The Parleys Watershed Restoration Project FY26 goal is to continue improving the overall health of Parley's Canyon, including improving the health of riparian areas, streams, wetlands and upland sites. Additionally, the goal is to continue to provide a clean and sustainable drinking water supply for the Salt Lake Valley. To accomplish these goals, we have coordinated planning with many stakeholders, including landowners, government entities, and non-profit organizations. There have been many negative human impacts on Parley's Canyon. Parley's Canyon has long been used as a central transportation corridor through the Wasatch Front. The Interstate that runs down the canyon brings many issues, including fire risk from vehicles, polluted runoff from a large impervious surface, and a wildlife connectivity barrier. Historically, Parleys Canyon was overgrazed and was clear-cut logged in many areas, creating lasting negative impacts. Inadvertent noxious weed introductions such as myrtle spurge, phragmites, garlic mustard, and yellow star thistle. Decades of wildfire suppression have led to excess fuel biomass and unhealthy forests. Stream incision and historic overgrazing along riparian areas have degraded streams and led to sub-optimal habitat conditions for many fish and wildlife species. Previous phases of this project have made significant progress toward rectifying the impacts listed above. The FY26 project will continue to build on past progress by treating Myrtle Spurge, burning previously piled conifers, and maintaining old and building new BDAs. Continued implementation of these restoration methodologies will help in mitigating some of the historic human impacts previously mentioned. Weed Treatments- The weed treatments will help to protect native vegetation from being lost and help benefit wildlife species such as mule deer, elk, moose, cottontail rabbits, snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, chukar, wild turkeys, and many pollinator species such as the monarch butterfly. Cut and Pile- The USFS plans to go back into areas where we previously cut and piled trees and start to burn them. This will open up the canopy more, greatly increase the understory vegetation, and help reduce the fire risk to nearby communities as well as benefit wildlife. Mule Deer, elk, moose, cottontail rabbits, little brown myotis bat, and many other raptor species will benefit from having more open meadow habitat. The meadow vegetation will provide more food as well as prey species for predators. BDAs- The construction of BDAs will help improve the habitat for amphibian species. BDAs can also improve water quality by capturing sediment and buffering high and low flow conditions. In conclusion, this is a highly critical watershed for humans, fish, and wildlife species. Previous phases of this project have been successful in improving the health of this watershed, but continued efforts are necessary. The many partners on this project ask for continued funding for the FY26 phase to build on previous work and continue the restoration of the health of this watershed. This project will benefit mule deer, elk, and moose by increasing open meadows and aspen stands. This project will benefit Bonneville cutthroat trout by creating greater habitat diversity with BDAs. This project will benefit bighorn sheep by removing myrtle spurge. (See wildlife tracker data)

This project's overall goal is to improve the watershed health in Parley's Canyon. The project has multiple objectives designed to address all of the Watershed Restoration Initiative's priorities 1. Improve ecosystem health. 2. Reduce and eradicate noxious weeds from the watershed. 3. Improve fish and wildlife habitat, especially for boreal (western) toad and Bonneville cutthroat trout. 4. Improve water quality and increase water quantity. 5. Address threats to species identified in the Wildlife Action Plan. 6. Addresses specific objectives in local, state, and federal resource management plans. 7. Increase forage for wildlife and livestock. 8. Increase and protect recreational opportunities including skiing, hunting, fishing, and others. 9. Reduce fire risk to communities. Specifically, the BDAs can improve habitat for moose as well as bat species. And the cut and pile treatment can improve habitat for moose, elk and mule deer. Cut and pile thinning can also improve habitat for bat species.

1. The continuation of the Parley's Canyon restoration work will help to ensure the success of previous phases of the project and help set more foundational work for the health of Parley's ecological systems. This project considers and connects previous watershed restoration work completed by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands (FFSL), including the creation of defensible space in the Mt. Aire community, the cut and chip work done along Lamb's Canyon Road, and the fuel breaks created in the Summit Park area. 2. Many wildlife species rely on healthy forests. The loss of habitat from river channelization and noxious weed invasions poses a major threat that potentially leads to decreases in wildlife populations, including elk, moose, mule deer, American Pika, Ferruginous Hawk, and olive-sided flycatcher. 3. Managing noxious weed species (e.g., myrtle spurge) before they have reached an ecological threshold and out-compete native vegetation is essential to maintain ecosystem function. Once noxious weeds have reached an ecological threshold, the cost of control may be prohibitive. 4. In late-fall 2024, Project partners identified two candidate sites for restoration on tributaries to Parley's Creek. Preliminary site photos of "Little Hatch" and "Cutler Cabin" creeks demonstrate how these sites have become down-cut and disconnected from the floodplain (1-2' incised). Intervening with low-tech structures at this stage is essential to preventing further down-cutting. The streams in the project area are moderately degraded and are becoming more incised, and riparian vegetation is being lost. Once these ecological thresholds are crossed in degraded streams, low-tech-process-based restoration cannot be effectively used to restore ecological function of streams. Healthy streams and riparian buffers often foster biological diversity in both plant and animal species. Beaver damn analogs and other low-tech process-based restoration strategies improve drought-resilience in small streams and promote habitat necessary for amphibians. Stream restoration projects also benefit bat species such as the Little Brown Myotis by providing habitat for diverse invertebrates which the bat species prey on.

This project complies with guidance and addresses objectives outlined in the following management plans: 1. The Boreal Toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) Conservation Plan (Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 2005) which addresses: A. Fire Management; B. The Protection of habitat in forest stands adjacent to and within 2.5 miles of breeding sites; C. The Restriction of burns to late fall through early spring, when boreal toads are inactive in known occupied areas; D. The Determination of impacts of fire through monitoring of known breeding sites; E. Habitat Fragmentation; F. Prevention of further habitat fragmentation of breeding populations; G. The Identification and preservation of dispersal corridors; H. The Identification and preservation of metapopulation structure; I. The Restoration of historic dispersal corridors; J. Identification of where migration and gene flow among occupied habitats should be facilitated; K. The Improvement of habitat conditions in degraded dispersal corridors; L. The Minimization of depletion of boreal toad prey base; M. The Minimization of degradation of bank conditions; O. Minimization of degradation of water quality; P. Minimization of depletion of emergent and riparian vegetation; Q. Minimization of habitat loss and degradation associated with water management; R. Minimization of stream channelization; S. Creating, restoring, and maintaining new habitat through water management; T. Creating shallow shoreline margins in new impoundments; U. Deepening impoundments to maintain sufficient water levels through metamorphosis phase of species; and V. Creating new wetlands according to boreal toad breeding habitat requirements. 2. Deer Herd Unit 17a Management Plan which addresses: A. Maintaining mule deer habitat throughout the unit by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitat and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts; B. Seeking cooperative projects to improve the quality and quantity of deer habitat; C. Providing improved habitat security and escapement opportunities for deer; D. Treating quaking aspen stands to reduce conifer competition; E. Improving the habitat condition up higher in the canyon, hopefully keeping deer from going down into the city. 3. Wildlife Action Plan which addresses restoring and improving degraded wildlife habitat. A. We will be improving the habitat and addressing threats in the key habitats of the aquatic scrub/shrub type, forested aquatics, and riverine in the WAP. This project will help to address the medium threat of sediment transport imbalance by reducing sediment transport by stabilizing the banks with vegetation and rocks. B. We will address the high threat of channel down-cutting by removing the channels in the stream and making a more subtle gradient, raising water levels to restore the floodplain and thus reducing channel down-cutting. 4. Statewide Moose Management Plan which addresses: A. Achieving optimum populations of moose in all suitable habitat; B. Assuring sufficient habitat to sustain healthy and productive moose populations; and C. Providing optimal opportunities for hunting and viewing of moose. 5. Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan which addresses: A. Maintaining mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts; and B. Improving the quality and quantity of vegetation for mule deer. 6. Statewide Elk Management Plan which addresses: A. Increasing forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat; and B. Maintaining sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. 7. Utah Beaver Management Plan which addresses: A. Facilitating and promoting beaver-assisted restoration activities and expansion of existing beaver populations in areas where beaver are already present, habitat exists to already support them and human-beaver conflict potential is low and/or easily mitigated; and B. Assessing what might be limiting or keeping beaver from expanding (e.g. limited woody vegetation resources, over-trapping, predation, incised channel conditions), and identifying management actions that might address those specific limiting factors (e.g. riparian improvement, grazing management changes, temporary trapping closures, more cover (i.e. deep water) for beaver, or use of beaver dam analogues to either create some initial cover or intermediate stability from flood disturbance). 8. Salt Lake County Integrated Watershed Management Plan which addresses stream restoration and improving habitat as priority implementation tasks and identifies Parley's Creek as a priority watershed. 9. Parleys Creek Management Plan which addresses: A. Improving Riparian Habitat through Control of Invasive Plant Species and Restoration of Native Plant Communities; and B. Initiating invasive plant removal/control efforts in city-owned riparian corridor areas utilizing an integrated weed control strategy. 10. UDWR Strategic Management Plan which addresses: A. Maintaining existing wildlife habitat and increasing the quality of critical habitat and watersheds throughout the state; B. Decreasing risks to species and their habitats through integrated implementation of the WAP; and C. Increasing hunting opportunities.

This project is a multi-phase project that has already done a lot of work to reduce fire risks to communities and infrastructure. In this phase of the project we will continue to reduce the fuel loads by burning piles that were made last year and maintain and expand previously masticated areas. This will reduce the fire severity and allow for more natural fires to take place. The combination of an essential watershed, high recreation use, and a high to extreme wildfire risk rating according to UWRAP makes Parley's Canyon a priority area for WRI. In these high-priority areas, fire has been suppressed to such a degree that the resulting stand dynamics are dominated by disease and insect infestation full of dead and down and dying conifers that are prone to catastrophic wildfires. This is extremely concerning for people who live in communities in Lambs Canyon, Summit Park, Jeremy Ranch, Park City, and Mount Aire. Interstate 80 and a major utility corridor provide access to and from Salt Lake City and coincides with the northern boundary of the project. Billions of dollars in commerce, infrastructure, and private property damage could occur. In the instance of a wildfire, both public and firefighter lives would be at risk. This project will continue the process that we have started in previous phases and pave the way for future fire risk reduction efforts including possible controlled burns through the USFS. The BDAs and stream restoration will also help increase riparian wet areas and green vegetation which will act as green strips or fire breaks to slow and stop catastrophic fire spread.

Given the project area's location within Salt Lake City's protected watershed, which provides drinking water to 360,000 people daily and feeds into the Parley's Water Treatment Facility, it is of high value and priority for funding within WRI and Shared Stewardship. Parley's Creek is impaired water (303d List Cause of Impairment e.Coli) and is of high recreational value. The impact of the watershed on so many users increases this project's high value. Protecting the quality and quantity of water resources has both instream benefits and downstream benefits. Using low-tech, process-based restoration to improve stream health will capture sediment and begin the process of aggrading incised stream channels. Healthy streams store water in the watershed, recharge groundwater, and regulate the flow of water throughout the year. There is evidence that healthy riparian corridors can halt the spread of wildfires and create more vegetation regrowth and resilience post-fire. Healthy riparian corridors are more resilient to wildfires because riparian vegetation such as willows and cottonwoods thrive after disturbance. Vegetation root systems in riparian corridors stabilize streambanks and are more resilient to flooding (i.e., down-cutting and incision), if and when post-fire rains erode into waterways. Conversely, degraded riparian corridors are not resilient to wildfire; they will require extensive efforts to restore vegetation and hydrologic function (i.e., deep incision and down-cutting). Riparian habitats can be resilient to wildfire and generally do not require extensive restoration (Halofsky and Hibbs 2009). A dense stand of degraded vegetation along a streambank could result in high fire severity burning, severely impacting the ability for natural recovery.

The first phases of this project funded the cultural surveys on USFS lands and supported compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). All NEPA requirements were completed on 03/2021. We will acquire individual stream alteration permits (PGP010) and any necessary municipal permits, State Historic Preservation Act (SHPO) permits needed for each low-tech process-based stream restoration implementation and maintenance project. We will work with UDWR staff to ensure archaeological surveys are completed. Low-tech riparian projects (i.e. BDAs) are built with hand tools and crews on foot (i.e. no motorized vehicles) in the riparian area. Hand-crews will limit disturbance to the stream channel and riparian area to late-August through late October to avoid downstream sediment pulses.

Fuels Reduction-The USFS is planning to burn piles of conifer trees within aspen stands to restore the natural state so that meadow habitats will be increases to greatly benefit wildlife. We will use hand crews to cut pile and burn the edges of preciously masticated oakbrush to expand the fire breaks. Weed Control-Best management practices for myrtle spurge include both manual removal and chemical control in the early spring prior to seed dispersal. In areas where plants are growing on steep slopes and where manual removal could increase erosion, chemical control is preferred using a mix of 2,4-D and dicamba with a surfactant. If the plants can be removed manually with limited disturbance to soils, best management practices include removing at least four inches of the root with care not to get the sap in the eyes or on skin. LTPBR: We will implement up to 50 Low-tech, process-based restoration structures (i.e., beaver dam analogs and post-assisted log structures) across two sites (Little Hatch and Cutler Cabin creeks) in Parley's watershed. We will use methods described in Low-tech, Process-based Restoration of Riverscapes (Wheaton et al. 2019). In short, untreated wooden fence posts approximately 3-4" in diameter will be used in construction. Posts are driven into the stream bed with a gas or hydraulic post pounder. Posts extend approximately one meter above the channel bed and are spaced approximately 0.5 - 0.8ft apart and driven to a depth of approximately 2ft into the streambed. Volunteers and partners weave native vegetation, rocks, and mud between the posts to create a structure that will resemble a beaver dam. The structure slow water flow but allow fish to pass through. The structures are placed 10-30 meters apart within the stream. Riparian planting: We will co-locate riparian planting projects of up to 700 herbaceous wetland plants (Showy Milkweed, Canada Goldenrod, Field Sedge, and Joe Pye Weed) with BDAs. A combination of volunteers and contractors will implement the LTPBR and planting projects. After a year the health of the stream will be evaluated, and future actions can be planned. Additionally, willows or other native plants may be planted at the restoration sites to improve the establishment of riparian vegetation.

The project will be monitored for success in the short and long term and will be reported back to WRI. Stream Restoration: Effectiveness of stream restoration (e.g., BDAs) will be monitored using the Rapid Stream-Riparian Assessment (RSRA) survey. The RSRA generates a score for water quality, hydrogeomorphology, fish and aquatic habitat, riparian vegetation, and terrestrial wildlife habitat. This method was selected because it is both a time and cost-efficient means to monitor restoration projects. Sageland Collaborative will carry out RSRA surveys at Cutler Cabin and Little Hatch sites before and after restoration, and report cumulative monitoring results from annual pre/post restoration surveys to the WRI database. Data is also available online at citsci.org. Salt Lake County is committed to collecting long-term water quality data. We will compare pre-treatment data to post-treatment. Pollinator monitoring: Sageland Collaborative and volunteers will monitor each BDA site using the Utah Pollinator Pursuit's opportunistic survey for Monarch Butterfly, Western Bumblebee, and other pollinators. This protocol uses iNaturalist smartphone app to document presence of these pollinators and obligate plants (i.e. Milkweed). Wildlife Monitoring Wildlife monitoring using trail cameras, acoustic monitors, and visual encounter surveys will be conducted by Utah's Hogle Zoo at priority survey sites (as determined by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources) in Parley's Canyon. Fieldwork will occur April to August. Monitoring efforts aim to evaluate the impact of habitat changes before and after restoration initiatives, such as BDA installation. Camera monitoring focuses on medium and large wildlife species; acoustic monitoring focuses on bat and bird species; and amphibian monitoring focuses on the imperiled western (boreal) toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) and other amphibians. Pre- and post-restoration monitoring of wildlife communities and habitats help state agencies and managers evaluate the efficacy of restoration interventions and adapt management strategies accordingly. Additionally, data from amphibian surveys, which document presence/absence, breeding evidence, and habitat condition, contribute to recovery planning for the western toad in Utah, including identifying sites that may be suitable for repatriation. The amphibian-monitoring project is a continuation of a long-term partnership among Utah's Hogle Zoo, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sageland Collaborative, U.S. Forest Service, and Utah Geological Survey.

UDWR Habitat Restoration Biologists have been coordinating efforts between multiple landowners and interest groups in Parley's Canyon for the last few years to bring multiple phases of a landscape-scale watershed restoration project. Sageland Collaborative (Rose Smith) will design and permit new BDA structures in Parley's watershed (Little Hatch, Cutler Cabin), and support SLCDPU in building new structures and planting native wetland plants 2 volunteer events. Sageland Collaborative will also lead riparian habitat surveys (RSRA) at BDA sites. Patrick Nelson from Salt Lake City Utilities/Watershed Management has been a collaborator. SLC is also very supportive of the work in the canyon (as owners of land and water rights in the canyon). Sage Fitch, the Salt Lake County Bee and Noxious Weeds Program Manager has been involved in planning the weed control aspects of the project for garlic mustard and myrtle spurge. UDOT, SLC Open Lands, and the BLM are supportive of doing weed control on their lands. Utah's Hogle Zoo will conduct wildlife monitoring as noted above, using trail cameras, acoustic monitoring (for bats and birds), and amphibian surveys.

This project is part of a multi-year effort to improve watershed health. We will continue to monitor the outcomes of this project in the longer term to evaluate results and inform future management. We will continue to monitor and control noxious weeds and the success of stream restoration efforts to reach objectives and will make any future repairs or adjustments as needed to ensure their success.

As outlined in the description of sustainable uses, recreation is defined as sustainable use. This project will greatly benefit recreational uses such as hunting and fishing by improving the habitat for fish and wildlife. Hunting is a popular activity in the canyon, given its proximity to Salt Lake City. The extended archery hunt is extremely popular in this area, and hundreds of hunters can have quality hunting experiences. It will also benefit the experience that mountain bikers, hikers, snowshoers, cross country, and downhill skiers will have by ensuring the area's resiliency to fire, weed infestation, and disease. Wildlife forage availability will increase by reducing competitive weeds. Additionally, BDAs will increase forage in riparian areas through water dispersal. All grazing benefits resulting from this project will be for wildlife because most of the project area is in a protected watershed where livestock grazing is not allowed.