Bear Lake Comprehensive Management Plan May 2009 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AGENCY REPRESENTATIVES Mike Styler, Executive Director, Utah Department of Natural Resources Richard J. Buehler, Director, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, & State Lands Dave Grierson, Planner/Sovereign Lands Coordinator, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, & State Lands Jennifer Wiglama, Mineral Lease Analyst, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, & State Lands Kelly Allen, Area Sovereign Lands Coordinator, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, & State Lands Kevin Wells, GIS Specialist, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, & State Lands PLANNING WORKGROUP MEMBERS Elke Brown, Representative, Lakota Estates Home Owners Association Dave and Claudia Cottle, Executive Directors, Bear Lake Watch Richard Droesbeke, Park Manager, Utah Division of Parks & Recreation Blain Hamp, Area Manager, Division of Forestry, Fire, & State Lands Ken Hansen, Mayor, Garden City Allen Harrison, Executive Director, Bear Lake Regional Commission Judy Holbrook, Tourism Director, Bear Lake Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Mitch Poulsen, Deputy Director, Bear Lake Regional Commission Allen Ruberry, Senior Resources Specialist, Idaho Department of Lands Laraine Schnetzer, Garden City Council Member, Garden City Ken Short, Senior Engineer, Utah Division of Water Resources Scott Tolentino, Fisheries Biologist, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Thomas Weston, Commissioner, Rich County McKay Willis, Mayor, Laketown BIO-WESTSTAFF Christopher Sands, Project Manager, BIO-WEST, Inc. Brandon Albrecht, Fisheries Biologist, BIO-WEST, Inc. Bridget Atkin, Botanist, BIO-WEST, Inc. Aaron Crookston, CAD/GIS Specialist, BIO-WEST, Inc. Sandra Davenport, Environmental Planner, BIO-WEST, Inc. Shannon Herstein, Water Quality Specialist, BIO-WEST, Inc. Sandra Livingston Turner, Managing Editor, BIO-WEST, Inc. Mike Sipos, Wildlife Biologist, BIO-WEST, Inc. Chadd VanZanten, Editor, BIO-WEST, Inc. Special thanks to Sagebrush Consultants, LLC for their contributions to the Cultural Resources Section of this document. Comprehensive Management Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND.................................. 1-1 1.1 Public Trust Doctrine ....................................... 1-1 1.2 Legal Authority ........................................... 1-4 1.3 Purposes of the Comprehensive Management Plan ................. 1-5 1.4 Current Management Responsibilities ........................... 1-6 1.5 History of Planning and Management of Bear Lake .................. 1-7 2.0 PLANNING PROCESS............................................. 2-1 2.1 Planning Process Overview................................... 2-1 2.2 Public Involvement Overview ................................. 2-3 2.2.1 Public Workshops .................................... 2-3 2.2.2Planning Work Group.................................. 2-4 2.2.3Interactive Web Page.................................. 2-4 2.3 Adoption of the Comprehensive Management Plan .................. 2-4 2.4 Amendments to the Comprehensive Management Plan .............. 2-5 2.5 Comprehensive Management Plan Elements...................... 2-7 2.6 Bear Lake Management Classifications........................... 2-7 2.6.1 Class 1: Manage to Protect Existing Recreation Development Uses ................................... 2-7 2.6.2 Class 2: Manage to Protect Potential Recreation Development Options ................................. 2-7 2.6.3Class 3: Manage as Open for Consideration of Any Use.......... 2-8 2.6.4 Class 4: Manage for Resource Inventory and Analysis ........... 2-8 2.6.5 Class 5: Manage to Protect Potential Resource Preservation Options............................................ 2-8 2.6.6 Class 6: Manage to Protect Existing Resource Preservation Uses.................................... 2-8 T-i Bear Lake 3.0 CURRENT CONDITIONS ...........................................3-1 3.1 Public Outreach and Partnerships...............................3-1 3.1.1Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands................3-1 3.1.2Utah Division of Parks and Recreation.......................3-1 3.1.3Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.........................3-1 3.1.4Utah Division of Water Rights.............................3-2 3.1.5Utah Division of Water Resources..........................3-2 3.1.6Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining........................3-2 3.1.7Utah Division of Water Quality ............................3-2 3.1.8U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ............................3-2 3.2 Water Resources ..........................................3-3 3.2.1Hydrology...........................................3-3 3.2.2Water Quality........................................3-4 3.2.3Water Rights ........................................3-5 3.3 Recreation and Scenic Resources ..............................3-5 3.3.1Recreation Resources..................................3-5 3.3.2Scenic Resources.....................................3-9 3.4 Natural and Cultural Resources................................3-10 3.4.1Vegetation Resources.................................3-10 3.4.2Fishery Resources ...................................3-12 3.4.3Wildlife Resources....................................3-14 3.4.4Cultural Resources ...................................3-17 3.5 Sovereign Land Management.................................3-19 3.5.1Types of Use .......................................3-20 3.5.2Procedures.........................................3-20 3.5.3Applications........................................3-22 3.5.4Rates.............................................3-22 3.5.5Approvals..........................................3-23 4.0 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES..........................................4-1 4.1 Overview................................................4-1 4.2 Goal Category A: Public Outreach and Partnerships..................4-1 4.2.1 Goal A1: Communication and Information Dissemination Between Resource Agencies and Stakeholders Improved............4-1 4.2.2 Goal A2: Cooperation and Coordination with Resource Agencies and Stakeholders Improved .................................4-2 4.2.3 Goal A3: Knowledge of Recreational Visitation, Resource Impacts, and Ecological Processes Increased............................4-2 T-ii Comprehensive Management Plan 4.3 Goal Category B: Water Resources ............................. 4-2 4.3.1 Goal B1: Threats to Water Quality in Bear Lake from Use of Sovereign Lands Diminished........................................ 4-2 4.3.2 Goal B2: Sovereign Lands Management and Water Operations Coordinated............................................ 4-2 4.4 Goal Category C: Recreation and Scenic Resources................. 4-2 4.4.1 Goal C1: Safe and Quality Recreational Opportunities That Minimize Conflicts Provided............................... 4-2 4.4.2 Goal C2: Adequate Recreational Support Facilities to Meet Demand Provided .............................................. 4-3 4.4.3Goal C3: Scenic Resources Protected and Enhanced........... 4-3 4.5 Goal Category D: Natural and Cultural Resources ................... 4-3 4.5.1 Goal D1: Noxious and Invasive Weeds, Pests, and Aquatic Nuisances Managed for Control .............................. 4-3 4.5.2Goal D2: Bear Lake Fishery Protected and Enhanced ........... 4-4 4.5.3 Goal D3: Native Vegetation and Wildlife Habitat Areas Protected and Enhanced .......................................... 4-4 4.5.4 Goal D4: Appropriate Vegetation Management on Sovereign Lands Allowed............................................... 4-4 4.5.5 Goal D5: Unnatural Erosion Controlled ...................... 4-4 4.5.6Goal D6: Cultural Resources Protected and Managed........... 4-5 4.6 Goal Category E: Land Management ............................ 4-5 4.6.1 Goal E1: Appropriate and Safe Access to Public Use Areas Provided........................................... 4-5 4.6.2 Goal E2: Special Use Permitting and Leases on Sovereign Lands Facilitated, as Appropriate.................................. 4-5 4.6.3 Goal E3: Sovereign Lands Boundary Settlements Completed ..... 4-6 4.6.4 Goal E4: Minerals Withdrawal on Sovereign Lands at Bear Lake Maintained............................................. 4-6 5.0 REFERENCES CITED............................................. 5-1 APPENDIX A: MAPS Map A: Sovereign Lands Planning Unit Map B: Surrounding Zoning Map C: Sovereign Lands Management Classifications Map D: Surrounding Land Ownership Map E: Sovereign Lands Public Access Locations Map F: Surrounding Vegetation Map G: Sovereign Lands Vegetation Types Map H: Sovereign Lands Substrate Types Map I: Sovereign Lands Fish Spawning Areas T-iii Bear Lake Map J: Surrounding Wildlife Habitat Map K: Sovereign Lands Leases, Permits, and Easements APPENDIX B: PUBLIC COMMENTS AND AGENCY RESPONSES APPENDIX C: ISSUE STATEMENTS APPENDIX D: EXISTING LEASES, PERMITS, AND EASEMENTS APPENDIX E: IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1. Summary of acreages for each management classification at Bear Lake. 2-9 Table 3-1. Exposed sovereign lands acreage according to Bear Lake water level......3-7 Table 3-2. Common plant species occurring on Bear Lake sovereign lands according to vegetation community type.........................3-11 Table 3-3. Avian species in the Bear Lake basin designated as either critical or high priority............................................3-16 Table 3-4. Threatened, endangered, and other sensitive species at Bear Lake. .....3-18 Table 5-1. Bear Lake Comprehensive Management Plan Goals and Objectives implementation and monitoring. ...............................5-1