The Yellow Lake Fire burned over 33,000 acres across the Duchesne Ridge in fall of 2024. Impacting forest land in both the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Ashley National Forests. Headwaters of both the Provo River and the Duchesne river have been affected by varying degrees of severity. Soapstone Basin was one of the most heavily impacted areas from the fire, suffering severe degradation. Soapstone Creek is a direct early tributary to the Provo River, known for being a popular fishery supporting brook trout, brown trout and tiger trout. Being only an hour from Salt Lake City, it has historically offered an accessible and productive spot for anglers to target sportfish. Farther downstream, Soapstone Creek flows north to join the Upper Provo River, home to Bonneville cutthroat trout, which currently only occupy around 35% of their historical native range. The Provo River is one of Utah's prized Blue Ribbon fisheries. The severity of which Soapstone Creek was affected by the wildfire varies across our proposed project reach. In areas where vegetation was completely lost, soil is exposed and ash remains loose on the surface. In the most affected areas, tributaries to Soapstone Creek are running directly overland over loose soil as the stream morphology was completely altered during the fire. The widespread loss of vegetation has led to unstable, eroding banks. The increased run off over bare soil will continue to exacerbate erosion of the banks, accelerating sedimentation of the creek on site and downstream. If sedimentation goes unchecked and continues downstream, it can result in reduced success of spawning efforts by trout, a decline in aquatic insects that form a large part of trout diets, decreased dissolved oxygen and an increase in water temperature. Soapstone Basin is critical summer habitat for mule deer and revegetation is necessary for not only soil stabilization but to reestablish native grasses, forbs and shrubs to maintain available diet for mule deer and elk, habitat for upland game birds and to prevent invasive species taking a hold. In response, TU, UDWR, USFS are planning a series of large scale mitigation efforts across the effected landscape, prioritizing watershed restoration through erosion control, soil stabilization and water quality improvements, with far reaching effects into native vegetation improvement, fire resilience, improved grazing and increased wildlife habitat. flows.

The main objective of this project is to rehabilitate the most severely impacted section of the Yellow Lake Fire burn scar to improve the landscape with fire resilient vegetation, stabilize soil through seeding and planting, prevent debris flows through use of straw wattles, reduce erosion of sensitive headwaters through LTPB restoration methods and improve habitat for multiple Utah SGCNs, game species and sport fish. 1) Stabilize soil: reestablish perennial grasses, forbs and shrubs in burn area to prevent noxious weed invasion, provide habitat and forage for multiple animal species and maintain soil stability. Aerial seeding of grasses and forbs would be conducted during the late fall months of 2026 or spring 2027, when precipitation could be expected to ensure seed propagation and survival. 2) Reduce erosion, incision and head cutting: implement LTPBR techniques in-stream throughout affected streams including Soapstone, Wolf Creek, and the Little West Fork. 3) Improve and stabilize water quality: plant willow, install straw wattles, along streams to stabilize the banks, reintroduce vegetation to places completely stripped of it during the fire, lower stream temperatures and provide habitat and forage 4) Promote breeding ponds for Columbia spotted frogs, found within soapstone Basin, downstream of the burn scar

The risks of not doing any restoration work in this area within the next year include: invasion of noxious weed species, and little to no grasses, forbs and shrub recruitment, the loss of forage and habitat for economically important game species and sport fish, continual degradation of critical headwaters to two important watersheds and a reduced resiliency to future wildfires. The need for soils to stabilize is critical within the next year. Perennial grass, forb and shrub species that will become established from our reseeding efforts will benefit wildlife across both forests. As mentioned, debris flows and sheet erosion also pose a risk to critical infrastructure. The BRAT model suggests Soapstone Creek, Wolf Creek and Little West Fork Duchesne all have the capacity to hold high numbers of BDAs, showing the system will benefit from LTPBR techniques such as BDAs. The Wildlife Migration Initiative identifies the project area as crucial summer habitat for mule deer. Low- Medium use for migrations (Wasatch East). Please review photos attached to see the severity of the burn. The most heavily impacted areas within the burn scar continue to degrade with severe headcutting, sedimentation and erosion in sensitive headwaters without immediate intervention.

STATE OF UTAH RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN - Protect existing habitat and improve 500,000 acres of habitat - Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and livestock. UTAH MULE DEER STATEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLAN - Conserve, improve, and restore mule deer habitat throughout the state with emphasis on crucial ranges. - Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts. UTAH STATEWIDE ELK MANAGEMENT PLAN - Conserve and improve elk habitat throughout the state. - Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock.

Reseeding efforts will allow for reduction in wildfire behavior due to the resilient seed species being planted, suppressing invasive weeds and help suppress fire activity in the future. Beaver Dam analogues are known to not only raise water tables in the areas they are implemented but increase surface water area and wetlands, know to be natural fire breaks on the landscape.

Water quality will be improved from reducing the amount of sediment entering the streams from both the erosion of banks denuded of vegetation and the loose soil and ash moving overland by run-off. Water quality will also be improved through the planting of willows and other riparian vegetation that will create more shade, keeping temperatures in stream cooler, increasing oxygen availability for aquatic species. BDAs will help prevent flood pulses during monsoons and their slow release will increase hyporheic exchange and maintain water on the landscape further into summer. Reseeding will improve precipitation infiltration and reduce the likelihood of sheet erosion. BDAs will hep prevent flood pulses during monsoons and their slow release will increase hyporheic exchange and maintain water on the landscape further into summer. Reseeding will improve precipitation infiltration and reduce the likelihood of sheet erosion.

SOIL STABILIZATION In the most severely burned areas of the creek we will focus on soil stabilization by seeding with native grasses and forbs, helping re-establish vegetation that will take root and establish ground cover, improving soil health and reducing erosion, decreasing sediment entering the creek. Seeding with native species will reduce the risk of invasive species taking hold, supporting long-term ecological resilience in the area. BANK STABILIIZATION To tackle the bank de-stabilization that follows wildfires, we will cut and stake willows along the banks of Soapstone Creek that have been stripped of vegetation. Willows are a fast-rooting riparian species, and planting directly on the banks of the creek will speed up the revegetation process, anchoring the banks, reducing erosion and, with time, will also aid in keeping water temperatures lower by creating shade over the channel. EROSION AND HEADCUTTING Certain points along the creek within our proposed project area would benefit from in-stream restoration methods. The combined effects of the sweeping loss of vegetation, bank instability and sedimentation can be helped by Building Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs). BDAs mimic natural beaver dams and work to slow water, reducing erosion, encouraging sediment deposition and raising the water table, helping with vegetation regrowth. PLANTING This project is designed to use natural methods to encourage rapid restoration along Soapstone Creek, benefitting not only the trout downstream but local to site wildlife including beaver, Columbia spotted frog and pollinators.

U.S. Forest Service, Utah Division of Wildlife, Trout Unlimited