This project is a continuation of work achieved, and ongoing, by UWRI and many other partners on BLM, Forest Service, State, and private lands north of the acres proposed for treatment in this project on the Greater Fremont Plateau (see UWRI projects 4402, 4806, 5221, 5638 and 6514). This project directly abuts work completed under UWRI 6514 in Bear Valley and would continue habitat restoration from Bear Valley/Little Valley southwest into Little Creek Canyon. The two federal land management agencies; U.S. Forest Service, Cedar City Ranger District (CCRD) and Bureau of Land Management, Cedar City Field Office (CCFO), identified over 130,000 acres of sagebrush, mountain brush, bitterbrush, pinyon and juniper woodland and riparian communities where vegetation management could maintain and improve wildlife habitat, while reducing the risk of uncharacteristically high severity fire in their Sagebrush Steppe and Woodland Restoration (USFS) and Parowan Front Vegetation Enhancement (BLM) projects (see attachments for Environmental Analysis/FONSI/Decision Notice). The proposed project area was selected because it is contiguous with the cross-boundary efforts of all the partners involved (see UWRI projects listed above and Partners section) and has benefits to multiple high priority terrestrial and aquatic wildlife species. A CCFO review of land fire data, soil survey, Ecological Site Descriptions and historic imagery of the area indicated that existing vegetation communities lack the diversity that may have once been present due to infilling and competition from pinyon and juniper (see Monitoring section). Ground truthing by BLM personnel found these preliminary findings to be accurate with remnant sagebrush stands present, infilling of P/J in mountain brush sites, sedimentation, and erosion within the riparian from upland conditions, and further encroachment into the riparian from pinyon and juniper. Planning for the CCRD's Sagebrush Steppe and Woodland Restoration project used remote sensing data from the Forest Service's Vegetation Classification Mapping and Quantitative Inventory (VCMQ, USDA 2016 -- see attachments) validated by Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) ground truthing and CCRD ground truthing efforts (see Monitoring section) to identify areas of sagebrush, mountain brush, and bitterbush that were being overtaken by pinyon and juniper succession. In upper Bear Valley, Little Valley, Iron Peak and Little Creek Canyon we found sagebrush, mountain brush, bitterbrush, and riparian areas in various stages of pinyon and juniper (PJ) succession. During project planning we also found areas of livestock overuse, overland travel impacts to Utah Prairie Dog (UPD) and riparian habitat, degradation of sage grouse and big game habitat, upland vegetation encroachment onto the floodplain of Little Creek, and an elevated risk of uncharacteristically high severity wildfire. Little Creek, across all landownerships, was impacted by flooding and ash flows following the Brian Head Fire, which eliminated the Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT) population and substantially damaged instream habitat (see photos in Documents section). Bear Creek and the Upper Sevier River have also been identified with water quality problems. This project will work to address all these issues and, with the exception of wildlife species and habitat, issues will be addressed in subsequent sections of this proposal. Need and benefits to specific wildlife species are addressed below. Forest Service Route (FSR) 31595 runs directly through a Utah Prairie Dog (UPD) colony in Bear Valley. UPD are a State of Utah Species of Greatest Conservation Need and are listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. While annual counts are variable the population across Bear Valley has remained relatively stable from 2017 through the present; however, the most recent count at the colony impacted by FSR 31595 was down from the previous two years. FSR 31595 is in poor condition from where it leaves FSR 30231 to where it crosses Navajo Spring (approximately 1 mile). The poor condition of the road is causing user created routes outside of the road prism, erosion and sedimentation issues, and private land damage. Where FSR 31595 crosses Bear Creek adjacent to the UPD colony the crossing has failed, and users are widening the affected area significantly outside of the existing road corridor and into UPD foraging and dispersal habitat. The user created "braiding" is also causing significant wet meadow and stream bank damage while increasing fine sediment input to Bear Creek (see Images section). Further up the road poor drainage is creating substantial rutting, has caused several accidents which have damaged private fencing, and caused users to encroach onto private lands. The road work proposed in the project would alleviate all these issues. Approximately 555 acres of the project in Upper Bear Valley are in the Panguitch Sage Grouse Management Area including lop and scatter, mastication and seeding, and wet mow and seeding treatments. In the years leading up to 2021 multiple soft and hard trigger for management were reached in this SGMA because of lek count declines and declines in the number of males per lek. While lek counts in the SGMA doubled between 2021 and 2022. Lek counts in 2023 saw a slight decline. This decline could be attributed to the limited accessibility of leks caused by the above average snowpack in 2023. Compared to historical counts numbers still remain low. Currently, there are two active sage grouse leks immediately adjacent to proposed treatments. One lek is on private lands that had lop and scatter and wet mow treatments completed under UWRI project 6514 and has additional wet mow acres proposed in this project. This lek is less than 0.1 miles from treatments to masticate Phase 2 PJ succession from sagebrush with a follow up seeding, less than 0.2 miles from wet mow and seeding treatments to remove rabbitbrush from sagebrush, and less than 0.25 miles from Phase 1 lop and scatter treatments in sagebrush. The second lek is immediately adjacent to lop and scatter and wet mow treatments from project 6514 that directly abut the proposed project area. This lek in within 0.3 of lop and scatter treatments in Phase 1/2 pinyon-juniper succession. Overall lekking activity has been declining in Bear Valley, especially in the southernmost lek in the project area. This lek had the private lands surrounding it treated under UWRI 6514. According to the local UDWR biologist, this lek used to support lots of activity but has seen large declines and habitat work could increase the use of these leks. Wildlife Tracker shows that one collared sage grouse used portions of the proposed treatments northeast of the lek on private lands but show little use around the lek and to the south where additional treatments are planned (see Documents section). Treatments to the south could improve or expand use of those habitats by sage grouse. Sage grouse are an Intermountain Region Sensitive species and a State of Utah Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Currently sagebrush habitat throughout the project area has various stages of pinyon and juniper succession which decreases habitat effectiveness near leks and can reduce food and habitat quality in brood rearing and wintering habitat, as well. Project activities support actions in state and federal conservation plans, as well as published science, that indicate tree removal within 4 miles of a lek, should improve lekking habitat. Additionally, wet mowing and seeding will increase the amount of grass and forbs available for sage-grouse throughout the lekking and brood rearing seasons. These activities will also help increase age class diversity in sagebrush, as well as reduce the amount of rabbitbrush. The seed mix chosen for this portion of the emphasizes increasing plant diversity and, in particular, forbs for providing high quality food during brood rearing. Prior to the Brian Head Fire, Little Creek contained the only conservation population of BCT in the Escalante Desert drainage. This population was established with Manning Meadow brood stock fish in the 1990s. While standing crop in Little Creek was below average for southern Utah trout streams before the fire, BCT were distributed over 10 miles of stream spanning Forest Service, BLM, and private lands. Throughout the project area Little Creek is located within a historic incision that averages nearly 20 feet deep and ranges from 10-40 feet deep. While the stream has developed a new floodplain within the incision, that new floodplain experienced extensive damage in some places following the Brian Head Fire (see documents). Even prior to the fire the best habitat throughout most of the stream in the project area was in areas where beaver had colonized and created a more complex channel (see images). Beaver in Little Creek were wiped out by the flooding after the fire and efforts to reintroduce them have been largely unsuccessful. Currently, pinyon and juniper trees dominate the edge of the terrace throughout the majority of the project area and have moved into the floodplain choking out river birch, willows, and other woody species in some areas. Post-fire riparian greenline vegetation trend data and partial Multiple Indicator Monitoring data show the one site on Little Creek in the project area was not meeting Forest Plan objectives because of a lack of late seral vegetation along the greenline, as well as bank stability and bank cover below 80% when it was last surveyed. Visual observations immediately off the greenline show many areas where there is a strong coyote willow component that could be exploited by beaver should they be able to reestablish themselves. In September 2023 aquatics personnel from UDWR and the Forest Service visited Little Creek and other sites impacted by the Brian Head Fire to identify potential restoration techniques and develop a tentative restoration schedule. Given the current condition of Little Creek, aquatics personnel determined that riparian conifer removal and large woody debris additions, followed by larger scale beaver reintroductions would be the most cost-effective way to try to maintain and elevate the water table, trap sediment, expand hydric species, and improve fish habitat. These techniques are proposed in this project, with larger scale beaver reintroduction planned for the State FY2026 Southern Region Riparian Restoration proposal. This project is 100% contained within the Panguitch Lake Unit for both mule deer and elk. The mule deer population on the Panguitch Lake Unit is in a slightly downward trend with an estimated population of 10,000 deer and an objective of 11,000. The elk herd on the Panguitch Lake unit is also below objective with an estimated population of 1,000 and an objective of 1,100-1,300. The proposed treatments fall within both crucial winter (1,461 acres) and summer substantial habitat (1,356 acres) for mule deer and summer substantial/calving (1,773 acres) and winter substantial habitat (751 acres) for elk. Depending on the precipitation year, much of this area can receive year-round use from mule deer. Reducing pinyon and juniper from sagebrush and mountain brush habitats can help protect and encourage additional browse species in the project area that are important as year-round forage for deer, such as sagebrush, bitterbrush, mountain mahogany, cliffrose, oak, and serviceberry. As discussed for sage grouse, the seed mix chosen for the project emphasizes diversification and has a focus on forbs which have been shown to be a critical spring and summer food item for mule deer. Monaco and Gunnell (2020) showed that mastication and seeding treatments in Mountain Big Sagebrush increased sagebrush, perennial grass, and perennial forb communities at treatment sites across Utah. Additionally, this study showed that hand cutting treatments in Mountain Big Sagebrush can be effective at preserving existing perennial grasses and forbs and increasing sagebrush cover. The proposed treatments would provide an increase in available forage and in increase in available habitat that can be utilized for foraging for big game. The project will also help improve elk winter substantial range and crucial mule deer winter range by discouraging and reducing the encroachment of pinyon and juniper into sagebrush steppe, which is recommended in the elk herd and deer herd management plans for the Panguitch Lake Unit. Wildlife Tracker shows that mule deer have migration corridors through the proposed project area (see Documents section). The corridor through the Bear Valley/Little Valley portion of the treatment area is mainly through Phase 1 and Phase 2 PJ succession areas. Some of the area being treated in this portion of the project, along with surrounding areas, has relatively dense stands of mountain mahogany that should continue to provide cover for migrating deer. The treatments north of Little Creek near Iron Peak on BLM and Forest Service lands fall in between migration areas to the north and south. Providing additional food resources in this area could offer alternative movement routes for deer, or expand habitat use into these areas. The same could be said for the treatments south of Little Creek on BLM lands. Treatments along Little Creek should improve food resources and riparian vegetation cover along a migration corridor. All treatments may pull deer use of immediately adjacent agricultural fields north of Paragonah. Wildlife Tracker data shows that collared elk use is primarily on the eastern side of the project area (see Documents section). The treatments in elk winter range may expand elk use eastward, as well as reduce potential depredation issues in fields north of Paragonah. This is in line with unit habitat objectives to discourage high densities of elk from wintering along the Parowan Front below 7,000 feet to protect crucial deer range, reduce human safety issues from vehicle collisions, and to minimize depredation issues on agriculture fields, as the majority of project treatments are above 7,000 feet in elevation. The entire project is within mapped occupied wild turkey habitat and Little Creek Canyon is a turkey release area (see Documents section). Portions of the mastication, lop and scatter, and lop and pile treatments occur in the Gambel's oak cover type, especially along and adjacent to Little Creek on the southwest side of the project area. Additionally, the majority of the BLM portion of Little Creek itself has coyote willow and/or a cottonwood overstory. Pinyon and juniper trees are moving into and, in some cases, dominating these stands. Both these habitat types are important for turkeys (Frey and Ortego 2016). Herbaceous vegetation, protection and regeneration of roost trees, and increased production from oak stands are probable outcomes of the thinning treatments proposed in the project. By increasing herbaceous vegetation production and oak density (mast) next to roost trees this project should improve year-round turkey habitat along Little Creek. Local and statewide UDWR biologists support Gambel's' oak treatments proposed in this project to benefit wild turkey. While other species may benefit from the proposed treatments (see Kendall's friend in Images section), we believe the species addressed above are the ones most likely to have direct, or substantial indirect, benefits from completion of the proposed treatments.

The overarching purpose of the project is to maintain or improve vegetative community diversity and resilience, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce the risk of high intensity and high severity wildfires to public and firefighters. Specific objectives of the Little Creek project include: 1) In areas of Phase II and Phase III succession reduce conifer cover to <5% within in treatment polygons while leaving islands/corridors. This should improve lekking habitat for sage grouse leks adjacent to the project area and will move areas in FRCC 2 and 3 to FRCC 1. 2) In areas of Phase I succession reduce conifer cover to < 1%. This will maintain and improve lekking habitat for sage grouse and maintain FRCC1 in these areas. 3) Maintain and increase available forage by 20-30%. 4) Reduce rabbitbrush densities by 70% and increase desirable grasses and forbs, and shrub age class diversity in areas identified for wet mowing. 5) Improve BCT habitat and trap sediment by adding large woody debris every 100-200 feet along Little Creek. 6) Increase woody species and shading, improve bank cover and bank stability to over 80%, and increase the success of beaver reintroductions by removing riparian conifers and adding large woody debris. This should also help to maintain and improve water temperature. 7) Protect and improve UPD habitat being negatively impacted by FSR 31595. 8) Protect and improve instream and riparian habitat being negatively impacted by FSR 31595.

Location: As mentioned previously, this project expands on the large amount of work to completed to the north by the partnering project proponents. The project would also extend habitat restoration work south toward mule deer winter range work conducted on the Parowan Front (see UWRI projects 1468, 3070, 3435, 4544, 5758, 5948, 6721). The importance of this kind of habitat connectivity to ungulates, sage grouse, and other wildlife is well documented. As discussed in the Project Need, ground truthed Forest Service remote sensing data (VCMQ -- USDA 2016, see Documents section and Environmental Assessment in Documents Section) was used in project planning on the Forest acres of this project. Treatments were identified and analyzed based on cover type, and successional stage identified in the VCMQ data and ground verified by Forest personnel. Similar methods were used to identify areas for vegetation community enhancement within BLM lands by using a combination of Landfire data, soil survey, and then ground truthing by BLM personnel. Implementing the proposed treatments in this project area fulfils a multitude of resource, habitat, and species management plans (see Relationship to Plans Section). Several of these plans directly highlight the need for treatments on the landscape in this proposal. The western side of the Panguitch Lake Unit is identified as being winter range limited in the herd management plan with the area north of Paragonah specifically identified in that plan. This project proposes 1,461 acres of habitat improvement in crucial mule deer winter range in the area north or Paragonah. As highlighted in the Project Need, Wildlife Tracker data supports the contention that this project should improve habitat along and adjacent to migration corridors. Proposed treatments would provide transition zones, allowing deer to stay longer by expanding foraging habitat for winter, spring, and summer, while providing areas for mule deer to move to as further urban expansion occurs along the Parowan front. Treatments may also prevent depredation issues and winter range depletion in other areas along the Parowan Front. This project would also connect treatments from Little Creek Canyon northeast into Upper Bear Valley, which is also specifically identified in the herd management plan for PJ treatments in sagebrush. Also discussed in the project need is that Little Creek sustained significant negative impacts from the Brian Head Fire. UDWR Southern Region Aquatics and Forest Service personnel identified Little Creek throughout the project area as an area where instream habitat improvement could benefit BCT reintroductions and restore the conservation population that was lost after the fire. The 2019 Conservation Agreement and Strategy for BCT has the objective of maintaining all conservation populations in the Southern Geographic Management Unit, which contains Little Creek. Little Creek was also the only population in the Escalante Desert subbasin. Regional UDWR personnel have identified this project as part of a five-year implementation plan to improve Brian Head Fire affected streams. The proposed treatments would also improve habitat for other wildlife including wild turkey. All of the proposed treatments are in mapped occupied turkey habitat and treatments along Little Creek itself are within a turkey release area. The proposed treatments would directly improve year-round turkey habitat. The turkey management plan identifies "Human-wild turkey conflicts in urban and agricultural settings" and "Insufficient winter habitat" as High Priority Issues. This project would improve winter habitat and improve turkey foraging habitat on public lands adjacent to agricultural properties north of Paragonah, potentially reducing depredation issues. UPD are a Threatened species on the cusp of potentially being delisted. Failure to continue population and habitat improvement efforts for this species could imperil the chances of it being delisted. Habitat work for these UPD colonies was completed and is being implemented from WRI project 6514, failure to implement this project could lead to more degradation of potential dispersal and foraging habitat. Similarly, lek counts on the Panguitch SGMA are at some of their lowest points in many years even after the rise in 2012 and 2022. This could risk additional forced management actions by federal agencies without additional actions to improve habitat. When triggers were reached in this PHMA, a Causal Factor Analysis for Greater Sage-Grouse in the Panguitch Priority Habitat Management Area was completed. The analysis lists Proactive Habitat Improvement Projects, Existing Riparian and Mesic Meadow Development, and Perennial Forb Plantings as recommendations to aid in reducing further reductions to sage-grouse in the PHMA. Project activities implement these recommendations by expanding existing sage-grouse habitat especially at higher elevations through mastication and lop and scatter treatments, restoring the riparian area along Bear Creek from unauthorized motorized use, and increasing perennial forbs through seeding the mastication and some of the wet mowing treatments. The Upper Sevier Watershed Management Plan identifies sagebrush habitat degradation, sage grouse declines, and access management (road issues) all as being high level issues in the Bear Creek watershed. The Plan recommends focusing on the following key issues "Enhancement and Protection of Prairie Dog Habitat," "Enhancement and Protection of Sage Grouse Habitat," "Pinyon/Juniper, Sagebrush/Grasslands -- ecosystem treatment for improvements to fuel conditions, vegetation composition and accelerated erosion areas," and "Enhancement and Protection of Riparian Habitat." The treatments outlined for this project address all these issues. The Utah Wildfire Risk Explorer shows burn probability mostly high to very high throughout the project area. Timing: There are several reasons why this project should be implemented sooner rather than later. First, implementing this project now will help maximize the habitat connectivity benefits identified above in this section and in the Project Need. The sooner habitat restoration work from adjacent UWRI projects can be tied together the better the chance that wildlife will exploit them before successional changes to vegetation begin again. Many other projects have shown the need for lop and scatter maintenance treatments within 10-15 years of PJ removal implementation. Second, there are light to heavy infestations of cheat grass in portions of the Upper Bear Valley portion of the project and pockets of cheat grass throughout the Little Creek portion of the project. If a wildfire were to occur, the potential for cheat grass to expand would be high. Cheatgrass infestations shorten the fire cycle and could lead to an increase in the frequency of negative fire-related impacts across the proposed project area (Pierson, et al., 2011). Mechanical treatments have the potential to increase cover of invasive annual grasses (e.g. cheat grass) instead of more desirable species. Disturbance method, existing site conditions, seeding methods, and post-treatment precipitation patterns all effect the potential for cheat grass to increase following treatments (Coultrap, et al., 2008; Redmond, Cobb, Miller, & Barger, 2013; Havrilla, Faist, & Barger, 2017; Williams, et al., 2017; Jones, A., 2019; Madsen, 2019). While data is mixed on the success of the proposed seeding treatments following the types of treatments proposed in the project, with the appropriate seed mix, site conditions, and normal precipitation, seeding has been shown to be successful following treatments (Bybee, 2013; Stephens, Johnston, Jonas, & Paschke, 2016; Svecjar, Boyd, Davies, Hamerlynck, & Svecjar, 2017; Roundy, et al., 2018; Jones A. , 2019). Given this we believe the proposed treatments are likely to maintain, or reduce, the relative abundance of cheat grass in the project area. Third, at present there is cooperation and buy in for this project between UDWR, two federal land management agencies, three private landowners, and all the permittees on three different livestock allotments. This cooperation would help provide more than 60% of the project costs, allowing for landscape scale restoration, while meeting the State FY 2025 criteria of not requesting more than $1 million from UWRI funding sources. Delays in moving forward with the project risk losing this cooperation and funding. Fourth, in addition to the mechanical treatments proposed on the Forest acres, there are over 4,000 acres of prescribed fire treatments authorized in the Aspen Pasture of the South Red Creek Allotment under the Cedar City Sagebrush Steppe and Woodland Restoration Decision. These helicopter treatments would create a mosaic of treated and untreated areas and have a significant impact on fire behavior. Completing the mechanical treatments proposed in this project increases the safety of these aerial treatments, by creating areas of modified fuel behavior within the larger fuel matrix. Without these pre-treatments it will be harder to design and implement the aerial treatments leaving the Phase II and III areas of pinyon juniper and pinyon juniper woodlands at a heightened risk for a large-scale, high severity fire, along with all the negative watershed, wildlife, and infrastructure issues that would result from that. Finally, waiting to treat these acres will require more investment to set back the successional stages as state in transition continues. On approximately 1,700 of the proposed treatment acres pinyon-juniper succession currently varies from early Phase II through Phase III. A considerable amount of the Phase II is transitioning to Phase III and much of the Phase III still has some residual understory of shrubs. Waiting to treat these areas of late Phase II risks them completely converting to Phase III and increasing the cost of treatment, as well as decreasing treatment effectiveness as residual shrubs are lost. The amount of pinyon-juniper woodland succession into sagebrush steppe ecosystems in Phase 2 and Phase 3 areas had a substantial negative impact on herbaceous understory and shrub ecosystems. Without fire, mechanical, or another disturbance for 40 to 50 years the shrub and sagebrush areas could be completely converted to woodlands. On the 934 acres of Phase I PJ succession to be treated, the risk of not treating the project now is that these sites advance into later Phase I or even Phase II PJ, some shrub and understory vegetation is lost, and the cost to treat these acres increases anywhere from 5-10-fold.

This project will work to address threats, work within focus areas and with focus species, help meet objectives and goals of the below listed plans. Under those plans are specific language from the plan describing threats, goals, strategies, and objectives this project will help meet. 1) USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Strategic Plan Project addresses habitat threats for a priority species (BCT, sage grouse, and UPD) within a PFW priority area (Plateau Focus Area) for restoration work. 2) Utah Greater Sage Grouse Conservation Plan Increase habitat by 50,000 acres per year and improve an average of 25,000 acres of habitat each year. Portions of this project are within Sage Grouse Management Zone III (Southern Great Basin) and is part of the Panguitch/Bald Hills sage grouse population. The Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-grouse in Utah was approved by the Governor in April 2013. The plan establishes incentive-based conservation programs for conservation of sage-grouse on private, local government, and School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration lands and regulatory programs on other state- and federally managed lands. The Conservation Plan also establishes sage-grouse management areas and implements specific management protocols in these areas. The Utah Greater Sage-grouse Management Plan in 2009 identified threats and issues affecting sage-grouse management in Utah as well as goals, objectives, and strategies intended to guide UDWR, local working groups, and land managers efforts to protect, maintain, and improve sage-grouse populations and habitats and balance their management with other resource uses. This project is designed to improve lekking and brood rearing habitat adjacent to two sage grouse leks and could potentially expand habitat use to the south. 3) Utah Mule Deer Statewide Plan (12/5/2019-12/5/2024) "Work with local, state and federal land management agencies via land management plans and with private landowners to identify and properly manage crucial mule deer habitats, especially fawning, wintering, and migration areas" "Work with local, state and federal land management agencies and ranchers to properly manage livestock to enhance crucial mule deer ranges." "Minimize impacts and recommend mitigation for losses of crucial habitat due to human impacts." "Continue to support and provide leadership for the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, which emphasizes improving sagebrush-steppe, aspen, and riparian habitats throughout Utah." "Support existing and explore additional incentive programs for landowners that will increase tolerance, enhance habitat, and promote deer populations on private lands such as the CWMU, landowner permit, Walk-In Access programs, etc." This project falls in the Crucial Mule Deer Habitat Priorities. 4) Panguitch Lake Deer Herd Unit #28 Management Plan 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 cheatgrass 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. Work with federal and state partners in fire rehabilitation and prevention on crucial deer habitat through the WRI process. Future habitat work should be concentrated on the following areas: Continue to reduce Pinyon and Juniper encroaching into shrubland, specifically in South Canyon, Five Mile Hollow, Buckskin Valley, Bear Valley and other areas within critical winter range. Seek opportunities to increase browse and perennial forbs in areas of critical winter range through mechanical treatment and reseeding. The project would address limiting winter habitat issues north of Paragonah and reduce encroaching PJ in Bear Valley, by conducting mastication and lop and scatter treatments. Treatments should release browse species and seeding should increase perennial forbs. 5) Utah Wildlife Action Plan Mountain Sagebrush, Aquatic Forested, Aquatic-Scrub/Shrub, Mountain Shrub, and Riverine are all key habitats identified in the WAP that would be treated by the project. WAP identifies inappropriate fire frequency as a High or Very High threat to Mountain sagebrush, Mountain Shrub habitat, and Gambel's Oak. This project will reduce future fire risk and act as a fire buffer to adjacent higher risk areas. Riverine, Aquatic Scrub/Shrub, and Aquatic Forested Habitats, are threatened by Channel Down Cutting, Drought, Sediment Transport Imbalance, especially in Little Creek since the Brian Head Fire. One of the main focuses of this project is to jump start passive restoration through large woody debris additions followed by large scale beaver reintroduction in Little Creek. Large woody debris additions have been successful in past projects (UWRI 5588, 5674) at trapping sediment and even raising stream bead elevation. 6) 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. BLM, Forest Service and NRCS are working across land management agency boundaries, with permittees on two different allotments, and across three private land parcels to remove encroaching conifers. 7) Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0 Investment Strategy Restore 25,773 acres in Utah representing 58 percent of non-federally encroached priority areas. Restore and enhance degraded mesic areas to help increase populations. Project would work to remove encroaching conifers, as well as elevate the water table and resto9re floodplain function. 8) Utah Catastrophic Wildfire Reduction Strategy Reduce fire risk by managing and removing invasive species. Project should help to contain and prevent the spread of cheat grass through fire risk reduction and native grass seedings. 9) USDA Forest Service: Using Resistance and Resilience Concepts to Reduce Impacts of Invasive Annual Grasses and Altered Fire Regimes on the Sagebrush Ecosystem and Greater Sage-Grouse Use mechanical treatments like cut and leave or mastication to remove trees, decrease woody fuels, and release native grasses and forbs in warm and moist big sagebrush ecosystems with relatively low resistance to annual invasive grasses that are in the early to mid-phase of pinyon and/or juniper expansion. Prioritize areas where restoration of sagebrush and/or perennial grasses is needed to create large patches of landscape cover of sagebrush or connect existing patches of sagebrush habitat. 10) Utah Partners in Flight Avian Conservation Strategy Version 2.0 Create, enhance and protect small ephemeral "wet areas" within nesting and brood-rearing habitats for sage grouse. Manage large blocks of land for contiguous Shrubsteppe habitat and avoid activities that cause fragmentation. This project seeks to enhance riparian habitats and expand on thousands of acres of treatment immediately to the north. 11) UTAH ACTION PLAN For Implementation of Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3362. 2018. This order directs the BLM to "work with our State partners and others to conserve and/or improve priority western big-game winter range and migration corridors in sagebrush ecosystems and in other ecotypes as necessary." 12) Dixie National Forest LRMP Goal 15 -- Maintain or enhance the terrestrial habitat for all wildlife species presently on the Forest (page IV-5). All the vegetation treatments proposed should increase browse and or forage for Forest MIS species, such as mule deer, elk and wild turkey. Goal 17 -- Managed Classified Species habitat to maintain or enhance their status through direct habitat improvement and agency cooperation (Page IV-6). This project has the potential restore habitat for a BCT conservation population that was eliminated by the Brian Head Fire. BCT is an Intermountain Region Sensitive species and is managed under Conservation Agreement and Strategy that both DWR and the Forest Service are signatories or involved partners. This project is also designed to benefit Utah Prairie Dog a federally Threatened species and Greater sage grouse an Intermountain Region Sensitive species. As discussed under the Project Need this project would enhance habitat for Forest MIS and Regional Sensitive species. 13) Cedar Beaver Garfield Antimony Resource Management Plan Wildlife Objectives - Improve habitat in poor condition on crucial deer winter range. Soil/Water/Air Objectives - Improve watershed conditions on sensitive watershed areas (riparian areas.) Avoid deterioration of riparian/fisheries habitat currently in fair or good condition. Range Objectives -- Reduce resource conflicts by improve big game habitat in poor condition through improving quality of key species within the Lister Robinson and Fenton allotments. 13) Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment 14) The Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment lists pinyon and juniper expansion as one of the threats to sage-grouse habitat and encourages prioritizing removal in occupied habitats, Upper Bear Valley is currently and has historically been used by sage-grouse. Additionally, the plan states "where sagebrush is the current or potential dominate vegetation type or is a primary species within the various states of the ecological site description, maintain or restore vegetation to provide habitat for lekking, nesting, brood rearing, and winter habitats" wet mowing will reduce rabbitbrush and allow for sagebrush reestablishment and will also allow for a release of grasses and forbs which is be beneficial to sage-grouse. 15) Utah Prairie Dog (Cynomys parvidens) Conservation Strategy Objective: Manage Utah prairie dog populations through commitments by UDWR and its conservation partners to address ongoing concerns on federal and non-federal lands. The current project would address direct impacts to foraging and dispersal habitat immediate adjacent to an occupied UPD colony on Forest Service lands. 16) Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Plan 2.1. Prioritize Utah prairie dog habitat for protection and management. 2.3. Manage and improve Utah prairie dog habitat on Federal lands. 2.3.2. Develop and implement guidelines to minimize adverse impacts to Utah prairie dogs and their habitat from various activities on Federal lands (Priority 1). "Multiple uses on public lands need to be balanced with minimizing adverse effects to Utah prairie dogs and their habitat." The current project would address direct impacts to foraging and dispersal habitat immediate adjacent to an occupied UPD colony on Forest Service lands. 17) Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy for BCT Goal 3: Proactively respond to significant changes in population and habitat "quality" that are observed during monitoring. Identify opportunities to improve habitat for the benefit of fisheries. Objective 2: When necessary, perform in-stream and riparian restoration. Goal 8: Work with partners (other agencies or non-governmental organizations) to complete GMU/subunit goals identified below. Also work with these partners to "opportunistically" complete other projects that benefit BCT. Objective 1: Encourage and enable partners to perform restoration that benefits the BCT fisheries. Southern Bonneville GMU - GMU Goal 1: Maintain all populations within GMU. Project would accelerate habitat recovery and improve fish habitat in Little Creek, which was a BCT conservation population before being eliminated by impacts from the Brian Head Fire. 18) 2023 Utah Wild Turkey Management Plan Enhance wild turkey habitat -- quality and quantity -- by 100,000 acres statewide by 2029 with the following strategies: Conduct habitat improvement projects in limiting habitat(s) and maximize the benefits to turkeys within all WRI projects that incorporate turkey habitat. Increase outreach to our agency and non-agency partners, regional habitat biologists and wildlife biologists to increase number of and quality of WRI projects, as well as comments on those projects. As discussed under the Project Need the project would protect and improve year round habitat and roosting habitat for turkeys. 19) Elk Unit Management Plan -- Panguitch Lake Unit #28 (2016) Continue to be committed to the statewide goal of supporting habitat projects that increase forage for both big game and livestock. Maintain and/or enhance forage production through direct range improvements throughout the unit to achieve population management objectives. Work with private, state and federal agencies to maintain and protect crucial ranges. Continue projects with USFS, BLM, state and private entities to enhance habitat across the unit. Discourage the encroachment of pinyon and juniper (PJ) trees into sagebrush and other habitats. Work with land management agencies to improve calving habitat and minimize disturbance in these areas. Seek opportunities to improve aspen communities, and some sagebrush ranges where calving and foraging are occurring. Discourage high densities of elk wintering along the Parowan Front below 7,000ft to protect crucial deer range, reduce human safety issues from vehicle collisions, and minimize depredation issues. As identified in the Project Need this project works across landownership boundaries to improve winter habitat and calving habitat for elk. 20) Upper Sevier River Total Maximum Daily Load and Water Quality Management Plan to address Total P loading as: Streambank restoration: The re-establishment of woody, deep-rooted vegetation such as willows and sedges is recommended for the majority of the Sevier River from its headwaters to Circleville Canyon. The potential for bank stabilization and erosion control is high since the water table is typically high throughout the year. Practices could include willow pole planting, willow mats, temporary juniper revetments, and other soft bio-engineering techniques. These restoration projects would have to be coupled with grazing management, development of offsite water sources, and permanent or temporary electric fencing to allow for recovery of riparian vegetation. In some cases which were identified during the SVAP survey bank erosion was so severe that the installation of hard structures such as rock barbs or weirs rock may be necessary to direct flow away from revegetating stream banks. It is reasonable to assume that these same actions would help with the new 303d listing for sediment in this unit and the E. coli 303d listing in Assessment Unit UT16030001-004_00. 21) Iron County Resource Management Plan (2017) The Iron County Plan discusses objectives and expectations for Fire Management, Fisheries, Floodplains and River Terraces, Forest Management, Livestock and Grazing, Riparian & Wetland Areas. This document is attached and the project supports the Plan's objectives for these resource areas.

Sagebrush stands in this area are classified as FRCC 2 in areas with phase 1 pinyon-juniper succession and FRCC3 in areas with phase 2 and phase 3 pinyon-juniper succession. In sagebrush steppe groups 1,2,3 current fuel loading averaged 2 tons per acre. Pinyon-juniper cover type phases 1 ,2 ,3 fuel loading ranged from 3 to 9 tons per acre with the average being around 4 tons per acre. Total fuel loads in encroached sagebrush ecosystems can be almost six times more than sagebrush ecosystems that have not been encroached, which causes significant changes in how fires burn (Putz and Restaino 2021). The current continuity and structure of sagebrush groups and phases of pinyon-juniper greatly limits the ability of firefighters to directly attack wildfires as they would be overwhelmed by very high rates of spread in the finer fuels coupled with high flame lengths coming off of the trees. Thick live fuels also slow fire line construction due to all the dense fuels firefighters have to cut through to create and then hold a fire line. The goal of treatment is to improve health and vigor of stands by moving them toward a FRCC of 1 and away from 2 and 3, reduce fuel loading, fuel continuity and to reduce the risk of large-scale fires of uncharacteristically high severity that could result in a degradation of watershed conditions. It is well documented that large, high severity fires can have dire consequences terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitats. In addition to potential impacts to vegetation communities and species, multiple residential structures exist on the private lands within the project area. Several areas at the private lands/public lands boundary within the project boundary are considered Wildland Urban Interface Areas with a priority for treatment. A wildfire in the project area would most certainly threaten these structures particularly on the private land parcel slated for mastication and seeding as part of this project. Any post-fire flooding and debris flows would also have a major impact on the large diversion at the base of Little Creek Canyon, which provides water to multiple agricultural fields in the valley. Additionally, that flooding could damage Forest, BLM, and County roads that cross and are adjacent to Little Creek, which could affect ingress and egress to private property. All these risks were realized in flooding following the Brian Head Fire. A wildfire over the more highly erosive soils of the project area would probably result in worse flooding than was seen following the Brian Head Fire. Range improvements in the project area would also be at risk.

Currently, Bear Creek (Assessment Unit - UT16030001-004_00) is 303d listed for the following parameters: pH, E. coli, Copper, and temperature (UTDEQ 2022). The receiving waters of Bear Creek in the Upper Sevier River (Assessment Unit UT16030001-007_00) has a TMDL for Total Phosphorus and Sediment and is also now 303d listed for benthic macroinvertebrates and temperature. Pinyon Juniper removal projects have been shown to increase the ground cover of grasses and forbs, thereby reducing bare ground and erosion (Roundy & Vernon, 1999; Pierson, Bates, Svejcar, & Hardegree, 2007a; Peterson & Stringham, 2008; Stam et al. 2008; Pierson, et al., 2010; Cline, Pierson, Kormos, & Williams, 2010). Proposed mastication and seeding treatments should contribute to reducing sediment and total phosphorus loading in the Upper Sevier River. Accelerated erosion in pinyon-juniper and sagebrush stands was identified as a key issue in the Bear Creek watershed in the Upper Sevier Watershed Management Plan (see Documents section). Additionally, the TMDL identifies roads as one of the sources of large-scale erosion. The current FSR 31595 road crossing is resulting in bank damage and sediment introduction to Bear Creek. One of the implementation strategies in the TMDL is to conduct stream restoration/bank stabilization treatments. Hardening the approaches to the Bear Creek crossing and installing appropriately sized culverts will allow thew damaged stream banks and wet meadows to heal and reduce sedimentation into Bear Creek. Additionally, the maintenance on the remainder of the road will reduce erosion and sedimentation into Bear Creek. Little Creek (Assessment Unit ID UT16030006-005_00, Little Creek and tributaries from irrigation diversion at mouth to headwaters) is listed as requiring a TMDL for E. coli. Additionally, Forest data collected in 2017 prior to the Brian Head Fire showed instream temperatures exceeding the 20° C maximum to maintain the Class 3B beneficial use designation on Little Creek within the project area. Both upland and riparian treatments should reduce the potential for runoff to carry sediment and pollutants into Little Creek, potentially reducing the amount of E. coli. Additionally, increasing the amount of forage off the stream in upland portions of the Aspen Pasture should help pull some livestock use off the stream. Riparian conifer removal and large woody debris additions to the stream have the potential to trap sediment and improve the areal extent and diversity of hydric species in riparian areas. Increased ground cover and additional aggradation of the stream bed should help reduce fine sediment loading in the remainder of the stream and help contribute to reduced levels of E. coli and sediment in Little Creek. Matney et al. (2005) found significantly increased willow growth and reduced stream temperatures where junipers were felled over riparian and stream habitats versus control plots, so the proposed treatment should help maintain or reduce maximum water temperatures in Little Creek. The effects of conifer removal on water yield are variable and inconsistent; however, some research indicates that pinyon-juniper removal in mountain sagebrush can increase soil water availability (Roundy et al. 2014). This project proposes to remove pinyon and juniper from sagebrush grass lands and improve the amount and diversity of riparian hydric and woody species. The combination of these activities should have a net positive effect on increasing water yield/availability. Beaver used portions of Little Creek prior to the Brian Head Fire, raising the stream bed by up to 15 feet in some places and helping to trap sediment and create a new floodplain within the historic incision. All of these dams were blown out in flooding after the Brian Head Fire. UDWR and the Forest Service have cooperated to reintroduce 22 beavers into Little Creek since the fire, with the majority of those being released in the first three years following the fire. So far, these reintroductions seem to have been unsuccessful at reestablishing a beaver population in Little Creek. The riparian conifer removal and whole tree drop treatments should improve the density and growth of willows, cottonwoods, and river birch, as well as provide structure for beaver to use as starting points for dam building. Successful beaver reintroductions would have a sizeable impact on water yield and delivery from the project area. If this project is funded and implemented, UDWR has agreed to focus State FY 2026 beaver transplants in Little Creek, as well as pursue closing this area to trapping for a period of time following translocations to increase the probability of translocation success. Finally, the pinyon and juniper removal treatments proposed in this project will help to reduce fuel loading and fuel continuity along channels that drain into Little Creek and Little Creek itself. This will reduce the risk that fire behavior would cause a large, high severity wildfire and the negative water quality repercussions associated with ash flows and debris flows following wildfires. The treatments proposed in this Phase will connect with treatments conducted the series of Greater Fremont projects (I-V) to reduce the risk of an uncharacteristically high severity fire, the aftermath of which could result in lowering water tables through stream incision and cause short and long-term impacts to sediment and nutrient loading, negatively affecting water quality. Additionally, there is some evidence to suggest that cheat grass dominated landscapes have altered hydrologic properties and could inherently have increased runoff and erosion when compared to non-invaded areas (Boxell & Drohan, 2009; Wilcox, et al., 2012; Weltz, et al., 2014). This project should reduce the risk of expanding cheat grass by reducing wildfire risk and seeding treated areas.

The Forest Service portion of this project was analyzed under the Cedar City Ranger District Sage Steppe and Woodland Restoration project. The Decision Notice was signed in February 2023 (see Documents section). Cultural resource surveys have been contracted as a part of project 6514 and should be completed in spring/summer 2024. The BLM portion of this project was analyzed Parowan Front Habitat Restoration project. The Decision Record was signed in August 2018 (see Documents section). Cultural clearance on these acres will be completed via a BLM contract in spring/summer 2024. Private cultural clearance will be completed in the early stages of State FY 2025.

1) Phase II and Phase III Pinyon Juniper succession sites primarily in mountain sagebrush, mountain brush, and Gambel's Oak (up to 1,643 acres): a. Contracted mastication to remove all pinyon and juniper trees in these areas (up to 1,643 acres). b. Aerial seeding with attached seed mixes based on land ownership (up to 1,643 acres). c. Lop/pile/burn treatments to remove all pinyon and juniper trees in areas where mastication is not feasible on the south side of Little Creek (up to 65 acres) 2) Phase I pinyon juniper succession sites, primary in mountain sagebrush and mountain mahogany (934 acres) a. A combination of contract (up to 807 acres) and Forest personnel (127 acres) lop and scatter. The target would be to remove all pinyon and juniper trees from these areas. 3) Riparian conifer and instream habitat improvement along Little Creek (up to 77 acres): a. Lop and scatter (up to 77 acres) -- Contracted lop and scatter of all pinyon and juniper except those flagged for bank stability. b. Large woody debris additions (5.9 miles) - Junipers will be flagged for whole tree felling into Little Creek during the lop and scatter contract. 4) Rabbitbrush treatments in Mountain sagebrush (up to 83 acres): a. Contracted wet mowing using Tordon. b. Seeding (17.5 acres) i. Aerial seeding on Forest mastication and wet mow acres (2.5 acres). ii. Ground seeding on Forest lop and scatter/wet mow acres (15 acres). iii. Understory is good enough to not seed on private wet mow acres (65.5 acres). 5) Fence construction (11,368 feet) a. Private treatment fence (5,661 feet) -- Top rail fencing with wildlife crossings will be installed using a fence contractor. b. BLM pasture boundary and drift fence (5,701 feet) -- i. Contract to remove and rebuild four strand barbed wire fence (1,270 feet) ii. Contract to construct new four strand barbed wire fence (4,431 feet). 6) FSR 31595 reroute and Bear Creek low water crossing (See Documents section for detailed plan view, mapped as 5.5 acre affected area) a. Grading - General road maintenance and blading with a grader. Work will include maintenance of existing roadway, drainage control structures, and other improvements currently associated with the road. b. Heavy maintenance - Reconstruct the roadway as needed, ripping and shaping the traveled way. Reconstruct drainage control structures including dips, ditches, catch basins, etc., and add drainage as needed. c. Culvert replacement/installation -- Forest Service personnel will replace two existing undersized culverts (one that has completely failed with two 40-foot lengths of 24-inch diameter CMP culvert piping using heavy equipment. Approaches to these culverts would be graded and hardened. Additionally, the Forest Service would pipe the small drainage causing road issues and wet meadow damage in and adjacent to the private property using a 24-inch diameter corrugated steel culvert. 7) Cultural clearance contract a. Private lands acres included in this project (100 acres). Mapped as a treatments. b. BLM lands included in this proposal (767 acres).Mapped as a treatments. c. Future Forest Service acres in Fivemile pasture. Planned Phase 3 of the CCRD Sagebrush Steppe and Woodland Restoration acres (3,100 acres). Mapped as an Affected Area. d. Future BLM acres in Water Canton (1,360 acres). Mapped as an Affected Area. *Note: The lop/pile/burn acres on Forest Service lands had a 2 m negative buffer applied because of overlap issues loading in the database. Polygons meet and are contiguous in most areas where space is shown between them and difference between acres claimed in the text and shown on the map are a result of this buffer.

Fish -- UDWR, BLM, and the Forest Service have two quantitative electrofishing stations on Little Creek in the treatment area. The station on BLM has been sampled three times since 2011 and the station on the Forest has been sampled five times since 2010. UDWR monitors BCT streams every 7 years, and the results are documented in published agency reports (see Documents section). Springsnail monitoring -- UDWR, the Forest Service and other partners have participated in presence absence surveys for springsnails throughout the project and treatment area. Springsnails are present downstream from the project in Bear Creek and in several springs in the upstream reaches of Little Creek. Upland vegetation -- Within the Aspen Pasture the Dixie National Forest has established two upland vegetation trend studies: one in the contract lop and scatter hand treatment and one in the force account lop and scatter. Additionally, the Dixie will establish an upland vegetation trend study site in one of the Phase III mastication and seeding sites pre-implementation in summer 2024. These studies are repeated every 5 years and are detailed in biennial monitoring reports by the Dixie National Forest and can be uploaded to the WRI web site (see Documents section). CCFO will establish a upland vegetation trend study within the mastication site that is repeated for 5 years consecutively and moved into rotation with other trend studies. Riparian Vegetation -- Within the Aspen Pasture the DNF has two Riparian Level III Inventory locations one of which is established within the riparian treatments along Little Creek. The second is within the future prescribed fire treatments in the Aspen Pasture. These studies are repeated every 5 years and are detailed in annual monitoring reports by the Dixie National Forest and can be uploaded to the WRI web site (see Documents section). Multiple Indicator Monitoring - The DNF monitors the same site as the existing Riparian Level III Inventory site on Little Creek for bank stability, bank cover and greenline to greenline width within the proposed riparian treatments. These sites are repeated every 5 years and are detailed in annual monitoring reports by the Dixie National Forest and can be uploaded to the WRI web site (see Documents section). Wildlife monitoring -- Cooperative Forest Service/UDWR UPD annual colony counts go on each year in the spring. Aerial lek searches are scheduled annually by DWR, using a fixed wing plane with infrared imaging. UDWR flies the unit every 3 years for elk counts, they also use collars and look at post-season survival rates to determine mule deer population size and trends. UDWR uses harvest data to model turkey population size. Pinyon jay and pygmy rabbit monitoring has occurred prior to treatments with no nesting colonies or pygmy rabbits being located. Pinyon jay surveys will be conducted after the treatment as well to see if pinyon jays are utilizing the area. Fuels monitoring -- During environmental planning for the Cedar City Sagebrush, Steppe, and Woodland restoration project 100 photo plots were set up throughout the whole project area. Five of those plots are in the Aspen pasture: two in proposed mastication and seeding treatments, one in proposed contract lop and scatter treatments, and two in future prescribed fire treatments. In addition to photos, all trees were counted 1/10 acre circumference from plot center. These sites can be repeated following project treatments and the comparison posted to the project web site (see Documents section for original data). Photo points -- Multiple photo points have been/will be established on all ownerships within the project area to document conditions before and after the treatments are implemented.

Cross boundary coordination on this project began in 2019 when the Cedar City Ranger District began the initial planning stages of the Cedar City Ranger District Sagebrush, Steppe, and Woodland Restoration project. Conversations with NRCS and UDWR led to a field tour in 2020 looking at the entirety of the project and focusing on a few key areas of common interest. This led to the BLM, NRCS, USFWS, and Forest Service jointly submitting UWRI projects 5638 - Greater Fremont Plateau Habitat Restoration Phase IV and 6514 - Greater Fremont Plateau Habitat Restoration Phase V- Bear Valley project, which funded cultural clearance work for over 1,400 acres of the Forest Service lands being proposed in this project. Additionally, Project 5638 funded the remaining cultural clearance acres in the upper portions of Bear Valley for this project. Since that time the Forest Service has worked closely with the NRCS Farm Bill Biologist to coordinate private lands projects in, and adjacent to, this project area. This project was presented with preliminary treatment maps at the Interagency Coordination meeting in March 2023. Multiple field tours have been conducted in the area with Forest Service, UDWR, BLM, NRCS, Mule Deer Foundation, and Trout Unlimited personnel, including two tours in September and October of 2023. The project was presented to permittees on the South Red Creek allotment at an in-person Annual Operating meeting with the Forest Service and NRCS in April 2023, where permittees had an opportunity to comment on the project. All of the permittees attended the meeting were very supportive of completing work on the allotment. BLM met with the permittee and NRCS on the Lister Robinson allotment at in person meeting in October 2023 where the permittee was very supportive of the project and provided input. NRCS, private landowners, and permittees have been integral partners on this project and are expected to provide up to $944,438 toward project implementation. The BLM is contributing at least $109,660 in funding towards the project and another $30,000 of in-kind services. The Forest Service is contributing $17,145 in seasonal and equipment time toward project implementation and another $ 40,766.05 of in-kind services. The Mule Deer Foundation has also expressed interest in participating in this project. This project has been identified by UDWR and the Forest Service as a priority for Bonneville Cutthroat trout habitat restoration from Brian Head Fire impacts. Private landowners in Bear Valley and upstream in Little Creek have been contacted about participating. Five different private landowners in the area have participated in restoration work in Bear Valley and in Little Creek over the past 3 years through projects 5638, 6060, and 6514. For those who chose not to participate in this phase, we hope that once they see the results on public and other private lands they may change their mind. UDWR, BLM, and NRCS have also collaborated to have this project be targeted for increased beaver reintroduction in State FY 2026 through the annual Southern Region Riparian Restoration project, as well as pursuing closing the area to trapping after translocations begin.

Both BLM and Forest permittees have met directly with agency personnel and verbally agreed to resting the pastures with vegetation management treatments for two years. A signed non-use agreement will be signed by the permittees for the BLM allotments prior to project implementation. During the two years following treatment, the Forest Annual Operating Instructions will be adjusted to reflect rest of the seeded area and that will constitute the signed agreement. As discussed under the Sustainable Uses section, the declining forage, lack of water sources, and failing range infrastructure are impacting livestock operations and resources on the Aspen Pasture and this project addresses those issues. The Cedar City Sage Steppe and Woodland Restoration NEPA authorizes additional vegetation treatments on the remaining pastures of the South Red Creek Allotment, which will help to increase forage on those pastures. The Cedar City Ranger District is also developing a range infrastructure project for this and other allotments, which should help maintain and improve the number and quality of water sources across the allotment. The Brian Head Fire has already created forage increases on two of the pastures which is helping to allow a portion of the herd to remaining on those pastures for longer and defray use on other pastures. The goal of vegetation treatments and infrastructure improvements is to have an allotment where timing, duration, and intensity can be better controlled because of more widespread distribution of grazing pressure. On Forest Service lands this would be the second major implementation area of an ~86,000-acre vegetation management project that authorizes treatments in adjacent allotment and watersheds. If funded one pasture in each of the neighboring North and South Red Creek allotments will have been treated. Since both treatment pastures need to be rested for two years, the Forest plans to move to the adjacent Little Valleys Allotment to the east next (see Affected Area polygons for Cultural Clearance), before returning to the North Red Creek Allotment. In the interim long-term vegetation trend monitoring and visual observations will inform the need for adaptive management and maintenance on treatments and management in the Aspen Pasture. Additionally, the Aspen Pasture has over 4,000 acres where prescribed fire has been authorized. Completing the mechanical and hand treatments in this proposal will allow for implementation of this helicopter brining discussed in the Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?) section. Once implementation is completed on these acres and the surrounding pastures/allotments and watersheds, the wildfire risk and habitat issues should be addressed enough to focus on maintenance of investments. On BLM lands the next project within the Parowan Front vegetation enhancement would be a seeding/mastication and lop and scatter to the southwest of the project area within the Cave, Water Canyon and unallotted areas along the front of Paragonah and Red Creek (see Affected Area polygons for Cultural Clearance). Continued monitoring will take place as discussed in the monitoring section to inform of adaptive management and maintenance needs of these treatments. As mentioned elsewhere in the Need for the Project section there are three species managed under conservation agreements/plans, or recovery plans, in this project area. The State, the Forest Service, and the BLM are all participants and signatories to the agreements and plans. The partner agencies are committed to reestablishing and maintaining habitat in Little Creek that can support a BCT conservation populations. Partnering agencies have also made commitments to maintaining and improving sage grouse and UPD habitat. Partnership commitments to these agreements should help ensure continued maintenance of proposed treatments and the pursuit of additional adjacent habitat projects to benefit these species. Once treatments in the entire project area are completed the goal is to manage fire adapted ecosystems through a combination wildfire (managed for resource plan benefits), low intensity prescribed fire, and lower cost maintenance treatments depending on invasive species issues. In terms of treatments overlapping riparian areas, and sagebrush treatments, monitoring will determine the success of original treatments and maintenance will be conducted as necessary to remove whips and missed trees. On private lands, the private landowners will enter into a contract with NRCS. The mastication and seeding treatments will be rested for two growing seasons. Grazing will be allowed, in the areas with wet mowing because there is not any associated seeding. Wet mowing acres will also help the landowners better distribute and graze not only their private property but also their adjacent public allotments. This means the potential for improved range management and range conditions moving forward.

On the Forest the vegetation management portion of the project is 100% contained within the Aspen Pasture of the South Red Creek Allotment. This allotment is authorized to run 304 cow/calf pairs authorized over 1,219 head months. Currently this allotment is run on a 4-pasture deferred rotation. The Brian Head Fire negatively impacted the Blow Up and Williamson Pastures in the years immediately following the fire but has resulted in increased forage and opened access to greater distribution on these pastures in the long run. The Aspen Pasture which contains the project area, still has declining forage and a lack of water sources. Use in the pasture tends to be concentrated along Little Creek and in sagebrush meadows along the Bear Valley Road (FSR 30077). The lack of easily accessible forage areas on the western side of this pasture can result in overuse on Little Creek in some years. We have measured stubble height just below the 4-inch standard and bank alteration over the 20% standard along Little Creek. The failing boundary fence between the Forest Service and BLM also contributes to this condition by facilitating unauthorized use. Repair of this fence is part of the project proposal. The proposed mastication and seeding will help to increase forage off the stream in the Aspen Pasture. Similar actions to the north in the Greater Fremont series of projects has increased forage by approximately 35%. The proposed pasture fence reconstruction will help reduce unauthorized use. As discussed under the Future Management section, implementation of this project along with planned vegetation treatments and range improvements in the remaining pastures of the South Red Creek Allotment should result in increased forage, better distribution, and improved resource conditions. It will also make the allotment more resilient to drought periods which are expected to be longer and more intense under some climate change scenarios. All of this should allow for livestock grazing to continue under a variety of annual weather conditions, while improving livestock weights and resource conditions. Within the BLM portion the project is within the Fenton and Lister Robinson allotments. Within the Fenton allotment they can run up to 145 AUMs between July 1st and August 31st. The area proposed for treatment does not see livestock use from permitted cows within Fenton due to topography. Within the Lister-Robinson allotment they can run up to 62 AUMs between April 16th and June 15th. The allotments would benefit from these treatments by improving forage quantity and quality, improving upland conditions contributing to degradation of the riparian area (RLH standard 2), improving distribution, and eliminating unauthorized use both by improving the Forest Boundary fence and constructing a drift fence between private and BLM. Lop and scatter treatments surrounding the project area have been very popular for personal firewood gathering. Most of the accessible bigger material from Greater Fremont Phase IV lop and scatter has been gathered. Given the proximity of this area to multiple communities and the accessibility of the treatments, it is expected that much of the lopped and scattered wood will be collected for personal firewood use. The firewood program on the CCRD brings in around $15,000 annually. The other major use of the Little Creek to Bear Valley area is hunting, shed hunting, wildlife viewing, and OHV use. As outlined in the purpose and need and relationship to plans sections Phase II-III treatments should improve forage for mule deer and elk on winter and summer range. Hopefully this leads to higher use by big game which should translate into additional hunting pressure/success. Treatment may lead to increased OHV use for wildlife viewing and should help protect road and trail infrastructure from potential impacts of high severity wildfire. The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis data shows that in 2022 outdoor recreation created $8.1 billion in value-added for Utah, accounted for 3.2% of Utah's GDP, and provided 71,677 jobs. Hunting/shooting/trapping accounted for $245 million and OHV/motorcycling/ATVing accounted for $136 million. With the project area relatively close to Cedar City, Parowan, Paragonah, and Panguitch these communities are sure to benefit from recreation generated dollars. Finally, we expect that this project will contribute to conservation actions for a federally Threatened species on the precipice of downlisting and two species that are managed under Conservation Agreements/Plans designed to alleviate the factors that would warrant listing these species under ESA. Working toward downlisting species and preventing listings allows for multiple use management to continue for all sustainable uses.