Project Details

The Northern Leatherside Chub (L. copei) is a species of greatest conservation need (S2, N3). A number of contributing factors have led to the decrease of NLSC across their native range, including in the upper Bear River Watershed. Previous efforts have unsuccessfully tried to translocate NLSC individuals from the Ham's Fork to North Fork Otter Creek, which is located about 9.5 miles west of Randolph, Utah. Project leaders have attributed the lack of success to poor habitat, lack of other fishes that are part of the native assemblage, and the translocation of predators during the same time frame (Bonneville Cutthroat Trout were released at similar sites in the same time frame as the NLSC). The project team intends to address all of these concerns with the current project proposal in hopes of creating a more successful translocation effort. 
Phase one of this project will work to improve habitat characteristics within the streams to make them more suitable for NLSC. Many of the streams within the project area exhibit long, shallow runs, with areas that are greatly incised and disconnected from their floodplain. With federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds, the BLM is planning to implement low-tech process-based restoration techniques to help aggrade the channel, slow the in-stream flows, and create better pool and backwater habitat. This work will be coupled with native riparian plantings to increase bank stability and provide better habitat for aquatic species. Restoration techniques utilized will be temporary in nature and will not impact downstream water users. Techniques considered will the use of Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) and Post Assisted Log Structures (PALS). 
This is a unique opportunity to leverage federal dollars to carryout targeted restoration work for The Northern Leatherside Chub, and an opportunity to restore a SGCN to a key part of its native range. There is limited literature and information about successful NLSC translocation events, so this project could serve as a framework for the future.

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.

1. Northern Leatherside Chub Range-wide Conservation Agreement and Strategy:
--This project meets the following recommended conservation actions to: 1) Expand NLSC populations and distribution...
2) Enhance and maintain habitat.
-- Meets goals to manage for NLSC in the Bear River geographic management unit (GMU) and maintain all populations within the GMU

2. Utah Wildlife Action Plan (2015)
-- Northern Leatherside Chub are a N3 priority species. 
-- Key Habitats for Species of Greatest Conservation Need include Riverine and Aquatic Scrub-shrub.

3. UDWR Strategic Plan: this project will help the UDWR meet its Resource Goal, which is to "expand wildlife populations and conserve sensitive species by protecting and improving wildlife habitat. This project will specifically address objectives 2 and 3 of the UDWR Resource Goal, which are to (1) "increase fish and game populations to meet management plan objectives and expand quality fishing and hunting opportunities," and to (2) "conserve sensitive species to prevent them from becoming listed as threatened or endangered."

4. UDWR Bear Lake Management Plan (hydrologic unit 16010201): Identifies dewatering as a major resource issue and a solution of working with irrigators to allow minimum stream flows, especially during cutthroat trout spawning in the spring and egg incubation in the summer. Erosion is also cited as an issue, along with a solution to continue to work with landowners and managers to improve erosion control. Habitat enhancement and maintenance is also specified for NLSC in the plan.
6. Randolph Management Framework Plan (BLM 1980)
-- Designate Laketown Area Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) for purposes of maintaining high water quality and fisheries habitat.

7. Laketown Canyon ACEC (BLM 1989)
-- Maintain water quality in Laketown Canyon
-- Improve quality of aquatic and riparian habitat
-- Maintain recreational opportunities

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.

LTPBR structures (in combination with other types) will be utilized to simulate beaver dams.  Dam building by beaver has been shown to influence stream hydrology and water quality in a number of important ways primarily by altering the amount, and timing of delivery of water and sediment (Naiman et al., 1988; Gurnell, 1998; Pollock et al., 2003). Ponding upstream of beaver dams slows water velocity encouraging deposition of fine sediment (Butler and Malanson, 1995; Pollock et al., 2007) in the pond itself and during high flows onto the adjacent floodplain. Beaver ponds and dams can act as long-term sinks for both suspended and bedload sediment (Green and Westbrook, 2009). An increase in overbank flooding due to beaver dams also typically leads to an increase in the diversity of riparian vegetation (Wright et al., 2002) and an expansion of the riparian corridor (Westbrook et al., 2006; Westbrook et al., 2011). The proposed project will use LTPBR structures to essentially provide the same function as beaver dams; in that the structures will slow water, capture/settle/stabilize stream supplied sediment, increase water levels and corresponding water table, and aid in establishment of riparian vegetation on banks and adjacent floodplain. Water quality benefits of the proposed project would include reduction of suspended sediment, capture of sediment loads, increase DO, decrease overall water temperatures and increase base flows.

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.