The Sagebrush ecosystem is a shadow of its former self. Every year we lose one million acres to invasive species, catastrophic wildfire, development, improper grazing and climate change. For these rural communities already under stress, a disappearing Sagebrush Sea drives ranchers out of business and leaves farmers without water for crops. For our native wildlife, the loss of nesting grounds and migration corridors pushes them species towards federal protection. In the sagebrush biome, wet habitats comprise less than two percent of the landscape, yet 80 percent of wildlife depend upon them to complete their life cycle. Additionally, researchers found 85 percent of sage grouse lek sites were located within six miles of wet habitats, providing hens and their chicks access to nutrient-rich forbs and insects located in wet habitats during critical brood-rearing stages (Donnelly et al. 2016). Subsequent science further highlighted the importance of healthy and resilient wet habitats during times of drought, demonstrating that landscapes with the most uncertainty in wet habitat abundance and distribution supported the fewest grouse (Donnelly et al. 2019). Furthermore, other sagebrush dependent songbirds such as the sage sparrow, sage thrasher, and Brewer's sparrow are drastically declining in numbers. Research has found these species also being dependent on nearby meadow and water resources for nesting and brood-rearing. Approximately 50-90 percent of riparian areas and wet meadows are privately owned, reflecting the importance that working lands play in providing wet habitats in the West (Donnelly et al. 2018). These figures also stress the importance of working with private landowners collaboratively to conserve our sagebrush ecosystems. This project is one of these critically important area areas for wildlife, having a diversity of habitat types (forested, sagebrush, in-stream, wetland, wet meadow, and mountain brush) generally intact all within close proximity. In addition to terrestrial species, Mammoth creek is one of southern Utah's premier fisheries for trout. It is also important habitat for other non-game species such as mottled sculpin, mountain sucker, and Southern leatherside chub. Mammoth Creek also serves one of the UDWR Fish Hatcheries that provides thousands of pounds of fish to lakes and stream across the state for the public to enjoy. Protecting the watershed above this hatchery is crucial for its success to meet the production requirements. Wetted habitat makes up less than 1% of the Utah landscape and because of this, when we have the opportunity to restore or enhance wet habitat in Utah we should prioritize it. Applying conservation measures to wet habitat also have a much larger impact to the surrounding watershed, making the smaller acreages of wet habitat disproportionally important to the surround landscape. Some of the most forb diverse habitats are those around water. By improving riparian, wet meadows, and wetland areas we are improving pollinator habitat. Furthermore, conservationists are coming to realize the importance of late season forb vegetation for migrating monarch butterflies. If you don't know, monarchs are a USFWS candidate species. Late season food sources are necessary to get them through migration and to winter habitats in Mexico and California. Wetted habitats have those late season nectar sources.

1) Improve in-stream habitat complexity, reconnect floodplains, oxbows, and/or backwaters for refugia and nursery fish habitat. 2) Reduce encroaching PJ into sage brush habitats 100% in the project area. 3) Reduce ladder fuels in Ponderosa stands 4) Decrease the sediment loss from the uplands and reduce the effects of flooding events in washes, gullies and seasonal mesic areas. 5) Increase mesic area habitat health by slowing runoff and allowing for sediment capture.

If we could argue anything as to why now and here, it would be we need to act quickly whenever we have the opportunity to improve/enhance wet habitats and upland habitats directly adjacent to wet areas. These private mesic lands and surrounding public rangelands are critically important to the health of wildlife populations and watershed health. Research shows that 60--80% of wildlife is dependent on mesic habitats (e.g., wetlands and riparian areas; Thomas et al. 1979, Patten 1998, Belsky et al. 1999, Peck and Lovvorn 2001). Climate Change: Yep, we're pulling out the climate change card. Climate change has come to the forefront as a global threat to humans and wildlife alike. Although models vary on future impacts of global climate change, water in the West becoming increasingly scarce is almost unanimously agreed on. Preserving and restoring wet areas has been identified as a key way to mitigate impacts like drought, increasing temperatures, and other impacts that a changing climate will have on humans and wildlife. Species: Although it was determined by the USFWS that listing under the ESA was not warranted for Greater sage grouse a few years ago, we are in a declining population trend due to extreme drought. Continuing to do work as identified in the Statewide Sage Grouse Management Plan to conserve sage grouse will support a continued "not warranted" status. This project area is critical wet meadow and wetland habitat for sage grouse in the Pang itch management unit. This project area lies within a Sage Grouse Management Area identified in the Conservation Plan for Utah Greater Sage Grouse. Implementing proposed conservation practices will help alleviate threats identified in the Utah Greater Sage Grouse Plan. By doing this project we are addressing immediate threats and limiting factors for this population. This area has been identified as priority for restoration of CRUCIAL mule deer habitat under the Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan. "Crucial" means the areas habitat is necessary to sustain the areas mule deer herd. Conservation practices previously implemented as part of this watershed project and practices proposed for this current project will meet restoration goals outlined in the State Mule Deer Management Plan as well as the Unit Management Plan. Because this area has been identified as CRUCIAL mule deer habitat and an extremely important area for increasing sage grouse populations in this Sage Grouse Management Unit, we feel that this projects importance should be elevated because of the overall impact of the habitat to these species of wildlife. Another qualifier for elevating this project is the project addresses conservation issues for other identified and declining sagebrush songbird species by USFWS (sage sparrow, sage thrasher, and Brewer's sparrow). It ain't just about sage grouse anymore ha. These other sage dependent birds rely on sagebrush in close proximity to wet meadows and wetlands. This project improves exactly that. Southern Leatherside Chub are a wildlife action plan species of greatest conservation need. They are NOT protected under the endangered species act, but rather managed through a conservation agreement with USFWS to ensure adequate conservation measures will be addressed to keep them from needing a federal designation.

Mammoth Creek is within a Southern Leatherside Chub geographic management unit (Sevier River Basin GMU) and the project would implement conservation elements called for in the Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Southern Leatherside (Lepidomeda aliciae) in the State of Utah: 1. "Habitat Enhancement" - the project would help to restore habitat conditions within the historical range of Southern Leatherside Chub. 2. "Restore Hydrologic Conditions" - the project would help to restore natural hydrologic characteristics and water quality (e.g., riparian buffer of nonpoint source pollutants). USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Strategic Plan "Project addresses habitat threats for a priority species within a PFW priority area (Plateau Focus Area) for restoration work." Utah Partners in Flight Avian Conservation Strategy Version 2.0 "Lowland riparian habitat conservation is identified as being critical for several species of songbirds for breeding habitat." Intermountain West Joint Venture Habitat Conservation Strategy "Support existing public-private partnerships to implement sagebrush habitat conservation, at regional, state, and local scales." Utah Wild Turkey Management Plan "Maintain and improve wild turkey populations to habitat or social carrying capacity" Objective1.Stabilize populations that are declining outside of natural population fluctuations; especially through catastrophic events (i.e. following fires, severe winters, etc.). Strategy c: Conduct habitat projects to address limiting factors. Objective 2.Increase wild turkey habitat, quality and quantity, by 40,000 acres statewide by 2020. Strategy d: Conduct habitat improvement projects in limiting habitat(s). Following the Panguitch 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 Panguitch unit: - "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 Panguitch 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 portions 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 Panguitch 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." * Riparian and wetland habitat is identified in the WAP 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" Utah Conservation Plan For Greater Sage-Grouse -Protect, maintain and increase sage-grouse habitats within SGMAs at or above 2013 baseline disturbance levels (Gifford et al. 2014), subject to the provisions determined in 1(b) below. -Continue to implement the measures outlined in Govs. executive order (EO/2015/002)--as amended and referenced herein--to conserve sage-grouse populations and habitats while allowing for multiple uses of state, private and federal lands. -Continue to cooperatively implement the strategies outlined in the Utah Strategic Plan for Managing Noxious and Invasive Weeds (2004), including on-the-ground projects that address the threat of invasive weeds on sagebrush ecosystems. -Using the WRI, implement active, passive and natural riparian and mesic restoration projects, including in coordination with those treatments described in 4(d) and 4(e), to increase nesting and brood-rearing habitats.

Riparian, wetlands, and stream habitat is extremely important for filtering heavy sediment, ash, and other compounds from post-fire areas in adjacent upland and up stream habitat. Protecting wetland and riparian habitat protects watersheds from off-site negative fire impacts to both rural communities and wildlife. Additionally, our riparian, stream, and wetland enhancements will directly impact the landscapes ability to be more resistant and resilient to fire, it's not complicated, water doesn't burn and wet soils and green vegetation don't burn. There is a lot of research indicating healthy riparian areas buffer and add resiliency to burning landscapes. Furthermore, new research shows stream and floodplain restoration methods effectively increased vegetation productivity by 25% and kept plants greener longer during the year. 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 Brian Head fire during the summer of 2017, treatments like these can break up the continuity of fuels and act as fuel breaks. This project along with already completed adjacent projects will be expected to act similarly if a fire were to ignite nearby. The current fire regime condition class is moderate (2) and would be reduced to low (1) immediately after treatment. The habitat type has been identified in the 2015-2025 Utah Wildlife Action Plan that lowland sagebrush is a key habitat and the threats associated with this key habitat are inappropriate fire frequency and intensity. This project will help to achieve this goal. Reducing the threat of wildfire is important because of the critical nature of this habitat to mule deer and sage grouse. 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, Greater sage grouse and mule deer. 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. Values at risk from wildfire and post-fire flooding, include state highways, powerlines, private structures, downstream irrigation facilities, livestock forage, sage grouse habitat and Southern leatherside chub habitat.

Mammoth Creek and tributaries from confluence with Sevier River to Mammoth Spring have approved TMDL for phosphorus and is "303(d) listed" meaning it is identified as an impaired body of water in the State of Utah given to the EPA. The impairment is given because of high levels of phosphorus as stated above. Conservation strategies we will address and have been listed in the Upper Sevier Watershed plan to help alleviate the impairment are: streambank restoration and/or stabilization, riparian fencing and grazing management, and improve habitat by increasing channel meanders. Although water temperature is not listed in the impairment, temperatures are unnaturally higher during peak summer month because of streambed geomorphic changes (over-widening, shallowing, and simplified in-stream features). Our stream work will enhance stream features and improve geomorphic features that may decrease stream temperature. Additionally, our stream work will increase stream bank vegetation which may increase shading to decrease water temperature.

Compliance with NEPA, Section 106 archeology, and any other necessary compliance will be completed before any restoration work will begin. This will also include obtaining the necessary permitting for stream work.

Stream Restoration: Stream restoration activities will focus on two things - 1) providing in-stream structure at critical points to connect oxbow wetlands and floodplain habitat, and 2) Grazing management through fencing. Lop and Scatter: Use hand crews to cut juniper and pinyon to approximately 100% removal within defined polygons. Rabbit Brush: Targeted patches of rabbitbrush will be mowed and treated with the appropriate herbicide in the fall. BDA's The BDAs will be built by a contract using pine post and juniper and other materials found on site. Using a hydraulic post pounder the post will be installed and then branches will be weaved through the posts. Soil and rocks will be applied to create allow for catching water. Zedyks This structures will be constructed using materials found on site also (rocks and some wood). Rock will be placed to meet the specifications of the statement of work and the NRCS.

USFWS Will work with partners to complete some of the monitoring described as well as doing their own photo point monitoring. Also, as part of the USFWS landowner agreement USFWS biologist will visit the site at minimum once per year to assess needs, success, failures, and need for any follow-up treatments/maintenance for the duration of the 10-year Landowner Agreement. UDWR UDWR will monitor and establish photo points within the project area and monitor the sites with bi annually (Spring/Summer) photos. After five years the the sites will be visit annually. UDWR will also monitor wildlife collar data to watch if wildlife patterns change over the course of the project.

NRCS As per the NRCS contract the UDWR/NRCS planner will monitor the treatment for two year prior to the completion of the work to determine the success of the treatment and provide further technical and finical assistance. UDWR Partners met on site with UDWR fisheries biologist to look at stream work and get input. Input from the meeting has been integrated into the project plan. USFWS USFWS has been involved from the start. USFWS has met with partners and landowners to start developing a plan. USFWS will be involved with planning, coordination, funding and implementation. USFWS will also develop a written agreement with the landowner to be signed. BLM BLM has helped with the planning and the will help with contract management as the mowing and herbicide application takes place. PRIVATE LANDOWNERS Private landowners have been willing to allow for suggestions and willing to apply for finacal assistance to make this project feasible. They will under contract and expected maintain prescribed practices for the life of the practice (10 years).

The private landowners will enter into a Landowner Agreement with USFWS. As part of the landowner agreement with USFWS the landowner agrees to leave the habitat restored in place for at least a 10 year period and during that time will work with the USFWS biologist to monitor and assess needs, success, and any needed adaptive management. Grazing will be allowed, in the areas that are lop and scatter, mowing takes practice does not require seeding and understory in great condition. This project will also help the landowners better livestock. This means the potential for improved range and riparian management and conditions moving forward. Hunting of big game is managed through draw process as defined in the respective elk and mule deer unit management plans. No sage grouse hunting is permitted at this time. The majority of this project is private. Fishing and hunting is allowed by invitation or by reaching out to the landowner asking for permission.

Hunting and Fishing: As previously stated Mammoth Creek is one of southern Utah's premier fisheries for trout. The project area also provides important hunting opportunities locally and for people traveling from out of state for pronghorn, elk, and mule deer. These fishing and hunting opportunities within the project area provide a financial boost to local economies through food, gas, and other supplies purchases, hiring local guides and outfitters, and hiring local taxidermists and meat processors. Continuing to do work to maintain the habitat in this area will help to perpetuate the recreational and economic benefits. Livestock: Both the private and public land in the project area are part of grazing operations. Proposed conservation practices will preserve forage through maintaining a shrub/herbaceous vegetative community from becoming outcompeted by invasive trees. Additionally, restoring/enhancing the riparian/meadow/wetland area of Mammoth Creek has the potential to sharply increase forage for all grazing animals. Working across landownerships will have a greater ecological and economic impact for livestock producers. Tourism: This area is a highly visited area of Utah for tourism. ATV'ing, camping, wildlife watching, etc.. are all uses by the high number of tourist in the area. Tourism add a lot of economic value to the local communities in the area. Cultural Value from Natural Resources: This part of Utah local culture and identity is uniquely tied the sometimes conflicting values of tourism and agriculture. Protecting and enhancing sustainable uses of natural resources here boosts rural economies and enhances local values.