Skip to Content
Main Menu
Search
Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative
Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative
Projects
Maps
About Us
Register
Login
Search
Saving...
Thank you for requesting access to WRI.
An administrator will contact you with further details.
Prairie Canyon/ 217 Fire Rehab
Region: Southeastern
ID: 7342
Project Status: Completed
Map This Project
Export Project Data
Project Details
*
Need for Project
The Prairie Canyon and 217 fires burned 4,200 acres of sage and grass in the Cisco desert area. This area is critical winter habitat for mule deer and elk. Pronghorn use areas for and may benefit from the project. Without Herbicide, the site will be dominated by cheat grass.
Provide evidence about the nature of the problem and the need to address it. Identify the significance of the problem using a variety of data sources. For example, if a habitat restoration project is being proposed to benefit greater sage-grouse, describe the existing plant community characteristics that limit habitat value for greater sage-grouse and identify the changes needed for habitat improvement.
*
Objectives
To limit the spread of invasive annual grasses, and encourage the establishment of beneficial perennial vegetation.
Provide an overall goal for the project and then provide clear, specific and measurable objectives (outcomes) to be accomplished by the proposed actions. If possible, tie to one or more of the public benefits UWRI is providing.
*
Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?)
Sagebrush Steppe has evloved with fire, but with annual grasses on the landscape the fire frequency has increased, and lead to larger more drastic fires. With this increase in fire and annual grasses, these crucial sagebrush habitats have degraded. The lost of sagebrush habitats threaten livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, watershed health and productivity and life and property. Improving these sagebrush habitats by reducing annual grasses will improve wildlife habitat and livestock productivity, and improve watershed health.
LOCATION: Justify the proposed location of this project over other areas, include publicly scrutinized planning/recovery documents that list this area as a priority, remote sensing modeling that show this area is a good candidate for restoration, wildlife migration information and other data that help justify this project's location.
TIMING: Justify why this project should be implemented at this time. For example, Is the project area at risk of crossing an ecological or other threshold wherein future restoration would become more difficult, cost prohibitive, or even impossible.
*
Relation to Management Plans
State of Utah Resource Management Plan: "The State supports the efforts of the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative and other rehabilitative efforts throughout the state"; "Monitor and control invasive species, particularly in riparian corridors."; "Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and domestic livestock forage on public and private lands."; "Work with local governments and federal agency to identify and conserve critical wildlife habits and migration corridors throughout Utah"; "The State supports the Watershed Restoration Initiative to encourage reduced wildfire acreage and suppression costs, reduced soil loss from erosion, reduced sedimentation and storage loss in reservoirs, improved water quality and yield, improved wildlife populations, increased forage, reduced risk of additional federal listing of species under the Endangered Species Act, improved agricultural production, and resistance to invasive plant species." Grand County Resource Management Plan: "Wildfire Management (Public Lands Policy 19.) Continue to work with the State of Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands to implement the Wildland Fire Plan and to reduce wildfire hazard of fire in the wildland-urban interface."; "vii. Land Restoration (Public Lands Policy 7.) Encourages public land-management agencies to restore damaged areas."; "1. i. Continue to work with the State of Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands to implement the Wildland Fire Plan and to reduce wildfire hazard of fire in the wildland-urban interface."
List management plans where this project will address an objective or strategy in the plan. Describe how the project area overlaps the objective or strategy in the plan and the relevance of the project to the successful implementation of those plans. It is best to provide this information in a list format with the description immediately following the plan objective or strategy.
*
Fire/Fuels
The potential for more extreme fires will intensify as cheat grass increases. By reducing annual grass densities, the possibility for future larger-scale stand replacing fire events will be decreased. An extreme fire event could lead to a loss of crucial habitat/understory vegetation and the potential for a noxious weed infestation. Fire regimes have been moderately and extensively altered and the risk of losing key ecosystem components from fire is high. This is mainly due to the expansion of annual grasses.
If applicable, detail how the proposed project will significantly reduce the risk of fuel loading and/or continuity of hazardous fuels including the use of fire-wise species in re-seeding operations. Describe the value of any features being protected by reducing the risk of fire. Values may include; communities at risk, permanent infrastructure, municipal watersheds, campgrounds, critical wildlife habitat, etc. Include the size of the area where fuels are being reduced and the distance from the feature(s) at risk.
*
Water Quality/Quantity
Completion of this project would reduce flooding and runoff from heavy rainstorms by allowing better peculation of water into soils because of deep-rooted perennial grasses and shrubs. Currently with the lack of understory and dense annual grass on site there is large unprotected soil available for erosion. By decreasing annual grasses this treatment will increase the variety of grasses, forbs and shrubs the ground cover will be greatly increased, which will decrease the potential for erosion.
Describe how the project has the potential to improve water quality and/or increase water quantity, both over the short and long term. Address run-off, erosion, soil infiltration, and flooding, if applicable.
*
Compliance
A literature review of previous surveys and recorded sites within a quarter mile of the APE was conducted by a BLM archaeologist in September 2024. The literature review identified 14 sites within the Area of Potential Effect, 10 of which are eligible or unevaluated for listing on the NRHP. The nature of the proposed project is such that historic properties will not be adversely affected. No ground disturbance is expected during this undertaking is expected as the application of herbicide and seed will be executed aerially. No known rock art sites were identified within the APE; the project area is primarily located in areas absent of cliff faces or boulders where rock imagery may be present. Under the State Protocol Agreement between the BLM and the Utah SHPO under appendix H. D. 3. the project is exempt from SHPO consultation. Section 106 tribal consultation was initiated via letters sent out on 10/28/2024. No responses have been received to date.
Description of efforts, both completed and planned, to bring the proposed action into compliance with any and all cultural resource, NEPA, ESA, etc. requirements. If compliance is not required enter "not applicable" and explain why not it is not required.
*
Methods
Aerially apply Plateau to the area using a helicopter or fixed wing aircraft, covering nearly 4,200 acres. In November or December, aerially apply herbicide with a fixed wing aircraft or helicopter.
Describe the actions, activities, tasks to be implemented as part of the proposed project; how these activities will be carried out, equipment to be used, when, and by whom.
*
Monitoring
The site will be visually monitored to determine the effectiveness of the treatment and potential future management.
Describe plans to monitor for project success and achievement of stated objectives. Include details on type of monitoring (vegetation, wildlife, etc.), schedule, assignments and how the results of these monitoring efforts will be reported and/or uploaded to this project page. If needed, upload detailed plans in the "attachments" section.
*
Partners
The BLM and DWR.
List any and all partners (agencies, organizations, NGO's, private landowners) that support the proposal and/or have been contacted and included in the planning and design of the proposed project. Describe efforts to gather input and include these agencies, landowners, permitees, sportsman groups, researchers, etc. that may be interested/affected by the proposed project. Partners do not have to provide funding or in-kind services to a project to be listed.
*
Future Management
After two growing seasons we plan to seed the fires.
Detail future methods or techniques (including administrative actions) that will be implemented to help in accomplishing the stated objectives and to insure the long term success/stability of the proposed project. This may include: post-treatment grazing rest and/or management plans/changes, wildlife herd/species management plan changes, ranch plans, conservation easements or other permanent protection plans, resource management plans, forest plans, etc.
*
Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources
The reduction of invasive annuals and the increase in perennial grasses, forbs, and shrubs will greatly benefit grazing opportunities in the project area.
Potential for the proposed action to improve quality or quantity of sustainable uses such as grazing, timber harvest, biomass utilization, recreation, etc. Grazing improvements may include actions to improve forage availability and/or distribution of livestock.
Title Page
Project Details
Finance
Species
Habitats
Seed
Comments
Images/Documents
Completion Form
Project Summary Report
Saving...