Marshall Draw This area was burned in September 2007 as part of a prescribed fire designed to improve wildlife habitat. While it is mostly free from cheatgrass, some pockets are present, particularly on the south-facing slopes. It was determined that this would provide a good test case for Rejuvra herbicide. Maintaining this area free of cheatgrass will benefit mule deer, elk, and sage-grouse using the area. DWR classifies this area as crucial summer range for mule deer and elk. Greater Sage-grouse also likely use this area. It is within the Uintah SGMA and the lower portions of this treatment are labeled as habitat, while the upper portions are labelled as an opportunity area. This area is partly within the BLM priority habitat management area for sage-grouse. Crouse Bench This area is dominated by cheatgrass and other weeds. Past treatment attempts at controlling cheagrass have failed, perhaps due to the practice of seeding the same year herbicide treatments were implemented. The Crouse bench area is crucial winter range for mule deer from the Diamond Mountain population. Greater Sage-grouse could also use the area if the habitat were improved. It is part of the Uintah SGMA an is labelled as habitat. It is within the BLM's priority habitat management area for sage-grouse.

Improve wildlife habitat by reducing cheatgrass cover and seeding more desirable species. Provide an additional study area for the use of Rejuvra herbicide and it's effectiveness at controlling cheatgrass.

Location Justification These are crucial summer and winter ranges for mule deer, elk, and greater sage-grouse. The area is in a Crucial mule deer habitat restoration priority area (Utah Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan, figure 6). The wildlife tracker is lacking in data from the deer and elk that use the Marshall Draw area, but the migration corridor model indicates that it is in a moderately important corridor. (see images under "documents" of the Images/Documents page) Tracker data does indicate that an adjacent area at similar elevation receives heavy use from mule deer during much of the year, including in May through July and in November through January. Wildlife Tracker data shows significant Golden Eagle use in Marshall Draw. On the Crouse bench area, the Wildlife Tracker shows mule deer use adjacent areas more than they do Crouse bench, but this may be due in part to the lack of appropriate habitat on the bench. If we can improve habitat here, mule deer use is expected to increase. The use of Rejuvra herbicide is relatively new, and federal partners do not have the ability to use it over wide areas. The Marshall Draw and Crouse Bench areas have sizable DWR-owned portions and NEPA would not be required to use this herbicide in these areas. By providing a "test case," including monitoring research from the DWR range trend crew, this project hopes to encourage adjacent owners to investigate the use of this potentially important tool to manage cheatgrass infestations. Importantly, the adjacent BLM lands are included in this treatment. BLM range staff feel it is important to try this approach and are willing to push the NEPA forward. It is hoped that this project can help drive the development of more expansive NEPA for broader use on BLM lands. In the event that NEPA doesn't go through, however, the DWR lands can still be treated. The Utah Wildfire Assessment Portal identifies Crouse bench as having a moderate wildfire hazard potential and a moderate burn probability. The areas adjacent to this project area are identified as high hazard. The Marshall Draw area has a moderate to high wildfire hazard potential and a moderate to moderately-high burn probability. The Utah Wildlife Action Plan (2015) identifies several threats to species and key habitats in this location, with invasive plant species and inappropriate fire frequency and intensity as high or very high threats to Greater sage-grouse, elk, and mule deer, as well as the lowland sagebrush habitat type. Timing Justifiation The Marshall Draw area is mostly intact, with only minor pockets of cheatgrass. This makes it the perfect opportunity to treat using Rejuvra herbicide. This herbicide has a strong soil residual effect and will control cheatgrass for several years, even reducing the seedbank. It will also prevent any seeding of native species from being successful. Therefore, it is important that treated areas have sufficient existing perennial vegetation prior to treatment. By treating Marshall Draw now, we are defending mostly intact habitat from further invasion. This is consistent with the Working Lands for Wildlife's "defend the core" concept. Without treatment, cheatgrass is likely to continue expanding and eventually native perennial vegetation would be lost, making the area much more costly and difficult to reclaim. The Crouse bench area has been treated in the past, without much success. This may be due to the fact that seeding was implemented the same year as Plateau herbicide. We have since learned that a better approach is to use Plateau herbicide the first year and seed the following year. With this improved knowledge we would like to try again, and if successful, this area would then be treated with Rejuvra herbicide, further testing it's ability to reduce cheagrass long-term.

This project is consistent with the following goals and objectives from various management plans: Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan (2025-2030) --Habitat Objective 1, J, a. - "Manage vegetation communities to be resistant [to drought]." --Habitat Objective 2, A, a. - "Utilize WRI as a tool to improve deer habitat with all partners across the state." --Habitat Objective 2, A, c. - "Work with land management agencies, conservation organizations, private landowners, and local leaders through the regional WRI teams working groups to identify and prioritize mule deer habitats that are in need of enhancement or restoration (Figure 6). Emphasis should be placed on crucial habitats which include... winter ranges sagebrush habitats...." This project area is within a Crucial mule deer habitat restoration priority area. --Habitat Objective 2, A, e. - "Initiate broad scale vegetative treatment projects to improve and restore mule deer habitat with emphasis on drought or fire damaged sagebrush winter ranges, ranges that have been taken over by invasive annual grass species... ensuring that seed mixes contain sufficient forbs and browse species." Deer Herd Unit Management Plan (Unit #9 - South Slope) (2020) --"Public land winter range availability, landowner acceptance and winter range forage conditions will determine herd size." Improving winter range on Crouse Bench is important for maintaining this herd. --"Protect, maintain, and/or improve deer habitat through direct range improvements to support and maintain herd population management objectives." --"Work with federal, private, and state partners to improve crucial deer habitats through the Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) process. Priority will be given to areas affected by the 2003 sagebrush die off and burned areas that are now dominated by cheat grass." --"Protect deer winter ranges from wildfire by reseeding burned areas, creating fuel breaks and vegetated green strips and reseed areas dominated by cheat grass with desirable perennial vegetation." Elk Herd Unit Management Plan - Herd Unit #9 B, C, C Vernal/Bonanza/Diamond --"Maintain sufficient habitat to support elk herds at population objectives and reduce competition for forage between elk and livestock" --"Work with partners to improve and protect the quality of elk habitat" Utah Statewide Elk Management Plan (2022-2032) --B. Habitat Management Goal, Habitat Objective 1, Strategy C. Habitat Improvement, b. - "Increase forage production by annually treating a minimum of 40,000 acres of elk habitat." --B. Habitat Management Goal, Habitat Objective 2, Strategy D. Noxious Weed Control, a. - "Work with land management agencies, county weed boards, and cooperative weed management groups to control the spread of noxious and invasive weeds throughout the range of elk in Utah." Utah Conservation Plan For Greater Sage-Grouse (2019) --Habitat Objective - "Protect, maintain and increase sage-grouse habitats within SGMAs at or above 2013 baseline disturbance levels...." --Conservation Strategies, 3a. "Continue to cooperatively implement the strategies outlined in the Utah Strategic Plan for Managing Noxious and Invasive Weeds (2004), including on-the-ground projects that address the threat of invasive weeds on sagebrush ecosystems." Utah Greater Sage-Grouse Resource Management Plan Amendment (2019) --This project area is within a PHMA. --Objective SSS-3: "In PHMA, where sagebrush is the current or potential dominant vegetation type or is a primary species within the various states of the ecological site description, maintain or restore vegetation to provide habitat for lekking, nesting, brood rearing, and winter habitats." --Objective SSS-4: "Within PHMA, increase the amount and functionality of seasonal habitats by: - Maintaining or increasing sagebrush in perennial grasslands, where needed.... - Reducing the extent of invasive annual grasslands. - Conducting vegetation treatments based on... (objective of 6,800 acres of annual grass treatment over 10 years in the Uintah population area)" --MA-SSS-4: "In PHMA and in adjacent opportunity areas, maintain, improve and restore GRSG habitat to support GRSG populations and to maintain or enhance connectivity. Vegetation treatments will be applied to meet GRSG habitat objectives and provide additional GRSG habitat...." --Objective VEG-1: "In PHMA, the desired condition is to maintain all lands ecologically capable of producing sagebrush (but no less than 70 percent) with a minimum of 15 percent sagebrush cover or as consistent with specific ecological site conditions" --MA-VEG-1: "In PHMA, where necessary to meet GRSG habitat objectives, treat areas to maintain and expand healthy GRSG habitat (e.g., conifer encroachment areas and invasive annual grasslands)...." --MA-VEG-5: "In PHMA, prioritize the use of native seeds for restoration based on availability, adaptation (ecological site potential), and probability of success. Where probability of success or adapted seed availability is low, desirable non-native seeds may be used as long as they support GRSG habitat objectives. Re-establishment of appropriate sagebrush species/subspecies and important understory plants, relative to site potential, should be the principle objective for rehabilitation efforts" --MA-VEG-14: "Treat areas that contain cheatgrass and other invasive or noxious species to minimize competition and favor establishment of desired species." State of Utah Resource Management Plan --"Improve vegetative health on public and private lands through range improvements, prescribed fire, vegetation treatments, and active management of invasive plants and noxious weeds." --"The state supports rapid removal of all invasive plant species and noxious weeds on both public and private lands." -- "The state supports efforts to ensure that noxious weeds are detected early to reduce the risk of ecosystem degradation, crop and rangeland damage, and higher costs to manage established weed communities." --"In addition to early detection, the state supports rapid response efforts on private, state, and federal land. Faster responses allow agencies to more effectively eliminate new noxious weed infestations." --"Expand wildlife populations and conserve species of greatest conservation need by protecting and improving wildlife habitat." --"Produce and maintain the desired vegetation for wildlife and domestic livestock forage on public and private lands throughout Utah." Daggett County Resource Management Plan (2022) --"Reduce or eliminate noxious weed infestations and minimize the establishment of new weed species across jurisdictional boundaries using adaptive management and integrated weed management approaches." --"Manage noxious weeds to enhance wildlife habitat and farmland." Utah Strategic Plan for Managing Noxious and Invasive Weeds (2004) --"Early Detection and Rapid Response is a priority. We are proposing to treat the cheatgrass on Marshall Draw before it becomes a serious problem." --"This plan encourages considering several action items to develop an integrated weed management plan, including chemical control. This project can be seen as a test case for Rejuvra herbicide, which would add to the arsenal of many agencies to treat cheatgrass infestations early." Utah Association of Conservation Districts (UACD) Policy & Positions (2022) --the UACD supports the prudent use of chemical and biological weed control agents on federal, state, county, city, and private lands --Prioritized treatment of novel introductions while they are small Browns Park WMA Habitat Management Plan (2020) --Investigate, test or implement new or different habitat improvement methods including, but not limited to: burning; chemical use; seedling or seed plantings; livestock grazing; drawdowns; seasonal flooding; water control; mechanical methods; Biological Control Agents (BCA); and other currently unknown mechanisms. These methods can be used to aid in the control of noxious weeds, make alterations in vegetation succession stages, achieve desirable interspersion ratios, maximize food production and develop desirable cover types. --If identified during habitat evaluations, request additional funding through the UDWR Habitat Council to improve vegetative quality of upland habitat to benefit wildlife such as deer, pheasants, geese, etc. --In upland areas, evaluate habitat conditions, prepare and conduct herbaceous seedings, renovations, or grazing practices. --Aggressively combat invasive weeds with herbicide, prescribed burn treatments, and water management. --Use a variety of treatments to reverse downward trend in upland sagebrush habitat. Phase I Habitat Management Plan, Diamond Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Marshall Draw Unit --Protect the existing habitat from deterioration Utah's Wildlife Action Plan (2015) identifies several threats to species of conservation concern that will be addressed by this project: --Inappropriate Fire Frequency and Intensity: This threat is identified for Greater Sage-grouse and for game species. Cheatgrass tends to shorten the fire return interval and a conversion of sagebrush habitats to a cheatgrass monoculture. By reducing cheatgrass, this project will directly reduce the threat of wildfire and it's associated problems for sage-grouse. --Invasive Plant Species - Non-native: This threat is identified for both Greater Sage-grouse and for Golden Eagle, as well as the game species. The invasive plant in question is cheatgrass. In addition to the fire effects mentioned above, the conversion of sagebrush ecosystems to cheatgrass-dominated ones would reduce the amount of feed for wildlife, including the prey species golden eagle depend on. --Improper Grazing - Livestock (historic): Cheatgrass invasion is partly due to past overgrazing of livestock, which reduced cover of native grasses and allowed cheatgrass a chance to invade. Controlling cheatgrass directly counteracts this historic effect. Utah Upland Game Management Plan (2022) --Identifies droughts as a threat to rabbits due to the associated reduction of food source as desired vegetation is less available. Cheatgrass invasion would lead to the same reduction of food source.

There is a cabin in Marshall Draw, and a DWR owned house near Crouse bench that would be at risk from a fire in either location. The Utah Wildfire Assessment Portal identifies Crouse bench as having a moderate wildfire hazard potential and a moderate burn probability. The Marshall Draw area has a moderate to high wildfire hazard potential and a moderate to moderately-high burn probability. By controlling cheatgrass in these areas, we hope to reduce the burn probability and hazard potential. This project should help the project areas return to a more natural fire return interval and may reduce the burn probability and hazard potential. Promoting a diverse herbaceous community should also increase the resilience and resistance of these areas.

Cheatgrass significantly impacts water quality by rapidly consuming available soil moisture, leading to reduced water infiltration and runoff, potentially altering the nutrient balance in waterways, and contributing to increased erosion due to its dense, shallow root systems, which can disrupt the natural water cycle and negatively affect aquatic ecosystems. Since cheatgrass germinates early in the spring and quickly establishes dense stands, it can rapidly deplete soil moisture before native plants can access it, leading to less water available for surface runoff and groundwater recharge. By dominating the vegetation, cheatgrass can affect the cycling of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, potentially impacting the nutrient balance in nearby water bodies. Due to its shallow root system, cheatgrass provides less soil stability, making the area more prone to erosion, which can lead to increased sediment loading. Cheatgrass's highly flammable nature contributes to more frequent and intense wildfires, which can further disrupt water quality by altering soil structure and increasing erosion post-fire. The above is a slightly edited version of an AI summary provided by Google when I searched the phrase "effects of cheatgrass on water quality." Rejuvra herbicide is not safe to use around or in water. To protect water quality, a buffer of 50 feet will be implemented around Crouse Creek and tributaries.

BLM staff are working on the NEPA for Marshall Draw and it is expected to be complete in time to implement work in the summer of 2025. Work will not be complete until NEPA is in place. Crouse bench has been treated before and arch clearances and NEPA are complete.

Marshall Draw Rejuvra herbicide will be flown onto the project area in the summer (likely August 2025), before cheatgrass sprouts in the fall. Herbicide will be applied at a rate of 5 oz/acre. Crouse Bench Plateau herbicide will be flown onto the project area in the fall (likely September 2025). Herbicide will be applied at a rate of 6 oz/acre. The following year (Fall 2026), the area will be seeded using a rangeland drill. The area will be monitored, and if the seeding is successful, a follow up treatment of Rejuvra herbicide will be applied for longer term control of cheatgrass.

DWR's range trend crew already has a transect on Crouse bench and has been monitored every 3-5 years since 2008. (Report can be found at https://dwrapps.utah.gov/rangetrend/GenerateSiteReport?SiteID=9F5A44C6-BC1B-4300-BD91-3E00F4D5956A&siteLabel=09R-16) The range-trend crew will also install a study transect on Marshall Draw to gauge the effects of Rejuvra herbicide in this location. DWR range trend reports are loaded to every project page upon completion.

DWR and BLM staff met on site in the summer of 2024 and discussed the possibility of this project and whether BLM lands could be included. BLM range staff is developing the NEPA for the project. DWR staff will take care of contracting and project implementation.

Rejuvra herbicide should control cheatgrass on Marshall Draw for many years. No follow-up should be needed. Since Marshall Draw isn't grazed, no changes to grazing management will be necessary. Monitoring will inform future decisions. Following seeding, the Crouse bench area will be rested from grazing for a period of two growing seasons. Seeding is currently planned for the fall of 2026. BLM range staff will work with grazing permittees on a grazing rest agreement. If the Plateau herbicide and seeding on Crouse bench is successful, a Rejuvra herbicide application will be implemented. (Timing to be determined, perhaps within the next 5 years?) Monitoring will inform the decision to treat with Rejuvra, or re-seed prior to a Rejuvra treatment.

Marshall Draw does not receive any livestock grazing. Crouse bench is grazed by livestock as part of the BLM allotment. Improving vegetation on Crouse bench will benefit livestock as well as wildlife.