Across the American West, networks of barbed wire fence designed to divide rangelands and assist livestock producers manage and maintain cattle and other domesticated animals have made it harder for wildlife to move freely across large landscapes. Studies have shown that the top wire height of these fences has a substantial impact on deer crossing success and that heights of 43 inches or higher can dramatically reduce crossing rates (MacDonald et al., 2022). These barriers become especially impactful in areas where seasonal migrations, like that of the Paunsaugunt mule deer herd, have been documented. Following the issuance of Secretarial Order 3362 (2017), Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) identified the Paunsaugunt mule deer herd and their migratory route as a priority corridor. Using GPS collars, UDWR has documented the herd's movements from the Paunsaugunt Plateau near Bryce Canyon National Park, where they spend the summer months, to the lower elevation winter range of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on the Utah-Arizona border, which the herd occupies from late fall to early spring. In 2023 and 2024, Wildlands Network partnered with Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and UDWR's Dedicated Hunter program to survey over 150 miles of fence in the Paunsaugunt mule deer herd's winter range. Using an app developed by UDWR, volunteers mapped fences and collected data on the quality and permeability of these fences for deer and other wildlife. In coordination with UDWR and BLM, we then identified 1.2 miles of fence to be removed and 11.2 miles of fence to be modified to improve passage for mule deer and other wildlife. The 1.2 miles of fence slated for removal are old corral fences that are no longer in use. The other 11.2 miles of fence do not meet wildlife-friendly standards, including top wires above 43 inches. There are also small sections of fence that have become buried and are completely unable to control livestock. Improving these fences will benefit management for both mule deer and livestock. These sections of fence are on the north side of US-89 adjacent to wildlife underpasses installed by Utah Department of Transportation and UDWR to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and increase passage for mule deer. By improving the permeability of the landscape immediately adjacent to these crossing structures, we will help ensure mule deer are able to utilize these crossing structures, which will enhance the quality of this critical wildlife corridor and improve the overall permeability of this landscape.

Our goal is to decrease habitat fragmentation and improve connectivity for the Paunsaugunt mule deer herd. To do this, we will modify 11.2 miles and remove 1.2 miles of fence that were identified during ground surveys in 2023 and 2024. Surveys were conducted using an app developed by UDWR, and the sections slated for removal and modification were determined to be in noncompliance with BLM's wildlife-friendly standards. This project will result in improve or removal of 12.4 miles of fence that will increase connectivity for migrating mule deer.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources included the Paunsaugunt mule deer corridor as a priority wildlife corridor in it's State Action Plan for Secretarial Order 3362. This project is taking place firmly within the corridor and winter range that UDWR identified from GPS tracking collars that have collected over 2 million data points from more than 350 individual deer. This project will benefit those mule deer by reducing barriers to the daily and seasonal movements of this prized herd. The surveys conducted in 2023 and 2024 identified miles of fence that do not meet wildlife-friendly standards and pose a risk to migrating mule deer and other wildlife. It's essential that these sections be modified as soon as possible to be brought into compliance. Doing so as quickly as possible will also ensure that volunteers who participated in the fence surveys have an opportunity to remain engaged, which will help grow community support for this kind of restoration work.

This project will draw from strategies identified in both UDWR's Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan, BLM's recently amended Resource Management Plan and Final EIS for the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, and Utah's State Action Plan for SO 3362. 1. UDWR's Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan - The plan includes wildlife-friendly fence as a strategy and states, "Consider installing or modifying wildlife-friendly fencing for effective and safe mule deer movements." 2. BLM's Resource Management Plan -- An objective included in this plan is to, "Incorporate state wildlife agency habitat management goals and associated actions related to big game winter and summer range and migration corridors... into ongoing wildlife management (such as maintenance of related infrastructure) and project-level planning." 3. Utah's State Action Plan for Secretarial Order 3362 (revised 2024) -- The Action Plan identifies the Paunsaugunt mule deer corridor as a priority corridor and highlights this project as work being done to improve the corridor. Our project objectives to remove and update fences to wildlife-friendly specifications within winter range and migratory corridors for big game will contribute to the successful implementation of these plans.

This project will not effect fire or fuels.

This project will not effect water quality or quantity.

We have been in communication with multiple staff at the BLM, including the science coordinator and ecologist for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument who is in charge of permitting. Because this project will focus on the maintenance of existing fencing to control livestock, we have been told that there will not be any NEPA, cultural resource, or other permitting required.

We will work with members and staff from Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) and Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) on a volunteer weekend to remove 1.2 miles of fence that we identified through surveys as no longer in use. With those volunteers we will also remove the bottom wire along the remaining 11.2 miles of fence. The bottom wire on these sections is currently barbed and will later be replaced with smooth wire. We will use a fence winder made available by BHA or MDF for this work. We will then have an experienced fence contractor replace the bottom wire with smooth wire. They will ensure the new bottom wire is at least 16" off the ground to conform with BLM wildlife-friendly standards. The contractor will also adjust the existing top wires to be 42-44" above the ground to meet those same wildlife-friendly standards. In the process of this work, the contractor will replace fence stays and will rebuild any braces or other sections of fence as needed. Because of the difficult nature of the terrain, the contractor will use burros to access planned work areas and haul equipment and materials in and out. All work will take place between July and October 2025.

We currently have 30 remote cameras deployed along the sections of fence slated for improvement and removal. The cameras are capturing video and are intended to document mule deer interactions with the existing fences. We will check the cameras after the spring migration in 2025 to collect and catalogue this initial data set to determine how mule deer are interaction with the current fences. We will keep the cameras deployed following the treatments through the 2025-2026 migration in order to document any changes in mule deer interactions or behaviors around the fence following their conversion to being wildlife-friendly. We will complete a full analysis and report with this data that we will upload to the project page.

Our partners include Mule Deer Foundation, Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, UDWR Dedicated Hunter Program, and BLM. Staff and Volunteers from Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and UDWR's Dedicated Hunter Program assisted with the first phase of the project where we used UDWR's fence survey app to conduct walking surveys of over 150 miles of fence within the project area. Following that data collection, we consulted with UDWR regional and statewide staff as well as staff from BLM to identify the fence sections that we would prioritize for improvement and removal. Based on those conversations and feedback, we chose the identified sections of fence because they are adjacent to wildlife crossings constructed by the Utah Department of Transportation. We collectively agreed that limiting barriers in close proximity to these crossing structures would help maximize their use by mule deer and other species. We have continued to consult with BLM staff around permitting needs for both our camera monitoring and fence improvements to ensure we are in compliance. We will collaborate with BHA and MDF on a volunteer trip during the Summer of 2025 to remove the identified sections of fence and remove the bottom barbed wire on the sections of fence where smooth wire will be installed.

The pasture allotment fences will be maintained as standard practice per agreements between the BLM and livestock permittees, who are the primary beneficiaries of these fences.

This project will reduce habitat fragmentation and improve connectivity within the Paunsaugunt mule deer migration corridor. By making fences more permeable and wildlife-friendly, we will help reduce stress on mule deer during the winter, which is their most vulnerable time of year. In doing so, we will contribute to sustainable hunting opportunities in this region, which are highly valued among Utah sportsmen and women. This project will also ensure that all treated fences remain functional and capable of retaining livestock. Fences in poor quality can often allow livestock to leave pastures, which can create management challenges for permittees and land managers and negatively impact resources.