Tamarisk distribution and health in the Colorado River Watershed in southeast Utah has declined since leaf beetle establishment in 2004. This decline provides an opening for a watershed-wide restoration effort to support flagging threatened, endangered, and keystone species,in order to shift the post-tamarisk trajectory from additional re-invasion by other non-natives such as Russian olive and Russian knapweed, to sustainable native regrowth including Fremont cottonwood, sagebrush, and native grasses. The project works towards the following regional concerns: (1) Protect and enhance important nursery habitat for juvenile native threatened, endangered, and sensitive fish by reconnecting and revitalizing side channels, backwaters, and confluence habitats while restoring channel complexity, and reinforcing and maintaining locations for naturally occurring fish larvae to grow to sizes that can survive in the main channel. (2) Improve native plant community regeneration in areas where tamarisk is in decline along over 200 miles of the river and its side canyons by controlling Russian olive, elm, tree of heaven, and black locust to prevent these exotic species from expanding into newly opened areas. (3) Promote native plant regeneration in project areas where passive regeneration has not yet occurred, and in high use areas where active recreation inhibits restoration, through active plant establishment methods benefiting Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed birds including Yellow Billed Cuckoo and SW Willow Flycatcher and prime mule deer and wild turkey habitat. (4) Contain and control existing noxious herbaceous plants (Russian knapweed, Canada thistle, perennial pepperweed, and hoary cress) to reduce spread from regularly flooded areas into upland areas through improved coordination of work across administrative boundaries. (5) Support and maintain critical mule deer winter range through pinyon/juniper thinning in Castle Valley, while also decreasing fire fuels loads and encouraging native grass growth. (6) Improve mapping, monitoring and control of new invaders, including Purple loosestrife and Ravenna grass, to prevent them from establishing along river and canyon reaches. (7) Sustain and improve progress in previously-treated areas through active monitoring and follow-up treatments. This project continues the collaborative planning and implementation processes adopted in FY18 by building on previously WRI-funded projects, linking to projects funded through other grants and agency budgets, and continuing the work of the Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership (SURP) across administrative and jurisdictional boundaries, including BLM, State Sovereign land, SITLA, NPS, DOE, county and private land. SURP has made native habitat improvement efforts more efficient by combining efforts and reducing costs. This enhanced collaboration between partners links older and newer projects over a large region and facilitates connectivity between projects and collaboration across administrative boundaries. This project exemplifies what can happen when multiple state, federal, county, private and nonprofit organizations come together under common goals. The project unites community members, local organizations, and public land management agencies under the shared goal of river and watershed conservation. It has demonstrated effective collaboration between recreation, aquatic habitats, and fire/fuels programs to achieve ecological goals across administrative boundaries, linking this conservation work to the larger community of Moab and its visitors. An attached General Scope of Work (SOW) includes overall project work guidelines and requirements, and lists project locations and work anticipated in FY 2023. Detailed site SOWs are found in the attachments to this proposal. This project lies entirely within a UWRI conservation focus area as of December 2021. Several small areas were added at the December meeting to ensure that the project meets this requirement.

The overarching goal of this project is to increase biological diversity, watershed health and wildlife habitat along the Colorado River and its tributaries through strategic vegetation improvements, supporting ecological resilience as tamarisk continues to decline. This project occurs in several ecological communities, including riparian cottonwood gallery forest, threatened and endangered native fish habitat, and the pinyon juniper woodland/sagebrush interface. The stretch of the Colorado covered by this project is home to the endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha), bonytail (Gila elegans), Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), and razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus). These federally endangered fish are found only in the Colorado River system. The Bonytail, Colorado pikeminnow, Flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnus), Humpback chub and Razorback sucker are also all listed as species of greatest conservation need in the October 2021 Utah DWR list, and are present along this stretch. This project also encompasses work in the key aquatic forested habitat abating the threat impact from improper water management (very high) and invasive species (medium), and in the key terrestrial lowland sagebrush habitat addressing the threat impacts from invasive plants (very high) and fire (very high). The Castle Valley thinning work includes critical Mule Deer winter habitat. OBJECTIVE 1 is to protect and expand native riparian plant communities throughout the river corridor by removing fast growing exotic species such as Russian olive, elm, locust, tree of heaven and Ravenna grass. a. Russian olive and other fast growing exotic trees continue to spread into areas where tamarisk are in decline. Finding and killing these individual trees will ensure that they do not replace tamarisk. b. Ravenna grass is an invasive perennial grass that is spreading along the Colorado River and its tributaries. It spreads quickly and forms dense stands, so mapping current locations and hot spots (Mary Jane Canyon, Onion Creek, Kane Creek, Mayberry, Castle Creek and others) will help area land managers keep an eye on this relatively new invader. c. Russian knapweed is present throughout the region, and Grand County is actively managing it. Knapweed found above average flood levels at any tamarisk or olive removal site will be mapped and treated. As knapweed control requires several years of follow-up, during the FY 2023 all retreatment polygons will include knapweed treatment if it is present. Active revegetation efforts will avoid areas of dense knapweed, except for seeding. d. Native plant community establishment will allow river systems to connect to floodplains, allowing for expanded, more resilient riparian areas, providing habitat for fishes, birds and other wildlife, as well as minimizing downstream impacts. OBJECTIVE 2 is to mitigate the continuing loss of threatened or endangered fish species habitat through restoring confluence/side channel habitat and enhancing the function of the largest backwater/pond habitat in this reach of the Colorado River. a. Removing tamarisk in historic Colorado River side channels that were once excellent habitat for native fish species should improve chances of high-water scouring, the lack of which puts these side channels at risk of becoming permanently vegetated. Once lost, side channels do not seem to reestablish. Clearing the channel openings, and expanding the channel length allows future spring floods to expand on this clearing. Leaving the channels choked with tamarisk (particularly at the inlets and outlets) results in rapid channel filling during medium level spring floods, as is evidenced by the filling of the side channel 1 mile below Dewey Bridge. In these areas 100% of tamarisk biomass will be removed starting at the inlets and outlets. These areas are at risk of becoming so heavily vegetated that they cross an ecological threshold where they are unable to support native fish populations. OBJECTIVE 3 is to facilitate habitat regeneration by increasing native plant diversity in areas where plants are not passively recovering. a. Areas that have been slow to regenerate or that are subject to high use warrant active native revegetation to stabilize soils and maintain access, including the use of biochar. Seeding, pole planting, long stem planting and nursery-grown plants may be used at each active regeneration site depending on proximity to water, human use patterns, and other site factors. It is expected that 50 acres will be either planted or seeded. More detail about active revegetation is included in the attached SOW. OBJECTIVE 4 is to remove declining tamarisk in a patchwork fashion, starting with areas of healthy native plant communities, protecting these areas from fire and providing room for native plant expansion. a. Except in Colorado River side channels, no more than 40% of the total cover will be removed at each site to reduce the amount of initial disturbance and keep removal areas smaller so native plant regeneration can outpace invasive plant establishment. Some tamarisk may be left for shade and vertical architecture to increase micro habitats and to avoid completely denuded sites. In areas of high tamarisk concentration, tamarisk removal will begin around native plants on site like Fremont cottonwoods. b. Tamarisk biomass removal will occur in sites where the overall invasive plant composition is 30% or less, which is often found when retreating some legacy sites. Biomass removal will increase watershed health by improving biodiversity along these critical perennial water sources. Progress will be assessed based on long-term ecological objectives for each project location including: (1) reducing live tamarisk to less than 15 % of the relative vegetation cover in the long term; (2) reducing other herbaceous invasive, non-native plants to less than 5 % of the relative vegetation cover in project areas, and preventing other woody invasive plants from forming well established thickets from which they will spread; (3) maintaining total vegetation cover equal to or greater than 30 % even during removal processes; and (4) documenting recruitment of native plants towards species-specific threshold diversity goals in the riparian corridor.

Leaving the channels choked with tamarisk and Russian olive (particularly at the inlets and outlets) results in rapid channel filling during medium level spring floods, as evidenced by the filling of the side channel 1 mile below Dewey Bridge, and the accretion of Gold Bar Boat Ramp. In target areas 100% of tamarisk biomass will be removed starting at the inlets and outlets. These areas are at risk of becoming so heavily vegetated that they cross an ecological threshold where they are unable to support native fish populations, a problem that will continue to become more expensive and time consuming if it is not dealt with quickly. Monitoring conducted by Grand County has shown increasing tamarisk mortality since tamarisk leaf beetle introduction. Without collaborative active management now, areas of the riparian community and adjacent upland areas along the river may transition to a new set of invasive woody and herbaceous weeds rather than to resilient and robust native plant communities. Timely action to revegetate these important riparian and adjacent upland communities will result in a native-rich resilient river corridor that supports wildlife and livestock while significantly reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire. No action will likely result in an ecologically stagnant, invasive-choked reach with much lower value for wildlife, livestock and recreational opportunities. 1) Side channels and backwater fish habitat are currently at risk of in-filling due to increased invasive vegetation in the channels, which results in aggradation rather than scouring during high water. Once heavily vegetated, it is increasingly unlikely that high water years will clean these side channels. Actively opening these side channels and keeping them open so that mid-level flood flows can help maintain scouring will help reduce the risk of losing this habitat along the river. 2)Native fish larvae lack refugia to develop to sizes that can survive the higher flows and predation in the main channel. Side channel and backwater improvements will provide locations for these larvae to mature, ideally improving fish populations. If little is done to improve backwater habitats for T&E fish species, populations could decline. 3)Recreation users impact native plant communities in popular recreation areas, and spread noxious weeds to new environments. Coordinating control of knapweed and other herbaceous weeds across administrative boundaries in these areas will reduce the likelihood for seed transport into the wider desert where containment and control will be more difficult and expensive. In addition, campgrounds and other high use areas are adjacent to high density historic tamarisk stands that have high fuel loads. Human caused fires have occurred along the river corridor in the recent past and will likely continue to occur without removal of tamarisk and other woody invasives around these high use areas. Partner agencies (FFSL) will dedicate in-kind efforts to contact and educate recreation users about responsible activities in riparian environments, including invasive species ID, equipment cleaning, wildfire awareness and fire-ban compliance. 4) Reduced river flows coupled with the deep root systems and dense lower growth of tamarisk and Russian olive have altered sediment transport and, in some areas, greatly simplified riverine habitat along the Colorado River. Invasive, non-native plants such as Russian knapweed and kochia tend to colonize these areas quickly, preventing native grasses, forbs, and shrubs from establishing. Without treatment, some scour areas will fill in with exotic vegetation. In locations where the bank is narrow and close to roads, rapidly establishing willows and grasses as tamarisk declines will protect infrastructure and improve wildlife access, especially for amphibians and aquatic mammals. 5) Declining and dying tamarisk creates ideal conditions for recruitment of invasive plants such as Russian olive or herbaceous exotic species. The phased approach of the work in this project (as outlined in methods and the attached SOW), allows for faster establishment of a more diverse and sustainable plant community than via natural regeneration alone, and will help ensure that other invasive species and noxious weeds do not dominate the system. Careful and incremental tamarisk removal can prevent these areas from transitioning to thickets of kochia, Russian knapweed and other herbaceous noxious weeds, or to dense stands of Russian olive, elm and tree of heaven. 6) Ravenna grass has been spreading very quickly along riparian areas in southeastern Utah. If we do not keep its population in check now it may become difficult to impossible to manage in a few years when its population extent is larger. The NPS is also concerned about reed canary grass and exotic Phragmites expansion in this area. 7) Fremont cottonwood is in decline along the Colorado River, and as a foundation species in the southwest, supports a large community of understory plants, insects, microbes, birds, and mammals. Under current low flow conditions, cottonwood struggles to recruit at sustainable levels. Clearing Russian olive and tamarisk, decreasing channelization and increasing sediment mobility, allows floods to more effectively redistribute sediment and supports cottonwood recruitment by decreasing competition and increasing available habitat. Without planting to help keep this species recruiting rapidly in clearing areas, this species is likely to fall more and more behind non-natives and if we wait, this work will be harder in the future. 8) Past restoration investments to restore native plant communities to a self-sustaining level need follow-up to reach completion. In the areas proposed within this project, invasive plant densities are not yet reduced to a level of low-intensity maintenance. Failure to build on past work in these areas in a timely manner will detract from previous restoration efforts and increase costs down the road for improving habitat and reducing fuel loads. Vegetation monitoring in previously treated areas suggests that sites with follow-up work have more resilient native plant communities.

The work in this proposal relates to a number of regional management plans including several BLM planning documents, NPS plans, and State of Utah wildlife plans and vegetation management policies. In addition, it directly relates to the Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) that links to efforts in Western Colorado. This project is also broadly supported by the Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership's plan, and many of its members are listed as partner organizations. The following section outlines how this work meets various management plan goals in each document. (1) The Moab Field Office (MFO) Programmatic Invasive Species Management Plan (PISMP) is an integrated pest management approach to eradicate, contain, control and prevent targeted weeds within the MFO. The desired goal is to contain or control the spread of invasive species and eradicate species that pose the greatest threat to the biological diversity, and prevent any new weeds from becoming established by utilizing a wide range of treatment options (i.e. mechanical, manual, herbicide, etc.). Proactive vegetation management outlined in this proposal will promote ecosystem health through restoration of diverse native communities, maintaining and improving native forbs and grass species, increasing the regeneration of native cottonwoods and willows in riparian corridors, decreasing wildfire risk, and preventing the loss of wildlife habitat and species diversity. Mapping and monitoring new exotic species will limit the spread of additional invasive species. (2) Moab BLM Resource Management Plan (RMP) prioritizes management of riparian vegetation and emphasizes the control of noxious weeds, prevention of the spread of invasive species, and restoration of vegetated areas. Reduction of tamarisk and restoration of native riparian vegetation addresses management objectives for improving the quality and health of riparian habitats while improving the quality of resources used in recreation and reducing fuels, decreasing the likelihood and severity of wildfires. Specific management decisions in the RMP that are directly related to the primary objectives of the proposed project include RIP-9, which calls for restoring riparian vegetation "through biological, chemical, mechanical, and manual methods (e.g., tamarisk control, willow plantings)," and RIP-16, which calls for implementation of strategies to "restore degraded riparian communities" and "protect natural flow regimes." (3) The BLM Utah Riparian Policy states that "riparian areas are to be improved at every opportunity." Under this proposal, native plant distribution, native fish habitat and grazing areas for domestic livestock (near Dewey Bridge) will all be improved in riparian areas. (4) The NPS Southeast Utah Group conducted an Exotic Plant Management Plan Environmental Assessment (EA) in 2009. In particular, pages 3-5 in chapter 1 outline specific herbicides and management goals which are supported through this WRI proposal. "1. Restore native plant communities to reduce the need for ongoing exotic plant management. 2. Prevent unacceptable levels of exotic plant damage, using environmentally sound, cost effective management strategies that pose the least possible risk to people, park resources, and the environment." The river corridor was identified as an area of concern in this EA, with targeted tamarisk as one of the goals. This WRI proposal supports the NPS overarching exotic plant management and river specific goals (5) The Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan calls for an emphasis on improving riparian habitat and use of seed mixes that include sufficient forbs and browse species. One of the strategies for actively revegetating some of the tamarisk treatment areas includes reseeding with native locally sourced seed mix. In addition, the greater access to the river provided by the reduction of dense tamarisk stands will improve riparian habitat and browse for mule deer. The thinning sections in Castle Valley will also improve critical upland Mule Deer winter range. (6) Pursuant to the Utah Noxious Weed Act, Section 7, to every person who owns or controls lands in Grand County, Utah, that noxious weeds standing, being, or growing on such land shall be controlled and the spread of same prevented by effective cutting, tillage, cropping, pasturing, or treating with chemicals or other methods, or combination methods, or combination thereof, approved by the County Weed Supervisor, as often as may be required to prevent the weed from blooming and maturing seeds, or spreading by root, root stalks or other means. Listed species include tamarisk, Russian knapweed, and Russian olive. Almost all of the individual projects listed under this proposal targets tamarisk, Russian knapweed, or Russian olive for treatment and/or removal. (7) Middle Colorado River Watershed Cooperative Weed Management Area Cooperative Agreement (CWMA)- includes partnering organizations working along the Colorado River work towards the CWMA's goal "to promote an integrated weed management program throughout the MCRW-CWMA that includes public relations, education and training in the non-native invasive weed arena as well as inventory, monitoring, controlling and preventing the spread of non-native invasive weeds, sharing of resources, and designing other desirable resource protection measures relative to weed management." (8) BLM Healthy Lands Initiative: The project area has been identified as a focal area of this vegetation- resources enhancement initiative to restore and improve the health and productivity of western public lands. The Healthy Lands strategy increases the effectiveness and efficiency of vegetation enhancement treatments by focusing on treatments on a significant percentage of lands -- both Federal and non-Federal -- within six geographic locations, rather than focusing on the local project level. The strategy increases opportunities to leverage cooperative solutions across ownerships and jurisdictions. (9) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Utah Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Strategic Plan: This project falls within a priority area, priority habitat (riparian), and addresses threats to priority species (SWFL and YBCU). (10) Conservation Planning for the Colorado River in Utah: With the help of local and regional natural resource professionals coordinated through the SE Utah Riparian Partnership, The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Utah Forestry Fire and State Lands developed a broad-scale, spatially-explicit assessment of 146 miles (~20,000 acres) of the Colorado River mainstem in Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah that will function as the basis for a systematic, practical approach to conservation planning and riparian restoration prioritization. For the assessment we have: 1) acquired, modified or created spatial datasets of Colorado River bottomland conditions; 2) synthesized those datasets into habitat suitability models and estimates of natural recovery potential, fire risk and relative cost; 3) investigated and described dominant ecosystem trends and human uses; and 4) suggested site selection and prioritization approaches. 5) created a tool in ArcGIS Field Maps that partners can and are using to plan, record and collaborate on projects. Two additional collaborative management tools came out of the assessment, the Herbaceous Weed Control Coordination Plan for the Colorado Riverway and the Colorado River Cross Watershed Restoration 6.0 Herbicide Supplement for Projects. These tools will guide herbicide usage on projects for FY2023 and into the future. Partner organizations and others collaborating with the SE Utah Riparian Partnership are using the assessment, the Field Maps tool and datasets to identify and prioritize restoration actions to increase ecosystem resilience and improve habitat for bottomland species. Primary datasets include maps of bottomland cover types, bottomland extent, maps of areas inundated during high and low flow events, as well as locations of campgrounds, roads, fires, invasive vegetation treatment areas and other features. (4) Utah Wild Turkey Management Plan: Objective 1. Maintain and Improve Wild Turkey Populations to Habitat or Social Carrying Capacity. Objective 2. Stabilize populations that are declining outside of natural population fluctuations; especially through catastrophic events (i.e. following fires, severe winters, etc.). Objective 3. Conduct habitat projects to address limiting factors. Objective 4. Increase wild turkey habitat, quality and quantity, by 40,000 acres statewide by 2020. Objective 5. Conduct habitat improvement projects in limiting habitat(s). By removing dense tamarisk stands and increasing plant diversity along the river we are increasing possible turkey habitat and improving forage areas as well. (5) Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve Habitat Management Plan 1994 outlines ecologic goals including: Preserve wetland and associated habitat patterns including spring and fall migratory stopover -nesting, young rearing, and year-round habitat for local resident wildlife; and, Enhance or create habitat for rare and/or desirable species, where possible, without damaging important existing habitat or wetland functions. By slowly returning areas to native vegetation this project will create more bird habitat. By removing tamarisk in a patchwork pattern, it will prevent the removal of all bird habitat and will allow for native shrubs and trees to grow for birds to use. (6) Colorado River Comprehensive Management Plan (CRCMP): Two areas of focus defined by the CRCMP are native vegetation enhancement and bank and channel restoration. The CRCMP has defined the following management goals which this project proposal supports: "Support restoration efforts that integrate riverine processes." -- Hydrology Goal 2 "Improve connectivity between the river channel and adjacent wetlands where possible" -- Geomorphology Goal 2 "Identify, target, and treat tamarisk in the planning area" -- Geomorphology Goal 1 "Integrate recreation and restoration opportunities in and along the river as appropriate." -- Recreation Goal 5 (14) Castle Valley Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CVCWPP) Outlined under the Risk Reduction are a number of goals that relate to olive removal work in Castle Creek. - Goal one is to implement defensible space on private land. - Goal two is to cooperate with private landowners to maintain and expand shaded fuel breaks and "brush outs" along existing roadways, fence lines, and natural and existing fuel breaks. - Goal five is to encourage through education firewise landscaping, vegetation and grasses into green spaces and private property where possible. - Goal seven is to seek funding resources for implementation of goals. Removal of Russian olive near houses in Castle Creek helps achieve all of these goals. (15) Grand County's 2020 Community Wildfire Protection Plan: The Colorado River Corridor is identified as a part of the priority 2 area for mitigating wildfire risks. Within priority area 2 it notes that "The County's experience with fire management along the river corridors has been challenging. The recreation activities along the rivers pose a unique problem because fire agencies don't know where people are located at any given time. Winds in the corridor can also make fire management very difficult.". Within the CWPP a number of goals are addressed by this WRI proposal: A-5: Evaluate fuel loading around communities and identify priority areas for fuel reduction treatments. Specifically fuels management projects near water sources. A-6: Conduct fuel reduction treatments in previously identified priority areas. A-10: Control Noxious weeds that contribute to fire hazard. A-12: Reduce undesirable fuels adjacent to riparian areas to reduce fire impacts... B-6: Coordinate with agencies to plan upcoming fuel reduction treatments and offer county support to implement treatments. B-13: Manage recreation to prevent wildfire ignitions and to reduce fuel loading. B-14: Support wildlife habitat improvement projects that also reduce wildfire risk. (16) Moab Valley 2020 Community Wildfire Protection Plan: The Colorado River Corridor from the Matheson to Poison Spider is identified as priority area 3 for wildfire mitigation work, noting that Recreation activities along the corridor increase the likelihood of fire events. In addition Utah Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal (UWRAP) data identifies this section as potentially moderate to high wildfire severity. The Matheson Preserve is identified as priority area 4 for wildfire mitigation work. The CWPP notes that "Fire fuels are of extreme concern due to both the density of fuels and the proximity of structures to those fuel loads.". Within the CWPP a number of goals are addressed by this WRI proposal: A-5: Evaluate fuel loading around communities and identify priority areas for fuel reduction treatments. Specifically fuels management projects near water sources. A-6: Conduct fuel reduction treatments in previously identified priority areas. A-10: Control Noxious weeds that contribute to fire hazard. A-12: Reduce undesirable fuels adjacent to riparian areas to reduce fire impacts... B-3: Prevent noxious/invasive weed proliferation through management, control, and reduction. B-6: Coordinate with agencies to plan upcoming fuel reduction treatments and offer county support to implement treatments. B-13: Manage recreation to prevent wildfire ignitions and to reduce fuel loading. B-14: Support wildlife habitat improvement projects that also reduce wildfire risk.

Tamarisk as well as associated Russian olive can serve as ladder fuels, carrying fire into the crowns of native cottonwoods, black willow, oak and hackberry. According to the Utah DNR Wildfire Risk Portal (UWRAP) the area is at risk of low to high intensity fire. The project area has had increasing wildfires over the past 17 years since the release of the tamarisk beetle in 2004, and especially as visitor numbers increase. Studies have shown that contiguous stands of tamarisk in riparian zones lead to fire return intervals that are too frequent for the successful establishment of native cottonwoods and willows -- a key component of our restoration efforts on the Colorado and its tributaries. Dead and declining tamarisk poses a fire hazard to numerous recreation sites, campgrounds, roadways, structures, energy infrastructure, fire personnel, recreating citizens and endangered species habitat, including Moab and Castle Valley. The current fire regime condition class in tamarisk galleries is high (3), and would be reduced to moderate (2) immediately after treatment. Additionally, the removal of dead tamarisk trees creates breaks where firefighters can safely begin suppressing wildfires. Recent occurrences of wildfires in this river stretch have been high intensity with negative consequences including mortality of all native vegetation and up to 100% invasive weed infestation. Work outlined in this proposal will decrease the risk of high severity wildfire in the river corridor and up important side drainages by reducing the density of beetle impacted dead and declining tamarisk trees. a. Treatments outlined in this proposal focus on clearing these ladder fuels from around cottonwoods and other native plants to protect them in the event of destructive fires and protect critical seed sources for cottonwoods and other native plants critical for passive regeneration. b. Treatments in following years will expand these openings as the cleared areas stabilize with lower growing grasses and forbs. c. Treatment areas near campgrounds and high use recreation areas will improve fire safety, and buffer the entire river corridor from the fire risk present in high use recreation areas. Work accomplished in Castle Creek will directly reduce fire intensity, threat, and risk in the town of Castle Valley. This work will build off of previous Castle Creek work (WRI #: 1414, 1970, 2310, 2569, 3592 and 5286) to reduce threat of fire to structures and lives. According to Castle Valley's CWPP there have been 41 fires in Castle Valley in the last ten years of various causes. Castle Creek is the greatest fire threat to infrastructure and lives in the town. A fire in Castle Creek would be high intensity and difficult to put out due to the density of fuels. This project is one more step towards fire resiliency and safety for Castle Valley. Upland pinyon juniper thinning in Castle Valley will decrease fire risk, support critical mule deer winter range and allow for better control of fire spread, again decreasing fire risk to Castle Valley. This work will cover a large portion of the zone in between the town of Castle Valley and the La Sal Mountains, with the potential to cover even more area if the arch clearance portion is fully funded. This area includes a large piece of extremely high use wildlife migration corridor according to data the Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative (UWMI), which was used in the scoping of the Castle Valley project by BLM and managers to focus their treatment area. Ravenna grass, (a non-native invasive species) is spreading along riparian areas in this part of the state, and poses a risk to become a combined fine and ladder fuel in riparian areas. Ravenna grass can reach heights of 12 feet and older stands of Ravenna grass may be able to carry fire that would not otherwise burn in these areas. Removing this fuel loading will promote the establishment of under-story native vegetation and will reduce soil erosion, which is critical to maintaining riparian ecosystem resilience.

The Colorado River irrigates farms, powers electric grids, and provides drinking water to 40 million people. This project will improve water quality along one section of the Colorado by reducing wildfire risk via thinning projects, reducing sediment loading via native plantings that reduce excessive erosion. This project also has the potential to improve water quantity through increased riparian hydric vegetation like cottonwood and willow, re-wetting of backwater areas, encouraging groundwater recharge and weed management. Tamarisk channelizes streams, reducing the width of active floodplains and reducing ecologically valuable riparian habitat via downcutting. Reducing these thickets in areas outlined for this project has the potential to inhibit downcutting, improve the size and roughness of riparian and floodplain habitats, which may improve groundwater recharge. Removing tamarisk and Russian olive from the banks of streams and riverbeds will help establish natural hydromorphological processes and more effectively distribute water resources throughout the project watershed area. After invasive species are removed, targeted seeding and revegetation as well as passive restoration of native plants may stabilize natural drainage conditions. Decreased erosion rates would be a direct improvement to water quality conditions. Removing tamarisk and Russian olive from the watershed in selected areas can also promote channel complexity. The first phase of this project created access to historically high flow channels and potential backwater areas. Opening access to these areas will allow for these projects to continue to clear vegetation from these channels, increasing the potential for fisheries restoration in some areas. This can in turn improve water quality in the river over the long term. At several sites, Cottonwood Creek and Professor Valley, small scale biomass burning in biochar kilns will be implemented with biochar spread onsite after quenching. Biochar may aid in soil water retention, increasing water holding capacity in soils at these restoration sites. If this work is successful, the use of biochar could be expanded to other removal areas.

NEPA has been completed by the BLM Moab Field Office's Programmatic Invasive Species Management Plan (PISMP). The project area has a current federal Pesticide Use Plan (PUP). The State of Utah does not have a formal NEPA process to follow for restoration work but will defer to the federal partners involved to ensure compliance with any applicable federal restrictions or reporting requirements. The Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands can assist in any compliance documentation necessary to complete work on this project and looks forward to closely working with federal partners to complete all necessary permitting. Archaeology clearance is usually not required for work within riparian lands adjacent to the river on State sovereign lands. However, if any cultural resources are suspected or discovered throughout work on this project all work will cease until expert archaeologists can assess and determine appropriate action. Archaeological surveys will be conducted on 278 acres of the Utah Open Lands block in Castle Valley during FY23 under this proposal. Once surveys are completed FFSL will ask for money either through Catfire or WRI for FY24 for implementation of mastication work/hand cut and pile dependent on the community and landowner meetings. Work on NPS Lands is supported by the 2009 Southeast Utah Group Exotic Management Plan Environmental Assessment.

The attached General SOW and table of projects, along with the mapped areas, and the Colorado River herbaceous weed management plan and herbicide supplement gives more detail about exact locations of work and methods. Detailed Site SOWs are also attached to this proposal. Ravenna grass, nonnative phragmites, and other herbaceous weed monitoring and control extends throughout the riparian corridor from Cisco to Potash and up several side canyons including Onion Creek, Professor Creek, Castle Creek, Mill Creek, and Kane Creek. This work will include mapping of all Ravenna grass and other new invaders before removal work is done as well as continued work to kill all Russian olive that become visible as they grow in the declining tamarisk and some willow stands. Project locations detailed in the SOW are listed below starting upstream and going downstream: BLM * May Flats * Westwater Ranger Station * Cottonwood Creek * Mile Marker 32 128 * Dewey Bridge * Lower Onion Ramp and Camp and River Right Sites * Above New Rapid * Castle Creek (Zuckerman) * Castle Valley Fuels Unit * Goose Island * Lower Goose Island area * Sevenmile Canyon * Kane Creek * King's Bottom * Follow-up from mouth to Amasa Back parking area * Jaycee and Wall Street to Williams Bottom * Williams Bottom * Jackson Bottom * Dispersed woody species along river * Herbaceous weeds at key locations along river * Managing site assessment data NPS * Salt Wash to 191 Boat Ramp - herbaceous and woody treatments and reed canary grass removal * Courthouse Wash FFSL * Onion Creek ramp area * Onion Creek river right camps * Castle Creek * Professor Creek (Canyonlands Field Institute (CFI) Camp) * Above New * BLM below Zuckerman (WUI) * Retreatments and new removal from Castle Valley Drive to the Town boundary (WUI) * Professor Creek * Bills Site (191 Bridge) * Planting at key sites along river * Dispersed woody species along river * Herbaceous weeds at key locations along river DWR * Matheson Wetlands Mapping and Invasive Treatments TNC * Matheson Wetlands GCWD * Noxious weed treatments * Assistance with conservation corps training TBD Contractor Projects * Noxious weeds spraying at sites along river * Scout for, map and control Ravenna in various side canyons and control resprouts UMTRA * Lower Part of UMTRA site RRR * Mayberry native plant propagation area * Training for conservation corps * Coordinating site assessment data * Facilitating herbaceous weeds management plan * Coordinating revegetation work at multiple sites In general, the following methods will be used (see herbicide supplement attachment for more information): Russian olive, elm, locust, tree of heaven and mulberry tree treatment: These are to be removed (when in groupings over 3 trees) or treated and left standing (when trees are individual, using herbicide in a frill or girdle cut treatment), leaving 30%-40% cover at sites. Aquatic approved Triclopyr or Glyphosate are the herbicides of choice based on BLM documentation and Pesticide Use Proposal (PUP) for most of this work, except when species treatment suggests otherwise. Ravenna grass treatment: Ravenna grass will be dug out, and its seed heads bagged. GPS locations will be recorded for future follow-up work. In some situations where digging may be too disruptive or time consuming, Ravenna will be treated with glyphosate. Tamarisk treatment: Crews will focus on the removal of tamarisk in high use areas, and around areas of native trees such as oak, cottonwood, netleaf hackberry and willow. These areas are being targeted to reduce fire risk, and promote the expansion of native vegetation and wildlife habitat. The removal of tamarisk from underneath cottonwood will promote the expansion of cottonwood, and reduce the fire risk. Areas of high recreational use are at risk of human caused fire, which will damage native vegetation habitat areas; therefore, these areas will also be targeted. Due to access concerns and a focus on leaving existing native vegetation undisturbed, tamarisk removal will be done with chainsaws and stumps treated with herbicide. Biomass will be chipped in high use areas, and burn piles constructed in lower use locations. Biochar burning may be implemented in areas with dense native plant canopies that preclude pile burning, and the resulting biochar will be used to enhance soil structure and water retention. A phased approach is planned for denser stands of tamarisk, removing no more than 30% of the non-native trees during this phase, leaving at least 60% of the existing vegetation and associated multi-storied canopy intact regardless of species composition. In areas of high tamarisk concentration, tamarisk removal will begin around native plants found on site, and move out from these native plants in irregular patterns until 30% removal is completed. This phased approach allows for better shading and cooler surface temperatures to promote passive restoration of native vegetation as well as habitat benefits for bird species. In areas where backwaters form and where there are historic side channels, 100% of tamarisk biomass will be removed. This will open side channels to possible future scouring during high flow events, thus increasing native fish habitat. Removal of 100% of the tamarisk biomass will occur in sites where the overall invasive plant composition is 30% or less. This occurs in some retreatment sites. See site-specific notes below for clarification. Tamarisk will be cut with chainsaws and stumps will be treated with Triclopyr. Many project areas are adjacent to busy roadsides with heavy tourist traffic. Future treatment areas will be carefully planned to minimize impacts from unintentionally attracting visitors to river beaches that were previously difficult to access from the road. Herbaceous Weed and Fine Fuels Reduction: Herbaceous weeds including russian thistle, kochia, cheatgrass and others not only reduce the passive regeneration of native perennial and annual species, but also increase fire fuels risks. Fine fuels treatments using brush mowers and string trimmers will help reduce fine fuels hazards and improve native plant regeneration. Revegetation: In appropriate areas, cottonwood, willow, hackberry, oak,birch, and critical shrub or tree species will be planted using long stem planting techniques to establish riparian overstory species. Natural recruitment of cottonwood and other tree species along the large, dam-affected river systems throughout the desert southwest is extremely limited due to changes in flood patterns and associated encroachment of non-native tamarisk and Russian olive. In areas where the river bank is steep and narrow or near a road or other infrastructure willow poles and wattles (both vertical and horizontal) may be used to establish willows to increase bank stability. Willow material will be harvested from nearby locations. Attached with this document is a seed mix to be used for revegetation in areas where native plant regeneration is sluggish. Some containerized shrubs may also be planted in these areas to help create islands of vegetation and shade to assist with natural recruitment. Biochar: At two sites, Cottonwood Creek and Professor Valley, biomass will be burned in portable biochar kilns with biochar spread on site rather than typical burn piles. This material may aid in soil salinity mitigation and soil water retention in support of native plant recovery, and if successful, could be a useful tool for rehabbing sites and minimizing the impacts of large burn piles. This work will be an attempt to evaluate the use of biochar in these smaller scale restoration projects.

Monitoring is an integral part of this project to evaluate the success of the treatments and to ascertain if there are additional treatment needs. Other monitoring efforts include assessing which treatments were most successful in order to improve treatment techniques over time. This monitoring information will produce a report and photos that will be uploaded to the UWRI website. Rim to Rim Restoration has been collecting vegetation response data at tamarisk and olive removal sites along the main-stem Colorado River periodically since 2007 and completed new data collection at all river sites in 2020. In 2019, a summary report of the 10 years of data collection was completed for review by project partners and others interested, and this report will be updated with 2020 data. Data collected every 3 to 5 years provides a good indication of site conditions once the initial disturbance area has stabilized, and can be continued at particular sites if land managers desire. In FY 2023 Rim to Rim will also continue site assessment monitoring work and native planting mortality monitoring at restoration sites to continue to improve revegetation efforts. The SE Utah Riparian Partnership, primarily through BLM partnership, has developed a site assessment tracking tool that can be used through ArcGIS Field Maps by all partners at local, county, state, and federal levels to map plant populations for future projects and also to collect and track post-treatment information. In FY2022, data was collected at conservation corps and BLM project sites in the project focus area, and data will be collected at new treatment locations in FY2023. BLM Aquatics and Terrestrial crews will conduct monitoring according to recently implemented Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) protocols. This will include randomly located vegetation transects with the purpose of measuring both overstory and understory vegetation change. Measurements will include line-point intercept cover, tree density, species richness, and seeded species frequency using BLM's AIM protocols. Repeat photography will be conducted from year to year for visual comparison. DWR native fish crews will operate and monitor conditions within the backwater refuge. As river levels rise and light traps indicate larval fish presence gates will be opened allowing Colorado River water to enter the backwater refuge. Water will be held in the dredged pond until oxygen or water levels decline, then it will be released back into the Colorado River. Any native fish released back into the Colorado River will be pit tagged for mark recapture sampling information. Utah State University (USU) will develop monitoring methods to determine the impacts of recreation in high use riparian areas. This monitoring represents an important opportunity to determine how increased recreation may be impacting the water quality, soil erosion, biodiversity, and habitat within sensitive riparian area. The data collected will provide crucial information for land managers on the potential impacts of recreation in riparian corridors and help inform recreation management in these ecologically and socially important riparian areas.

Most partners on this project work together through the Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership (SURP), a group of land management agencies, local governmental units, and other organizations interested in riparian health in Southeast Utah. This group has been collaborating on projects for over 10 years; and writing joint proposals for work on the Colorado River and its tributaries since 2017. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) The BLM Canyon Country District is fully involved with this project and restoration effort. The following BLM programs have supported and contributed to this project; Aquatic Habitats (Fisheries, Riparian, Hydrology), Fire & Fuels, NEPA, GIS, Archaeology, Wildlife, Botany, Weeds, Range, and Recreation. Additionally, Fire & Fuels crews will help implement tamarisk removal and restoration work. The Weeds program will contribute time and herbicide for noxious weed control. Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands; Sovereign Lands (FFSL SL) The Division will assist through in-kind seasonal and permanent staff labor working with crews on the ground, as well as project planning and monitoring support, and matching contributions to contractual services. In FY 2023 FFSL will have several seasonals working on Colorado River projects. FFSL Sovereign Lands staff are working with all partners on various Colorado River sites. Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands; Wildland Urban Interface (FFSL WUI) The FFSL WUI program has worked along Castle Creek and has helped the community of Castle Valley with CWPP's and training for at least ten years. We will administer projects in castle creek through contractors as well as on the ground presence. We are continuing to build connections in Castle Valley for further mitigation projects to create a safer castle valley. We are also working with the CFI field camp to remove tamarisk and Russian olive adjacent to structures in Professor Creek. Grand County Weeds Department (GCWD) With a focus on noxious and invasive weeds, GCWD has been working on the Colorado River for over 17 years to restore and protect native riparian ecosystems. They work on a wide variety of lands, including public, state, and private property. GCWD offers technical assistance, on-the-ground efforts, and chemical knowledge. National Park Service The National Park Service is supportive of the project and some NPS lands are included in the proposal along the Colorado River and Courthouse Wash in Arches National Park. To mitigate invasive species expansion into the National Parks, NPS staff can also assist project partners (FFSL and GCWD) with monitoring and treatment of Ravenna grass, reed canary grass, Russian olive, purple loosestrife, and early detection rapid response species outside of the park boundary. Rim to Rim Restoration (non-profit) Rim to Rim Restoration (RRR) is involved in ongoing vegetation monitoring throughout the project area and provides expertise in riparian restoration design, planning and project management. RRR will assist with project coordination and site assessment efforts between, and in coordination with, agencies. Rim to Rim will also provide training, data collection for vegetation monitoring along the Colorado River, assistance in planning innovative restoration projects, including non-native tree removal throughout the watershed area, and native plant materials for revegetation. RRR is uniquely qualified to perform these tasks for the project due in part to their role coordinating the Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership, and due to many years of experience executing these roles. RRR has worked with FFSL, BLM, Grand County, City of Moab, DWR and other local nonprofits and contractors for over 15 years, and can bridge administrative boundaries. RRR also has direct experience with running removal crews, revegetation implementation crews and growing locally collected native plants in Southeast Utah. Plateau Restoration Inc. (non-profit) Plateau Restoration Inc. (PRI) will use WRI funding from this project to continue work at Jackson Bottom as well as assist at other revegetation areas on the Colorado River. PRI is uniquely qualified for this work as they have been working in this area for over 10 years with the land owner as well as the County Weed department, FFSL and the BLM. Their ability to leverage relationships with many volunteer groups has been a valuable means for keeping costs low. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources This state agency provides technical assistance (e.g. surveying for side-channel project) and monitors the avian community along the Utah portion of the Colorado River to increase understanding of how restoration affects bird and aquatic species. UDWR also owns and co-manages lands within the project area. They have actively removed tamarisk and Russian olive from their properties. UDWR promotes wetland and riparian habitats in and along the Colorado River and is an active partner in this project. The Nature Conservancy TNC owns and co-manages lands with the treatment areas. TNC has actively removed tamarisk and Russian olive from their properties. TNC promotes wetland and riparian habitats in and along the Colorado River and is an active partner in project coordination of the prescribed burn on the TNC owned Matheson wetlands. Utah Conservation Corps The Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership is open to working with all conservation corps that want to work in SE Utah, but over the past two years the UCC has worked closely with the Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership on this project. UCC is uniquely qualified to provide consistent and efficient logistical support and project implementation on projects along the Colorado River. The regional coordinator is intimately familiar with these project sites and what treatments work best in our region. USU Extension The USU Extension program is interested in understanding the impacts of high visitor numbers on native plant communities and soils, and also in helping evaluate restoration project success. USU will help design monitoring programs and collect monitoring data to help assess project efficacy.

The work in Colorado River 6.0, in the wake of tamarisk decline due to tamarisk beetle introduction, will help ease pressure on native ecosystems and shift the ecological balance, helping natives maintain their own habitat space and hopefully expand into new areas after they are established from work in this project. The project is part of a multi-year effort that will require follow-up re-vegetation and treatment to control remaining infestations of priority invasive plant species such as tamarisk, Russian olive, and Russian knapweed. Repeated treatments will be required to remove the remaining 30-60% of invasive species and apply herbicide to any resprouting invasive vegetation. We will be seeding and planting trees in the removal sites each year of the project's duration and relying on passive restoration of natives such as the impressive recruitment of willow we have seen in tamarisk removal areas. All partners will be revisiting each site for the next several years to continue tamarisk removal efforts and follow-up with revegetation and secondary weed invasion as needed. For FY 2022, efforts to protect and maintain fish habitat have expanded with the assistance of DNR and BLM, and the partnership has expanded its focus to include more herbaceous weed monitoring and control thanks to Grand County Weed Department and the NPS. The Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership members are fully committed to provide resources through federal, state and non-profit organization support for the long-term success of this project. As with this project, any future project budgets will be supplemented by individual agency money. Native fish populations will continue to be monitored in the Colorado River System, particularly through the Utah DNR Aquatics Monitoring Program. Agencies will continue to work with water users to promote varied water flows that will create beneficial conditions for native fish and create flood conditions to create habitats for many wildlife species. The mapping in Matheson Wetland will be used as a foundation to plan and implement future work. This planning will lead to organized, efficient weed treatments, and native recovery efforts that will increase available habitat for mule deer, ducks, turkeys and other wildlife and will support naitive fish recovery efforts at the Matheson Wetland native fish wetlands nursery area.

The removal of tamarisk, Russian knapweed, and other invasive vegetation will allow the multiple uses of the Colorado River and the surrounding landscape to be more sustainable and resilient in coming years. This project will greatly benefit the riparian ecosystem, desert fish, birds, game, recreational opportunities, water quality, agriculture, and many other areas by: 1) Improving recreational experiences by increasing native vegetation and reducing visual impacts of dying tamarisk and noxious weeds. 2) Reducing potential for noxious weeds to be transported from the river to more remote riparian areas. This also protects native vegetation in upland areas and produces better forage for grazing. 3) Using Biochar as a method for biomass removal, improving soil structure with increased water retention for regeneration of vegetation, and improving biomass utilization for the future. 4) Reducing wildfire risk in the Colorado River corridor to protect recreation infrastructure, public safety and wildlife habitat. 5) Reducing the habitat for mosquitos in the wetland preserve and allow mosquito abatement to effectively reduce mosquito outbreaks. 6) Providing open water for waterfowl, creating and maintaining habitat and hunting opportunities in southeastern Utah. 7) Managing for abundance of quality native grasses and forbs in the project area, increasing forage for wildlife with an emphasis on improving forage availability, especially in the critical mule deer winter range in Castle Valley. The removal of tamarisk, Russian olive and Russian knapweed is expected to benefit domestic livestock in three ways: First, it will facilitate the re-establishment of perennial grasses, native forbs, and shrubs that have much higher forage value than tamarisk. By creating areas of healthy forage adjacent to grazing parcels and in the small grazing areas near Professor Creek and Dewey Bridge, we can provide seed sources to adjacent land and reduce invasive pressures on rangeland health. Past knapweed treatments in this reach have led to the rapid re-establishment of perennial grasses, even in the absence of seeding. However, additional seeding will be used to accelerate the recolonization of native grasses in selected areas where native grasses are sparse in habitat adjacent to the treatment site. Second, control of tamarisk can make managing livestock easier. Although large numbers of cattle may not access this stretch of river, native grazers like mule deer do, decreasing pressure on water resources in nearby areas that are grazed. Therefore, grazing and animal distribution will increase as more riverbank is accessible for "watering" wildlife. Mule deer will also benefit from the increase in native grasses and other plants and from the habitat improvement from the upland thinning component of this project. Third, Russian knapweed is known to be toxic to horses, potentially causing facial paralysis, malnutrition, dehydration, and necrosis (USDA Agr Info Bulletin Number 415). Although horses are not kept directly along this stretch of the Colorado, controlling this noxious weed will reduce the potential for these and other livestock health issues by limiting knapweed spread. Specifically at the CFI site on Professor Creek, removal of tamarisk and olive will allow for access to the creek bottom along the property for school groups to come and learn about desert riparian habitat. CFI is expected to install a small bench area on the downstream end of the property after removal to have a place along the creek to educate students about the Colorado Plateau and Colorado Plateau ecology.

07/01/2022

06/30/2023

2023

In the Colorado River Restoration 6 project coordinators successfully implemented work across property boundaries and amongst agencies. Coordination took many forms, including planning meetings, as well as site visits with contract crews, interagency work, invasive mapping in Matheson wetland and final assessments of sites. On the ground methods were primarily: *Hand removal and herbicide treatment to remove tamarisk and Russian Olive, additional herbicide application to treat Russian knapweed. *Mowing fine fuels in the project area, including cheatgrass and kochia. *Manual seed collecting in support of native revegetation projects. *Revegetation with longstem plantings, containerized plantings including Cottonwood and coyote willow, and seeding at sites. *Hand work reopening a side channel at New Rapid on the Colorado River. FFSL WUI: For the Professor Valley Field Camp we finished burning all piles within the unit over the winter of 2022/2023. We spot treated all resprouts of tamarisk and Russian olive within the unit. We also frill cut all Russian olive on creek left in this stretch of the creek. While there is still tamarisk on creek left all Russian olive has been removed from this stretch. In Castle Valley within the 2 acre unit there was essentially only Russian olive under the cottonwoods, with very little tamarisk. Our in-house fuels crew cut and chipped all Russian olive in this section. Stumps were sprayed with herbicide. RRR: Coordination Rim to Rim Restoration successfully facilitated and supervised many projects in Colorado 6, working across property boundaries and between different agencies, including facilitating the permitting process for work at New Rapid with the Army Corps of Engineers and BLM. There has also been continued progress on creating and communicating project procedures to contract crews on the ground, especially when there is limited contact with those crews, through improved coordination and communication with crews and a redesign of the scopes of work used to pass on project information. Site Evaluations The ArcGIS site assessment tool adapted by the BLM as part of the Colorado 6 project was implemented successfully for work tracking, and will continue to be used into the future. The polygons submitted with this completion report were gathered and prepped with that tool. The development of this tool in association with the BLM is ongoing. FFSL: As part of the Colorado River 6 collaboration, FFSL worked with Grand County Noxious Weeds to identify and treat secondary herbaceous weeds through spot applications of herbicide within tamarisk and Russian olive removal sites. Each polygon was visited periodically throughout the year. Final methods for removal in the Castle Creek and Professor Creek units included felling and chipping all non-native trees on site and chipping as much of the material as possible. TNC/DWR Matheson Preserve: UCC crews completed several large mowing, herbicide application and planting polygons in the Matheson Wetland in fiscal year 2023. Crews mowed kochia using brushcutters and hand tools. UCC also applied seed to bare areas and planted several round of containerized plants, including, Cottonwood, Gooding's willow, New Mexico privet, saltbush and winterfat. PRI: The focus of this phase of the project was on revegetation of areas of recent tamarisk cutting, with some minor work on road recovery, and revegetation of former cutting areas and areas still lacking perennial cover. This mostly involved maintaining previous saltgrass plantings, including regular hand-watering and maintaining the small irrigation system, some transplanting of saltgrass and seeding, either by broadcasting or scattering and raking into wet soil. Wire-wrapping and painting trunks of cottonwood and Goodings willow with sanded paint was done in spring to protect trees from beavers, especially considering high water. Another focus was removal of biomass from previous cutting and maintaining wildlife corridors throughout tamarisk thickets. At various locations, slash was thrown on to the bank at different levels to allow the river to take it downstream slowly as water rose. Where feasible, some of the slash was carried off-site. BLM: Canyon Country Fire and Fuels staff burned piles near Cottonwood Creek, Lower Onion, Below Zuckerman, and Seven Mile Canyon. They also conducted thinning in seven mile canyon. The BLM continued to generously collaborate on the Field Maps assessment tool, hosting project data, conducting QC and providing technical assistance when requested. Grand County Weed Dept (GCWD): Grand County Noxious Weeds worked with to identify and treat secondary herbaceous weeds through spot applications of herbicide within tamarisk removal sites previously established, and facilitated projects and trainings with UCC. GCWD spot treated noxious weeds in riparian zones along the Colorado River from the Colorado border to the Potash Mine near Moab, and in Onion and Professor creeks. National Park Service (NPS): National Park Service staff surveyed and treated Russian knapweed and other herbaceous weeds, Russian olive, reed canarygrass in Salt Wash and the 191 bridge boat ramp, and used UCC for one week of work removing Russian olive in the park. UMTRA: UMTRA used WRI funding to purchase seed for restoring riparian areas at the Moab UMTRA site.

The total proposed area for this project was much larger than what we were able to completed with the funding. This project was not fully funded and funding was reprioritized based on the reduced amount. Weed treatments at Mile Marker 32 on 128, planting at Dewey Bridge, Noxious weed treatments tamarisk removal and planting at the river right Onion Camps, and planting at Kings Bottom were all removed from the proposal due to reduced funding. Work at May Flats was delayed due to additional BLM planning and coordination needs. Nevertheless the total area treated with the reduced project scope was 731 acres with 691 acres of terrestrial treatments and 40 acres of aquatic/riparian treatments. RRR: Coordination has been fine-tuned over the course of previous WRI Colorado River Restoration Projects (WRI 4009, 4374 and 4952) and this project. Expanding upon and improving these WRI projects years after year has substantially improved coordination between agencies and other partners including Rim to Rim. Other coordination improvements that were implemented in Colorado River 6.0 including the refinement of the FieldMaps tool with the BLM for compiling project work data and coordinating planning, and the use of Box for corps to upload their post-hitch data both for reporting and to share herbicide application data with the BLM. RRR has continued to spearhead the Southeast Utah Riparian Partnership, hosting two meetings per year. This meeting has proved invaluable for coordinating planning on riparian projects, sharing resources and following up on funding opportunities. As mentioned above also RRR coordinated project work at sites along the Colorado River, including New Rapid, conducted invasive mapping in Matheson wetland, tracked and collected reporting data, wrote conservation corps contracts, wrote scopes of work, guided project implementation in the field with crews, provided technical assistance with native seed collection, and supported permitting work in collaboration with other project partners. RRR also prepared a restoration plan for 8 tamarisk thinning sites along Potash Road and at Fish Ford at the request of the BLM. UCC: Having detailed scopes with a prioritized list of goals has continued to help crew leads and field bosses prioritize different tasks and organize work more effectively. Making a fillable pdf form made it easier for crew leads to fill out post hitch paperwork on their phones and tablets. UCC experienced some staff turnover in FY23 and had to spend some time getting up to speed. Having the detailed lists also helped crew leads and field bosses to organize their post-hitch reporting using those same scopes. TNC/DWR: DNR conducted a site visit at North Matheson and coordinated on Colorado River corridor work periodically, including a long-term planning meeting with the new FFSL habitat coordinator. Plateau Restoration Inc: This wildlife habitat project is on 67 acres of bottomland owned by Intrepid Potash that includes 1 mile of Colorado River-front just above the Potash boat ramp. Once a near-monoculture of Tamarisk, about 45 acres were cleared by bullhog between 2010 and 2012, with narrow corridors being cleared by bullhog and chainsaws in thickets by the bank to create wildlife routes to the river. These clearings subsequently became the focus of revegetation efforts following high water of 2011, shade from remaining Tamarisk ensuring greater success. Efforts included seeding and planting with follow-up watering. Plateau Restoration provided manual labor with the help of over 500 college volunteers, although there has been greater use of paid conservation corps since college participation declined due to the Covid pandemic. More recently, cutting has mostly been along the bank, leaving some large trees to prevent catastrophic collapse of the bank and to provide beetle habitat. Otherwise it is hoped that undermining remaining roots will gradually result in a less steep bank with greater cover by willow, baccharis, privet, etc. some of this was evident after high water this year. Following several years of chain-sawing tamarisk, piles of slash have been accumulating, in former channels, lining thoroughfares cut in the tamarisk thickets for wildlife, and along the bank. These piles have begun to restrict width of corridors, affect river access, and limit sight distance and escape routes for wildlife from predators. Piles were reduced by throwing logs and branches over the bank. Smaller branches are less likely to be trapped by vegetation as it is carried away by rising waters, so recent cutting included reducing size of slash. All wood had been stashed and allowed to dry above high water for at least a year to prevent it from resprouting. Although a lot of slash was moved, a significant amount still remains even after high water. Most of the site continues to be inundated with kochia and amaranth although native sea purslane (Sesuvium verrucosum) and alkali sida (Malvella leprosa) are expanding, which should help prevent further weed invasion. Whereas Russian Knapweed (Centaurea repens) and Perennial Pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) have not been abundant, new occurrences are being identified during regular monitoring. No treatments were done this year, although areas previously treated are still persisting, but do not appear to be spreading significantly. Much of the site went under water this spring, a condition seen only three times since 2010 (in 2011, 2019 and 2023) and after three particularly dry seasons (2020-2022), the longest period of low water seen since the start of this project. Flows peaked at 37500cfs on May 20 and remained above 20000 cfs until June 30, after which levels dropped quickly. In contrast, the peak in 2022 was 16700 cfs on May 21. Both of these peaks were earlier than usual, possibly due to upstream dam releases, last year to fill Lake Powell and this year to manage record snowpack. This year the high water impacted our ability to access parts of the site in late May through June and scoured many of the successes from seeding seen earlier in the year. More seed was broadcast on recently scoured areas as water receded. High water also made it necessary to extend the wire wrapping around cottonwood and Goodings willow and apply sanded paint to the bark to protect them from beavers. Beavers had taken down one of five large Gooding willows this spring, but the remaining trees survived the high water after raising the height of protection. At least some of the recent saltgrass plantings have emerged since flooding and Great Basin Rye is flourishing adjacent to zones submerged for a longer time. In the lower elevation parts that were cleared in FY2022, willows that had been knocked over and partially buried are beginning to resprout, achieving a goal of increasing willow cover, while decreasing Tamarisk along the bank. Other areas along the bank that did not go under water showed very good success from seeding, particularly Rocky Mountain Beeplant (Cleome lutea and C. serrulata), four-wing saltbush, alkali sacaton and Great Basin Rye. Use of the site by deer and bighorn sheep continues to increase and 5 young sheep were seen adjacent to the lower end in February 2023. The thoroughfares opened up along the bank during FY2022, with several access points to the river, showed particularly high use by larger mammals. BLM: Canyon Country Fire and Fuels coordinated periodically on progress on tamarisk clearing in order to facilitate revegetation post clearing, including at the seven mile canyon site, a large mastication polygon. The BLM fire fuels also requested a long-term restoration and revegetation plan for several sites along the Colorado River, which RRR provided. The BLM aquatics program was also essential in the execution of the Colorado 6 project contributing time and extensive technical planning expertise in planning and obtaining the permitting from the state of Utah and the Army Corps of Engineers for the New Rapid work. BLM aquatics also provided direction on sites to focus on in the project area. FFSL WUI: At the Professor Valley Field Camp we completed the last round of retreatment that we will do there. All piles have been burned and we have met our objectives within this unit. Canyonlands Field Institute has agreed to continue monitoring and treating resprouts within this unit. Within the Castle Creek unit we treated all of the accessible Russian olive. There are some that we couldn't access due to the steepness of the bank and there isn't much we can do to reach them. Otherwise all Russian olive we could reach was dragged up the hill and chipped. GCWD: Under the leadership of the new County Weeds Department Head, Elizabeth Weimholt, GCWD spot treated herbaceous weeds at several terrestrial sites, for a total of 150 acres of herbaceous weed treatments. They also scouted and treated the Colorado river corridor for purple loosestrife and other riparian invasives from the Colorado border to the Jackson Bottom/NPS boat ramp area.

The work on Colorado River 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 has built strong collaborative relations between land managers at the local BLM Field Office, NPS office, the local FFSL Sovereign Lands office, the County and nonprofit land managers. With the many administrative boundaries in our area the continued communication through the SE Utah Riparian Partnership is creating continuity across these boundaries and across intra agency boundaries as well as getting good work done efficiently. The next round of this project was left unfunded for FY24. As a result of this absence of funding, we may lose some ground on annual weed management and resprout follow-up. However, because of the SURP we may be able to fund other funding sources and continue some of this work despite the lack of WRI funding for future management in FY24. RRR: Coordination: RRR coordination efforts will continue through the SE Utah Riparian Partnership as well as through our cooperative agreements with the BLM and participating agreement with the USFS. The Fieldmaps tool that was developed through these projects will continue to be used on other projects and the native plant monitoring data collected will be used to refine future planting. Mortality Monitoring: RRR began mortality monitoring of plantings in Colorado River 4.0. Those efforts will continue this coming fall and additional mortality data should be available by November/December 2023 FFSL: Through continued monitoring of restoration sites, FFSL will be able to determine areas where the need for active revegetation is greatest. Such sites will be candidates for seeding or planting depending on specific site conditions. In areas where native species are rebounding and naturally recruiting, emphasis will remain on reducing exotic competition. At the Professor Valley Field Camp the landowner has agreed to continue retreating the minimal resprouts on this site. No more future management will be needed by FFSL. At Castle Creek we will need to do one more entry for retreatment and then we will be able to turn it over to the landowner for maintenance. Matheson: The TNC and DNR plan to continue active management of the preserve to improve fisheries habitat, and bird habitat. With the invasive plant mapping that RRR performed in Colorado 6, an invasive plants management plan may be written and implemented. Plateau Restoration Inc.: Future management will include removing existing irrigation supplies, and monitoring and treatment of noxious weeds. PRI will continue to maintain the project area with assistance from Grand County Weed Department and Intrepid Potash. The owner has pledged to leave the property undeveloped and rip the road in the center of the project area if necessary. BLM: The BLM will continue to provide vital project support, and will help coordinate the progression of the ArcGIS Field Maps tool. GCWD: With its new department head the GCWD will continue to collaborate on restoration projects, hiring additional seasonals and continuing its work along the river corridor and throughout Grand County, using its array of specialized equipment, including their raft and spray truck. Their technical expertise and involvement in the community and SURP are valuable assets moving forward to tackle additional invasive removal challenges.