The purpose and need of the Raft River Habitat Improvement Project is to implement a suite of treatments across the Raft River Mountain range that mimic natural disturbance processes to bolster the ecological balance of the mountain range, provide diversity, and address habitat needs for wildlife like restoration of sage-grouse habitat on encroached sagebrush communities, Mule Deer, Elk and Moose habitat improvement through aspen stand and riparian corridor improvement, Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout habitat improvement with riparian/stream improvement and Beaver Dam Analog (BDA) placement.

1. Increase sage-grouse, Pygmy Rabbit, Mule Deer, and Elk habitat by implementing juniper reduction projects targeting benches and areas that typify sagebrush specific habitat, focusing on Phase 1 and Phase 2 encroached areas where treatments will connect sage-steppe seasonal habitats for sagebrush obligate species. 2. Increase the diversity of seral stages of plant communities such as aspen stands and Pinyon Pine stands across the Raft River Mountains at scales meaningful to target wildlife species like the Pinyon Jay, Moose, Bighorn Sheep, Elk, Lewis's Woodpecker, Little Brown Myotis, Dusky Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Elk, and Mule Deer by implementing treatments that create a mosaic of age classes across the landscape. 3. Maintain and improve sage-steppe habitat conditions for a myriad of species including species such as sage-grouse, Pygmy Rabbit, mule deer, Elk and other sage-steppe obligate species. 4. Improve the ecological health (i.e. resilience and resistance) of sites currently encroached by juniper to provide for improved conifer (Pinyon Pine), sagebrush, and riparian habitat and reduce the risk of transitioning to an annual grassland in the event of a wildfire. 5. Reintroduce fire on the Raft River Mountains to reduce the risk of uncharacteristically large wildfires by creating vegetation mosaics resistant and resilient to disturbance. 6. Improve fish bearing streams in the Raft River Mountains by reducing the potential for large, high severity fires adjacent to streams that would increase sediment, erosion and debris flow events with reduction of conifer encroachment, and introducing BDA's along stream banks. 7. Improve Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout streams and riparian habitat for Little Brown Myotis, Lewis's Woodpecker, Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Big Horn Sheep and other ungulates, along with Western Bumble Bee in the Raft River Mountains by implementing treatments that increase deep pool habitat and large woody debris with BDA installation, reduction of conifer encroachment, reestablishment of deciduous vegetation (willow, aspen, cottonwood, shrub spp.) and native perennial species.

Currently Aspen stands are either late seral requiring disturbance to restore the ecological balance of the systems or encroachment is beginning to transition the stands to conifer dominated. Reintroducing fire on the encroached stands will improve the diversity of seral stages among plant communities, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce the risk of uncharacteristic large wildfires. Delaying this project will result in further conifer encroachment/domination which will ultimately lead to losing the aspen clone and transitioning to a mixed conifer vegetation type, higher risk of large wildfires and/or making future treatments more costly. Mountain brush communities require maintenance to reduce the conifer and/or annual invasive encroachment to restore sage-steppe obligate species like sage-grouse, mule deer and others alike. conifer reduction and herbicide application will be primary methods to restore mountain brush communities. Further delay of this project will significantly degrade the ability to restore sage-steppe and mountain brush systems in the future resulting in loss of sage obligate habitats. Riparian corridors have impact to streambanks and perennial flow in the Raft River mountains due to conifer encroachment and reduction of native riparian vegetation. The proposed tiered conifer reduction technique will allow for retention of upland vegetation diversity while reducing the encroachment impact and allowing for reintroduction of riparian vegetation. The Minidoka District has a map of known key species habitats like Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, Townsend Big Eared Bat, known Sage Grouse Leks, and Pygmy Rabbit observations that will be benefitted from the project (Wildlife Map attached). As seen in the Wildlife Tracker Application (images attached) the proposed treatments will improve much of the observed Elk and Mule Deer habitats (summer and critical winter range) along with migration route improvements. Further delay of this project could cause lingering effects to migration corridors through uncharacteristic large wildfire impact and late seral stage vegetation becoming decadent and no longer sustaining to wildlife. Based on the Wildfire Crisis Strategy Map (attached) if the project is delayed, the potential for uncharacteristic wildfire is very high and could negatively impact much of the landscape's habitat.

This project supports the Utah State Wildlife Plans including the Utah Sage-Grouse Plan, the 2015 Sage-Grouse ROD, Utah Mule Deer Plan, Utah Elk Plan, Utah Moose Plan as well as the Sawtooth Forest Plan. The project falls within the collaborative wildfire risk reduction program (high risk area). Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Plan The two primary objectives of this plan: *Maintain and increase sage-grouse populations statewide, and within each SGMA. *Maintain, protect and increase sage-grouse seasonal habitats within SGMA's Conservation Strategies Improve and increase sage-grouse seasonal habitats by 75,000 acres each year, including riparian and mesic habitats. Strategies outlined in the Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Plan that are addressed in this project: *Strategies to address wildlife *Strategies to address invasive plant species *Strategies to address Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Encroachment Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan (2024) Habitat Objective 1: Maintain mule deer habitat throughout the state by protecting and enhancing existing crucial habitats and mitigating for losses due to natural and human impacts. Strategies B: Habitat Management and Conservation Habitat Objective 2: Improve the quality and quantity of vegetation of mule deer on a minimum of 600,000 acres of crucial range by 2030 Strategies A: Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative Box Elder Deer Herd Unit Management Plan (2013) Habitat Concerns: Summer range on the Box Elder Unit is mostly at higher elevations in the Sawtooth National Forest and Grouse Creek Mountain Range. Summer range habitat concerns are mainly the loss of forbs and shrubs due to pinyon-juniper encroachment. Additional threats and losses to deer summer and winter range in the West Box Elder area is the reduction in habitat quality due to the loss of critical browse species (sagebrush, bitterbrush etc.). This loss has been attributed to a number of factors such as fire, agriculture, drought etc. However, the abundance of weedy annual grasses and the increase of other invasive weeds are the more likely causes of sagebrush decline. Habitat Management: Contributing factors to the loss of browse species such as the impact of the increase in weedy species, particularly annual grasses, juniper expansion, lack of browse regeneration and other variables are all of concern in the habitat management of the Box Elder Unit. Maintenance and/or enhancement of forage production through direct range improvements throughout summer range and winter range portions must be continued to achieve population management objectives. Working with private and federal agencies to maintain and protect critical and existing summer and winter ranges from future losses, and providing improved habitat security and escapement opportunities for deer must also be continued to achieve population management objectives. Utah Elk Statewide Management Plan (2022) Habitat Objective 1: Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock. Strategies B: Habitat Management Strategies C: Habitat Improvement Habitat Objective 2: Reduce Adverse impacts on elk herds and elk habitats Strategies D: Noxious Weed Control Elk Herd Unit Management Plan Box Elder (2023) Habitat Concerns: A large amount of coniferous trees have been dying off and aspen regeneration has been low throughout the summer range. Some natural water sources have also been degraded due to erosion and overuse by livestock. It is possible that excessive conifer growth and tree diseases have led to reduced understory and poor habitat. There is also limited winter range on the subunit (Sawtooth), leading to elk wintering in other areas. Habitat Management: All subunits would benefit from habitat improvements. The goal of habitat improvement should focus on redistributing elk away from agricultural areas and improving rangeland productivity. Subunit 1d (Sawtooth) - Summer range habitat treatments would improve rangeland productivity and allow elk to increase to the population objective. Controlled burns of thick and dead conifer stands would increase understory and allow aspen regeneration to occur. Improving natural water sources would lead to healthy riparian zones for elk to use as well. Utah Moose Statewide Management Plan The primary limiting factor for moose in Utah and across their range is the availability of suitable habitat. Habitat can be degraded, fragmented, or lost to a variety of causes including human development and plant succession. As deciduous forests are converted to coniferous forests, moose habitat is altered and provides less forage. Forest fires and logging can help remove coniferous trees and return the habitat to early successional stages which are beneficial for moose. Habitat Management Goal: Assure sufficient habitat is available to sustain healthy and productive moos populations. Objective: Maintain or enhance the quality and quantity of moose habitat to allow herds to reach population objectives. Strategies: A, E, F,

Treatments including Cut and Pile, Lop and Scatter, Mastication, Mowing and Burning will reduce risk of larger more severe wildfire and improve potential natural fire control features on the landscape reducing fire risk of the communities of Yost, Lynn, Standrod and inholdings scattered within the forest.

Vegetation management activities in the following HUCs will address water quality; Johnson Creek, George Creek, Clear Creek, Junction Creek, and Dove Creek. By installing BDAs where appropriate in streams and increasing large woody debris within these systems via placement of material. Water quality within the Raft River Mountains will be addressed by implementing treatments that reduce risk of uncharacteristically large wildfires by reducing fuels via thinning, mastication, and application of prescribed fire treatments.

NEPA is projected to be completed and signed before end of January of 2025, only needs for further implementation are remaining acres of cultural surveys, and silvicultural prescriptions.

This project utilizes the full suite of treatment tools including hand thinning, mastication, herbicide application, and prescribed fire. * Sage-Steppe and upland habitat treatments will include thinning through hand treatments (lop and scatter & cut and pile), mechanically with mastication followed by native shrub and herbaceous seed application, and prescribed fire implementation to reintroduce disturbance on old, decadent sites. 4161 acres of cut and pile and/or mastication is proposed in sage steppe upland habitats along with 3749 acres of lop and scatter. * Mixed conifer/aspen habitat treatments will comprise hand treatments (lop and scatter & cut and pile), and prescribed fire to promote diversity and initiate primary succession where late seral stands are present. 16,922 acres of prescribed fire is planned, ranging from stand replacing to enhance aspen stands and reset the successional phase, to low intensity under burns to benefit Douglas fir understory, and mosaic landscape burns in sage and upland steppes to provide diverse habitat and landscapes. * Threats to Riparian/riverine habitats will be addressed through collaboration with UDWR and USFS biologist to identify BDA installation where appropriate along 10 miles of Johnson Creek (and tributaries), ~8 miles of Wildcat Creek (and tributaries), ~1 mile of Charleston Creek, ~3 miles of One Mile Creek, and about 2 miles of Clear Creek. Aside from BDA installation, tiered hand treatments (lop and scatter & cut and pile) will occur within the same riparian/riverine corridors which will reduce the conifer (Juniper) encroachment, while retaining upland vegetation, and allowing for native deciduous, herbaceous and woody vegetation to reestablish in riparian steppes. The tiered distances are as follows: 1. First 50 meters from stream bank, 100% of conifer targeted/removed. 2. Next 50 meters, 50% of conifer targeted/removed. 3. Last 50 meters, 25% of conifer targeted/removed. Totaling 150 meters (2765 acres) of conifer encroachment reduction surrounding targeted creeks and tributaries. * Mahogany specific treatments are proposed to address the encroachment of conifer, mainly juniper, on pure stands and out competing the critical winter range habitat. trials with low intensity prescribed fire to expose soil and allow for seed germination with little competition is proposed on 3 units totaling 307 acres. Additional treatments on mahogany stands (2 units, 75 acres) will include different approaches (lop and scatter & cut and pile) to assess and allow for adaptive management changes depending on results from prescribed fire and hand treatments. * POD line improvement through road mowing is proposed in the Clarks Basin area and the Black Hills area of the Range. Fuel reduction of 500 feet on each side of the road will occur in the anticipated areas to reinforce the POD lines, allowing for improved wildfire response and holding features for managing incidents that occur.

Monitoring will include Sage-Grouse HAF protocol with photo points within sage-steppe environments, aspen stem counts and Mahogany LPI in forested environments combined with photo plots, and collar data on collared Moose, Mule Deer and Elk will be documented. Please see attached monitoring matrix for full monitoring plan for the project, Minidoka Grazing standards and guides (FY24 AOI Attached) from annual AOIs will be used for monitoring and resting areas that need extended resource protection.

Partners include Utah DWR, Box Elder CRM, Range Permittees, NRCS, West Dessert District BLM, Utah State University. Utah DWR -- supports project and assisting with identifying critical habitat areas, areas of concern, working together to implement contract and work during implementation. West Box Elder county & Box Elder CRM -- support and approval of project. Proposal to the CRM committee January 14. Range Permittees -- support and willing to adjust rest rotate schedules in AOI, willing to try electronic fence allotment boundaries NRCS -- support and assisting with contacting and coordinating with adjacent land owners and private inholdings with treatment options to benefit habitat and defensible space around private property. West Dessert District BLM Utah State University -- support and interest in species specific management trials, coordinating with staff on monitoring and data analysis of results post treatment. Keystone Partner (PEK Services) -- CWRRP partner assisting with implementation, contract implementation/inspection and capacity.

Post treatment management will largely be focused on changes to grazing rotations and installation of new cattle guards to ensure sufficient vegetation recovery post treatment. Monitoring will be completed to assess recovery and will be objective based to determine when treated areas are suitable for grazing to resume.

The proposed activities will increase habitat suitability for a myriad of species including Mule Deer, Sage-Grouse, Elk, and Moose, forage resources for both wildlife and livestock will be increased as plant communities return to an early seral plant community and the associated values with improved land condition and wildfire populations will support a sustainable use of these resources for recreation, hunting and community use.