utah County Resource Assessment Plan created in 2013. It points out that the lake provides water not only to its county residents but also to Salt Lake County. As the third largest freshwater lake in the western United States, Utah Lake contains ~902,400 acre feet of water when full. As such, it is a very important part of the watershed both in quantity and for its quality. This project along with many others are contributing to improving the value of this resource. Portions of the project that fall within the Walkara Way open space park, south of Vineyard, west of Orem, north of Provo (in part the Powell Slough) is starting to be grazed, this will reduce Phragmites sustainably away from the lakeshore, effectively increasing water quantity and reducing nutrient pollution in the lake by harvesting and utilizing nutrients taken up into the consumed Phragmites. This multi-faceted approach to increase sustainability of the reduction of invasive Phragmites will increase the watershed health and create more resilience as it speeds up the ability to restore native vegetation in these areas.

This type of treatment does not require archeological surveys or cultural surveys. However, DWR's Archeologist has an opportunity to review the project area to provide comments on general areas to avoid during the smashing phase of the treatment.

Following a similar plan that the UDWR has been using and adapting for improved success in northern Utah, we have developed a plan to control and contain phragmites, other invasive vegetation, and to reestablish desirable plant species in appropriate locations. The plan involves a three-year aggressive treatment followed by subsequent revegetation work, with a monitoring and a continued management strategy to prevent spread and re-invasion. Methods for Treatment: Year 1 -- 1. A contracted helicopter will be used to treat the project area with Glyphosate in late summer. 2. Contractors will be used to remove and treat stumps with Glyphosate of tamarisk and Russian olive from strategic areas in the Fall/Winter. 3. Utah County crews will smash or contract the smashing for much of the biomass in the treated area during the winter. 4. Utah County weed crew will spot treat regrowth of phragmites in the project area with Glyphosate in accessible areas in the spring. Year 2 -- 1. A contracted helicopter will be used to treat the project area with Glyphosate in late summer. 2. Tree stumps of tamarisk and Russian olive will be retreated with Glyphosate in summer. 3. Regrowth will be smashed or mowed mechanically during the winter. 4. Continual monitoring of regrowth and treatment as needed will be done during the year. Year 3 -- 1. A contracted helicopter will be used to treat the project area with Glyphosate in late summer. 2. Tree stumps of tamarisk and Russian olive will be retreated with Glyphosate in summer. 3. Regrowth will be smashed/mowed mechanically during the winter. 4. Continual monitoring of regrowth and treatment as needed will be done during the year. 4, 5... 1. Continual maintenance will occur 2. Spot treatment of any regrowth along the shoreline will continue. 3. Smashing/mowing will occur if the lake is low enough and is needed. 4. Revegetation of strategic areas are considered based on the public use, need, and expected success rate of the project.

Utah County Public Works Department (weed program) will monitor the effectiveness of spraying efforts on phragmites and conduct follow-up treatments as necessary. Photopoints will be established to document pre and post-treatment implementation activities and compared each year to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. UDAF has established 23 line transects; 14 treatment transects, 6 references and 3 control monitoring points to get a better idea of the restorative change over time on the project. These are monitored and recorded annually. These reports are available if WRI wishes to collect these data. Each year the Lake Commission captures images of the entire shoreline of the lake to document the work completed and review year to year progress for monitoring purposes. Starting in 2015, we have incorporated the use of Drone technology to further document regrowth and smashing activities. This helps better monitor and identify needed retreatment areas.

Utah County Utah Department of Agriculture and Food - ISM Utah Lake Commission Central Utah Water Conservancy District Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 387 individually owned parcel owners have all signed partnership forms to agree to treatments and/or access on or through their property. The Utah Lake Shoreline restoration project has established partnerships with State, County and local governments as well as private land owners to complete annual projects on the shoreline. The Utah Lake Commission made up of 17 municipal governments and other agencies is the project lead and grant applicant and contributes hard funding for the project. Utah County manages the entire project with both staff and contractors as well as provides in-kind labor and equipment. Utah's Department of Agriculture provides a major source of funding for the project through its Invasive Species Mitigation program. The Central Utah Water Conservancy District provides in-kind funding for equipment. Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands provides project funding as well as permitting for lakeshore access. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources provides habitat feedback and information on best practices for making these projects successful as well as being a WRI application partner during the planning phase of the upcoming projects. Every three years, the Utah Lake Commission reaches out to all parcel owners around the lake to get a signed agreement for the treatment and access to their property to assure that as much of the seedbank of Phragmites is treated as possible, a few land owners agree to conduct the treatment or graze the phragmites independent of this effort. Reminder communications are sent out during the treatments to all landowners as well.

The Utah Lake Commission, comprised of 17 cities, Utah County, UDNR, UDWQ, CUWCD, has a long term vested interest, regardless of land ownership, in maintaining the shorelines of Utah Lake and has identified this as a priority in the Utah Lake Master Plan. As the owner of the lake bed, the Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands is also dedicated to long term lake management. As described in the methods section, our long-term plan includes monitoring and managing the treated areas into the future to ensure the shoreline remains clear of phragmites. Each year an aerial fly over is completed and used to analyze areas where re-treatment is needed. This provides a site-specific plan to be created for spot treatments where regrowth is taking place.

Many areas along the shoreline of Utah Lake are used to graze livestock, as phragmites is cleared, livestock production increases with the additional acreage created by the open space where native grasses and plants reestablish. The FY2021 and this application include an allotment for the installation of fencing to allow for contained and sustainable livestock grazing. It is expected that large sections of the lakeshore could be grazed, potentially a few thousand acres in the less developed areas along the shoreline. At least a few ranchers with property along the lake have expressed how grateful they are for treatments that have opened up land again for the livestock. This year an area near the Powell Slough is being used as a pilot project for grazing along the shoreline. If successful, close to 1000 acres within the Powell Slough area that have could be managed with grazing long term. After a discussion with the Utah County Commission last year, it was determined that the Powell Slough / Walkara Way could be used as an emergency grass bank for cattle or horses in the future as it is fenced into sections. This would allow for quick response to fires and other emergency relocations if or when needed. In addition to cattle grazing, there is a substantial population of mule deer through the area that benefit from the restored habitat and available vegetation. Historically the Phragmites prevented much of the access and reduced the available grasses and forbs.

07/01/2021

06/30/2022

2022

The FY2022 Lakeshore restoration project used a number of methods including spot treatments, seeding, mechanical roller chopping of dead Phragmites and a small portion of grazing. Some fencing was installed to increase the grazing efforts in key areas.

This year 1,931 acres of Phragmites along the shoreline were spot treated with herbicide, 349 acres where Phragmites had largely been eliminated were reseeded in an effort to reestablish desirable and competitive vegetation. Another 302 acres were mechanically treated with Marsh Master Machines pulling a roller choppers. 47 acres of Phragmites were successfully grazed and we saw a good deal of native regrowth in this area on the north end of the Powell Slough.

The Utah Lake Commission, and future Utah Lake Authority has a long term vested interest, regardless of land ownership, in maintaining the shorelines of Utah Lake and has identified this as a priority in the Utah Lake Master Plan and will be incorporated into the ULA's Comprehensive Management Plan. As the owner of the lake bed, the Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands is also dedicated to long term success. As described in the methods section, our long-term plan includes monitoring and managing the treated areas into the future to ensure the shoreline remains clear of phragmites. Monitoring will allow us to assess the regrowth of desirable vegetation and where the natural seedbank does not respond, we will conduct targeted seeding efforts. Each year an aerial fly over is completed and used to analyze areas where re-treatment is needed. This provides a site-specific plan to be created for spot treatments where regrowth is taking place. Beginning next year, a UAV will be used to complete the vegetation analysis which will increase the precision of our treatment efforts.