The landscape of the greater La Sal watershed on the south and east side of the La Sal Mountains supports a diversity of habitats, associated wildlife, livestock grazing and provides culinary/irrigation water. Organized by the partners in the La Sal Sustainability Collaborative (USFS, BLM, DWR, SITLA, UDAF, FFSL, NRCS, Trout Unlimited and livestock permittees/private landowners) a variety of vegetation treatments and other improvements have been proposed to reduce hazardous fuels, improve forest health conditions and improve aquatic areas, range, and wildlife habitat across the eastern La Sals. Along with the ongoing implementation of aspen restoration, fuels treatments, understory thinning and tamarisk removal for stream restoration, the proposed projects in oakbrush, pinyon-juniper woodlands and ponderosa pine forest will create a large-scale impact with restored ecosystem function and habitat connectivity. The project will expand similar treatment types from past projects and phases increasing the size of treated areas within the watershed leveraging prior investment to further improve landscape resilience and resistance to catastrophic disturbances by creating a variety of seral stages and age classes in all ecological types within the project area.

1. Wray Mesa Forest Health Improvements - The Wray Mesa area east of the Town of La Sal is a pinyon-juniper woodland and is largely privately owned. This area has seen an increase in pinyon die-off due to the pinyon ips. This beetle causes tree mortality, leaving trees with a dry needle cast, increasing fire risk to the area. The objective of this portion would be to assist private landowners with removal of dead and dying trees around their structures and properties. This will not only reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire but will additionally improve the health of the woodlands and help to prevent the proliferation of beetle kill on the private land. The removal of P-J will open these areas up and allow for the growth of sagebrush and native forbs and grasses which will aid in mule deer forage. 2. Pine Ridge Thinning- FFSL has been working with landowners in the Pine Ridge area southeast of the town of La Sal for many years. The last phase of this project focused on implementation of a fuel break around privately owned structures. This project will continue with that work, along with additional thinning throughout the woodland area on both private and SITLA lands and removing ips affected pinyon trees throughout the project area. The removal of P-J will open these areas up and allow for the growth of sagebrush and native forbs and grasses which will aid in mule deer forage and utilization of the area. 3. Deer Spring Habitat Improvement - Reduce the density of the contiguous Gambel oak habitat through mastication (bullhog) treatment, creating openings and mosaics of vegetation composition and age class structure to increase forage production and availability and reduce live fuel load/fuel continuity. 4. West Coyote Creek low tech process based restoration & Riparian Restoration - BLM has implemented tamarisk removal and low-tech process based restoration on West Coyote Creek under the previous phase 3 iteration of this project. The overarching goals of the project are to address the impacts of channel downcutting, channelization, climate change, drought, invasive plant species, and their influence on inappropriate fire frequency and intensity and poor habitat quality to the northern leopard frog, plains spadefoot, great plains toad, southwestern willow flycatcher (SWFL), and the monarch butterfly. Although there is no occurrence data for SWFL at West Coyote Creek, the project area is included in the USFWS ECOS range data and could provide habitat during migration. Support for the possible presence of the Great Plains Toad is derived from https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=anaxyrus%20cognatus: "The distribution of this species in Utah is perplexing. Formerly recorded localities are scattered in the eastern Bonneville Basin (Pack 1922, Krupa 1990, Mulcahy et al. 2002) and southeastern Utah (Fig. 28) (Tanner 1931, Atwood et al. 1980, Krupa 1990). Mulcahy et al. (2002) considered the presence of this species in the Bonneville Basin to be the result of human introductions (see also Hovingh 1997). A Kane County record (Atwood et al. 1980) cannot be verified because a voucher specimen was not retained, and additional evidence has not surfaced despite intensive surveys in that region (G. Oliver, UDWR, pers. comm.). It is conceivable that the record in Emery County, too, represents an introduced population because evidence consists only of a single individual collected during 1927. Several specimens substantiate the former presence of the species in Grand County. Krupa (1990) mapped records in San Juan County, but the specific localities of these collections has not been determined (Mulcahy et al. 2002). Therefore, the status remains enigmatic; more than 70 years ago Tanner (1931) commented "It is not clear why more specimens of this species have not been collected in Utah." This proposal seeks to fund tamarisk re-treatments, pollinator forb and grass seeding, planting of native trees/shrubs, and low tech process based restoration actions as needed. The primary objective are to: -Increase the climate and drought resiliency of the aquatic and riparian system. -Expand the hydrologic influence, increase floodplain connectivity, and increase the aerial extent of the riparian area. -Remove the impacts from tamarisk and use the cured wood to implement low tech process based restoration actions.. -Increase the plant, insect, and animal diversity and richness (i.e., amphibians, birds, ungulates) and production within lower trophic levels (i.e., plants, insects) including nectar sources by applying a pollinator friendly forb mix within an expanded mesic zone. -Increase bank, floodplain, and alluvial aquifer water storage and recharge. -Establish bog violet to create silverspot butterfly habitat.

This project is in a high-priority area on the Utah Shared Stewardship map as well as within the Utah Forest Action Plan and the Utah Wildlife Action plan. Highway 46 is a major corridor for travel both into the La Sal mountains and over to the Ouray and Telluride region of Colorado - heavy travel on this highway in the summer months poses a wildfire risk to this region. Heavy fuel loading from dense pinyon-juniper along the roadsides and extending into both remote woodlands and the wildland urban interface creates the potential for catastrophic wildfire behavior which threatens rangelands, forests and private structures. Without thinning of dense pinyon/juniper around residences and ingress/egress roads for fuels reduction there is potential for large scale high severity wildfire both north and south of Highway 46, which would impact critical water sources and communities and infrastructure on Pine Ridge, Ray Mesa and Lisbon Valley, and lead to increased erosion and invasive plant species. The thinning of pinyon ips affected trees within the project area is still at a manageable point where we can help reduce the further spread of the ips and reduce the wildfire risk by removing already affected trees. Delayed action could result in mass pinyon mortality from drought stressed trees without woodland thinning and management. Sagebrush flats with supplemental forbs and grasses are an essential ecosystem in the southwest- they provide grazing habitat for livestock as well as game species. Encroachment of pinyon, juniper and oakbrush into the sage flats as well as increased density of cheatgrass is degrading the resource value of these ecosystems. Inaction will result in the winter range/shrub community's continued decline due to pinyon-juniper encroachment, infrequent fire return intervals due to fire suppression, and over utilization of shrubs with declining herd health for wintering big game and livestock in the area. Riparian areas comprise less than one percent of the approximately 22 million acres of public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Utah. However, these small but unique areas are among the most important, productive, and diverse ecosystems in the state. The riparian and aquatic systems of West Coyote Creek are imperiled by drought, climate change, and groundwater withdrawals. The stream is also highly impacted by tamarisk invasion and poor floodplain connectivity. West Coyote Creek is a perennial spring-fed system where the riparian and aquatic habitats can be greatly improved with a relatively small investment that builds off of previous work.

1)San Juan General Plan (2018): Support the use of various vegetation manipulation tools (such as mechanical, chemical, biological, prescribed and controlled wildland fire and livestock grazing) to enhance production of wildlife and livestock habitat and forage and improve watershed and water quality conditions on woodland areas with potential for improved ecological condition. 2)State of Utah Resource Management Plan: This plan specifically identifies the importance of protecting critical mule deer habitat, maintaining desired vegetation for wildlife and livestock, and actively managing invasive plants and noxious. Specific treatments in the plan include removal of pinyon-juniper into other ecological sites. The plan also specifically identifies working with partners in WRI to restore critical habitat for species of greatest conservation need. This project targets diverse habitat types including PJ, ponderosa, and sagebrush. These projects provide benefits to the La Sal mule deer herd in the critical summer range. Mechanical treatments and prescribed fire will improve forage for livestock and wildlife and diversify vegetation structure. 3)La Sal Sustainability Collaboration Final Report and Consensus Recommendations (2017): This project stems from the LSSC. The partners working together on this project contribute to the goal of having a collaborative approach to management with federal, state, and private lands. Increased forage and spring development will contribute to better livestock management that distributes use and timing on allotments and pastures. The LSSC plan specifically identifies modifying vegetation conditions to reduce threats to communities along the wildland-urban interface. FFSL and SITLA will work with communities in these areas to reduce hazardous fuels found in dense PJ and oak brush stands to protect these communities. 4)Utah Wildlife Action Plan 2015-2025: For many of these species, inappropriate fire frequency and intensity is a significant threat. This project will address hazardous fuels in several different habitat types. These treatments will increase understory herbaceous production, benefitting prey species such as cottontails and jackrabbits. Creating openings provides foraging opportunities for golden eagles in pinyon-juniper and Gambel oak habitats. Heterogeneity in oak stands, while retaining larger acorn-producing trees, enhances mast production that will benefit band-tailed pigeons. Aspen, oak, and ponderosa are all key habitats identified in the WAP. Creating heterogeneity in forest stands and succession of different age class stands will create diversity in foraging including mast production and for nesting. 5)La Sal Deer Herd Unit Management Plan (2020): The population objective was recently lowered on the La Sal herd unit due to low fawn productivity and moderate body condition scores in the winter. Deer population in the previous 5 years was only 46 percent of the objective. Habitat management can improve mule deer habitat. The plan identifies an emphasis on improving, protecting, and restoring summer habitats, specifically aspen. Cooperation amongst federal land management agencies and private landowners is encouraged through pinyon-juniper removal, controlled burns, mechanical treatments, grazing management, and water developments. Monitoring of habitats occurs through range trend studies as well as seasonal range assessments. 6)La Sal Elk Herd Management Plan: Maintain and improve summer forage availability on the La Sal Mountains through aspen regeneration and oakbrush thinning projects. 7)Utah Wild Turkey Management Plan: Habitat quantity and quality for turkey in limiting habitats will be increased by habitat improvement projects on the La Sals. Increases in diversity of forbs in early successional forest communities increase herbaceous foraging opportunities. Increased turkey numbers can also contribute to increased hunting opportunity and observation by the public leading to a greater appreciation for the species. 8)Bureau of Land Management Moab Resource Management Plan (2008, updated 2021): The BLM plan identifies the importance of protecting communities, restoring ecosystems, managing fuels, and maintaining wildlife habitat specifically for deer and elk. Specific tools identified include prescribed fire and a variety of manual and mechanical treatments. Sagebrush steppe communities are a priority for reducing risk from catastrophic fire. Smoke management and avoidance of archaeological resources will occur to comply with the plan. Moab BLM Resource Management Plan (RMP) also prioritizes management of riparian vegetation and emphasizes the control of noxious weeds, prevention of the spread of invasive species, and restoration of vegetated areas. Reduction of tamarisk and restoration of native riparian vegetation addresses management objectives for improving the quality and health of riparian habitats while improving the quality of resources used in recreation and reducing fuels, decreasing the likelihood and severity of wildfires. Specific management decisions in the RMP that are directly related to the primary objectives of the proposed project include RIP-9, which calls for restoring riparian vegetation "through biological, chemical, mechanical, and manual methods (e.g., tamarisk control, willow plantings)," and RIP-16, which calls for implementation of strategies to "restore degraded riparian communities" and "protect natural flow regimes." 9)The Moab Field Office (MFO) Programmatic Invasive Species Management Plan (PISMP) is an integrated pest management approach to eradicate, contain, control and prevent targeted weeds within the MFO. The desired goal is to contain or control the spread of invasive species and eradicate species that pose the greatest threat to the biological diversity, and prevent any new weeds from becoming established by utilizing a wide range of treatment options (i.e. mechanical, manual, herbicide, etc.). Proactive vegetation management outlined in this proposal will promote ecosystem health through restoration of diverse native communities, maintaining and improving native forbs and grass species, increasing the regeneration of native cottonwoods and willows in riparian corridors, decreasing wildfire risk, and preventing the loss of wildlife habitat and species diversity. Mapping and monitoring new exotic species will limit the spread of additional invasive species. 10)The BLM Utah Riparian Policy states that "riparian areas are to be improved at every opportunity." Under this proposal, native plant distribution, riparian and aquatic habitat, and grazing areas for domestic livestock will all be improved in West Coyote Creek. 11)Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan: The plan contains direction to minimize hazards from wildfire, maintain/improve wildlife habitat capability through direct treatment of vegetation including managing for varying successional stages to provide for a high level of vegetative diversity and productivity and specifically to provide habitat needs for deer and elk through improving the cover:forage ratio. The plan has a specific goal for Gambel oak vegetation type: Intensive management practices maintain structural diversity within the woody species in at least 25% of the area covered by the Gambel oak and mountain shrub type. The Deer Spring Mx portion of the project is designed to meet these forest management goals. 12)San Juan County Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan: This plan notes forest improvements, thinning of fuels and the creation of defensible space around structures in order to reduce the possibility of a catastrophic wildfire within the county. This plan identifies areas of priority and types of work to be done that correspond with proposed projects. 13)The Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan calls for an emphasis on improving riparian habitat and use of seed mixes that include sufficient forbs and browse species. One of the strategies for actively revegetating some of the tamarisk treatment areas includes reseeding with native locally sourced seed mix. In addition, the greater access to the river provided by the reduction of dense tamarisk stands will improve riparian habitat and browse for mule deer. The work in West Coyote Creek will also improve critical upland Mule Deer winter range. 14)Pursuant to the Utah Noxious Weed Act, Section 7, to every person who owns or controls lands in Grand County, Utah, that noxious weeds standing, being, or growing on such land shall be controlled and the spread of same prevented by effective cutting, tillage, cropping, pasturing, or treating with chemicals or other methods, or combination methods, or combination thereof, approved by the County Weed Supervisor, as often as may be required to prevent the weed from blooming and maturing seeds, or spreading by root, root stalks or other means. Listed species include tamarisk, Russian knapweed, Ravenna grass and Russian olive. The West Coyote Creek project listed under this proposal targets tamarisk and other weeds for treatment and/or removal.

These projects will reduce live and dead fuels within the treatment area while restoring the fire regime condition class (FRCC). It will reduce the continuity of vegetative crown and ladder fuels and provide fire fighters the opportunity to suppress fires under conditions that allow for firefighter safety and protection of life, property and improvements. This improved condition class and reduced fire risk will benefit all lands and improvements within and adjacent to the project areas by aiding in protection from fires. This region tends to see frequent initial attack fires from cloud to tree/ground lightning strikes during monsoon season. The fires tend to occur in remote, hard to access areas delaying response times from fire staff. With increased fuel continuity due to lack of structural diversity and cheatgrass comprising most of the ground cover in P-J woodlands these fires have the potential to turn into large acreage extended attack fires under certain weather conditions and fuel moisture levels. The removal of tamarisk along West Coyote Creek provides for a reduction of continuous crown fuels adjacent to sagebrush uplands which decreases fire risk and severity which improves firefighter safety.

Reducing fuel loading by reducing pinyon, juniper, and tamarisk densities reduces the probability of high severity wildfires. By reducing the chance for wildfires, we indirectly reduce the probability of significant overland flow, rilling, and other erosional processes. This increase in ground cover and reduction in wildfire probability will ensure that water quality will be protected in these watersheds. The Deer Spring project area is in the La Sal-Deer Creek watershed, identified in the USFS Watershed Condition framework process as a Focus Area for treatment due to numerous biological factors including the risk of catastrophic fire. Proposed treatments are expected to improve the watershed condition class rating and align with national and forest priorities. Removing tamarisk and Russian olive from the banks of West Coyote Creek will help re-establish natural hydromorphological processes that allow for increased floodplain connectivity, decreasing destructive fire potential, increasing soil infiltration and bank recharge, and provide increased filtration. Reestablishing these processes will increase water quantity and quality. Targeted seeding and revegetation in recently cleared areas, as well as passive restoration of native plants may stabilize natural drainage conditions. Post-removal native planting and seeding will slow water flow and hold soil in place, decreasing soil erosion, increasing soil infiltration and building a vibrant habitat for aquatic species (i.e. amphibians, macroinvertebrates) and wildlife. Decreased erosion rates and sediment retention will be a direct improvement to water quality conditions.

LSSC Deer Spring Habitat Project - NEPA (CE) signed in July 2022. Wray Mesa and Pine Ridge private land will not have any mechanical ground disturbance, therefore there is no need for a cultural resource survey.. NEPA is completed for the tamarisk removal and revegetation work on West Coyote (BLM) signed April 2022. NEPA associated with low tech process based restoration work at West Coyote will be completed in April 2024.

Wray Mesa and Pine Ridge: In these two project locations in-house FFSL crews and Utah Conservation Corps crews will hand-clear pinyon and juniper within the prescription area. Healthy pinyon trees will be prioritized as "leave trees" within treatment units- this is due to this species being a necessary host for the Pinyon Jay, which is in decline across the American West. Pinyon trees also mast cones every 2-7 years which produce nutritional pine nuts which provide food for rodents and small mammals in the desert. These trees are also favored by landowners. Due to concerns over spread of pinyon ips, different methods of disposal of biomass will be used. In the spring and summer months when the beetles are the most active, debris will be immediately chipped after being cut. In the fall months debris can be piled to burn that winter. When thinning, a 20-30ft canopy spacing will be achieved to reduce the risk of a crown fire and spread of ips from tree to tree. Deer Spring: Mastication with bullhog machines in selected target areas to create openings in contiguous Gambel oak stands within the 1180 ac treatment units. Design features included as part of the proposed action include; equipment cleaning for weed control, a seasonal restriction on project activity during deer fawning season (May 15-July 5) and standard soil and water conservation practices (soil moisture limitation for operation, protection of streams and springs). West Coyote Creek: Any remaining tamarisk will be removed using a cut-stump method in which the cut stump will be treated with an aquatic approved triclopyr product (i.e.. Garlon 3A). The biomass will be piled. Resprouting tamarisk will be treated with a foliar spray, basal bark, and/or herbicide will be applied to the cambium of the cut resprout. Treated areas will be reseeded with native seed and containerized plants. Local native plant material will be used as much as is possible. Planting and seeding will occur in Fall 2024 with follow-up or make-up at sites in spring and early summer 2025. Planting techniques will include wattles, pole planting, containerized plantings and longstem methods. Bog violet may be propagated on site to provide for silverspot habitat. Additional BDAs may be installed and older ones may be repaired by conservation corps members.

All work on private property will be monitored by FFSL staff and the corresponding landowner. Landowners will be responsible for providing FFSL staff with updates on the work completed and if any assistance is needed to retreat the areas. Private land work mostly consists of P-J removal which will not need immediate monitoring or maintenance except for the observation of the presence of noxious weeds. In partnership with UDAF, vegetation study plots (6) have been established in the Deer Spring project area (see report attached in Documents section). These will be monitored for vegetative cover and forage production before and after treatment. Surveys for silverspot butterfly have been conducted in the Deer Spring area the last 2 years.Suitable habitat has been identified but the presence of the butterfly has not yet been confirmed. While not directly treating the butterfly's bog violet habitat, the treatments may improve livestock distribution within the pasture and reduce potential grazing impacts. West Coyote Creek has been and will continue to be monitored using BLM's Riparian and Wetland AIM protocol and BLM's Lotic AIM protocol. See the Images/Docs section for pre-treatment data. MIM data has been collected by UGIP and will be re-read following treatments. Amphibian and avian surveys may be conducted to establish baseline conditions, if funding is available.

This project has been a collaboration between USFS, BLM, DWR, FFSL and multiple private landowners and livestock permittees. Many of these partners have been a key part to the La Sal Sustainability Collaboration since 2015. The Collaboration's initial goal was to develop consensus recommendations that will provide for ecological resilience, sustain economic viability, promote cultural preservation, and be socially acceptable and legally defensible. After working together for over 6 years, the LSSC members also made a commitment to an active role in the evaluation, refinement, and implementation of their recommendations, and ongoing assessment and improvement of management of the LSSC landscape. These projects that are proposed line up perfectly within the goals of the LSSC collaboration.

Wray Mesa/Pine Ridge - This area will be continually monitored for further beetle kill amongst pinyon pines, especially in the areas proximate to structures where there is a greater risk for loss of property in the event of a wildfire. Landowners in the Wray Mesa community are working with FFSL to create a Forest Stewardship Plan for their community, which will detail their management goals for the next 10 years, identify any additional forest health risks and complete a cursory timber inventory for the area. The Deer Spring area would continue to be managed for multiple uses including grazing, hunting and watershed health. Due to WUI and other infrastructure, the use of fire would be very limited in the project area and mechanical treatment will continue to be the method used to maintain diverse age classes and vegetation communities.The treatment units in the dense oakbrush generally receive light use by livestock and no changes to livestock management are anticipated. Forage utilization and trend monitoring will continue and adaptive management can be applied if required. The goal at West Coyote Creek is to create a self-maintaining lentic or stage zero lotic system that requires little future management investment. Some retreatment of tamarisk resprouts, herbaceous weeds, and native seeding and planting may be required for a couple years after treatment. Management of trailing cattle will be pivotal to the long-term success of this project.

Livestock grazing is an important multiple use of these lands. The proposed treatments would decrease the amount of woody vegetation (especially pinyon-juniper and oak) within much of the grazed areas in these allotments as well as increase riparian health. This would likely lead to an increased production of herbaceous vegetation (grass and forb species) of rangelands. Grazing management in these allotments considers the frequency, intensity and timing of grazing. Improved forage allows for greater flexibility and improvement in the management of frequency and intensity of grazing and provides improved resources to wildlife as well. The private lands have a rotational grazing plan that is providing for deferred timing of grazing from year to year. -Coordination with the livestock permittees and landowners increases the probability of sustained good management practices which results in continued benefits from the natural resources. - The livestock permittees have been heavily involved in our collaboration to help make decisions on which areas to start doing restoration work. We have multiple range improvement projects planned for future installment once all the NEPA and cultural clearances are done to improve the grazing management throughout the public/private lands within this collaboration. - -Recreational uses such as hunting, fishing and camping will all benefit from the projects proposed. -Several wildlife species are reliant on early successional forests. Mule deer fawn recruitment is low on the La Sals, and current habitat quality contributes to the moderate body conditions measured on deer in the winter. Increasing the quality and quantity of forage for big game species will help the population and provide increased opportunity for hunting and wildlife viewing. Turkeys will also benefit from the improved production resulting from these treatments. -The WildlifeTracker shows that of the collared deer present on the La Sals, there is some concentrated use in the winter range on Thompson Flat, Ray Mesa and East Coyote. Summer deer use is relatively low in the Deer Spring area proposed for treatment. Collar data only represents a small portion of deer on the landscape, however the level of use may signify that adequate habitat is lacking in this area. These treatments should increase forage production and palatability of vegetation in these areas and draw more wildlife to use them in addition to improving connectivity between existing concentration areas. Distributing deer on the La Sals can be important for reducing transmission of disease from CWD positive animals. -In the short-term there could be some interruption of grazing operations; however the long-term benefits to the range resource outweigh the short-term negative impacts. -Removal of pinyon-juniper (PJ) will open up the canopy and release soil moisture which will allow other vegetation to take advantage of the light and moisture that was previously being taken up by the PJ which will benefit wintering wildlife in the area. On project sites in Pine Ridge and Wray Mesa FFSL will take wood for the National Forest Foundation's Wood for Life program. Wood for Life is a program to distribute free firewood to underserved people who rely on firewood to heat their homes and cook with. FFSL is currently working to improve our collection and distribution of firewood rounds cut on our fuels reduction and forestry projects to wood banks for Wood For Life. Wood banks are currently located in Monticello, Bluff, and Monument Valley. These facilities primarily serve indigenous communities on White Mesa and the Navajo Nation. To date we have brought approximately 50 tons of firewood to wood banks in the region and this project we have allotted for 10 loads of approximately 2-3 cords each to get driven to Monticello.