The immediate need for the project addresses private landowner concerns and identifies key areas for restoration and recovery actions related to BLM resource management including sensitive species. In the watershed there are large areas of saline soils and erodible soils which have accelerated erosion rates causing high sediment loading to springs, creeks and wetland areas. Gullies, headcuts, rilling and erosion are active throughout the watershed and contribute large amounts of sediment to water resources and riparian areas. This impacts water quality, water quantity, soil productivity and health as well as overall watershed health. Proper functioning condition (PFC) assessments have varied across the watershed. Courthouse Wash has varied from nonfunctional (1996), functional at risk (2010), and mid to high functional (2016) ratings. These assessments noted the presence of invasive species, downcutting and bankcutting heading into the wet-meadow with room for improvement.

Private-BLM Land Boundary Plan and construct roughly 12,000 ft. of barbed wire range fence to mitigate conflicts between public and private land uses. This would address private landowner concerns from cattle and recreation trespass and also protect a subset of the Astragalus vehiculus population on private land. Astragalus vehiculus Establish small enclosures to protect demography and macroplot study sites. Seed collection for research and storage when environmental conditions are appropriate. Vegetation Management Woody invasives treatment would occur in isolated sections surrounding Upper Courthouse Spring and the wet meadow segment of this reach. The area hosts small populations of milkweed including showy and big seed milkweeds that support native pollinators such as the monarch butterfly and would benefit from invasive species management and erosion control structures to improve habitat. 30 year trends have noted an overall decrease of perennial forb and grass cover and production that influences the health of rangelands, pollinators, and wildlife habitat across the HUC 10 watershed. Watershed Action Plan Identify areas with accelerated erosion and sediment loading and identify treatments to address these concerns.

Sue Sternberg is establishing a conservation easement on her property and addressing past issues with trespass from grazing cattle and recreation from adjacent BLM managed lands. The milkvetch conservation agreement and strategy also identifies these resource uses, recreation and livestock grazing, as stressors for Astragalus vehiculus. This highlights the need for proactive measures to further study and understand these impacts to better manage the overall watershed following the BLM multiple use mission. This project may also serve as a collaboration point or complement other work in the watershed by private landowners, as well as nearby Utahraptor State Park and Arches National Park.

The 2005 BLM Utah Riparian Policy states "riparian areas are to be improved at every opportunity". This project would improve riparian areas by reducing the non-native invasive plant species and increasing native plant species diversity and densities in the Upper Courthouse Wash watershed. The BLM Moab Field Office 2008 Resource Management Plan (RMP) identifies objectives that would be accomplished by implementing this plan. Goal/ objective #VEG-9 states "reduce Tamarisk and Russian Olive where appropriate and restore riparian habitat to native willow and cottonwood communities". Goal/objective #WL-8 states "prevent the spread of invasive and non-native plants especially cheatgrass, Tamarisk and Russian Olive. Strive for a dense understory of native species in riparian areas with a reduction in Tamarisk and improvement of cottonwood and willow regeneration." This project would reduce the amount of invasive and non-native plants including Russian Olive and tamarisk in the riparian areas in Upper Courthouse Wash, allowing native species such as cottonwoods and willows and native understory species to flourish and regenerate. In the BLM Moab Field Office 2008 RMP, management decision SOL-WAT-15 (page 103) states "maintain or improve soil quality and long term soil productivity through the implementation of Standards for Rangeland Health and other soil protection measures. Management decision SOL-WAT-17 states "maintain and/ or restore overall watershed health and reduce erosion, stream sedimentation and salinization of water". The BLM RMP also includes goals and objectives to maintain, protect, and enhance special status plant and animal habitats in such a manner that the potential need to consider any of these species for listing as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act does not arise. Supporting management decisions are as follows: (1) SSS-1 as required by the Endangered Species Act, implement recovery actions identified in Recovery Plans and in Conservation Agreements, Plans and Strategies in coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), and other interested entities. The BLM will be an active participant in all recovery implementation teams; (2) VEG-6 gather necessary vegetation information and continue monitoring to assess if planning objectives are being met; and (3) GRA-9 collect monitoring data, including trend, utilization, actual use, and climate data to determine if existing livestock management practices are meeting land-use planning and resource objectives. BLMs participation in the "Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Cisco milkvetch, stage station milkvetch, and Isely's milkvetch" (CAS) includes four levels of monitoring: (1) population and habitat monitoring, (2) effectiveness of conservation actions, (3) adaptive management, and (4) compliance with regulatory mechanisms. Relevant stressors listed in the document include recreation, livestock grazing, nonnative, invasive plant species, land development and conservation, and periodic drought and climate change.

The proposed project would significantly reduce the risk of wildfires and reduce the continuity of hazardous fuels. The potential for human caused wildfires is high in the heavier recreation use areas. Removing Russian olive and tamarisk not only reduces fuel loads but also isolates smaller fuel load areas. If a fire were to start, the chance of a large scale catastrophic fire would be greatly minimized as the fire would be more accessible and suppressed more easily and may not spread as rapidly. Invasive annual grasses are also present in the watershed and pose a serious threat as fine ladder fuels. A reduction of the invasive woody species would improve conditions in the riparian habitat, allowing for an increase in native woody and herbaceous species including native milkweed and other pollinator-friendly species to support monarch butterflies.

Implementation would improve water quality by reducing sediment loading to springs and creeks as erosion is reduced. High sediment loads in spring pools and creeks can increase stream temperatures as water is more shallow and easily heated during the day. High sediment loads can also increase nutrient levels which reduce available dissolved oxygen levels. These are important water quality parameters that affect aquatic habitats and systems. Implementation would also improve water quantity. Construction of small erosion control structures throughout the watershed would slow down storm water runoff, increase infiltration of precipitation into soils and increase storage of water in streambanks. This would increase the quantity of available surface water at springs and in creeks and wetland areas as well as increasing the length of time that surface water is available. The pools created throughout the drainage will provide a usable water source for bats including fringed and Yuma myotis. Northern leopard frogs have also been recorded in the area and would benefit from improved water quality and riparian habitats.

All required NEPA and associated clearances would be completed prior to implementation. The fencing proposal would be authorized using categorical exclusion from 516 DM 11.9 J (9) Construction of small protective enclosures, including those to protect reservoirs and springs and those to protect small study areas. BLM sensitive species vegetative materials collection would be authorized for research purposes only, with milkvetch conservation team guidance in line with the Milkvetch Conservation Agreement and Strategy. 516 DM 11.9 Actions Eligible for a Categorical Exclusion C. Forestry (5) Disposal of small amounts of miscellaneous vegetation products outside established harvest areas, such as Christmas trees, wildings, floral products (ferns, boughs, etc.), cones, seeds, and personal use firewood; J. Other. (11) Actions where the BLM has concurrence or co-approval with another DOI Bureau/Office, and the action is categorically excluded for that DOI Bureau/Office. Future LTPBR and erosion control work would be considered for phase two and be authorized under the existing Moab Field Office Low-Tech Process-Based Riverscape Restoration EA. Invasive species treatments would also be considered for phase two following initial phase one treatments and the recommendations identified in the proposed watershed action plan. Proposed treatments would be analyzed for compliance under the current Moab Field Office Programmatic Invasive Species Management Plan.

Completion of an erosion assessment report and treatment plan in the watershed would identify areas with high rates of erosion and associated treatments to address poor soil and drainage conditions. Areas would be prioritized by severity of conditions, access and need. Treatment options would include simple Zeedyk type structures or other low-tech process based techniques. These structures would be designed to slow down storm water runoff, to reduce erosion and sediment loading to springs, creeks and wetlands, and to increase infiltration of water into shallow soils. Specific treatments would be recommended for each high priority area along with the extent of each treatment. This assessment report would be invaluable for future planning and implementation throughout the watershed. Based on the erosion assessment report and treatment plan, treatments may be implemented as funding allows. Treatments may include one rock dams, luna media structures, rock lining water flow paths, etc (reference= Let the Water do the Work by Bill Zeedyk). Fencing would require careful planning to install two sections of swing fence across the wash and engineering plans for an additional cattle guard if necessary. The majority of the fence would be built using t-posts and barbed wire and tie into existing fences on private property and BLM land. Range fencing would also be used for two small study plots. All fencing would be pronghorn and wildlife friendly, constructed with a smooth bottom wire placed at least 18 inches above the ground. Russian olive and tamarisk would be removed by a contracted chainsaw crew, who would fell trees, buck material into short 4' lengths, apply herbicide to the stumps, and scatter the brush in upland areas or haul out to be used for erosion control projects in the watershed. Chemical treatment of sparse populations would use aquatic approved glyphosate or triclopyr. Herbicide would be applied to stumps following the use of chainsaws, hand saws, loppers, and other handheld tools.

The project area would be monitored following the BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) monitoring framework, including supplemental surveys for bureau sensitive plant species where appropriate. Monitoring would include data collection such as point line intercept lots, photo points, and other methods to assess vegetation composition, future seeding and planting success, or overall ecological health and native species diversity. Targeted AIM sites and protocols can be focused to the needs of the watershed as time and budget allows. Annual monitoring of BLM sensitive Astragalus vehiculus, Townsendia strigosa var. prolixa, and Oreoxis trotteri, would continue with members of the milkvetch team, UNHP rare plant team, BLM, and other qualified resource specialists. Salinity would be assessed prior to implementation of structures, invasives treatment, and fencing by BLM staff to create a baseline for comparison during spring flows and storm events. Monitoring would continue during and after the project to report on efficacy. Samples would be taken by hand held probes.

Sue Sternberg, private landowner. Sue started conversations with Utah Open Lands and TNC for a conservation easement on her property and has expressed concerns with the impacts from unauthorized motorized travel and livestock grazing trespass. Sue has been present for meetings with BLM and the Utah Rare Plant Team, both virtually and in the field. She has given permission to members of the Milkvetch Conservation Team to survey and monitor her property for stage station milkvetch in the past and is a supporter of the BLM's local efforts to support paleontological resources. Mindy Wheeler, Utah Natural Heritage Program. Mindy has been the main point of contact between the Milkvetch Team and Sue over the past few years following contact with Joel Tuhy (TNC, retired). Mindy and the rare plant team conduct annual monitoring of stage station milkvetch, Trotter's alpineparsely, and Townsendia raptora in the Courthouse Rock area which is ongoing to record new information and assess species impacts. Kara Dohrenwend, Gavin Belfry, Rim to Rim Restoration. Kara has supported invasive species work and restoration in the nearby Mill and Pack Creek watersheds and would continue in a similar role to provide vegetative materials for restoration and identify treatment areas. Gavin has also assisted with botanical surveys for sensitive species and would likely continue during the phases of this project, including collection of seed for storage and testing. Alix Pfennigwerth, Michael Hague, TNC. TNC has partnered with the BLM to complete watershed restoration projects in Canyon Country through low-tech methods. Alix is the Utah Riparian Restoration Project Manager. Michael is involved with TNC for assessing Sue's property for a conservation easement. Barb Smith, USFS. Wildlife biologist and member of the Milkvetch Conservation Team. Added benefiting wildlife species to project. Gabe Bissonette, Ann Marie Aubry, Chris Quirin, BLM. Site visits, coordinating and meeting with partners, previous sampling efforts, PFC assessments and authoring the proposal. Milkvetch Conservation Team (members include DNR, TLA, BLM, USFS, UDOT, USFWS). The team is involved with assessing the project proposal's adherence to the Conservation Agreement and has been briefed on the proposed enclosures and study sites. The team is involved with annual monitoring, project proposals, reporting. Jedd Sondergard, Jared Dalebout, BLM Salinity Program. Financial support of project planning and implementation. Review of salinity maps and relevance to the project. Comments on monitoring impacts to salinity related to implemented erosion control structures. Jeff Adams, TerraSofia. Jeff is a contractor that has contributed to erosion control projects with TNC and BLM in Canyon Country and has expressed interest in planning priority areas and working with the Milkvetch Team to benefit sensitive plant species in the watershed. The Utah Division of Water Quality has partnered on similar projects in the area and would be a likely partner on this project.

A phased approach would ideally support further collaboration across the watershed with potential partners at Utahraptor State Park and Arches National Park. Future management considerations include but are not limited to rangeland health and proper functioning condition assessments associated with the allotment renewal process, trail and road maintenance, and conservation actions to benefit sensitive species. An enhanced understanding of how these resources influence each other and sensitive species will help craft the best possible management plan for these resources. Success in this phase of the project would provide an example to replicate in other nearby riparian systems like Mill Canyon, Tusher Wash (nonfunctional PFC in 2004, 2016), and Bartlett Wash (functional at risk PFC in 1997, 2000). Mill Canyon contains a spring fed riparian area of about 0.4 miles in length. The reach contains high quality habitat for native riparian plant species as well as pollinators. The stream has been affected by braiding of a non-motorized trail that passes through it. The various braided channels have disrupted the natural flow of the stream from what was likely sheet flow into an incised channel, which contributes to a lower water table and higher rates of erosion. We are proposing to close off destructive, dead-end braided trails with natural materials and signage to encourage recreationists to use the least impactful path through the riparian area following completion of the erosion assessment report and treatment plan. Once user impacts are minimized, the site will be evaluated for potential low-tech process based in-stream restoration structures to address the channel incision and erosion.

The Bureau of Land Management's mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. This multiple-use and sustained yield mission means that the BLM manages public lands for a variety of uses such as energy development, livestock grazing, recreation, and timber harvesting while ensuring natural, cultural, and historic resources are maintained for present and future use. Careful planning is necessary for BLM to meet its mandate. Courthouse Wash lies at the nexus of livestock grazing, recreation, and sensitive natural, cultural, and historic resources that need to be well understood, documented, and considered when making future land management decisions that affect other stakeholders across the watershed.