The Gap project area (450 acres) has mapped UPD habitat within GRSG habitat and has been infested with annual invasive grasses and forbs, reducing habitat quality for UPD and GRSG within The Gap Management Unit (MU) and Bald Hills PHMA. The are provides little ecosystem functioning and poor rangeland health. UPD Colonies 0132c and 0132j, within the project area, were historically occupied by UPD, but are currently unoccupied. The nearest occupied mapped habitat is colony 0132e, located about 0.8 mi east of the project area in the Parowan Gap recreation area. The nearest greater sage-grouse lek is the Parowan Gap lek which is located 0.75 miles from the proposed project boundary. The project area is also surrounded by a sagebrush steppe ecosystem important to pygmy rabbits.

The Gap area project implementation would include herbicide treatment of Plateau the first year in the fall and then drill seeding of proper UPD habitat seed mix the following year in 450 acres to establish desired perennial grasses and fords and to compete against invasive annuals. The objective is to establish perennial grasses and forbs and to decrease the invasive annual grass and forb cover to restore ecosystem functioning, improve rangeland health, and result in UPD habitat restoration and improve GRSG brood-rearing habitat. Successful completion of this project would benefit other wildlife species, including sensitive species and other species of consveration concern. The creation of new and restoring current mapped prairie dog habitat in these areas would increase the habitat quality and UPD population as well as increase genetic exchange and connectivity. Restoring UPD habitat in The Gap area would also increase habitat quality for GRSG habitat including breeding, brood-rearing, summer, and winter habitats.

Implementation of the project has risks and threats associated with the lowland sagebrush and desert grassland habitats comprising these project sites including annual precipitation fluctuations, invasive and noxious weed establishment, altered fire regimes, monotypic brush age-class stands and historic improper grazing. However, mitigation measures have been identified that will limit these threats and risks to the project sites. The elevation within the project area is about 5,500 feet. The area is comprised of mostly annual invasive forbs and grasses, but according to the ecological site description, the area should be comprised of perennial grasses (Great Basin Wildrye) and perennial forbs. Adjacent to the project area is surrounded by mostly lowland sagebrush (LANDFIRE v2010). Typically, rangelands at this elevation receive adequate precipitation to promote vegetative growth and viability in the short-term and long-term. An appropriate seed mix has been developed for the project based on precipitation and adequate habitat for other wildlife. Stand diversification and native plant promotion have been identified as management action strategies to improve the condition of these habitat types (Utah Wildlife Action Plan, 2015). As discussed, the project is within The Gap MU boundary. The MU was developed to ensure habitat and population connectivity throughout the UPD range, particularly on public lands. Collinge (2005) described a positive correlation with UPD populations and increased plant diversity with a strong correlation being observed with greater than 10 plant species being present within/near UPD colonies. Additionally, Collinge determined that shrub canopy cover comprising less than 10% of the vegetative canopy was positively correlated with UPD persistence and population growth. A high diversity seed mix for the proposed project area would be beneficial to UPD's, supporting healthy populations allowing for increased connectivity within colonies of The Gap Management Unit. The reduction of annual grasses and forbs may also help to reduce fine fuel accumulation and make these project areas more resistant to stand replacing fires, which typically experience an infestation of undesirable plant species. Unpublished data obtained by the UPRIT's on-going Population Viability Assessment being conducting in coordination with BYU, has demonstrated an increased persistence rate as well as colony growth rate when more than 15 UPD's comprise a colony. Expanding UPD habitat while increasing forage opportunity should increase individual health and lead to colony growth and resilience against plague outbreaks. Currently, there are no active UPD colonies within the project area; however, there is an occupied colony in close proximity to the project site. The creation of habitat with characteristics more suitable to UPD's may lend way to colonization during dispersal events from surrounding colonies. Furthermore, coordination between the BLM and UDWR has taken place and identified these areas as potential UPD translocation sites. Following future translocations into the area, the UPD benefit within the project site will be evaluated based on annual spring counts and habitat monitoring efforts. The project is located within the Bald Hills PHMA for greater sage-grouse -- particularly in brood-rearing habitat. Top threats/risks to sage-grouse include altered fire regimes, invasive species, drought and habitat loss. Forb presence and diversity has been determined to be a limiting factor for sage-grouse brood rearing success. Sage-grouse recruitment may benefit from increasing plant diversity and increasing forbs in this treatment area. Restoring native vegetation and increasing plant diversity should lead to a more resilient landscape against fire, noxious vegetation, etc., and benefit any animal utilizing these areas. Sage-grouse telemetry data has been collected in the past and it is hopeful that additional telemetry data will be collected in the future. This information will be utilized to identify future treatments and determine if and how sage-grouse are utilizing ongoing treatment areas. All of the information that has been collected will serve as a baseline to determine the benefits of the project to sage-grouse and other wildlife within the project area on a short-term and long-term basis. Other wildlife species that may occur in the project sites and have associated risks/threats include mule deer, mourning dove, golden eagle, pronghorn, ferruginous hawk, burrowing owl, desert cottontail, pygmy rabbit, and black-tailed jackrabbit. As with the UPD and GRSG, the diversification and restoration of more native vegetation in these project areas would benefit these species by promoting a more fire resilient landscape, increasing plant diversity, and increasing forage/prey. The surrounding sagebrush habitat it is important for the pygmy rabbit. By restoring these loamy bottoms with perennial grasses and forbs, there would be a reduction in fire risk to the surrounding sagebrush habitat, protecting important pygmy rabbit habitat that is also important to other sagebrush obligates such as the sagebrush sparrow, sage thrasher, and greater sage-grouse. The project would also increase important native bunchgrass cover for pygmy rabbit to forage on in the spring and summer. The restoration of perennial forbs and grasses in these loamy bottoms would help increase rodent population providing more prey for raptors such as golden eagle, ferruginous hawk, and burrowing owl. There are several known raptor nests located near the project area in the rocky hills and cliffs of the Parowan Gap. These known nests include golden eagle, peregrine falcon, prairie falcon, and ferruginous hawk. Burrowing owl nests have been observed in burrows near the area as well. Long-billed curlews have been observed in the area and likely nest nearby. Pronghorn in the area would benefit by restoring desirable forbs and grasses that are important for their diet along with protecting browse species from irregular fire frequency and intensity. Mourning doves would benefit from the project by improving nesting cover and foraging habitat from increasing perennial grass and forb cover that will produce more seeds that are important to the mourning dove's diet.

The Gap MU has been identified as a priority MU to promote recovery of the species. (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Utah Prairie Dog Revised Recovery Plan 2012).

The vegetation enhancement project would reduce the risk of wildfire within or adjacent to important wildlife habitat for Utah prairie dog, greater sage-grouse, pygmy rabbit, burrowing owl, long-billed curlew, and pronghorn by restoring native vegetation and the natural fire regime.

The project site is located at approximately 5,500 feet above sea level; therefore, it is expected that the feasibility of restoring the vegetative component to the composition and frequency appropriate to the area is high. The project is expected to improve herbaceous understory, which will reduce water runoff and decrease soil erosion while increasing infiltration. The project site contains some localized, ephemeral washes and drainages that may allow for more mesic soil conditions and more beneficial vegetation types. Although no perennial streams or waterbodies will be impacted by this project, localized benefits may be experienced by increasing water availability to desirable vegetation, thus giving way to more beneficial plants for the focal species that have been identified.

NEPA (Environmental Assessment and Biological Assessment) have both been completed from the Chipman Peak EA. Cultural surveys would be required for this project.

In The Gap MU, herbicide application would occur in the fall of 2024 and and then drill seeding of UPD habitat seed mix would occur in the fall of 2025 on 450 acres. 5,280 feet of fence would be constructed to divide the allotment and provide for 2 years of rest for the project area.

Monitoring of the site has been ongoing and primarily consisted of nested frequency, line intercept and utilization. Prior to the treatment general wildlife use surveys, raptor nest surveys and noxious weed monitoring will occur. Pre and post monitoring will help determine the success of the treatment. Spring UPD counts will occur in The Gap MU.

UPDOG and UPDRIT, which is comprised of partners from USFWS, DWR, local County governments, etc..., the local SWARM group, livestock permittees (livestock management)

Coordination has taken place between Iron County, UWDR, USFWS and the BLM with regards to creating translocation sites within the project area. The Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Plan contains specific guidelines for maintaining habitat characteristics in Management Units. Vegetation is routinely monitored in these project sites, and those efforts will continue.

The treatment area will be maintained as a perennial grassland, which is expected to provide valuable forage for wildlife and livestock. The project is expected to maintain/improve health, composition, and diversity of grasses and forbs in accordance with Rangeland Health Standards and Guidelines and the Ecological Site Description. Furthermore, the project will be proactive in improving vegetative communities and removing fine fuels within the area, which will minimize the potential for a wildfire within the area. Utilization within the allotment has not been an issue. The amount of forage throughout the allotments will help ensure that the area is not over utilized by livestock. The scale of forage availability will be largely dependent upon yearly precipitation amounts; however, it is expected that adequate amounts will be available due to the elevation of the project area. The project is expected to promote short-term and long-term recreational big game hunting and viewing opportunities throughout the area. Mule deer are prevalent adjacent to the project area. A large number of hunters frequent this area prior to and during the hunting season. As discussed in the livestock grazing portion of the sustainable uses of natural resources section, the treatment will maintain/improve health, composition and diversity of grasses and forbs in accordance with Rangeland Health Standards and Guidelines and the Ecological Site Description.