The Willow Watershed has undergone a number of habitat improvements over the last few years. Keeping momentum on this project is vital to improving the area. There are very few large trees on the WMA. Although some are present, we have selected locations for plantings of trees and bushes in concert with exclosures. Access in the WMA is limited for restoration projects. We need to perform some maintenance on the administrative access road and stream crossing. Much of the WMA has overgrown sagebrush and greasewood. The state and transition model for the ecological site in Meadow creek indicates that this area is likely in a brush super-dominance state. This state is characterized by dominance of shrubs and an understory species diversity that has been greatly diminished. At this state, there is little opportunity to recover to a natural state and can best transition to a seeded state. By mowing and seeding, we will improve the herbaceous understory and thereby improve wildlife habitat. The areas targeted for tebuthiuron treatment are dominated by sagebrush, which is less important on the summer range than the understory forbs. By reducing the sagebrush cover, we hope to enhance the forage species that are utilized by mule deer, thereby benefiting this popular game species.

There are a number of different project components that will be discussed individually. Riparian plantings: We propose planting riparian vegetation including golden currant, silver buffaloberry, cottonwood, apple, and narrowleaf cottonwood inside of a series of constructed exclosures. Many of these species have had success in establishing upstream on Meadow Creek, so we expect successful establishment in the selected exclosure locations. Exclosure construction: Upstream of the confluence of Willow Creek and Meadow Creek there is an old agriculture field next to our irrigation diversion. Near the diversion, the water table is higher than in other parts of the WMA and there are a few mature narrow-leaf cottonwood trees that are consistently browsed, along with mature stands of coyote willow. Constructing exclosures in appropriate locations in concert with the riparian plantings will help to increase diversity in the WMA and ensure the plantings reach maturity. Road Access Maintenance: There are parts of the WMA that are difficult to access due to the state of the road. Administrative maintenance is becoming very difficult as the road degrades. Rockfalls and standard-use wear has resulted in some roads that are below the water table. Increasing the height of the road where needed and transporting gravel from off-site to use for the road will ensure access. Mowing of decadent sagebrush and greasewood: Along Meadow Creek, large brush is common. Both sagebrush and greasewood have become decadent and provide little value to mule deer in the winter. We will reduce the cover of shrubs and increase perennial grasses and forbs through seeding. BDAs and in-stream structures: BDAs and other in-stream structures have been completed in previous phases of this project. We still have a number of posts available for installation as needed. We plan on performing maintenance of previously completed structures and performing an inventory of structures still functioning. Tebuthiuron herbicide: Reduce cover of sagebrush on deer summer range where it is not critical for browse and allow understory grasses and forbs to flourish.

This project will continue the work that has been done in previous phases. The BLM has interest in this project and will work on completing NEPA in time for the next phase to include BDA and in-stream structure installation on the neighboring BLM managed land. This area will also be included in the Willow Watershed Riverscape Restoration plan that is being coordinated on with the BLM and TU. Wildlife tracker data show that bison especially utilize the meadow creek area. Mowing the tall basin big sage in the meadow creek area will provide more forage for bison especially. Elk also use the area to a lesser extent. Mule deer use in meadow creek is much less, as it is in between crucial summer and winter ranges. The DWR is under great political pressure to make improvements for mule deer and mule deer habitat. In 2019, the Utah Wildlife Board directed the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to confer with federal and state land managers, tribal government, private landowners, livestock operators, and sportsmen to develop a working group to find short and long term solutions to decreased survival, reproduction, and body condition of Book Cliffs deer and elk populations. This group has put together a plan to include habitat and water developments in the summer range of the book cliffs to benefit deer. The local biologist has identified this area as one where he believes a tebuthiuron herbicide treatment will benefit mule deer. The tebuthiuron herbicide application is within the "Crucial mule deer habitat restoration priority areas" as shown on Fig. 6 of the Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan. Wildlife Tracker data show that this area is used extensively.

The Utah Elk Statewide Management Plan has the following applicable objectives and strategies: Habitat Objective 2, strategy d -- Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve elk habitat with emphasis on calving habitat and winter ranges. Habitat Objective 2, strategy h -- Emphasize improvement of upper elevation winter ranges to encourage elk to winter at higher elevation than mule deer. The Utah DWR Deer Herd Management plan for the Book Cliffs has objectives to maintain and/or enhance forage production through range improvements and vegetative manipulation techniques. The mowing and tebuthiuron application are both intended to push the shrub community to an earlier successional stage where grasses, forbs, and younger shrubs dominate. The Utah DWR Bison Herd Management plan for the Book Cliffs addresses concerns of competition between bison and livestock. This project will help mitigate conflict between bison and livestock by providing improved grazing opportunities for both. The Utah Bat Conservation Plan (2008-2013) identifies open water as critical for bats as it provides drinking water, which they obtain by skimming the water surface. The improvements to Meadow Creek and Willow Creek through BDA's will help provide these kinds of areas. The plan also identifies surface water and the luxuriant vegetation surrounding water as important foraging sites because they favor insect abundance. By promoting better riparian habitat, and by improving the meadow conditions through construction of BDA's, removal of sagebrush and seeding, this project will provide better foraging for bat species in the area. Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan (2019-2069) - NL-S1: Identify high priority breeding areas for monarch conservation on natural lands throughout the West and promote protection, restoration, and/or enhancement in these areas. - NL-S2: Identify high priority migratory pathways and clustering locations and promote protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of these areas, including riparian corridors. - NL-S4: Promote the use of local native plants and seeds for habitat enhancement and restoration projects, particularly for monarch conservation efforts. The Utah Wildlife Action Plan identifies threats to species and habitats, as discussed below: --Droughts - this threat is identified for elk, Colorado river cutthroat trout, both bat species, monarch butterfly, and northern leopard frog, as well as for the Aquatic-Scrub/Shrub and Riverine habitat types. CRCT and leopard frog are in meadow creek, and elk use the creek for water. The installation of BDA's and stream structures helps to store water later into the summer, helping to mitigate against drought conditions. Leopard frogs, specifically, will benefit from increased standing water and in flooded areas that have been created by BDA's. Bats will also benefit from increased standing water and improved riparian vegetation, both of which will increase the prey base and provide better foraging opportunities. The rocky cliffs around willow creek provide nesting habitat for both big free-tailed bat and spotted bat. Both species should occur in this area. Improved riparian conditions and flooded areas should provide better habitat for milkweed for Monarch butterfly. A more diverse vegetative community resulting from our seeding should provide increased nectar producing plants, which will also benefit monarch butterfly. --Channel Downcutting (indirect, unintentional) - this threat is identified for Colorado river cutthroat trout and northern leopard frog, as well as for the Aquatic-Scrub/Shrub and Riverine habitat types. Meadow creek has become incised and separated from it's flood plain in many areas. The construction of BDA's has already helped to spread water more throughout the valley bottom. Maintenance of these BDA's will continue to provide benefits for these species. --Increasing Stream Temperatures - this threat is identified for Colorado river cutthroat trout, as well as for the Aquatic-Scrub/Shrub and Riverine habitat types. Planting additional trees and shrubs along willow creek will offer shade to the stream and help keep water temperatures cool for this important fish species. --Improper Grazing - Livestock (historic) - this threat is identified for elk. The meadow creek area is an old homestead/ranch and has been heavily grazed in the past. The state and transition model for this ecological site indicates that the current state is likely due to overgrazing. This has contributed to the dominance of shrubs and lack of understory forbs, as well as to the incision of the stream. The sagebrush mowing, seeding, and BDA's all help to address this threat and return the area to a more diverse, healthy state. --Livestock Farming and Ranching - this threat is identified for American Bison. Conflicts over forage utilized by both livestock and bison have been present in the book cliffs since they were introduced. The DWR carefully manages bison numbers to stay below the established objective. This project will help mitigate the conflicts between the two by providing additional forage for bison and livestock. --Feral Domesticated Animals - this threat is identified for Mule Deer. The feral animals in question in this case are horses. The Book Cliffs Working Group identified competition from a high feral horse population as one of the main problems that wildlife and livestock face in the book cliffs. These animals consume large amounts of feed. Through the tebuthiuron application, as well as the mowing in meadow creek, this project will provide additional forage to help mitigate the competition between these groups. The Utah State Resource Management Plan has several applicable objectives and policies & guidelines: -- The State promotes fuel breaks, thinning, chaining, prescribed fire and the selection of fire-resistant vegetation in green-stripping and burned areas. --Support the use of mechanical or chemical means or fire to alter or perpetuate forests and increase herbaceous yield where timber harvest is impractical or demand does not exist." --Protect existing wildlife habitat and improve 500,000 acres of critical habitats and watersheds throughout the state by 2025. -- The State will pursue opportunities to conduct and assist other partners with fuel reduction work including mechanical treatments and prescribed fire. -- Improve vegetative health on public and private lands through range improvements, prescribed fire, vegetation treatments, and active management of invasive plants and noxious weeds. -- Expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat. -- Conserve, improve, and restore 500,000 acres of mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. -- Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and domestic livestock forage on public and private lands. Grand County Resource Management Plan has the following applicable objectives and policies: -- The County supports wildlife management that seeks an optimal balance between wildlife populations and human needs. -- The County supports wildlife management that seeks an optimal balance between wildlife populations and human needs. The Uintah County Resource Management Plan has the following applicable objectives: -- Encourage management of forest resources to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires -- Manage lands to maintain or increase forage allocation for livestock grazing. -- The county expects the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to participate in managing forage and grazing allotments in relation to wildlife populations. -- The county favors the best management practices that are jointly sponsored by cattlemen's, sportsmen's, and wildlife management groups such as chaining, logging, seeding, burning, and other direct soil and vegetation prescriptions that are demonstrated to restore forest and rangeland health, increase forage, and improve watersheds in grazing districts and allotments for the mutual benefit of domestic livestock and wildlife. Book Cliffs Working Group Action Plan has the following applicable objectives: -- Vegetation Treatments a. Identify additional areas to complete vegetation management projects with emphasis on projects with the potential of increasing forage on or near summer range. b. Complete a 10 year plan for vegetation improvements. c. Propose at least two vegetation improvement projects annually to the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative and Grazing Improvement Program. -- Bison 1. Distribution b. Complete vegetation and water developments to further distribute bison use.

Improving the riparian area of Meadow Creek and Willow Creek will help to provide a firebreak. Reducing the large amount of mature sagebrush and greasewood will reduce the fuel load in the area which will help reduce fire intensity.

Increasing the water table with BDA installations will hopefully help to keep water in the system longer, providing water later into the dry season over time. BDA's also help trap sediment and can thus improve water quality downstream.

NEPA will be performed as needed for work done on BLM managed land. All work is taking place on a DWR managed WMA. Arch clearances will be completed as needed. Future phases of this project are anticipated to include work on BLM managed land to the north of the main Willow Creek WMA parcel we have been working in. NEPA has been initiated for future phases on BLM.

There are a number of different project components that will be discussed individually. Riparian Plantings: We anticipate mainly planting upstream of the confluence of Meadow Creek and Willow Creek near our irrigation diversion on Willow Creek, inside of constructed exclosures. We have selected areas in the WMA primarily for our ability to use the irrigation structure to ensure successful establishment of trees and vegetation. Previous projects in the area have shown success with focus on planting trees with rootwads, and potted shrubs like golden currant and silver buffaloberry. Exclosure construction: Construction of exclosures upstream of the confluence of Meadow Creek and Willow Creek. Exclosures have been planned to be 8 feet tall constructed out of welded panel, including access points to each exclosure. The design should allow movement of exclosures after an appropriate amount of vegetation establishment. We anticipate maintaining the exclosures in the future while still needed to exclude wildlife and livestock. Road Access Maintenance: We will haul in material to fortify the road in key locations that have been under water this past season. We will also spend time as available to improve the road in places that have been damaged by rockfalls. Mowing of decadent sagebrush and greasewood: A skidsteer attachment will be used to mow the sagebrush and greasewood. It is anticipated that a minimal crew will be able to complete this aspect of the project. BDAs and in-stream structures: We plan to use a hydraulic post pounder to install posts in structures to ensure their function. We plan on having our maintenance crew performing these maintenance needs. Tebuthiuron application: herbicide will be applied by contracted aircraft at a rate of 2.5 lbs/acre.

The DWR manages the Willow Creek WMA and will make visits as needed to assess the project. Photo points will be established to monitor changes to the vegetative community in both the mowing areas and the tebuthiuron application areas, and to monitor changes to the stream from BDA's. Photos will also be utilized to document changes in the exclosure and plantings. Photos will be uploaded to the WRI page as appropriate.

Both Trout Unlimited and the BLM are helping in the planning of future phases to benefit the entire Willow creek watershed. SITLA staff have been consulted regarding the tebuthiuron herbicide application.

Future phases of the project will utilize the Willow Watershed Riverscape Restoration plan. A professor at USU has been consulted for how to best improve the rangeland on the Willow Creek WMA. It is anticipated that future phases of Willow Watershed Habitat Improvements will include their recommendations. The BLM is performing a NEPA analysis on their managed land to the north of the Willow Creek WMA. Riverscape improvements will be able to continue naturally downstream to UDWR managed land. The BLM is planning to evaluate the BLM managed land to the north of Willow Creek to ensure future BLM installation compliance with NEPA. This will allow us to continue riverscape improvements to the DWR managed land downstream.

The Willow Creek WMA is grazed on the lower parcels, and is trailed through for a brief period each year. By improving the WMA, the livestock that pass through the WMA will have better forage. The tebuthiuron herbicide application will also improve forage opportunities for livestock. Meadow creek is utilized by the public for wildlife related recreation, including hunting and fishing. These improvements help to preserve and improve these recreation opportunities.

09/09/2024

10/15/2024

2025

In the summer of 2024 3 exclosures were constructed in the Willow Creek WMA totaling 1.5 acres of exclusion. Exclosures were constructed with hog panel and 12 ft posts. Narrowleaf cottonwood, Boxelder, Native chokecherry, and Golden Currant were selected for planting in the exclsures with 50 plantings taking place in each exclosure. A 15 ft harrow and a broadcast seeder were loaned from the GBRC and used to harrow/ seed on about 40 acres of the Willow Creek WMA. A skidsteer was used to tow the harrow and seeder due to the prevalence of greasewood and other hazards that were likely to puncture tires.

The Willow Creek WMA has seen a lot of traffic from wildlife and livestock historically. Much of the WMA has served as agricultural fields and lack a significant amount of mature woody growth. There is evidence upstream and in the lower reaches of the Willow Creek WMA that mature trees have been in the area, but it appears that trees were removed to better farm the area historically. By creating the exclosures on older agriculture fields that we are able to control irrigation on, we hope that the WMA and the associated wildlife will benefit from the plantings we have implemented. As the trees expand through the WMA we hope to simultaneously remove tamarisk and other invasive species to promote native growth.

We expect to evaluate the exclosures and associated plantings in 2027 and either expand the exclosures or build more to expand the amount of trees present.