DECEMBER 1, 2020 Johnson County Natural Resource Management Plan Natural Resource Management Plan Y2 Consultants, LLC & Falen Law Offices (Intentionally Left Blank) CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... III LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... IV ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................................... V INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................ 1 PLAN ORGANIZATION ........................................................................................................................ 5 PROCESS ......................................................................................................................................... 6 AMENDING THE NRMP ..................................................................................................................... 6 COUNTY EXPECTATIONS FOR NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN ..................................................... 7 CHAPTER 1: CUSTOM AND CULTURE ...................................................................................... 9 1.1 COUNTY INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW ........................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER 2: LAND USE ......................................................................................................... 13 2.1 LAND USE ............................................................................................................................... 13 2.2 TRANSPORTATION AND LAND ACCESS ........................................................................................... 17 2.3 SPECIAL DESIGNATION AND MANAGEMENT AREAS .......................................................................... 22 2.4 WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION, FUELS MANAGEMENT, FIRE REHABILITATION AND COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PLANNING ..................................................................................................................................... 31 2.5 FOREST MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................................. 36 2.6 LAND EXCHANGES ..................................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER 3: GEOLOGY, MINING, AND AIR ............................................................................ 41 3.1 GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................................ 41 3.2 SOILS...................................................................................................................................... 43 3.3 MINING & MINERAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................. 45 3.4 ENERGY RESOURCES .................................................................................................................. 50 3.5 AIR QUALITY ............................................................................................................................ 56 3.6 CLIMATE CHANGE ..................................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER 4: WATER RESOURCES .......................................................................................... 60 4.1 IRRIGATION AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE .................................................................................. 62 4.2 DAMS AND RESERVOIRS ............................................................................................................. 63 4.3 WATER RIGHTS ........................................................................................................................ 64 4.4 WATER QUALITY ...................................................................................................................... 66 4.5 FLOOD PLAINS.......................................................................................................................... 70 4.6 RIVERS AND STREAMS ................................................................................................................ 71 4.7 WETLANDS AND RIPARIAN AREAS ................................................................................................ 73 i | P a g e Natural Resource Management Plan CHAPTER 5: WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES .................................................................................. 75 5.1 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ...................................................................................... 77 5.2 GENERAL WILDLIFE AND SENSITIVE SPECIES ................................................................................... 80 5.3 FISHERIES ................................................................................................................................ 92 5.4 WILD HORSE, BURROS AND ESTRAY LIVESTOCK .............................................................................. 94 CHAPTER 6: ECONOMICS & SOCIETY .................................................................................... 97 6.1 TOURISM AND RECREATION ON FEDERAL LANDS ............................................................................. 97 6.2 LAW ENFORCEMENT .................................................................................................................. 99 6.3 CULTURAL, HISTORICAL, & PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ............................................................ 100 6.4 ECONOMIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS ..................................................................... 104 CHAPTER 7: AGRICULUTRE ................................................................................................. 107 7.1 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 107 7.2 LIVESTOCK AND GRAZING ......................................................................................................... 108 7.3 PREDATOR CONTROL & LIVESTOCK PREDATION ............................................................................ 115 7.4 NOXIOUS WEEDS AND INVASIVE SPECIES ..................................................................................... 116 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 121 APPENDIX A: TABLES ......................................................................................................... 130 APPENDIX B: WEBSITE LINKS IN DOCUMENT ...................................................................... 148 APPENDIX C: STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS ................................................................. 150 APPENDIX D: PUBLIC COMMENTS RECEIVED ...................................................................... 151 ii | P a g e Natural Resource Management Plan LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Johnson County Natural Resource Management Plan Area. ......................................... 12 Figure 2. Johnson County Surface Ownership Map. ..................................................................... 16 Figure 3. Special Designation Areas within Johnson County. ....................................................... 30 Figure 4. Fire History of Johnson County. ...................................................................................... 35 Figure 5. Johnson County Geologic Formations. ........................................................................... 42 Figure 9. Soils Mapped for Johnson County. ................................................................................. 44 Figure 6. Oil and Gas Production in Johnson County from 1980 to 2020 ..................................... 51 Figure 7: State of Wyoming Oil Production Trends (1978-2018). (Oil Graph, n.d.) ...................... 51 Figure 8: State of Wyoming Gas Production Trends (1978-2018). (State Gas Production Graph, n.d.) ............................................................................................................................................... 52 Figure 10. Johnson County Watersheds. ....................................................................................... 61 Figure 11. Pronghorn Seasonal Range in Johnson County. ........................................................... 86 Figure 12. Mule Deer Seasonal Range in Johnson County. ........................................................... 87 Figure 13. Elk Seasonal Range in Johnson County. ....................................................................... 88 Figure 14. White-tail Deer Seasonal Range in Johnson County. ................................................... 89 Figure 15. Moose Seasonal Range in Johnson County. ................................................................. 90 Figure 16. Greater Sage-Grouse Mapped Core Area within Johnson County. .............................. 91 Figure 17. Johnson County Native and Introduced Fish Species by Watershed. (Johnson County Commissioners & Johnson County Planning and Zoning Commission, 2005) .............................. 93 Figure 18. Johnson County Grazing Allotments.