Date:

2007 to present

Abstract:

The UCRB Innovative and Science-Based Desert Tributaries Restoration Initiative is a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Utah State University, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) and the Bureau of Reclamation. These partners collaborate to restore riverine ecosystems to a more natural and dynamic state and conserve and recover self-sustaining populations of native fish. To date the initiative has focused on efforts along the San Rafael River and Price River systems, resulting in miles of habitat restored and monitored. The White River was chosen as the next area of focus because 1) it has a history of use by all imperiled and endangered stream fishes of the UCRB, 2) has a relatively intact hydrograph and high densities of native fishes, and 3) represents a priority restoration and conservation area for both BLM, UDWR, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. As a result, and given the priorities for both UCRB and the Desert Fish Habitat Partnership, we will be restoring and enhancing many miles of critical habitat within the lower White River. Our restoration approach includes: 1) providing necessary and sufficient habitat to ensure persistence of native fish and vegetation, 2) recovering and sustaining natural habitat-forming processes, such as lateral channel movement, beaver activity, and inputs of large wood, 3) providing sufficient flow to prevent dewatering and recover natural channel movement and other habitat-forming processes, and 4) conducting sufficient monitoring and experimentation of restoration impacts to quantitatively assess whether actions are accomplishing the objectives. A science based and adaptive restoration and monitoring plan will be completed in 2021.

Funding:

• Bureau of Reclamation
• Bureau of Land Management
• Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
• US Geological Survey – Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (in-kind)
• The Ecology Center at Utah State University

Investigators:

• Dr. Phaedra Budy, USGS UCFWRU, USU
• William (Wally) McFarlane, Dept. of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University
• Dr. Joe Wheaton, Dept. of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University
• Dr. Jack Schmidt, Dept. of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University
• Dr. Casey Pennock, Dept. of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University

Other collaborators:

• David Speas, Bureau of Reclamation
• Dr. Mark McKinstry, Bureau of Reclamation
• Justin Jimenez, Bureau of Land Management
• Jerrad Goodell, Bureau of Land Management