There are a myriad of habitat restoration and stewardship agreements for the benefit of wildlife that could be accomplished on private and public lands in Utah. In many cases, there is adequate funding under programs such as the Conservation Permit Program, Federal Farm Bill, Watershed Restoration Initiative, Invasive Species Mitigation Fund, Grazing Improvement Fund, etc. A significant limiting factor for initiation, implementation and delivery of habitat development work is limited UDWR staff. There are many opportunities to improve private, state and federal lands for mule deer and other wildlife which are not being taken advantage of due to this shortage of personnel. MDF has the organizational infrastructure and experience necessary to supplement statewide capacity through this and similar positions.

The Mule Deer Foundation will help fill the land and wildlife management agency staffing void by hiring and supervising a habitat development and stewardship project specialist, MDF is uniquely suited to pursue this type of work because of the distinctive organizational structure that promotes local chapter investment of funding and volunteer efforts, and its status as a non-governmental 501(c)(3) that offers flexibility in pursuing contracts and agreements with a broad array of conservation partners and contractors. The MDF habitat specialist will focus primarily on stewardship agreements, in cooperation with the USFS & BLM, on summer range improvement to benefit mule deer and other wildlife species. The MDF habitat specialist will also help secure funding and implement habitat projects on other state, federal, tribal and private lands.

N/A

Statewide and Unit-specific Deer Management Plans

Statewide Elk, Moose & Pronghorn Management Plans

USFS Forest Plans (Multiple forests)

BLM Resource Management Plans (Multiple districts)

Other conservation and land management plans as appropriate

Many projects will have a fuels component designed to protect life & property, proactively reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfire, improve wildlife habitat and restore natural fire cycles.

Many of the projects completed by this biologist serve to directly or indirectly improve water quality and increase water quantity available on the landscape.

All projects undertaken by this position will adhere to required compliance thresholds, as required by funding sources, and federal, state & tribal regulation.

Duties to be performed by the MDF habitat specialist will include, but are not limited to: contact with landowners; coordination with federal, state and tribal agencies; attending regional WRI meetings; site preparation, seeding, herbicide spraying, mowing, conifer thinning/mulching, coppice cutting, burning, aspen protection, tree and shrub planting, etc. The MDF habitat specialist will annually complete 3 or more habitat and/or stewardship projects throughout Utah designed to benefit wildlife, with some flexibility based on the scale and scope of projects. Each of these projects shall be entered into Utah's Watershed Initiative project database (wri.utah.gov). Whenever possible, projects should be reviewed and approved prior to implementation by the appropriate WRI regional team and reported on after completion according to WRI rules. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in termination of this cooperative agreement as outlined in the existing agreement.

Will be conducted as needed on a project-by-project basis to meet the needs of MDF and conservation partners associated with those projects.

MDF frequently partners with most federal and state land management agencies through stewardship and other agreements and contracts. Private landowners statewide may also be partnered with on a project-by-project basis.

See individual projects submitted by the MDF Stewardship biologist or federal partners for details.

The majority of projects completed by this biologist will aim to improve quality and quantity of sustainable uses such as big game hunting, recreation, timber harvest, biomass utilization, grazing, etc. to meet land management agency standards.

08/01/2023

06/30/2024

2024

Mule Deer Foundation continues to partner with multiple organizations and land-management agencies to improve mule deer and other wildlife habitat in Utah. Planning projects and establishing administrative frameworks or agreements to accomplish them has taken the bulk of the time this FY. The season's planning and implementation included agreement mods, prioritizing funding needs, WRI project submittal and partner coordination. Active project management achieved through WRI support and Supplemental Project Agreement #23-PA-11046000-055 with Region 4 and the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF utilized mechanical and hand crew treatments for timber harvest, thinning (pre-commercial & riparian) and conifer removal from important aspen, mountain shrub and wet meadow habitats on the North Slope of the Uintas. MDF/USFS shared project manager position continued to assist planning on North Slope Uintas project areas (Burnt-Beaver, Bear River Resiliency, Anadarko, Bourbon, Borderlands) and accomplish project management duties on 4 total WRI projects, 3,647 acres.

Supplemental Project Agreements were negotiated for Intermountain Region, UWC and Ashley NF for implementation and project management capacity. 3,300 target acres identified in first iteration of ANF agreement, supporting North and South Slope mule deer herd migration, crucial summer range and Vernal municipal watershed health. DeHamer pursued partnership contacts in each region, including attending WRI planning, ranking and field tours and statewide meeting. Much effort directed toward establishing framework for Keystone Agreement enactment. Participant in Cinnamon Creek WMA and Parowan Front WMA habitat management planning. Participant in UT Wildlife Connectivity WG. Provided input and/or letters of support for multiple grant applications and environmental assessments around the state, including NRCS South Area Mule Deer Crucial Habitat SFP (w/ Stan Gurley & Jamie Nogle). Cross-border (UT/ID) habitat project development, data sharing and advocacy to support deer herds using public & private land and inform WVC mitigation strategies. 11 miles of fence removed and rebuilt to wildlife-friendly specs near Snowville, UT on crucial winter range. Co-led MDF team for disbursement of Cons. Expo tag monies, 57 projects, $2.2M. NGO rep on Northern and Northeastern Region WRI Scoring committees. Renewed funding agreements with UTDWR to support below projects. Burnt-Beaver 2025 project, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF Bear River Resilience, UWC NF, Project Oversight by Meservy: Phase 3 - On USFS land, 480 acres of handcrew cut/pile and lop/scatter complete and 279 acres of mechanical mastication completed. Up to 150 acres of timber-stand improvement contracted on adjacent private land, ongoing. Phase 4 - On USFS land, 184 acres of mastication, 76 acres cut/skid/deck, 341 ac handcrew cut/pile complete and 1106 ac lop/scatter contracted. Additional 17 acres hand cut/pile contracted on adjacent private. Anadarko 2025 UWC NF, Project Oversight by Meservy: 111 acres of mastication, 65 acres cut/skid/deck, 323 acres of handcrew cut/pile, 1448 acres of lop/scatter contracted Non-WRI projects Red Cloud Loop and ANF-TSI 2024, Ashley NF: 231 acres mastication and 1,554 ac lop/scatter contracted; Work to begin in Fall '24.

Work continues on the west end of the North Slope Uintas to accomplish USFS Wildfire Crisis Strategy goals and improve wildlife habitat for the North Slope herd. Several continuing and new large projects have been outlined through UWC planning processes, with input from MDF and other partners. Habitat and forest health work will be conducted on the Ashley NF as well, contracted by MDF in partnership with USFS. Keystone-funded supplemental agreements (USFS & BLM) will bring increased funding and large-scale project work to UT, sited by MDF and partners with significant input from UDWR.