Huntington Creek is one of the most significant drainages in southeast Utah, draining over 100,000 acres of high elevation forests, valley farmlands, and desert. Huntington Creek flows for nearly 50 miles before converging with Ferron, and Cottonwood Creeks to form the San Rafael River. Through the course of this 50 miles Huntington Creek provides for a diverse subset of uses including industrial, agricultural, environmental, municipal, and recreational uses. It is an excellent example of a river providing for both important environmental interests and agricultural and industrial interests. In 2012 the Huntington Creek drainage experienced a severe wildfire sparked by lightning. Much of the upper drainage was burned including the Right Fork below Electric Lake, Nuck Woodward Creek, the Left Fork of Huntington Creek, and portions of the Mainstem. Following the fire heavy monsoonal rains caused severe flooding, erosion, debris flows, and habitat destruction throughout the drainage. Many of Huntington Creek's tributaries, side canyons, and ephemeral tributaries became heavily entrenched, and provided significant debris flows and sediment loading to Huntington Creek itself. These debris flows damaged roadway infrastructure, destroyed trout habitat, and plugged downstream diversions. Heavy sediment laden water further choked irrigation infrastructure and trout spawning gravels alike. In the years following the fire natural stabilization and regeneration of the surrounding forest and habitat has been slow, hampered by drought and continued flooding. This project proposes the construction of low-tech process-based restoration in Nuck Woodward Creek, one of the most important tributaries of Huntington Creek. Nuck Woodward Creek is home to Colorado River Cutthroat Trout. These trout are of a native lineage, unstocked, and unmolested by human intervention or invasive stockings; and listed on Utah's list of concerned species. Today the aquatic habitat in Nuck Woodward Creek is limited and decreasing. It has seen the effects of post fire flooding, sedimentation, overuse, and channelization. Disconnected from its floodplain and incised, Nuck Woodward Creek is limited in stream function and susceptible to drought, flooding, overuse, and continued habitat degradation. Restoration efforts are needed to maintain and improve Nuck Woodward Creek for the unique native trout and wildlife that depend upon it. Without implementation of restoration efforts in the tributaries and side canyons of Huntington Creek the ecosystem capacity and water quality will continue to be limited or degraded. Natural regeneration of post fire forests and riparian areas have stagnated. Restoration is needed to further stabilize and strengthen the canyon for the myriad of uses it provides, including those previously discussed industrial, agricultural, municipal, recreational, and environmental uses.

Nuck Woodward Creek Stream Restoration Restoration in the Nuck Woodward Creek drainage has three significant objectives tied to successful project implementation. These objectives are an increase in floodplain connectivity, an increase in aquatic habitat, and a reduction or reversal in erosion and channel incision. These objectives are further detailed below, providing specifics for each. - Reconnection of the floodplain in Nuck Woodward Creek is a priority of restoration construction. Floodplain access provides significant benefits for riparian vegetation, flood energy dissipation, and grazing capacity for livestock and big game. Streams confined to their channel are more prone to stream entrenchment and high energy flows resulting in heavy erosion. A lack of riparian vegetation and continued floodplain dysconnectivity also increase sagebrush encroachment on riparian areas. This project will provide floodplain access to 0.5 miles of Nuck Woodward Creek and a 50% increase in riparian vegetation over 1 mile of the project reach. - An increase in aquatic habitat for aquatic insects and native Colorado River Cutthroat Trout is a key objective of restoration activities in Nuck Woodward Creek. The addition of pools, riffles, and glides to incised stream reaches with long, strait, minimally complex channels will increase the capacity of Nuck Woodward Creek for cutthroat trout populations. Pools and shading riparian vegetation will also decrease water temperature and provide additional cover for trout. Beaver Dam Analogs and an increase in floodplain connectivity should also cause additional groundwater recharge and higher base flows in times of low flow and drought, further increasing the durability of aquatic habitat for trout. Restoration will add an additional 20 new pools for trout holding and rearing habitat, and additional habitat complexity on over an additional 0.5 miles or stream. Water temperatures will be decreased or provide areas of decreased temperature (pools and shaded areas) in one mile of Nuck Woodward Creek. - Restoration practices will arrest and reduce unnecessary erosion and stream incision in Nuck Woodward Creek. Beaver Dam Analogs and other BMPs implemented in this project will capture sediment and rebuild incised stream channels. An estimated 20 tons of sediment will be captured by BDA construction on Nuck Woodward Creek. A reduction in erosion and stream incision will further increase downstream water quality currently effected by high Total Dissolved Solids content and high temperatures.

This project will take place primarily in the Right Fork of Huntington Creek Drainage below Electric Lake, including the canyons between Electric Lake and the confluence of the Left Fork. Project restoration implementation will also take place in Nuck Woodward Creek, below Sawmill Canyon. These areas were most heavily impacted by the 2012 Seeley Fire and have seen limited stabilization and regeneration since. Continued efforts to further restoration, natural resource abundance, water quality, and wildlife habitat are needed to speed up post fire processes. Since the Seeley Fire in 2012 natural regeneration and stabilization of Huntington Creek has been slow, sped up at times by planting, construction, and restoration efforts implemented by the NRCS, Forest Service, Trout Unlimited and Utah Division of Wildlife. However, many of these efforts have been stop-gaps, initial reactions to post fire habitat degradation, natural resource concerns, and road infrastructure damage. In the years since the fire and the immediate response of resource managers to provide for post fire stabilization and restoration, we have seen where the canyon needs additional help the most. As the drainage heals, some areas continue to cause water quality degradation, some areas continue to lack much needed aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, and some areas lag behind others in vegetation, soil moisture, and general stability. Today we understand the needs of post fire restoration better than ever. We have seen areas of the Huntington Creek drainage return to natural function, while others have not, or have continued to degrade. Initial restoration and habitat efforts have stagnated, their initial benefits having been realized. But Huntington Creek represents not only environmental interests, but the importance of water in western desert climates for agricultural and industrial uses as well. Relied upon for thousands of acres of farming and important power generation at the Huntington Power Plant, Huntington Creek is an integral part of the Emery County economy and culture. Water quality degradation has been consistent and unchanging since the 2012 fire. Efforts to improve this water quality and the lives of those downstream that depend upon it are badly needed. Hesitation to fund and continue restoration for wildlife and water quality in Huntington Canyon will cause significant delays. Trout Unlimited and its partners are prepared to make these investments. Waiting for additional degradation will only increase these resource needs and the time frame required to realize successful project implementation. This proposal represents an important and crucial first step towards overall watershed health.

The Huntington Creek Tributaries Restoration Project Phase One is related to and will provide benefits in accordance with several state and local management plans. These management plans and their relevance are detailed below. - The Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan denotes that "when [mule deer] forage contains only limited amounts of water, access to drinking water becomes important. The special distribution of mule deer populations is often positively associated with the availability of water in arid regions of Western North America. Restoration best management practices (BMP's) proposed in this project would increase the drought resiliency and water quality of water sources for mule deer, an important factor in population resiliency as noted by the statewide management plan. - The Huntington Creek Coordinated Resources Management Plan (CRMP) is a wide ranging plan that details the natural, wildlife, economic, and recreational resources within Huntington Creek and the areas of concern or degradation that are present. The Huntington Creek CRMP was developed in partnership with the Utah Division of Water Quality, and further outlines water quality impairments, causes of impairment, and possible projects to improve water quality. Resource concerns listed by the CRMP are "Post Fire Erosion / Vegetation of Soil, non-point source water quality pollution, noxious and invasive weeds." This project would propose best management practices that would help alleviate these resource concerns by increasing vegetation in post fire erosion prone areas. - The Emery County General Plan denotes county specific plans for resource management including water resources. The plan directly outlines a priority of Emery County is to "protect this valuable resource by promoting watershed protection measures and supporting the efficient management and use of water resources." Restoration and stabilization of the Huntington Creek drainage will increase water quality, quantity, and durability of the resources as prescribed. - The Utah Wildlife Action Plan directly lists "Essential Conservation Actions" as "restoring and/or improving degraded wildlife populations and habitat conditions or functions." Restoration proposed herein will both provide for native wild trout populations and the habitat conditions of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. The Utah Wildlife Action Plan also lists Colorado River Cutthroat Trout as "High Threat of Impact" by habitat shifting and alteration. Protecting these habitats and improving them through project work as proposed herein would help to provide resiliency in these populations. - The Utah Forest Action Plan details its program goals to include "protecting and enhancing water quality and water supplies, protecting wildlife habitat and maintaining the connectivity and related values needed to ensure biodiversity, protecting riparian areas, and maintain and restoring natural ecosystem function." Each of these goals will be contributed to by the practices this project proposes. - The Utah Beaver Management Plan details habitat restoration Objective Two as promoting beaver-assisted restoration activities in areas where beaver activity can be expanded upon. Beavers have a large footprint in the right fork of Huntington Creek and stream restoration in the minor tributaries and Nuck Woodward Creek could expand beaver populations within the drainage. - The Utah Black Bear Management Plan directly relates populations and health of black bears to habitat and food sources, noting that "the abundance and dependability of seasonally important food sources may explain much of the variation in black bear density." The management plan further notes that "Bears in central and southeastern Utah forage on grasses and forbs in aspen, aspen-conifer and mountain brush as well as riparian areas." These riparian areas offer a durable and drought resilient food source for black bears as denoted by the state management plan. Projects under this proposal would increase riparian vegetation and function.

The Huntington Creek Tributaries Restoration Project will provide additional wildfire resiliency throughout the drainage. An increase in riparian function in Nuck Woodward Creek will increase the durability of the overall drainage to future wildfires, providing zones of stability and fire resistance. Additional phases of this project will further expand riparian function throughout additional tributaries of Huntington Creek and consequently the overall resilience of the drainage towards future wildfires. Restoration work will also provide additional stability for the side canyons and tributaries of Huntington Creek that have felt the effects of fires and flooding for the past twelve years. Wildfires in areas of limited riparian function also affect the aquatic life in these ecosystems significantly. Trout and other native aquatics subjected to ash flows and flooding following wildfires are at risk of extirpation or severe population declines. Healthy riparian zones will further protect these aquatics from such flows and mass death events in the case of wildfires or future controlled fire management.

Huntington Creek has felt the effects of the 2012 Seeley Fire in many ways. A reduction in water quality is one of the most significant consequences of the fire that is still felt by both environmental communities in the drainage and downstream water users. Huntington Creek in the canyon is listed on the EPA's 303d list of impaired bodies of water for a myriad of reasons including low dissolved oxygen levels, high temperatures, inhibiting PH levels, and high dissolved solid loading. Each of these water quality issues persist throughout the drainage and affect every use associated with Huntington Creek. Trout and other aquatic wildlife are limited by dissolved oxygen levels, sediment that chokes spawning beds and kills macroinvertebrates, and high temperatures. Downstream water users including irrigators and industrial water users have infrastructure plugged by high sediment loads during flooding and high stream flows. Restoration activities proposed in Nuck Woodward creek would provide for increased downstream water quality and water quality improvements to important reaches of native trout habitat in Nuck Woodward creek itself. The construction of Beaver Dam Analogs (BDA's) will combat many of the water quality issues plaguing the Huntington Creek drainage. BDA's provide additional pool habitat and deeper water which decreases water temperature and creates areas of relief for trout in times of high temperature, low flows, and drought. BDA's increase groundwater recharge, increasing base flows and decreasing water temperatures in times of low flow and drought. BDA's capture sediment and reconnect the floodplain, spreading high flows over the floodplain which dissipates energy, erosion in times of flooding, and sediment transport. This sediment would be contributing further to Huntington Creek water quality issues if not captured in naturally functioning tributaries. A reconnected floodplain would also increase riparian vegetation, this vegetation would shade the stream further decreasing temperatures. Strategic felling, log rollers, and post assisted log structures (PALS) will also be implemented in Nuck Woodward creek to increase aquatic habitat and decrease erosion. PALS help to stabilize banks and reduce erosion. Strategic felling and debris stabilization in entrenched stream reaches will further act to capture sediment, rebuild stream channels, and provide additional pools and pockets of cool water for trout and other aquatic wildlife.

Nuck Woodward Creek Stream Restoration Construction of restoration practices on Nuck Woodward Creek will take place in the Manti-LaSal National Forest. NEPA requirements for this construction have already been completed for previously performed restoration following the Seeley Fire. Consultation with partners at the US Forest Service and the Utah Division of Wildlife has been undertaken to confirm NEPA requirements and coverage. Additional NEPA for continued restoration in Sawmill Canyon, a tributary of Nuck Woodward Creek will also be performed as part of this project. Restoration activities extending into Sawmill Canyon would provide for increased habitat quality for native fish and further restoration and stabilization of burned areas. Restoration in Nuck Woodward Creek will require stream alteration permits obtained both from the state of Utah and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). These permits will be sought either through the PGP 10 joint permitting program for both state and federal permits or through the Nation-Wide permitting program as required for federal stream alteration permits. The primary project manager, Trout Unlimited, has extensive experience in obtaining these stream alteration permits for stream restoration projects such as this. Partners including the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the US Forest Service also have experience permitting similar projects. These partners can provide consultation as necessary regarding surveying, delineation, and permitting specifics.

Nuck Woodward Creek Stream Restoration Stream restoration in Nuck Woodward Creek will take place in too reach types, the high elevation meadows and the more canyonous transition reaches where Nuck Woodward Creek leaves the meadows and becomes more confined, swifter, and characterized by gravel and rock features. These stream reach types determine the restoration practices that will be implemented. For restoration in the high elevation meadows of Nuck Woodward Creek, the primary restoration practice will be the construction of Beaver Dam Analogs (BDA's). BDA's offer excellent benefits for stream restoration on first and second order streams of this size. These benefits are further detailed below. - BDA's can decrease erosion and capture sediment. These structures slow water down, provide connectivity to the floodplain, and reduce erosion in areas prone to trenching. They can also capture sediment and rebuild the streambed of entrenched streams. - BDA's cause pooling of water and a reconnection of the floodplain. This pooled water offers subirrigation benefits to the surrounding riparian zone, increasing wetland vegetation and grazing capacity. Pooling water also increases groundwater recharge and consequently the base flows of a stream in times of drought or low flow. - The above benefits also increase water quality. BDA's capturing sediment can reduce total dissolved solid loading in downstream waters. And ponding can provide deeper, cooler water for trout, decreasing temperature of the stream. Both high temperatures and total dissolved solid loading are concerning water quality impairments of Huntington Creek. Construction of Beaver Dam Analogs in Nuck Woodward Creek will be accomplished in five tasks. Primary project management will be performed by Trout Unlimited's Southeast Utah Project Manager based in Price, Utah. The five tasks required for successful project completion are detailed below. - Project reach surveying and planning; the meadow reaches of Nuck Woodward Creek will be surveyed in detail to determine bankfull depth, stream grade, degree of incision, and areas of concern. Beaver Dam Analogs will be designed to rebuild incised stream channels and maximize the recovery of the stream, not merely to act as erosion control measures or sediment traps. Detailed surveying and project planning will provide important insights on how to successfully implement BDA's to reconnect the floodplain, rebuild the stream channel, capture sediment, and improve stream function. This project intends to act as a pilot for successful project design and implementation with BDA's on first and second order streams, not merely a stop gap or quick fix for stream degradation. Accurately designing a BDA project and implementing it for maximum effectiveness will inform future phases of stream restoration and other projects in similar stream types. - Permitting for construction will be completed following the surveying and designing of the BDA restoration plan. A detailed plan as outlined above will further inform permitting requirements for construction. - Bidding and Contracting; BDA's will be built by qualified contractors, using untreated wooden posts pounded into the stream channel with hydraulic or handheld post pounders. Fill material will be sourced locally. Due to the remote nature of the job site, using contractors for construction is more practical then extensive volunteer efforts, although some volunteer activities may be used to augment construction or provide education opportunities. - Post project monitoring will be done following construction to determine the effectiveness of the plan and the structures implemented within the reach. Restoration in the confined, more gravel and rock dominated reaches of Nuck Woodward Creek will include more free-form stream restoration, including strategic felling, log rollers, boulder placements, BDA's, Post Assisted Log Structures, and stabilized log jams. These structures will provide complexity, pooling, and sediment capture in areas of the stream that are planar, shallow, and devoid of significant aquatic habitat or riparian vegetation. The major tasks for restoration in these reaches of Nuck Woodward Creek are the surveying and pre project monitoring of the reach, bidding and contracting, project construction and implementation, and post project monitoring.

Nuck Woodward Creek Stream Restoration Nuck Woodward Creek restoration efforts will be characterized by four major monitoring efforts with the intent to determine specific success of restoration practices in Nuck Woodward Creek. The goals and objectives of this project are the reconnection of the floodplain in Nuck Woodward Creek's meadows, a decrease in water temperature of Nuck Woodward Creek habitat, the capture of sediment and a reduction in stream channelization, and an increase in riparian vegetation and grazing capacity. These objectives are further outlined in the previous "goals and objectives" portion of this proposal, but they do drive our monitoring efforts as detailed below: - Stream Geomorphology and Channel Characteristic Classification will be done to delineate current stream function, degradation, areas of concern, and to plan restoration practices with detailed precision. Nuck Woodward Creek, in the project reach, will be classified and mapped with cross section and longitudinal surveying before and after project implementation. Surveying after project implementation may take place for as many as two years after construction to determine long term changes in channel and stream function. - Water temperature and flow monitoring will be performed above, in, and below the project reach to characterize the effects of project implementation on Nuck Woodward Creek. Stream reaches immediately above the project area will act as controls, and specific performance within the project reach will better inform future projects as to the success of the project towards decreasing temperatures and increasing the flow regime of the creek. - Sediment capture measurements will be performed in a minimum of ten of the constructed BDA's to determine actual sediment capture quantities. These measurements will be taken immediately after construction, and in the years following for a minimum of three years to delineate sediment capture and aggregation rates for BDA's constructed during this project. - Photo points using terrestrial photographs and aerial photographs using drones will be taken before and after project implementation within the same months from year to year for at least three years to determine changes in floodplain, stream function, and riparian vegetation.

Since the 2012 Seeley Fire, habitat restoration and enhancement for wild and native trout has been a priority within the Huntington Creek drainage. The unique resources and opportunities that the drainage provides necessitate these efforts. Trout Unlimited, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and the Manti-La Sal National Forest have formed the core of a partnership intent on protecting and improving habitat for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. Past restoration and habitat construction projects involving these partners have shown significant success in restoring degraded habitat and increasing the stability of Huntington Canyon post fire. Trout Unlimited and the DWR led efforts to construct over 30 habitat structures in the mainstem and left fork of Huntington Creek, creating additional spawning, rearing, and holding habitat for trout. The Utah DWR, Trout Unlimited, and the Forest Service implemented major stabilization and restoration projects in the lower portions of Nuck Woodward Creek following heavy flooding and stream channelization. The Forest Service provided NEPA compliance and valuable insight into forest health, function, and future project implementation requirements. This project will be a continuation of these efforts, determined to be an area of specific need as the canyon stabilizes itself naturally. In 2023 the Utah DWR commissioned the Huntington Creek Aquatic Habitat Assessment (AHA). This report was a comprehensive assessment of the habitat and limiting factors for trout populations in the Huntington Creek drainage. The AHA informs the partners on future projects, areas of need, potential remediations, and potential continued causes of habitat loss. The AHA notes that "the Seeley wildfire of 2012 burned large portions of the upper drainage and continues to alter riverscape conditions through high flows and increased sediment and debris influxes. As a result, spawning and rearing habitats for trout have been degraded, leading to declines in trout populations." Future restoration efforts in the side canyons and minor tributaries of Huntington Creek throughout the burn area will decrease these debris influxes and provide for increased trout capacity in the right fork, left fork, and mainstem of Huntington Creek. This project intends to support these future practices through funding for NEPA clearance requirements. The AHA in this way has been an important factor in continuing the commitment of the partnership towards enhancing trout habitat through restoration and project work. Additional partners that have provided input and support for the work encompassed by this proposal include the following: - PacifiCorp: Operating a large coal fire power plant within the drainage requires clean water and stable flows for efficient operation. They have been a partner in the past, providing support and funding for fish shocking surveys in Huntington Creek. - The Huntington Cleveland Canal Company: Providing water to local water users for both municipal and agricultural uses the Huntington-Cleveland Canal Company relies on stable, relatively clean water for efficient transport and use. - Foresty Fire and State lands has provided insight into timber and forest health throughout the project reach, and will continue to provide support for future forest and upland planting projects.

Future phases of the Huntington Creek Tributaries Restoration project will involve a significant increase in structure construction and on the ground implementation. Low Tech Process Based restoration structures including BDA's, PALS, stabilized log jams, and strategic felling will be implemented in the side canyons and minor tributaries of Huntington Creek. Restoration practices in Nuck Woodward Creek will be monitored for effectiveness and expanded upon to further stream function and provide for native trout habitat. Additional projects in the Huntington Creek drainage will increase habitat in the mainstem, left fork, and right fork of Huntington Creek. The Huntington Creek Aquatic Habitat Assessment commissioned by the Utah DWR has provided important information for the continued improvement of the drainage and trout habitat therein.

There are four major Natural Resource uses within the Huntington Creek drainage that this project will increase the durability and sustainability of. These resources are outlined below. - Forests and Timber resources continue to regenerate following the 2012 Seeley Fire. Riparian health promoted by this project will provide for drought and future wildfire resiliency and durability that an overall healthy ecosystem relies on. Timber Resources in the side canyons and minor tributaries of Huntington Creek have been slow to regenerate. Additional stability within the canyon, promoted by future phases of this project will help increase this rate of growth and future natural resources. - Restoration practices included in this project will have the most significant effect on water quality. The riparian health of Huntington Creek remains limited in areas that experienced severe burning and post fire flooding. This project will reduce sediment transport to Huntington Creek, reduce water temperature in Huntington Creek's tributaries, and limit large debris flows that effect downstream water users and water use infrastructure for agricultural, municipal, and industrial uses. - The upper reaches of the Huntington Creek drainage offer important grazing opportunities for local producers including cattle ranchers and sheep herders. Riparian health and stream function are important drivers in the sustainability of these grazing resources. Continued loss of riparian function, water quality, and floodplain connectivity will decrease riparian and meadow forage as it is lost to sagebrush encroachment. Further destabilization and slow regeneration in the side canyons of Huntington Creek following the 2012 wildfire still limit grazing capacity. - Another important function of the Huntington Creek drainage for local communities and economic influx is the recreational opportunities in the drainage for sportfishing and big game hunting. Restoration activities proposed herein will increase habitat for both big game and trout, through an increase in riparian health, water quality, quantity, and stream function.