BEAVER COUNTY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN Beaver County Commissioners Michael F. Dalton, Chair Mark S. Whitney Tammy Pearson Planning & Zoning Commission Darrel Davis, Chairman Kyle Blackner, Administrator Von Christiansen, Attorney Jamie Kelsey, Secretary Steve Kinross Mike Riley Walter Schofield Kolby Blackner Drew Coombs Don Noyes Public Lands KevenDRAFT Whicker, Public Lands Administrator County Staff Scott Albrecht, Michelle Evans, Tracy McMullin, Heidi Eyre Adopted June X, 2017 i TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... v LEGAL BASIS FOR COUNTY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANNING .......................... ix SOCIAL-ECONOMIC LINKAGES ............................................................................................. xi CURRENT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SETTING .............................................................. xv DESIRED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SETTING .............................................................. xvii 1. LAND USE ............................................................................................................................. 1 2. ENERGY, MINING, MINERAL & GEOLOGICAL RESOURCES .................................... 9 2.1 Mining and Mineral & Geological Resources .................................................................. 9 2.2 Energy Resources ............................................................................................................ 20 3. AGRICULTURE .................................................................................................................. 26 3.1 Agriculture ...................................................................................................................... 26 3.2 Livestock and Grazing .................................................................................................... 29 3.3 Water Rights & Irrigation ............................................................................................... 40 3.4 Noxious Weeds ............................................................................................................... 44 4. WATER RESOURCES ........................................................................................................ 51 4.1 Hydrology ....................................................................................................................... 52 4.2 Surface Waters ................................................................................................................ 58 4.3 Ditches And Canals ................................DRAFT......................................................................... 61 4.4 Rivers and Streams ......................................................................................................... 62 4.5 Flood Plains and River Terraces ..................................................................................... 65 4.6 Dry Washes and Ephemeral Streams .............................................................................. 68 4.7 Groundwater ................................................................................................................... 72 4.8 Wetlands ......................................................................................................................... 75 4.9 Water Quality .................................................................................................................. 77 ii 5. RECREATION AND TOURISM ........................................................................................ 82 6. FIRE MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................ 85 7. LAND ACCESS ................................................................................................................... 90 7.1 Land Access .................................................................................................................... 90 7.2 Wilderness and Other Special Land Designations .......................................................... 94 7.3 Wild and Scenic Rivers ................................................................................................... 99 7.4 Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs) ..................................................... 104 7.5 Broadband Access ......................................................................................................... 114 8. CULTURAL, HISTORICAL & PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ......................... 119 9. FISH & WILDLIFE ............................................................................................................ 122 9.1 Fish and Fisheries ......................................................................................................... 122 9.2 Wildlife ......................................................................................................................... 124 9.3 Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Species ........................................................... 128 9.3.1 Prairie Dog Management ........................................................................................... 141 9.4 Predator Control ............................................................................................................ 144 9.4.1 Wolf Management ..................................................................................................... 148 9.5 Wild Horses .................................................................................................................. 152 10. FOREST MANAGEMENTDRAFT .............................................................................................. 164 11. LAW ENFORCEMENT ................................................................................................... 169 12. ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................. 172 13. AIR QUALITY ................................................................................................................. 175 MAP 1 – Locatable Minerals ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 2 – Salable Minerals (Building Stone) ................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 3 – Salable Minerals (Clay) .................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. iii MAP 4 – Salable Minerals (Crushed Stone) .................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 5 – Solid Leasable Minerals ................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 6 – Wind Energy .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 7 – Solar Energy (BLM Study) ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 8 – Solar Energy (UREZ Study) .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 9 – Geothermal Energy ........................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 10 – White Rocks Range WSA ............................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 11 – Wah Wah Mountains WSA .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 12 – Inventoried Roadless Areas .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 13 – Pine Valley Prairie Dog Area ....................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. MAP 14 – Beaver County BLM HMAs ........................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. APPENDIX 1 – Scenic Quality Inventory and Evaluation Chart .. Error! Bookmark not defined. APPENDIX 2 – Visual Resource Management Classification Process ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. DRAFT iv INTRODUCTION Plan Process and Methodology The purpose of this County Resource Management Plan (“CRMP”) is to amend the Beaver County General Plan and to address issues related to public and private lands. It is intended, to the maximum extent allowed by law, to establish criteria, policies, and requirements to be followed in the various state and federal land planning processes and to provide consistency across agency boundaries while preserving and enhancing Beaver County’s custom, culture, resources, and socioeconomic base. The information used as the basis for this plan was obtained from various state and federal agencies, experts in various natural resources, public participation, and independent research. After this plan was completed and recommended, the Beaver County Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed plan on May X, 2017. The Beaver County Planning and Zoning Commission then forwarded the plan to the Beaver County Commissioners. On June X, 2017, the Beaver County Commissioners held another public hearing. On June X, 2017, the Beaver County Commissioners adopted the plan. County History and Culture Natural resources in Beaver County have been explored and documented as far back as the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition in the late 18th Century. Archaeological discoveries have chronicled Beaver County’s history going back as far as 10,000 years, showing that Beaver County has been home to a variety of peoples and civilizations who utilized the abundant natural resources to survive. Beaver County’s modern day inhabitants still rely heavily on these same resources in order to sustain a high quality of life. As such, it’s indisputable that Beaver County’s culture and history is directly