There is a need to clean out and re-clay existing ponds within the Dry Lakes Allotments, several of the ponds over time have silted in or stopped holding water. There is a great need to clean-out and reseal them with bentonite clay to increase the water use and storage and reduce water loss through seepage into the soil. This project will allow for improved water storage of winter snow run off along with seasonal rain storms. The ponds are critical for wildlife populations along with livestock grazing management systems. They will provide additional water quality and quantity for livestock and wildlife. this project will involve the Fishlake Forest Service, UDWR and several livestock grazing permittees that will partner together to complete this project.

This project will consist of improving existing watering ponds that are in much need of being upgraded. Project will consist of partnering with the livestock permittee's, Fishlake Forest Service and UDWR to clean, repair and secure pond sites allowing for improved water catchment of winter snow run off along with seasonal rain storms. Improvements will be made for the benefit of wildlife species along with a key component of grazing management plans within the Forest Service administered lands. Additional benefits of these ponds will be for big game animals, small game species, and raptors water is critical in this areas. The addition of year round water will improve the use for water in critical times of year to support their life cycles and their young. All wildlife depend on water, the Fishlake Forest Service, grazing permittee's along with UDWR agree that these sources will make a big improvement in the locations where wildlife and livestock have the opportunity to utilize it.

Without repair of the three (3) existing ponds within the Dry Lakes Allotments water distribution will become more limited due to the unavailability of water. This will also cause habitat damage as use congregates around the few reliable water sources. In addition to the ponds, an intensive fencing and rest-rotation grazing system has been put in place to minimize the habitat degradation within the grazing allotments. During dry seasons the ponds become an important area for all wildlife and livestock, if ponds are not functional then that opportunity to catch and hold water due to winter snow and seasonal rain storms will be lost.

The Mountain Shrub and Mountain Meadow areas lie within several key habitat types which is identified in the WAP Action Plan 2015. The proposed projects will address some of the habitat management strategies outlined in the deer and elk management plans for Herd Unit #23 (Monroe Unit). Continue to improve and restore sagebrush steppe habitats critical to deer according to UDWRs Habitat Initiative. Maintain habitat quantity and quality at a level adequate to support the stated population objectives while at the same time not resulting in an overall downward trend in range condition and watershed quality. Work cooperatively with land management agencies and private landowners to plan and implement improvement projects for the purpose of enhancing wildlife habitat and range resources in general. *The project also helps fulfill the state mule deer management plan section IV Habitat Goal: Conserve and improve mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. *The proposed projects will address the following goals and objectives of the Division of Wildlife Resources most recent strategic management plan: Resource Goal: expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat. Objective 1: protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state. Objective 3: conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered. Constituency Goal: Achieve broad-based support for Division programs and budgets by demonstrating the value of wildlife to all citizens of Utah. Objective 2: improve communication with wildlife organizations, public officials, private landowners, and government agencies to obtain support for Division programs. *UDWR SR critical big game winter range are important browse communities that need to be enhanced and improved. The Division will employ a variety of methods to achieve this including prescribed grazing, prescribed burning, reseeding and seedling transplants, also mechanical treatments. Priority areas will include sagebrush-steppe and mountain browse communities. Falls within the rangeland focus area for WRI wildlife species for mule deer and elk. *NRCS has also identified that the sagebrush steppe is critical as it pertains to Greater Sage Grouse and the SGI Initiative working on Private, State and Federal Lands. *Richfield Field Office RMP - Manage for a mix of vegetative types, structural stages, and provide for native plant, fish, and wildlife (including SSS) habitats. - Sustain or reestablish the integrity of the sagebrush continuity, and quality of habitat that is necessary to maintain sustainable populations of the Greater sage-grouse and other sagebrush-dependent wildlife species. Grazing Allotment Plans: The amount of forage available to livestock within affected allotments on Monroe Mountain is expected to increase significantly as a result of this project. With the removal of pinion/juniper, the amount of grasses and forbs in the sagebrush is also expected to increase significantly. With increased forage, ungulate distribution is expected to improve. Many areas that are currently unproductive due to overgrowth will soon become desirable for future uses by ungulates. *Utah has finalized it's Sage Grouse Management plan and enclosed are related goals and objectives from that plan that are associated with SGMA's (Parker Mountain-Emery): #1) Protection of habitat that provides year round use. #2) Ensure recruitment of a continuing population. #3) Enhance or Improve sage grouse habitat #4) Protect 10,000 acres on SITLA through habitat restoration practices. #5) Enhance 25,000 acres annually with a SGMA. #6) Increase 50,000 acres annually through management actions (prescribed grazing, invasive weed control Utah Wild Turkey Management Plan: Newly treated areas through fire or mechanical means will attract use by wild turkey which are abundant on Monroe Mountain. Insects and new growth will be readily available to support turkey populations. Objective 2. Increase wild turkey habitat, quality and quantity, by 40,000 acres statewide by 2020. (p.16)

Not applicable to the threat of fire and fuel loading, although the increasing encroachment of pinyon-juniper in the area may take away from the run off of existing snow and rain in the area, allowing for loss of water through overland flow. Project are being proposed in the future to reduce pinyon-juniper encroachment as per the new Fishlake National Forest Pinyon and Juniper Project that was signed on December 5, 2019.

Through this project we will have a positive impact on water quality and quantity, the re-claying of the ponds will allow for more storage capacity of the water resource and availability of it over the summer months. By catching winter snow loads and seasonal rains we are able to store the water for critical time of year that will benefit wildlife and livestock that will use these ponds for their watering needs. Cattle and livestock will have additional opportunities to obtain water at locations that will save energy and trailing during summer months. This will cut down on trailing of livestock for long periods to drink, and in addition of taking pressure away from riparian areas. By the use of re-claying these ponds additional water will allow for better utilization by livestock and wildlife. This project will allow for distribution of water within the grazing season as cattle move from different pastures water will be available from start to finish. As in the past water was critical and moving from pasture to pasture became harder as water was in demand. Areas of the allotments where not grazed evenly due to cattle congregating around sole sources of water in the fall of the year, as other sources have been over utilized. This project will also help with improve water quality, due to the fact of rotational grazing being improved by the permittee's and the Forest Service.

Fishlake National Forest Service Ranger District has identified the existing pond locations and will conduct these implementations under maintenance on the Forest Service no Culture Resource Inventory or NEPA is needed.

Grazing Permittee's, Forest Service and UDWR will partner together to clean and secure these ponds along with improving the pond site, compaction of the soil and development to help secure and increase water storage and improve the overall availability of the water for wildlife and livestock. Permittee's and Forest Service will furnish their own equipment that will include: Track hoes, dump trucks, and loaders to construct and rebuild the three (3) existing ponds on the Dry Lakes Allotments, UDWR will provide the pond clay through the WRI Partnerships and the Fishlake Forest Service along with the Permittees will haul the clay to the sites clean and reseal the existing ponds with the use of Forest Service and Private equipment along with in-kind labor and materials from the livestock permittees. In the past several of these ponds have been dry to lack of run off or filling in the winter/spring, permittees have hauled some water to them, tried to fix or repair the dikes or areas that can hold water. All ponds are in need of work and the idea to use clay to redo them has been successful in the past and will work moving forward.

Monitoring of the re-claying of the ponds will be done through the Fishlake Forest Service Range Conservationist, and Wildlife Biologist within the District. Wildlife Population surveys maybe conducted through the local UDWR Area Biologist for Big Game use. Fishlake Ranger District will also monitor the use of the ponds and make sure that the water is holding in the ponds, if leaks or structure issues are compromised then the Forest Service will repair and rebuild the existing ponds to hold water as expected. Additional work and in-kind assistance will be supplied through the Grazing Associations within the Kingston and Forshea Allotments. With this type of project it is important that the Livestock Grazing permittee's take a stake-hold in these types of projects. With proper maintenance and grazing management these pond projects will last for many years.

Partners for this project will consist of UDWR, Fishlake Forest Service, and the Dry Lakes Grazing Association. Partners have been successful in working with the Fishlake Forest Service in the past on several other projects within this area the past few years, additional support has been leveraged through great partnerships looking for projects that will provide benefits to the local community, that protect the livestock grazing and wildlife within Sevier and Piute County. Great efforts and strides have been made by Sportsman Organizations, UDWR Habitat Council and UDAF in the past to fund projects like these to improve the overall goals and objectives to increase and sustain wildlife through these types of projects. In working with the Fishlake Forest Service we are able to leverage in-kind services through labor to re-clay these ponds, use of personal equipment and materials. We will be working with the permittees to help them clean and re-claying the ponds within this project outline. Future projects like these will be beneficial to all wildlife and livestock with the Fishlake National Forest. We have done this type of work in the past out on the Parker Mountain as well as on the Tidwell Slope, the PARM Sage Grouse Working Group has always been in support of these projects and see benefits for livestock, sage grouse, pronghorn antelope, mule deer and elk, as well as all wildlife species moving forward.

Management of this project will be to ensure that the project is installed correctly, with the use of the bentonite clay and the equipment that will be used. This project will be left up to the Fishlake Forest Range Conservationist and the permittees in the future, they will be working together to improve this allotment and improve the distribution of cattle during the grazing period. Additional pipeline and trough maintenance type projects have taken place in the past and will continue to be beneficial for the Fishlake District moving forward. Projects like this may be needed in the future as water is limited in this area and the need for additional watering sites is critical to the distribution of livestock as well as wildlife in this area. Fishlake Forest Service will need to work with the permittee to continue projects like this water is critical and will always be valuable to livestock and wildlife populations in the future. Grazing Management will be key, as water becomes limited projects like this one allows for improved cattle movement, grazing practices and timing to be adjusted in drought type years, with improved water storage in these ponds we are hopeful that the range will be in better condition in the future. Within the Fishlake National Forest District the Forest Plan addresses the need for water developments to be monitored, fix or repaired and allow for wildlife benefit moving forward. These management tools and oversight of the project will be managed by the permittee and monitored by the Fishlake Forest Service Rangeland Specialist. With this project we will be better to utilize forage on a more manageable level, keep cattle from trailing, provide water for wildlife and improve overall Forest Management Practices. Other improvement will be seen in the riparian areas of the allotments as cattle will not be congregated around them destroying vegetation and over utilizing these wet areas. In turn we should be able to pull livestock away from these areas with better water distribution and improve management practices. By implementing the fencing projects along with re-claying the existing ponds the grazing allotments will be in much better shape and more manageable moving forward. The two allotments are run as a two pasture deferred rotation system with the on date of June 6 and the off date of October 15.

This project will be a great asset to help benefit the livestock portion of the project, by increasing the need for water in critical areas of the Dry Lakes Allotment, it will be able to increase the overall utilization of the Monroe Mtn. Area. Water in particular areas will improve grazing in additional areas that have not been grazed, and reducing impacts of grazing on other areas. Water is critical within this area of the Fishlake National Forest, improved water will allow for longer use of the allotment during drought situations, and in the fall of the year when water source have run dry, additional storage through the rebuilt ponds will allow the livestock to maintain body weights and allow for better weighing weights for the producer due to reduction of traveling to different areas to water. Expansion and implementation of the ponds will increasing water capacity and allow for additional storage, and easy to water larger groups of cattle at once. Cleaning out and re-claying the ponds also gives additional storage for water due to summer rains and snow melt in the spring. We will also improve water sources for wildlife as they transition from winter to summer range within the Fishlake National Forest. This water is critical for fawn and calf survival, improving overall health of the mule deer and elk populations along with providing water during the summer months for small mammals as well as other wildlife species.

05/10/2021

05/21/2021

2021

Final Methods for this project included the USFS Richfield Field Office working with the Dry Lakes grazing permittee to help clean and line several stock watering ponds within the Middle Monroe and Langdon Grazing Allotments. The Richfield USFS provided several pieces of equipment to clean the ponds out which included a bobcat an mini-excavator, the grazing permittees provided trucks and trailers to haul the bentonite clay along with time and labor to help completed the project.

This project was brought to UDWR with the help of the USFS Richfield Field Office, this project was to help improve rangeland conditions on the Monroe Mtn by improving water distribution within the middle portion/Langdon Mtn area of the Monroe Mtn. The UDWR along with the USFS, UGIP and the Dry Lakes Livestock Permittees agreed to put together a plan to clean out three existing ponds and re-clay them with bentonite clay. The UDWR provided funding through Sportsman dollars to help with this project, the UGIP Program also provided funding for this project at a 75% cost share with the USFS and Permittees picking up the labor and materials along with the equipment to install the bentonite clay. UDWR contracted with Redmond Minerals to deliver 16 (3,000lb) totes of bentonite clay for this project, the clay was delivered to Greenwich, Utah and shuttled to the pond locations by the Permittees. This project worked great and several ponds will retain additional water through out the summer months because of projects like theses and good partnerships that support project like this.

In the future the grazing permittee along with the USFS will evaluate the yearly success of the ponds by doing a inspection to make sure the clay is hold and sealing the pond from water loss. Re-doing overflows and inlets if possible to catch additional water during the summer monsoonal rains and winter snow loads. The USFS along with the grazing permittee will definitely benefit from the increase in water for livestock grazing. Many wildlife species on the middle portion of the Monroe Mtn. will also benefit from these improvements.