The Prairie Canyon and 217 fires burned 4,200 acres of sage and grass in the Cisco desert area. This area is critical winter habitat for mule deer and elk. Pronghorn use areas for and may benefit from the project. Without Herbicide, the site will be dominated by cheat grass.

To limit the spread of invasive annual grasses, and encourage the establishment of beneficial perennial vegetation.

Sagebrush Steppe has evloved with fire, but with annual grasses on the landscape the fire frequency has increased, and lead to larger more drastic fires. With this increase in fire and annual grasses, these crucial sagebrush habitats have degraded. The lost of sagebrush habitats threaten livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, watershed health and productivity and life and property. Improving these sagebrush habitats by reducing annual grasses will improve wildlife habitat and livestock productivity, and improve watershed health.

State of Utah Resource Management Plan: "The State supports the efforts of the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative and other rehabilitative efforts throughout the state"; "Monitor and control invasive species, particularly in riparian corridors."; "Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and domestic livestock forage on public and private lands."; "Work with local governments and federal agency to identify and conserve critical wildlife habits and migration corridors throughout Utah"; "The State supports the Watershed Restoration Initiative to encourage reduced wildfire acreage and suppression costs, reduced soil loss from erosion, reduced sedimentation and storage loss in reservoirs, improved water quality and yield, improved wildlife populations, increased forage, reduced risk of additional federal listing of species under the Endangered Species Act, improved agricultural production, and resistance to invasive plant species." Grand County Resource Management Plan: "Wildfire Management (Public Lands Policy 19.) Continue to work with the State of Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands to implement the Wildland Fire Plan and to reduce wildfire hazard of fire in the wildland-urban interface."; "vii. Land Restoration (Public Lands Policy 7.) Encourages public land-management agencies to restore damaged areas."; "1. i. Continue to work with the State of Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands to implement the Wildland Fire Plan and to reduce wildfire hazard of fire in the wildland-urban interface."

The potential for more extreme fires will intensify as cheat grass increases. By reducing annual grass densities, the possibility for future larger-scale stand replacing fire events will be decreased. An extreme fire event could lead to a loss of crucial habitat/understory vegetation and the potential for a noxious weed infestation. Fire regimes have been moderately and extensively altered and the risk of losing key ecosystem components from fire is high. This is mainly due to the expansion of annual grasses.

Completion of this project would reduce flooding and runoff from heavy rainstorms by allowing better peculation of water into soils because of deep-rooted perennial grasses and shrubs. Currently with the lack of understory and dense annual grass on site there is large unprotected soil available for erosion. By decreasing annual grasses this treatment will increase the variety of grasses, forbs and shrubs the ground cover will be greatly increased, which will decrease the potential for erosion.

A literature review of previous surveys and recorded sites within a quarter mile of the APE was conducted by a BLM archaeologist in September 2024. The literature review identified 14 sites within the Area of Potential Effect, 10 of which are eligible or unevaluated for listing on the NRHP. The nature of the proposed project is such that historic properties will not be adversely affected. No ground disturbance is expected during this undertaking is expected as the application of herbicide and seed will be executed aerially. No known rock art sites were identified within the APE; the project area is primarily located in areas absent of cliff faces or boulders where rock imagery may be present. Under the State Protocol Agreement between the BLM and the Utah SHPO under appendix H. D. 3. the project is exempt from SHPO consultation. Section 106 tribal consultation was initiated via letters sent out on 10/28/2024. No responses have been received to date.

Aerially apply Plateau to the area using a helicopter or fixed wing aircraft, covering nearly 4,200 acres. In November or December, aerially apply herbicide with a fixed wing aircraft or helicopter.

The site will be visually monitored to determine the effectiveness of the treatment and potential future management.

The BLM and DWR.

After two growing seasons we plan to seed the fires.

The reduction of invasive annuals and the increase in perennial grasses, forbs, and shrubs will greatly benefit grazing opportunities in the project area.

12/16/2024

12/19/2024

2025

After the Prairie Canyon and 217 fires burned we hired a contractor to acquire and fly on Plateau herbicide to reduce the amount of cheatgrass and other invasive annuals that would likely take over the site. Plateau was flown on at a rate of 4 oz./acre with additives of water and methylated seed oil. The herbicide was flown on December 16-19th, before snow was on the ground.

The Prairie Canyon and 217 fires burned 4,200 acres of sage and grass in the Cisco desert area. The Prairie Canyon fire started September 19th 2024 and burned around 2,000 acres of critical mule deer, elk wintering ground and pronghorn habitat. The mile marker 217 fire happened in 2023 around the same area and burned around 2200 acres. Both fires had pre-emergent herbicide applied to combat cheat grass and help perennials reestablish. Without herbicide, the site would likely be dominated by cheat grass.

Monitoring will take place over the next several years to assess the effectiveness of the herbicide treatments. Future seeding or additional herbicide treatments may be necessary to restore burned sites.