Project Details

Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (BCT) are covered under a Conservation Agreement to help protect and expand populations and habitat to prevent it from becoming listed as a T&E species.    Streams in the Clear Creek watershed were identified as an area to re-establish conservation populations of BCT. BCT restoration efforts in the watershed began in 1977 when BCT were re-introduced in Sam Stowe Creek, a Clear Creek tributary. More recently, Clear Creek and all other headwater tributaries (Pole, Shingle and Fish Creek) were treated to remove non-native fishes and have had BCT re-introduced. Approximately 65 miles of stream in the Clear Creek drainage now contains BCT and other native fishes. In comparison, the total miles of streams occupied by native cutthroat trout in the Southern Bonneville Management Unit before the Clear Creek restoration work was 95 miles. Restoring native BCT to the entire watershed was a significant step forward in preserving and expanding BCT populations in southern Utah.

Non-native fishes are removed by chemical treatments and pure strain native cutthroats and other native species are then stocked back into the stream. Effectively managing fish passage (both allowing and preventing in key locations) is critical to keep non-native fishes from moving back upstream and reinvading stream sections already treated to remove them, where they would again displace native fish. However, allowing fish passage as much as possible beyond prevent reinvasion of non-native fishes is vital the the health and resiliency of the BCT population. Additionally, suitable habitat is often a limiting factor for BCT and maximizing the amount of suitable habitat in the Clear Creek drainage is important.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Sevier County have planned a project to stabilize a section of Clear Creek near Fremont Indian State Park by essentially creating a long, grouted chute in order to reduce the risk of losing a section of road. This section of stream and road suffered from flooding following the Twitchell Fire in 2010 and emergency work was soon done to stabilize sections of stream and repair flooded sections of road. One of these initial efforts to stabilize a section of stream is now failing and the proposed plan is to extend the failing grouted structure another 100'. There are two fish-related issues with the original proposal: (1) It would likely prevent fish passage long-term and (2) basically eliminate fish habitat for that grouted section. After meeting with Sevier County and the engineering firm designing the project, an alternative design was developed that would address the failing structure, protect the road, and address the fish-related concerns. However, the alternative option is expected to increase the cost of the project by at least $10,000 over budget.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.