The project goal is to improve the overall health of the entire Weber River Watershed (WRW). Restoration areas will including riparian, stream, wetlands, and upland sites. To accomplish our landscape-scale goal, we have relied on coordination and planning between many stakeholders including landowners, government entities, and non-profit organizations. The WRW serves as a recreational destination for thousands of people, including anglers, boaters, birdwatchers, and people interested in connecting with the outdoors. It also is home to thousands of residents both full time and as recreational cabin use. Despite its relatively modest size, the Weber River, which runs the entire stretch of the WRW, supports extensive recreational and ecological values and has become the third-most popular river fishery in the State of Utah, behind the legendary Green and Provo Rivers. Many tributaries, and even the heavily impaired lower river, sustain diverse and unique native species, including a fluvial population of large native Bonneville cutthroat trout and an imperiled population of bluehead sucker. Although the Weber River and its resources are socially and economically important, the numbers of fish, the condition of the stream corridor and the supporting forest ecosystem have dramatically declined over the past 20 years due to widespread habitat fragmentation, degradation, and fire suppression. In addition to being a popular recreational resource, the Weber River also provides critical drinking and irrigation water for approximately 21% of Utah's population. As such, the Weber River is a critical local and regional resource, but it currently faces daunting challenges and fulfills only a small portion of its full potential. Decades of forest fuel buildup within the WRW has significantly increased uncharacteristic wildfire risk throughout the west, leaving the ecological system vulnerable to the catastrophic impacts on residents, critical water and power infrastructure, aquatic and terrestrial habitat, and the local recreation economy. Efforts are needed to reduce fuel loads, enhance habitat, create defensible space and promote wildfire resilient forests and communities. This project will work to address and minimize these threats by working at a landscape level and utilizing the benefit of cross boundary mitigation and restoration work. Restoration work is needed to return the entire watershed to increased ecological function and its associated forest to a resilient landscape. The project area is important for recreation in the region (e.g., skiing, hiking, fishing, camping, and hunting) and is the source for culinary, secondary and replacement water for over 1.2M downstream beneficiaries. Several BDA projects are proposed on tributaries of the Weber River because streams in this location are incised and have high sediment loads, high temperatures, and plummeting late-season flows which impact fish and other wildlife (Photo: Pre-restoration, Browns Canyon attached). Several studies have shown that BDAs and beaver activity can repair incision and reduce sediment loading (e.g. Pollock et al. 2014 Bioscience; Wheaton et al. 2019 LTPBR manual). Monitoring of 12 BDAs implemented during an earlier phase of Fish Creek restoration revealed an average of 0.5 feet of stream-bed aggradation where sediment was deposited. This aggradation accounted for an estimated 119 cubic yards of sediment -- nearly ten cubic yards per BDA -- that would otherwise settle out at downstream infrastructure or reservoirs. In the tributaries of the Weber River, BDAs have contributed to improvements in water quality, floodplain connectivity, and downstream sediment inputs (See attached document: 2021 BDA Poster Hatch & Burnett). Beaver activity has been widely shown to buffer high and low flows, thus improving habitat resilience for fish and amphibians (e.g. Larsen et al. 2021 Earth Science Reviews). These effects have also been documented for BDA projects (e.g. Weber et al. 2017 Plos One), although the degree of low-flow buffering is difficult to predict for individual sites. The project areas located within the Ogden Nature Center (ONC) serves as a critical urban refuge for a suite of wildlife species due to the presence of diverse habitats such as grasslands, wetlands, and aquatic-forested areas. These habitats host a variety of wildlife including waterfowl, migratory birds, mule deer, beaver, and bats. However, recurring drought paired with urban and industrial expansion has degraded the quality of these habitats by contributing to a lowered water table and a narrowing of the riparian corridor, a decrease in native wetland and riparian vegetation with an increase in invasive species, and degradation of soil quality.

The Weber Partnership is committed to the implementation of watershed improvement projects across the entire watershed and have worked with a variety of partners to develop this proposal. , With Summit County Public Lands Manager leading the charge, this multi-year project, which is intended to be completed over several phases, is using a holistic watershed approach to focus on improving the ecological function of the entire watershed system while improving water quality and quantity, enhancing wildlife habitat, promoting wildfire resilient forests and creating wildfire adapted communities. The project has multiple objectives designed to address the Watershed Restoration Initiative's priorities and the Shared Stewardship program. (1) Protect the lives of residents and firefighters from catastrophic wildfire. (2) Reduce fire risk to communities and infrastructure and reduce costs of post fire rehabilitation. (3) Improve forest health. (4) Improve fish and wildlife habitat, especially for the Bluehead Sucker. (5) Improve water quality and increase water quantity. (6) Address threats to species identified in the Wildlife Action Plan. (7) Addresses specific objectives identified in local, state, and federal resource management plans. (8) Increase forage for livestock where grazing is possible. (9) Increase and protect recreational opportunities such as skiing, hunting, fishing, and others. FY24 -- Phase 2 objectives will focus on building resilient-ecosystems and promoting fire-resilient communities and forests. Building wildfire resiliency will include reducing fuel loads, enhancing habitat, and creating defensible space. Meanwhile, instream work will improve stream function, connectivity for aquatic organisms, and habitat for at risk species (e.g., Bluehead Sucker). This project is broad in scope and is meant to make improvements at a watershed level. Individual improvements are long-term solutions that can be built upon to continue increasing resiliency of this system and its communities. Future proposals will tie efforts together, demonstrating elevated benefits at a landscape scale. Specific objects of FY24 include: Fuel Mitigation: The combination of an essential watershed, high recreation use, and a high to extreme wildfire risk rating according to UWRAP designated Weber Canyon a priority area for WRI and the Shared Stewardship program. In these high priority areas, fire has been suppressed to such a degree, the resulting stand dynamics is dominated by disease and insect infestation full of dead and down and dying conifers that are prone to catastrophic wildfires This is extremely concerning for people who live in communities in the Weber Watershed, including Weber Canyon, Oakley, Canyon, Peoa, Wanship and Hoytsville, Henefer to the Ogden Valley. Interstate 80 and 84 along with a major utility corridor provide access to and from Salt Lake City, Ogden and our neighbors in Evanston, WY. Billions of dollars in commerce, infrastructure, and private property damage could occur as a result of catastrophic fire. In the instance of a wildfire, both public and firefighter lives will be at risk. This project will begin the process of thinning the forest and reducing the fuel loads in order to reduce the fire danger and make it safer for fire fighters, communities and commerce to occur or pass through the project area. This project will also pave the way for future fire risk reduction efforts including possibly controlled burns through the USFS and through private-public partnership. The BDAs and stream restoration will also help increase riparian wet areas and green vegetation which will act as green strips or fire breaks to slow and stop catastrophic fire spread. 1.2 M downstream beneficiaries depend on the headwaters of the Weber River. This project aims to work cross boundary over the landscape to reduce the impacts and risk of wildfire. Fisheries and Stream: Trout Unlimited will work with partners to improve fish passage and water conveyance at Riverdale Bench Diversion by completely replacing and modernizing the current structure. Additionally, design for a fish passage solution a Stoddard Diversion will be completed, which will allow complete connectivity in the lower Weber River to be achieved. Floodplains and side channels at Blackner's Bend will be reconnected to improve fish habitat and stream function. Furthermore, current aquatic-organism-passage barriers at Blackner's Bend will be removed by implementing roughened boulder ramps. Process Based Restoration: Sageland Collaborative will lead partners in implementing 6 stream restoration projects using Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) and other low-tech structures. Project sites were selected to improve water quality and stream function by rebuilding streambeds and trapping sediment that would otherwise reduce longevity of reservoirs and decrease water-quality. Benefits from the BDAs in the tributaries of the East Fork of Chalk Creek will be felt throughout the watershed as this ranch is located close to headwaters. However, exact locations have not yet been selected but will be in late Spring 2023. Public engagement, participation is a crucial element of BDA projects. Sageland Collaborative and Trout Unlimited will co-host several BDA-building volunteer events at all sites that are suitable for volunteer access. We will hire contractors to install posts and build BDAs in sites where safety is a concern. These events are extremely popular with our volunteer network, and often fill up. In addition to keeping costs low, these high-quality volunteer experiences build community and educate members of the public about the benefits of restoration projects that their tax dollars fund. UDWR And USFS partners present at Additional public outreach for BDA projects has included workshops, field-site tours, and presentation of results at conferences or meetings. The BDAs that will be completed in FY24 will be publicized in Trout Unlimited and Sageland Collaborative communications (e.g., blog posts, meeting presentations, newsletters, and outreach videos). Additionally, field site tours with stakeholders and interested parties will take place as opportunities arise. See attached Project Summary 2022 stream Restoration program.pdf attached for more information about this program.

This project includes four primary activities that are each intended to address specific threat and deliver unique, but complementary ecological benefit. 1) Riverscape Restoration using Beaver Dam Analogs -- Riverscapes are the composition of stream channels and connected floodplain habitats within valley bottoms of watersheds. Throughout the western United States, tens of thousands of miles of riverscapes have been degraded, caused by structural starvation (e.g., loss of woody debris and channel meanders), through several mechanisms. In arid streams, historical overgrazing has led to this decline, but other factors such as flood control and infrastructure have also contributed. Degraded riverscapes are very efficient at draining water and mobilizing sediment. The goal of riverscape restoration is to reduce the efficiency through which water flows within tributary systems that contributes to mainstem rivers like the Weber River. Slowing the water as it flows through small watersheds increases sediment deposition and creates a heterogeneous flow path of water. By mimicking beaver dams, BDAs reintroduce structural complexity that historically existed within these watersheds, which feeds back to additional wood accumulation and recruitment in the stream channel. The environmental benefit of wood recruitment in the valley bottom includes the natural reconstruction of floodplains, improved distributed natural system storage, and wider riparian corridors. This leads to more diverse fish habitat instream, and increased diversity for riparian-dependent bird species. Riverscape Restoration will be concentrated on arid mid-elevation tributaries because they have historically been overgrazed leading to long-term destabilization and downcutting (or channel degradation) which has dropped local water tables and mobilized massive volumes of sediment downstream. 2) Aquatic Habitat Reconnection by modernizing the Dinsdale Irrigation Diversion- In 2013 Trout Unlimited completed a barrier assessment throughout the entire Weber River basin, including all the tributaries. Fish passage barriers are pervasive throughout the entire basin, with the presence of at least 396 complete and partial barriers. Aquatic habitat fragmentation by barriers to movement are key determinants of the long-term viability of native fish populations because they limit the amount of habitat available for populations and breakup formerly contiguous habitat into smaller segments (see Hilderbrand and Kershner 2000). Since the time that the assessment was completed, partners in the Weber River Basin have collaborated on the removal of over 20 barriers ranging from channel-spanning irrigation diversions to culvert replacements. Given the pervasiveness of barriers throughout the entire basin, we have focused habitat reconnection within three main geographic areas of the watershed based on the presence of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout and Bluehead Sucker. Modernization of the Dinsdale Diversion on the Ogden River opens 4 miles of mainstem river habitat to bluehead sucker and Bonneville cutthroat trout in the Weber River. 3) Floodplain channel reconstruction. The Lower Weber River from the mouth of Weber Canyon to the confluence with the Ogden River is being studied to determine how improvements will benefit aquatic life. Improving the stream health in approximately two miles of the Weber River is a priority. Historical imagery clearly shows that much of the Weber River followed a braided or anabranched meander pattern with a dynamic floodplain. The anabranched planform created diverse habitat for native fish. Much of the habitat diversity has been lost due to channel straightening, flood control, and infrastructure encroachment. It has been degraded due to extensive previous channel alterations and habitat simplification. This reach of the Weber River is currently listed on the Utah 303(d) list of impaired waters for not meeting the biological standard for cold water fish and their aquatic food chain. Additionally, this reach is one of the most urbanized rivers along the Wasatch Front. Recent studies by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah State University have identified a recruitment bottleneck in this location for juvenile Bluehead Sucker (see Maloney 2017) and project partners are currently assessing the entire lower Weber River to identify key habitats in the area. 4) Fuel reduction and forest health measures. The 2019 National Hazards Mitigation Report revealed that investing in the upfront costs of wildfire fuel reduction treatments can deliver a 4:1 investment return. A 2020 study, published by UCANR Forest Advisors, of the comprehensive costs of wildfire in California, estimated that the 2018 wildfires cost the state around $150 Billion Dollars. Locally the 2018 Dollar Ridge Fire (Duchesne County, Utah) demonstrated the high cost of inaction: in its wake, in the first three years the water utility has paid water treatment costs of over $44 million, representing a 15x increase in operating costs. Additional cost are expected to accrue. Similarly, the 1996 Buffalo Creek wildfire and the 2002 Hayman wildfire both occurred in the Upper South Platte watershed of Colorado's front range. Pre-fire inaction combined with post-fire heavy rainfall brought 1 million cubic yards of sediment into Strontia Springs Reservoir, or 40 years' worth of sediment in one event, which interrupted service for two months. Treating just the headwaters of the watershed, that provides for 1.2M downstream residents, could cost upwards of $170 million dollars. Summit County is ambitiously creating a Resilience Fund, pursuing $30 million dollars for upfront treatment cost and creating a lasting endowment for maintenance work, these funds will be leverage for grants such as this one to fill the funding gap. This proposal will improve side channel habitat and floodplain dynamics in 1 ½ miles of the mainstem of the Weber River at two locations. The two areas identified for restoration are some of the few remaining areas where floodplain restoration is possible on the Weber River mainstem. The project is focused on reducing the risk of an Endangered Species Act listing for the Bluehead Sucker, which is currently a species of special concern in Utah. The main threats to Bluehead Sucker in the Weber River include lack of adequate spawning and juvenile rearing habitats and lack of longitudinal connectivity along the corridor. If these threats are not addressed, the habitat for Bluehead Suckers will reach an ecological threshold that will be difficult for the population to recover from. To abate these threats, the project will focus on creating and enhancing the aquatic and riparian habitats in and adjacent to the river with a specific focus on improving the juvenile rearing habitats and reestablishing suitable conditions for Bluehead Sucker to move up- and downstream throughout the riverscape. Degraded channel conditions have also restricted access opportunities for the public to enjoy the river. One of the most recognizable impacts to the Weber River is the segment that flows through Henefer Valley immediately below Echo Dam. In the 1960s, much of the entire river segment through the valley was straightened to facilitate the construction of Interstate 84. Based on a GIS analysis, the impacts of that project reduced the length of the river by over one mile, and the straightened habitat that remained is not of the same quality (Barton and Winger 1974). The Henefer Valley impact is an example of one of many that have occurred over the past 60 years as a range of factors have led to significant habitat loss. Using targeted data models developed by USU, cross boundary landscape scale fuels projects will be pursued. Alongside, will be individual WUI treatments, aspen regeneration, and riparian enhancements. A holistic approach to vegetation management at a watershed scale.Aquatic ecological thresholds: headwater streams throughout the Weber Watershed are faced with threshold temperatures for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout and other indigenous fishes. High-intensity summer storms, and a declining snowpack have led to sediment loading and low-flow events in headwater streams throughout the basin, especially in Echo Canyon, Chalk Creek, and tributaries to Rockport & Smith & Morehouse Reservoirs. BDAs paired with upland management practices can reduce sediment loads, buffer high and low flow events, and re-establish riparian vegetation for shading. Restoring and maintaining riparian vegetation along mid and high-elevation streams maintains an ecological threshold for migratory birds such as yellow-billed cuckoo and Lewis's woodpecker. Restoring riparian wet meadows maintains floral resources for western monarch butterfly and western bumblebee, both of which are experiencing precipitous decline. As streams become eroded, they lose habitat diversity needed to sustain amphibian populations, such as northern leopard frog. BDAs encourage habitat resilience for aquatic & upland species alike by creating deep pool that hold water longer into the dry season (necessary for amphibian and fish survival). They reduce the likelihood of catastrophic fire by maintaining green fuel breaks.

This project complies with guidance and addresses objectives outlined in the following management plans: 1. Treatments lie within UWRI focus areas 2. Utah Wildlife Action Plan a. Under the threats, data gaps, and action section of the plan it identifies a list of Essential Conservation Actions. It states the need to restore and improve degraded wildlife habitats. species and others. b. BDAs improve aquatic scrub/shrub type, forested aquatics, and riverine habitats, identified by WAP as high priority habitat types. c. The plan identifies sediment transport imbalance as a medium threat to this habitat type and this project will help to reduce sediment transport by stabilizing the banks and capturing sediment with BDAs. d.It identifies channel down-cutting as a high threat and this project will help to remove the channels in the stream and make a more subtle gradient. This project will use BDAs to raise the water table elevation to restore the floodplain and reduce this channel down-cutting. e. The plan mentions a management strategy that this project addresses to help improve this habitat type through 1.( restoring more natural water and sediment flow regimes) WAP Ch. 7-1; Mountain Riparian Habitat, criteria and score totals (ch. 7-8) 3rd highest priority statewide. Ch. 6-15; Western Toad; threat - 2.3.9 Increase cover and extent of native riparian vegetation by restoring beavers on the landscape, where social and environmental factors permit for Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool). Section 2.3.10--Prioritize fish passage and/or screening at existing diversions, in coordination with priorities of water users and other partners--relates to Riverdale Bench Diversion and Stoddard Diversion Projects, which will modernize structures to benefit aquatic organisms and water users. 3. Echo Canyon TMDL (2006) lists the creek as impaired for sediment. Although significant progress has been made since the TMDL was published, producers in the watershed are interested in continued restoration activities using BDAs in order to sustain summer flows and further reduce sediment loss. 4. Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan Habitat Objective1: Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer on a minimum of 500,000 acres of crucial range by 2019...we hope to expand this to 2025! 5. BDAs provide water resources for mule deer and enhance summer forage along riparian corridors at mid-elevation headwater stream restoration sites. And provide natural fire resistant area that serve as fire breaks. Outreach and collaborative project development associated with BDA projects address the following elements of UDWR's Strategic Plan: A1: These projects create a culture that builds teamwork among UDWR, landowners, NGOs, and volunteers and supports the leadership capacity of UDWR leadership. A6: BDA projects involve a significant amount of "coordination with partners including local, state and federal agencies, NGOs, universities, and others" C1 & C6: We provide hands-on wildlife related activities for volunteers including dedicated hunter hours on BDA-building volunteer events. C5 & C8: High-quality, educational volunteer events building BDAs alongside UDWR, USFS, and other partners opportunities for all partners to interact with members of the public in a fun and accessible way. Sageland Collaborative carries out volunteer surveys annually to understand how the public values wildlife -- both consumptive and non-consumptive, and we share these outcomes with UDWR partners. R1, R2: Stream restoration projects directly correlate to UDWR management plans including the Wildlife Action and Beaver Management plan. These projects directly increase quality of wildlife habitat and we document these outcomes through the WRI reporting process. RSRA survey results are also published on citsci.org. 6. Utah Beaver Management Plan Stream restoration activities are aligned with the beaver management plan. BDAs are planned for areas that are suitable for reestablishment of beaver. Ongoing outreach with private landowners associated with this project has lead to additional sites for beaver translocation in the Weber River basin. ONC is doing this by sharing this proposal with educators, recreationists, water rights holders, and land managers. We will establish multiple education/interpretive signs near beaver dams and beaver dam mitigation areas and will incorporate related material into ONC educator programs. 2. Improve understanding of all UDWR and other government agency employees involved in beaver management and assure consistent transmission of information and application of management actions. 3. Maintain reproducing beaver populations within their current distribution in appropriate habitat. 4. Work to improve riparian habitats, associated streams, and wetlands.

The combination of an essential watershed, high recreation use, and a high to extreme wildfire risk rating according to UWRAP designated Weber River Watershed project a priority area for WRI and the Shared Stewardship program. Decades of wildfire suppression has resulted in stand vigor dominated by disease and insect infestation. Massive amounts of dead/down and dying conifers fill the landscape predisposing it to uncharacteristic wildfire. These wildfire impacts continue to worsen as the American West, currently facing historic drought conditions and climate change impacts, is getting warmer and drier. At the same time spending is not keeping pace with the increasing costs of wildfire suppression. While fuel treatments will continue to be important for minimizing the undesirable ecological effects of fire, and for enhancing firefighter safety; treatments must be implemented strategically across large areas. Collaboration among agencies, private landowners, and other organizations is critical for ensuring resilience and sustainable forest management. Inaction will contribute to commerce, infrastructure, and private property damage. Pro-active planning and action will increase resilience in the Weber River watershed and enhance and safeguard the drinking water for over 1.2 M Utahns, protect the nearly $5 billion in gross regional product in Summit County, and preserve our way of life. This project promotes wildfire adaptive communities, wildfire resilient ecosystems and will pave the way for future fire risk reduction efforts including controlled burns through the USFS. The BDAs and stream restoration increase riparian areas which act as green belts, or natural fire breaks, slowing the spread and reducing the intensity of uncharacteristic wildfire. BDAs and beaver activity increases persistence of water on the landscape into dry summer months. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential for healthy riparian corridors to serve as green fire breaks (Fairfax & Whittle 2022; Ecological Applications & others). This is especially relevant to the Red Pine Creek project site, located on National Forest land adjacent to the 2016 Box Canyon Fire. RSRA surveys document changes in floodplain connectivity, changes in beaver activity, and riparian vegetation relevant to these outcomes. Current conditions warrant this treatment. The private property owner for the mechanical treatment currently has a draft Forest Stewardship Plan explaining the current state and recommendations to improve conditions. Other documentations may be referenced in the "relation to management plans" in the proposal. A similar mechanical treatment was completed at Powder Mountain Resort and hand treatments through Shared Stewardship at Summit Park.

Upland fuel mitigation reduces the likelihood of catastrophic fires, which would greatly impact water quality & quality in several key reservoirs throughout the Weber Basin. One of the primary objectives of the proposed project is to increase the habitat quality in the Weber River, to address degradation of water quality and to protect the watershed from post-fire debris flow by strategic vegetation treatments. The source of water quality degradation has not been quantified, but the most likely causes are channelization, lack of floodplain connectivity, and lack of quality riparian vegetation buffers. Our project will address these hydromodifications. Additionally, storm water runoff has been found to be an issue in many urban areas across the state and nation. We will address stormwater by enhancement of the treatment of urban runoff by installation of bioswales and other "Green Infrastructure." Healthy streams improve water quantity by storing water in the watershed and slowly releasing water longer into the season. Higher in the watershed, low-tech, process-based stream restoration activities will reduce fine sediment supply and improve water quantity in the watershed by retaining higher soil moisture levels and elevating the local water table proximal to our projects. Fuel treatments that improve forest health and promote wildfire resilience will reduce the amount of post-fire sediment and soil organics that could reach the Weber River. Reduction of vegetation can also contribute to increased groundwater recharge and surface water runoff. A primary outcome of the low-tech process-based stream restoration work on this project is to improve water quality by sediment loads to downstream reservoirs. BDAs also create deep pools and increased aquatic habitat diversity for fishes and pockets of cool temperatures through vegetation re-establishment and floodplain connectivity. BDAs also improve water quantity for wildlife and rangelands by buffering high and low flows and extending the persistence of water on the landscape into dry summer months. These changes benefit livestock and wildlife (i.e. amphibians, big game/mule deer, fishes, etc.) Enhanced floodplain connectivity may improve water quality through nutrient uptake by microbial communities and vegetation along streambanks. Mechanical reconnection of floodplains (e.g., Blackner's Bend) will help to modulate flow, which will reduce impacts of flood stage waters and allow return water to be available when it is needed most, during low flows and high temperatures. Improvements at diversion dams will improve water conveyance and monitoring, which improves water user's ability to leave water instream.

Cultural resource surveys will be completed before project work begins. Joint Utah Division of Water Rights/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Stream Alteration Permits and County Floodplain approvals will be obtained before stream restoration activities are implemented. All eligible projects will comply with NEPA. All project activities, particularity vegetation treatments, will adhere to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and avoid take of breeding birds.

Blackner's Bend is a multiphase project and past phases have successfully created fish habitat -- demonstrated by the presence of larval fishes -- and side-channel connectivity. Continuing work at Blackner's Bend will reconnect more floodplain to help convey and modulate high flows. Additionally, we will ensure aquatic-organism-passage with roughened riffles. Stream restoration regarding Blackner's Bend will use heavy equipment to setback the current levee and to create roughened boulder ramps or grade-control structures. Blackner's Bend is a popular recreational hotspot with both fishing access and trails available to the general public. This provides a great opportunity for public outreach and education as people can see the results of restoration work with their own eyes. Additionally, progress and future plans at Blackner's Bend are regularly publicized on the Trails Foundation of Norther Utah website. Improving Riverdale Bench and Stoddard diversions we will use modern best practices and designs that can pass aquatic organisms safely, while preventing entrainment in irrigation canals. There are hundreds of fish passage barriers throughout the Weber River (Thompson and Burnett 2019). Many fish passage projects have been completed throughout the Weber River Basin, and on the mainstem river, the Weber Canyon diversion was a large project that demonstrates success of cooperation between irrigation companies and Trout Unlimited. This project resulted in the reconstruction of a diversion that was likely to fail. Therefore, water security was drastically improved for two canal companies, and fish passage was achieved--a fish trap was opportunistically operated and demonstrated passage of every species in the Weber River. Like the Weber canyon diversion, Stoddard Diversion and Riverdale Bench Diversion block fish passage during all or part of the year. By building off of the success of other aquatic organism passage projects, we can realistically achieve aquatic connectivity throughout the lower Weber River (i.e., from below the Ogden River confluence to Echo Dam), and at the same time, we can improve reliability of infrastructure. Public outreach regarding modernization or aquatic organism passage at diversions include meeting with stakeholders to ensure the needs of everyone involved are met. Additionally, projects will be reported on at local conferences and meetings. All construction-based activities will take place during low flow and affected areas (e.g., disturbed vegetation) will be remediated with willow plantings or other appropriate methods. Low-tech, Process-based Stream Restoration: Low-tech structures (i.e., beaver dam analogs and post-assisted log-structures) will be constructed using the methods described in Low-tech, Process-based Restoration of Riverscapes (Wheaton et al. 2019). Untreated wooden fence posts approximately 3-4" in diameter will be used in construction. Posts will be driven into the stream bed with a gas or hydraulic post pounder. The posts will extend approximately one meter above the channel bed and be spaced approximately 0.5 - 0.8 meters apart and driven to a depth of approximately one meter into the streambed. Then, native vegetation, rocks, and mud will be weaved between the posts to create a structure that will resemble a beaver dam. The structure will slow water flow but allow fish to pass through. The structures will be placed 10-30 meters apart within the stream reaches. After a year the health of the stream will be evaluated, and future actions can be planned. Additionally, willows or other native plants may be planted at the restoration sites to improve the establishment of riparian vegetation. Many BDA projects have taken place on tributaries of the Weber River because streams in this location are often incised and have high sediment loads. Monitoring of 12 BDAs implemented during an earlier phase of Fish Creek restoration revealed an average of 0.5 feet of stream-bed aggradation where sediment was deposited. This aggradation accounted for an estimated 119 cubic yards of sediment -- nearly ten cubic yards per BDA -- that would otherwise settle out at downstream infrastructure or reservoirs. In the tributaries of the Weber River, BDAs have contributed to improvements in water quality, floodplain connectivity, and downstream sediment inputs. Often, public outreach of BDA projects has included workshops, field-site tours, and presentation of results at conferences or meetings. The BDAs that will be completed in FY24 will be publicized in Trout Unlimited communications (e.g., blog posts, meeting presentations, or newsletters. Additionally, field site tours with stakeholders and interested parties will take place. Additionally, public education will be weaved throughout the project. For example, the mechanical and hand conifer treatments will be conducted on private lands. Summit County and FFSL are promoting public education as needed and are willing to provide guided tours of the project.

Stream restoration: Sageland Collaborative will monitor each stream restoration project before & annually after implementation using the "Rapid Stream-Riparian Assessment" survey (Stacy 2013). This protocol was developed to assess riparian habitat quality for wildlife using 25 qualitative and quantitative metrics under 5 categories (water quality , hydro-geomorphology, fish/aquatic habitat, terrestrial wildlife habitat, riparian vegetation). We share monitoring results with partners and the public through the WRI reporting process, presentations at conferences, and publishing survey data online at citsci.org. We also host 1-2 training events for interested practitioners each year to learn more about Riparian health assessments methods. Sageland Collaborative, UDAF, and TU leverage two federal grants to additionally survey each site with drones and quantify sediment capture before and annually after implementing BDAs. There have been several efforts in recent years to characterize the habitats and water quality in the Weber River. These include riparian vegetation surveys, water quality sampling, and fish surveys. An assessment of riparian areas was conducted in 2015, 2017, and 2019. The Utah Division of Water Quality conducted a targeted sampling for water quality at site #4920220 in 2015 and this will be repeated on a 6 year cycle. The Weber Basin Water Conservancy District conducts regular sampling of chemical water quality parameters at the kayak park and will continue to sample in the future. A Bluehead Sucker recruitment bottleneck study was conducted by Utah State University in 2014-2016 and the final report is expected in 2017. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources conducts population monitoring for Bluehead Sucker in the Weber River on a three-year rotating basis with the next survey planned for 2018. Additionally, we are working with Utah Water Watch at USU to develop a citizen science monitoring program and working to include students and professors from Weber State University. UDWR biologists survey the Lower Weber River for Bluehead and other sucker spawning areas and improved Bluehead juvenile backwaters on an annual or biannual basis. Low-tech, Process-based Restoration sites will be monitored before and after with the Rapid Stream-Riparian Assessment, which assigns scores for stream function. Extensive stream temperature monitoring has been conducted since 2017, and we propose to continue extensive monitoring of detailed stream temperature data. The river restoration sites will be monitored for water quality parameters, riparian cover, macroinvertebrates, and fish in partnership with the Utah Water Watch, River Restoration, UDWQ, and other Weber River Partnership entities. After aquatic-organism-passage projects TU will work with DWR to use fish traps, PIT tags, or both to verify fish passage. This will be part of an ongoing effort to use the best available data to prioritize future projects. Success of floodplain reconnection at Blackner's Bend will be monitored by observing the activation of the floodplain during high flows, which will indicate improved modulation of seasonal flows. Additionally, continued use as rearing habitat for larval fishes will be evaluated in coordination with DWR.

Weber Partnership - numerous members - stakeholder engagement and education. Trout Unlimited - Project Management, Stakeholder Facilitation, and Technical Expertise Summit County - Project Management, Stakeholder Facilitation, and Technical Expertise Forestry Fire and State Lands - funding, treatment implementation and technical advice. U.S. Forest Service - Project management, technical advice, treatment implementation World Resources Institute - Project Management, Stakeholder Facilitation, and Technical Expertise, innovative finance mechanisms The City of Ogden - sub-project lead role completing the design and implementation of the project. River Restoration - River Engineering, Leading Monitoring Efforts, Project Management. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - technical advice Utah State University - Utah Water Watch Program - monitoring - Fuel treatment data generation Weber State University - classroom groups learning in the field. Trails Foundation of Northern Utah - local trail group working on access and trail connectivity, also local landowner. Tree Utah - assistance in planting seedlings for revegetation. Weber Waterways - local boaters group - site stewardship. Utah Division of Natural Resources - technical advice. Utah Division of Water Quality - funding and technical advice. National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program - stakeholder development. Weber Basin Water Conservancy District - water quality monitoring and major funding of fuels projects. Mountain Regional Water - water quality monitoring and funding of fuels projects Sageland Collaborative - Permitting, volunteer recruiting and management, monitoring. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers - volunteers for BDAs Utah Department of Agriculture and Food - project management and stakeholder facilitation Ogden Nature Center

Restoration projects within this broader proposal is the result of multi-year efforts to engage with agricultural producers and other landowners in the Weber Basin. These efforts are ongoing, and partners are committed to adaptive management and improvement of riparian ecosystems over time. Several multi-year grants (Echo Canyon 319 Project, Bureau of Reclamation WaterSmart grant; UDAF Strategic Fund Pool) will support this ongoing work with stakeholders basin-wide.The Weber Partnership along with Summit County will continue to work to improve the river, riparian areas and upland vegetation along the Weber River and will maintain improvements in the future. Focused restoration and establishment monitoring of the aquatic and riparian habitat improvements will be conducted for 3-5 years post-construction. Then the partners will continue to manage invasive species and river ecosystems as part of their regular maintenance. Follow up treatments for noxious/invasive species and fuel treatments will be part of a long-term adaptive management strategy used in the watershed. Summit County is building a watershed scale wildfire Resilience Fund (RF). The RF will pool financial support from stakeholder, beneficiaries, individuals, and corporations with common vested interests to fund the upfront and long-term maintenance costs of watershed protection, forest health, and fuels treatments across public and private landscapes and invest in long-term management strategies to increase community wildfire resilience in Summit County and the 1.2M downstream recipients. The fund will eventually be a long-term source for maintenance of the project. Private landowners, while being monitored by Summit County Public Lands office, will be responsible for retreatments of individual properties or for providing a maintenance easement to the county for future retreatments and future management on private lands.

The project will benefit the sustainable use of the Weber Watershed. The Weber River as a recreation resource for anglers, wildlife watchers, and boaters. Allowing safe downstream access for boaters and upstream access for fish. The agricultural community will benefit from enhanced riparian health and more resilient riparian corridors on their private land as sedimentation is reduced significantly. Water quality improvements will occur throughout the watershed, from the headwaters to the lower Weber, beneficial to people, wildlife, and economic interests alike. Water providers will benefit from reduced long term strain on water treatment facilities attributed to the targeted upland treatments that reduce fuel load, improve forest resilience, minimize fire intensity and lessen the potential post-fire debris flows into the Weber River and its tributaries. Restoring streams with low-tech, process-based restoration includes working with landowners to improve grazing which many include modifying grazing regimes. Low-tech restoration promotes riparian vegetation (i.e., forage) and water supply, which are beneficial to the watershed and livestock alike. In fuel treatment area there will be an increase in forage availability by reducing the canopy cover and promoting light to enter the forest floor. Additionally, BDAs will increase forage and disperse water contributing to the grazing benefit for wildlife and livestock alike. This project is investigating innovative use for the biproduct of fuel treatments and will inform the future or biomass utilization in for the Wasatch back. A large part of Utah's economy is driven by this recreation and protecting the Weber River Watershed will help preserve those sustainable uses and continue to support the economy.

07/01/2023

06/30/2024

2024

Sageland: Riparian habitat projects were completed following low-tech, process-based restoration methods. We built beaver dam analogs (BDAs) using hand tools. Untreated wood fence posts were driven into the streambed 12-24" apart, and used to anchor fill material (native vegetation, rocks, mud) to mimic beaver activity. BDAs were space 10-30m apart and built by volunteers, project partners, and contractors. We monitored each site once prior to building BDAs and annually after using the Rapid Stream-Riparian Assessment Protocol (Stacy et al. 2013). Monitoring summary reports are attached to this project. Drone surveys were conducted at Rees and Brown Creeks once prior and once 1y after installing BDAs to assess geomorphic change and sediment accumulation. Ogden NC: A total of four BDAs were constructed along the Plain City Canal with the help of YMCA volunteers in the fall of 2024. These were constructed by weaving with willow stakes around drilled grading stakes, secured with mud and rock. Wildlife cameras were installed at each BDA to inventory species in the areas and number of visits. The project area was also revegetated with wetland seed, upland seed, and riparian plugs. Summit County: Managed and procured contracts with partners, provided match dollars. On the ground project management, held ongoing coordination meetings TU: Riparian habitat projects were completed following low-tech, process-based restoration methods. Trout Unlimited procured posts, procured and managed contractors, and assisted with training and managing volunteers at Cottons and Branch creeks. Untreated wood posts were driven into the streambed 12--24" apart and used to anchor natural fill material to mimic beaver activity. At Branch Creek Trout Unlimited organized delivery and staging of fill material from nearby, which greatly enhanced efficiency because Branch Creek is a highly degraded drainage with very little stream-side vegetation. BDAs were space 10-30 meters apart and built by staff, volunteers, and project partners. At Cottons and Branch creeks, TU collected NADIR drone imagery, which was used to develop orthomosaics and digital elevation models. These products will facilitate future comparisons, and additional imagery will be collected over the next few years. Efforts at Riverdale Bench and Stoddard diversions included engineering and design work. Riverdale Bench design has been completed; however, we have worked with the engineering team to develop phases that will allow cost to be broken up over more than one fiscal year. This is because the cost of the project as one phase has limited our ability to move forward. At Stoddard Diversion, we held two initial meetings with Weber Basin Water Conservancy District to brainstorm possible solutions and vet ideas. We then met on site with five engineering firms and invited them to produce proposals including cost estimates and initial conceptual design. From the proposals received, we selected an engineering firm and have begun official engineering and design efforts. Unfortunately, we were unable to use the WRI line item for Stoddard Design as most design costs are expected to occur after fiscal year 2024. Nonetheless, we will be able to move forward on this project and will seek funds for final design and implementation in fiscal years 2025 and 2026. At Blackner's Bend, we finalized design plans for moving the current levee back, which will open the floodplain and allow the trail to be placed outside of riparian habitat on the setback levee. Then, we began procuring materials including boulder for the levee footing, which involved contacting several local rock suppliers and purchasing over 900 Tons of boulder. Contactor procurement efforts are now underway, and the levee setback construction will take place this fall.

Sageland: Riparian restoration: During FY24, Sageland Collaborative, Trout Unlimited & other partners completed the design, monitoring, and implementation of 194 BDAs across five streams in the Weber Headwaters (# structures): Brown Creek Phase 1 (21), Rees Creek phase 1 (50), Cottons Creek (53), Red Pine Creek (35), Branch Creek Phase 2 (35). Sageland Collaborative organized 13 volunteer events, during which 60 volunteers contributed 500 hours of in-kind labor for the project. One proposed project was delayed by one year (Fish Creek Phase 5, 40 BDAs) due to potential habitat for Ute Ladies' Tresses. This project is slated for completion in FY25. ONC: This project aimed to demonstrate beaver/human coexistence in urban settings and improve riparian habitat at the Ogden Nature Center. We successfully constructed four BDAs, inventoried wildlife species and visit frequency along the canals, and installed non-lethal beaver deceivers in flood-prone spots. We also educated the public about the benefits of beavers and threats watersheds face by constructing two educational panels to be displayed along our trails and passing out project stickers. Volunteers that assisted on this project were also informed about how their work impacts the greater goal to restore habitat through Utah watersheds. Summit County: Provided administrative and project management support to partners TU: Trout Unlimited worked to complete PBR at Branch and Cottons creeks as described above. Other Trout Unlimited projects included efforts to rebuild Riverdale Bench Irrigation Diversion into an aquatic-organism-friendly structure and to engineer and design for aquatic-organism passage at Stoddard Diversion. At Riverdale Bench construction could not be implemented due to an inability to get adequate funding contracted in time for construction efforts to take place. At Stoddard Diversion Dam, Trout Unlimited and DWR worked with Weber Basin Water Conservancy District to vet possible solutions, procure an engineering firm, and establish a conceptual design. The procured engineering firm is currently working on a formal design; however, the allocated WRI funds were not used for this because the majority of engineering costs are going to occur after funds have expired. Fortunately, we are still moving engineering and design efforts forward and will begin procuring funds for final design and implementation over fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The Riverdale Bench and Stoddard Diversions are two of the largest aquatic-organism passage barriers in the Weber River Basin. Improving passage at these diversions will be consequential in efforts to improve recruitment of the imperiled Green Sucker and the state fish -- the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. Blackner's Bend, just upstream of Riverdale Bench Diversion, has had prior efforts completed to enhance Green Sucker recruitment. During the fiscal year 2024, we have continued efforts to improve Blackner's Bend including efforts towards completing a levee setback, which we have secured materials for and are in the process of procuring a contractor to implement. Meanwhile, the headwaters restoration efforts including Branch Creek and Cottons Creek PBR have already began trapping sediment, improving hyporheic exchange, and enhancing downstream water quality.

Sageland: Riparian restoration: Future management plans for the riparian restoration projects includes annual monitoring for several years following implementation, and continued communication with landowners about suitable next-steps to achieve desired restoration outcomes. Additional BDAs, grazing management, fish passage work, wildlife-friendly fencing, and riparian plantings are all considerations for follow-up actions depending on the site. Several partners on this WRI grant are co-organizing a workshop at G&E Ranch in September 2024 to showcase the ongoing restoration work & share lessons learned. ONC: Future management includes continuing public education about the project at our property, expanding our efforts to monitor wildlife through cameras, and remaining an example of how institutions can coexist with beavers by mitigating any potential flooding risks. Trout Unlimited plans to continue monitoring BDAs at Cottons and Branch Creeks. Additionally, management actions such as riparian plantings and exclusion fencing are being considered as future projects. Additional BDAs at both creeks are already planned and funded for 2024 and 2025. Aquatic-organism passage, at Riverdale Bench and Stoddard diversions, is believed to be a limiting factor regarding recruitment of the imperiled Green Sucker. Additionally, ability to access suitable habitat for aquatic species in the Weber River is affected. Suitable habitat may include thermal refugia for temperature-sensitive species or habitat related to life-history requirements such as access to tributaries for fluvial Bonneville Cutthroat Trout or backwaters for Green Sucker rearing. For these reasons, removing these obstacles to aquatic organisms is a major priority in the Weber Basin and Trout Unlimited will continue to work with DWR and other stakeholders to implement these projects.