Wyoming Game and Fish Department Rev 3/9/2015

Wyoming Game and Fish Department rev 3/9/2015 Strategic Habitat Plan Crucial Habitat Area Narrative

Region: Green River Habitat Priority Area Little Mountain and Flaming Gorge Name: Habitat Area Type: Aquatic Terrestrial Combined Stream, riparian, reservoir, lotic wetland, wet meadow, aspen, mixed mountain shrub, sagebrush grassland, juniper, conifer, salt desert shrub Habitat Values: High value recreational sport fishery, unique reptile community, water quality, a large area of deep-water habitat with productive shorelines, Colorado River cutthroat trout habitat. Exceptionally diverse and productive vegetation communities.

Important seasonal, yearlong, and crucial winter ranges for the South Rock Springs Elk, Deer and Pronghorn Herds and a portion of the Uinta Moose Herd. Yearlong sage grouse habitat, designated as a Governor’s Sage- grouse Implementation Team (GSGIT) sage-grouse core breeding area; contains a significant number of leks.

Habitat for juniper obligate bird and mammal species.

Habitat for a large assemblage of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Reason Selected: Crucial winter range for elk, mule deer, pronghorn, a Governor’s Sage-grouse Implementation Team (GSGIT) sage-grouse core breeding area and a large number of SGCN. Unique reptile community. Habitats in this area are extremely diverse and unique in Wyoming. Landscape scale ecosystem restoration efforts have been ongoing for the past 18 years. Area Boundary The south border is the Wyoming-Colorado state line. HUC Description: watershed boundaries define the remaining perimeter. Level 5 HUC basins include 1404010601, 1404010602, 1404010509, and 1404010608. Level 6 HUCs are: Lower Henry’s Fork 140401060403, 140401060404, Lower Blacks Fork 140401070808, 140401070809, Big Dry Creek 140401071008, Bitter Ck-Sweetwater Ck 140401050501, 140401050506, and Green River 140401030109, 140401030110. Focal species or species Colorado River cutthroat trout (NSS2), coldwater sportfish species, assemblage(s) (limit 6): midget faded rattlesnake (NSS2), mule deer, elk, greater sage grouse.

SWAP Tier 1 Bald Eagle, Bluehead Sucker, Boreal Toad, Burrowing Owl, species: Colorado River Cutthroat Trout, Common Loon, Ferruginous Hawk, Flannelmouth Sucker, Great Basin Spadefoot, Greater Sage-grouse, Midget Faded Rattlesnake, Mountain Plover, Northern Goshawk, Roundtail Chub, Townsend's Big-eared Bat Solutions or actions:  Pursue permanent withdrawals of energy development leases.  Advocate habitat protection and minimize habitat impacts from energy development activities.  Pursue and accept development-limited easements for private lands on the east side of Flaming Gorge Reservoir as a contributing strategy for protecting important habitats.  Promote sound livestock grazing practices. Investigate and develop opportunities for forage reserve grazing management on the east side of Flaming Gorge Reservoir.  Manage elk and moose population levels so that aspen, willow, water birch, currant, chokecherry, and other mountain shrubs are not inhibited or suppressed by excessive browsing. Ensure wildlife is managed so these vegetative communities are allowed to restore vigor and maintain diverse age class structure.  Enhance watershed segments that maintain potential for restoring woody riparian vegetation, and subsequently encourage expansion of beaver colonies into suitable habitat where populations can be sustained over the long term.  Cooperate with BLM, livestock grazing lessees, conservation groups, and other affected interests to implement existing plans for additional prescribed burn projects.  Monitor aquatic and terrestrial wildlife habitat response to individual and cumulative watershed restoration treatments. Additional Vegetative communities are very diverse and transition quickly in a Information: relatively short distance from the subalpine fir zone at 9,000 ft on top of Little Mountain to salt desert shrub zone at 6,040 ft near the shoreline at Flaming Gorge Reservoir. The delineated area includes a unique blend of rock outcrops and talus slopes, juniper woodlands, mountain shrub, sagebrush-grassland, and salt desert shrub communities at the mid and low elevations that support a species assemblage of reptiles found no where else in Wyoming. This is the only area in Wyoming inhabited by the midget faded rattlesnake. This area is under increasing threat from a variety of energy development proposals, including wind farms, oil and gas development, and major energy corridors. This occurs despite increased protections (ACEC, SMA) applied by the Bureau of Land Management during the last RMP. Increased preservation of this area from these threats and improved livestock management needs to

occur to protect the world-class wildlife values. Energy development and other land uses in the Green River watershed cumulatively threaten water quality and physical habitat in Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Heavy sediment and phosphorus loading of tributary rivers and streams entering Flaming Gorge Reservoir encourages eutrophic aquatic conditions and accelerates sediment deposition that buries or degrades important underwater structural habitat features. Moreover, there are also threats of large scaled industrial chemical or petroleum spills that could negatively affect water quality and the fisheries in Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Potential energy development activities along the east side of Flaming Gorge threaten to fragment and degrade habitat for numerous aquatic and terrestrial species including the endemic reptiles. Excessive browsing of aspen regeneration by elk is suppressing or killing the re-growth, and threatening long term health or existence of aspen habitat. The Department has been partnered with the BLM, private landowners and local and national conservation groups in the ongoing Little Mountain/Red Creek Watershed Enhancement Project over the past 18 years in a comprehensive landscape restoration effort to improve the health and integrity of the Little Mountain ecosystem. An integrated watershed management approach, based on natural vegetative succession concepts, was adopted for habitat improvements planned and implemented in the landscape surrounding Little Mountain. Enhancement strategies are centered on the concept that healthy riparian areas are a product of sound upland habitat, and together function as a basin-wide ecosystem. A coordinated effort to manage the Little Mountain ecosystem for the conservation and enhancement of the basic soil, water, and vegetation resources has and should continue to improve habitat for all terrestrial and aquatic wildlife species. Approximately $2.1 million has been spent on this ecosystem restoration effort to date, and this landscape warrants protective measures to promote sound habitat function for the future. Habitat created by beaver contributes to restoring sound watershed function and stream system stability throughout the area. Beaver populations and habitat are being managed to create and maintain pond complexes to store and elevate water tables, remove sediment from stream flows, and create or improve habitat for both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Land ownership and BLM: 449,264 ac (56%), surface area: USFS: 66,917 ac (8%), State: 30,085 ac (4%), Local Gvt: 186 ac (0%), Private: 225,081 ac (28%), Water: 29,728 ac (4%), Total area: 801,262 ac