Hatch Bench provides winter, brood rearing, summer habitats for greater sage grouse, and summer and transitional habitat for the prized Paunsaugunt mule deer management unit. Elk also use this habitat in the winter and summer providing opportunities for public hunters to harvest elk on public land. Recently the Paunsaugunt elk unit has become an "any bull" unit providing increased amounts of opportunity for the public hunter. Pinyon and juniper have begun to encroach this mountain shrub habitat that had been treated approximately 30 years ago. While the understory is intact and still relatively healthy in the previously treated area, treatment of this area will improve the habitat for sage brush obligates and reduce threat of wildfire that would result in watershed impacts to the Upper Sevier River. Wildlife in this area has a very high value to the state of Utah and local economies. The Paunsaugunt mule deer management unit has long been a "household" name when it comes to trophy quality and hunter satisfaction. Enhancing mule deer range is crucial for the future of this unit. Other highly prized game species includes elk, cougar, and a developing pronghorn herd. Elk depend on this area as transition range and for some early winter range. Increasing the available forage will increase body condition and survival for elk. Increased forage and plant diversity will also benefit other wildlife that use the area, build it and they will come. Species of concern include the greater sage grouse. Two greater sage grouse leks are located within 2 miles of the treatment area. The treatment is designed to increase brood rearing and nesting habitat for these grouse. The removal of pinyon and juniper trees will reduce the perches for sage grouse predators, and it will also increase sagebrush, forbs, and grass which will promote sage grouse use. Removal of woodland species and the creation of sage grouse brood rearing habitat. This Project Has the capability to create and enhance many acres of sage grouse habitat. the seed mix that will be flown on is high in forbs and beneficial grasses. It will also create connective valley bottoms that may encourage growth and movement of Sage Grouse in the surrounding area. Cattle use this area for summer grazing, and the need for a highly productive range is important for the producer's ability to stay in business. Preserving open landscapes and large tracts of sagebrush habitat is important to ranching success and to many sagebrush obligate wildlife species.

1. Increase grass and forbs by 20% in treated areas. 2. Reduce pinyon and juniper by 90% across the treated areas. 3. Diversify the age and cover density of brush to serve wildlife and domestic livestock. 4.Decrease movement of sediment to Sevier river. 5. Create connective Habitat for Sage Grouse.

Areas to be treated are phase 1-2 pinyon and juniper with intact understory vegetation from the previous treatment. As noted in both UDWR range trend sites within the treatment area, "pinyon and juniper encroachment is continuing". Working in this small to medium densities means the vegetative community hasn't crossed an ecological threshold where high amounts of restoration inputs are necessary. Not doing work in these areas of low densities means the threat of higher costs, inputs, and risk in the future. The site hasn't crossed that financial threshold where cost becomes a prohibitive factor. If we leave it be the entire area may become phase 3 at some point in the future. 470 acres of the proposed treatment has never been treated and is directly adjacent to previous treatments. To protect the treatments and increase sage brush habitats mastication and seed will be need. This will return this area to its ecological site description and complement the work that has been done around this site. Because fire has been removed from most systems, including those listed on this project, fuel loads have increased and could threaten the long-term health of the watershed and species in the area. Although it was determined by the USFWS that listing under the ESA was not warranted for greater sage grouse continuing to do work as identified in the Statewide Sage Grouse Management Plan to conserve sage grouse will support a continued and desired "not warranted" status. As previously mentioned the area has been identified as priority for restoration of crucial summer mule deer habitat under the Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan. "Crucial" means the areas habitat is necessary to sustain the areas mule deer herd. Allowing the area to move into phase 3 pinyon and juniper encroachment will mean less quality habitat and will threaten our ability to meet mule deer objectives for the management unit. There is also a social threshold to consider with private land as part of this project. Right now, a cattle producer is willing to work with agencies to do the project. Not taking actions to restore habitat when there is local private support for it may account for a lost opportunity in the future. As described above the area is within a Bird Habitat Conservation Area (BHCA) with priority species being sagebrush obligate birds like sage grouse, sage thrasher, and Brewer's sparrow. Not doing the project will lead to an increased density of pinyon and juniper that will decrease the amount of available habitat for these sage dependent bird species in an area designated as important for birds.

Following the Paunsuagunt Mule Deer Management (2020): - "Coordinate with federal and state partners in designing projects that will improve fire resiliency and protect areas of crucial habitat." - "Cooperate with federal land management agencies and private landowners in carrying out habitat improvement projects. Protect deer winter ranges from wildfire by reseeding burned areas, creating fuel breaks and reseed areas dominated by cheat grass with desirable perennial vegetation." - "Reduce expansion of Pinion-Juniper woodlands into sagebrush habitats and improve habitats dominated by Pinion-Juniper woodlands by completing habitat restoration projects." Regarding UDWR Elk Management Plan for Paunsuagunt Unit #27: - "Continue to be committed to the statewide goal of supporting habitat projects that increase forage for both big game and livestock." - "Work with private, state and federal agencies to maintain and protect critical and existing range from future losses. Continue projects with USFS, BLM, state and private entities to enhance wildlife habitat." - "Discourage the encroachment of Pinyon and Juniper (PJ) trees into sagebrush and other habitats. Seek opportunities to improve habitat through grazing practices, prescribed burning, and mechanical treatments to improve habitat where PJ encroachment is occurring." Great Sage Grouse Conservation Plan - "5.4.1 Aggressively remove encroaching conifers and other plant species to expand greater sage grouse habitat where possible." Those involved in this project and other Upper Kanab Creek Projects continue to work with the local sage grouse working group (Color Country Adaptive Resource Management Local Working Group) to help fulfill those items identified in the Local Conservation Plan. This plan also ranks a variety of threats to sage grouse populations in the Upper Kanab Creek Area. Fire, vegetation management and invasive species are three aspects ranked as important considerations in this plan. The limiting factors for mule deer on the Paunsagunt are winter range and Highway mortality. This project will likely not help with either of those issues, as it is transition or summer range for mule deer. However, it is a popular area for public hunting, wildlife viewing and supports the overall "Habitat Management Objectives" for this unit by, "maintaining mule deer habitat throughout the unit," and "enhancing existing crucial habitats due to natural and human impacts." Additionally, the Management Plan #27 calls for the continued work to reduce pinyon-juniper encroachment in the Kanab Creek portion of the unit. Mule Deer are seen and harvested frequently throughout this area. Frey, S. N., S. G. Lupis, K. Heaton, T. A. Black, T. A. Messmer, and D. Mitchell. 2006. Color Country Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Local Conservation Plan. Utah's Community Based Conservation Program. Unpublished Report. Logan, Utah. http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/planning/SG_RMP_rev/ARMPA.html This project falls under the Paunsagunt Elk Management Plan (Unit 27). Habitat management objectives for elk in this area include supporting those projects that improve habitat through treatment of p/j and increased forage for both wildlife and livestock. Utah Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy * "Reduce fire risk by managing and removing invasive species." Intermountain West Joint Venture Habitat Conservation Strategy * "Support existing public-private partnerships to implement sagebrush habitat conservation, at regional, state, and local scales." "Remove encroaching conifers to functionally restore sagebrush habitat." Utah Wildlife Action Plan * "Mountain sagebrush is a key habitat identified in the WAP." * "WAP identifies inappropriate fire frequency as a threat to lowland sagebrush habitat. This project will reduce future fire risk and act as a fire buffer to adjacent higher risk areas." State of Utah Resource Management Plan "Actively remove pinyon-juniper encroachment other ecological sites due to its substantial consumption of water its detrimental effects on sagebrush, other vegetation, and wildlife." "Conserve, improve, and restore 500,000 acres of mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges." "Work with landowners, federal government and private organizations to conserve valuable wildlife habitat and winter range along urban interface." "Develop mechanisms and policies to incentivize private landowners throughout Utah to conserve valuable wildlife habitat throughout Utah." Garfield County Resource Management Plan "However, Garfield County encourages vegetative treatments for maximum yield of forage and rangeland health." "Goals include making sure there is quality forage, water, cover, space and security sufficient to support productive populations. This includes conserving habitat for migratory birds, maintaining vegetation treatments that benefit wildlife, prioritizing treatments to improve habitats and coordinating predator control." Upper Sevier River Watershed Management "Treat 2000 acres of sagebrush grasslands on BLM lands over the next 5 years to improve historic and active sage grouse habitats." " Treat pinyon/juniper and reseed and plant deer browse shrubs on 3,000 acres of BLM/Forest Service land"

This project will decrease the risk of high severity wildfire by reducing fuel loading and promoting the growth of understory vegetation, which are critical to maintaining ecosystem resilience. As demonstrated by the nearby Brianhead fire during the summer of 2017, treatments like these can break up the continuity of fuels and act as fuel breaks. This project will do the same if a fire is ignited nearby where fuel loading is heavy such as in phase 3 pinyon and juniper invaded sites. The current fire regime condition class is moderate (2) and would be reduced to low (1) immediately after treatment. Much of the project area is a mountain sagebrush habitat type which has been identified in the 2015-2025 Utah Wildlife Action Plan as a key habitat. The threats associated with this key habitat are inappropriate fire frequency and intensity. This project will help to reduce fire frequency and intensity by diversifying the understory and removing the large fuels. Reducing the threat of wildfire is also important because of the critical nature of this habitat to mule deer and elk. Completing this project and reducing the risk of fire will help to protect important sagebrush steppe and mountain brush habitat that is critical for priority species including, but not limited to, mule deer and elk. This project will also help to protect the springs and wetlands. If a high severity fire were to move through the area water soil infiltration would decrease, erosion will increase, and the potential for water to get into the aquifer will decrease and spring flows may decrease. The values at risk or VAR are first life and property. This is a signification risk because of the cabin community just to the north of this project. A fire could easily burn to the north and without a reduction of fuels could run on the private and destroy homes, cabins and at the very worse take life. If a fire was to burn in this area thousands of acres of high-quality wildlife forage and habitat would be lost and the Upper Sevier Watershed could become severely impaired.

Reducing the amount of pinyon/juniper will increase and prolong stream flows, while reducing erosion caused by bare soil. The species planted will help stabilize the soil and reduce erosion. Kormas et al. found that drainage's dominated with juniper experience "snow water equivalent peaks higher, snow melts out earlier, and more water is lost to evapotranspiration in catchments when compared to sagebrush steppe vegetation". Kormas et al, Deboodt et al (2008), Baker et al (1984), Roundy et al (2014), Roth et al (2017) and Young et al 2013 have all documented various aspects of water yield and quality benefits from PJ removal projects such as increased and prolonged stream flows, decreased erosion, and delayed snow melt. In this project area there are springs and streams that ultimately make it to the Upper Sevier River which has a 303d listing for phosphorus and sedimentation. there is an old cannel that feeds into two ponds to the west of the project area. In the past the channel has blown out due to the sandy nature of the soils and high water flows at times. we plan to reduce sedimentation into the pond and subsequently into the upper Sevier river. Zeedyk's will be installed in key locations to reduce over all sedimentation. There are also many washes and two unnamed springs to the west of the project area. As explained elsewhere in the project we plan to increase forbs grasses and heathy brush components which will decrease overall sedimentation into Sevier river . Additional research by Young, et. al. (2013) also showed a relationship between tree removal and soil climates and wet days on these sites, which while providing more available moisture for desired vegetation could also provide moisture for weeds. Numerous studies have shown that increased infiltration rates and less overland flow improve both water quality and quantity. As mention the reduction of pinyon and juniper increase water quantity and quality. These benefits may be determined over time by preventing the loss of plant life across the range. overall this project will increase the health of the watershed by decreasing sedimentation into the Sevier river. It will also help create habitat for wildlife and decrease the threat of fire to the nearby communities. It will create more area for livestock grazing and increase food and habitat for the sage grouse.

NRCS will complete its environmental evaluation . All compliance will be completed prior to implementation working through NRCS, and/or WRI. Treatment will be implemented between August 15 to April 15 to ensure that nesting and brood rearing of sage grouse and other birds are not disturbed.

Aerial seeding will be done with a diversified mix of grasses and forbs before mastication in the fall. Due to the nature of the terrain the option to use fixed wing or helicopter will be determined by the contractor. Seed will be obtained from the Great Basin Research Center (GBRC). Seed mix used on past phases has proven to be successful and a similar mix will be used. ). Mastication will be done a contractor through state purchasing. The contractor will be required to meet these speciation's: * All pinyon and juniper trees within the designated treatment area are to be removed; this includes all live and dead trees by chipping, shredding, or mulched, unless designated as a leave tree. * No live or dead limbs shall be left on the stump of removed trees. Stump height shall not exceed 6 inches measured on the uphill side. * Any tree or sapling that cannot be removed by mastication machinery must be removed by hand utilizing chainsaws or loppers. * All surplus vegetation and slash shall be mulched or cut into lengths not to exceed 3 feet in length. * Mulch depth shall not exceed six (6) inches. If mulch exceeds six inches in depth, the Contractor shall spread the mulch either mechanically or by hand to reduce depths to six (6) inches or less. Chaining: an anchor chain dragged between two bulldozers will be used to remove juniper and prepare the soil for seeding. Following the initial chaining grass and forb seed will be flown on with a fixed wing aircraft. The area will then be back-chained to cover seed and insure good removal of juniper Zeedyk's will be installed according to NRCS guidelines.

UDWR/NRCS: photo point monitoring in treatment areas. Sage grouse Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Guide to be done pre-treatment to assess habitat conditions. Range assessment done pre-treatment The UDWR through the migration initiative will provide data show mule deer use with the collared deer in the area. Since May 2020, 0 collared mule been on the property. But when the compare to the Sevy Bench WRI 4958 there were 17 deer with 13,576 points. This illustrates the use that this area receives from wildlife. We could expect similar results once the treatment complete. Continual use of this resource help us understand mule deer and other wildlife movements and use of this property. Dr. Nicki Frey has said that sage grouse use the riparian area consistently, and with improvements we could expect that grouse will move in to these areas.

Permittees are willing to do these improvements to their private ground to improve habitat, and livestock production. They have applied for NRCS assistance through the EQIP IRA program. TLA is a main land owner in this project NRCS encourages work in this area to support birds and their habitat. Also increasing production of viable livestock production is an important issue for the NRCS in supporting conservation on the ground. UDWR is supportive of improving greater sage grouse habitat and providing improved mule deer habitat. The CCARM sage grouse local working group has ranked this project as a priority and has provided its support for the project. USFWS will be providing funding/planning/implementation support and as the project falls within their programs focus habitat and species.

The private landowner will also be entering into a NRCS contract and be obligated to implement practices and allow monitoring and meet future obligations of that contract. Landowner will sign an agreement stating minimum 2-year rest in the seeded areas. UDWR continue to monitor big game through aerial surveys and GPS data as part of the Migration Initiative. We feel with these management activities, the stated objectives have a high likelihood of being met for this project.

This project will have a big benefit to the grazing operation. The Bullhog and Chaining will provide a significant increase in available forage once seeding is established and help with cattle distribution in the future. Zeedyk's will increase mesic habitat and decrease erosion. This property is part of a the only premium mule deer management unit in the state of Utah. It has gain name of producing trophy quality deer. As mention deer use this property throughout the summer and fall months. Enhancing the quality and quantity of forage will theoretically improve body condition when these deer leave for the toughest months of their live cycle, winter.