State striving to 'rehabilitate' watersheds

The project has gained attention from other Western states such as Idaho and Wyoming, which are starting their own restoration programs with help from Utah. Green says the program has helped to keep the sage-grouse off of the endangered species list.

A watershed is an area where water is collected. They are found across the state, "all the way from the mountains with quaking aspens to the driest deserts in St. George," said Troy Forrest, who works with the state's grazing-improvement program.

Although some of the state's rehabilitation projects are in wet, mountainous areas, many of the projects take place in desert areas. Near the Vernon area, work is being done to restore habitat and increase forage opportunities for cattle on the Bennion Ranch, which is owned by Alan and Elizabeth Mitchell.

In one project on the ranch, workers used an anchor chain to rip up a thick swath of juniper trees, which had invaded a nearby sagebrush habitat. When the trees grow out of their natural habitat on rocky outcrops near hillsides, they block the sunlight and stop other plant species from growing.

The anchor chain used to remove the trees was 300 feet long, and weighed over 100 pounds. Two bulldozers pulled it across the land, leaving a few sagebrush and open land for sage-grouse to congregate when mating. These open areas are known as lecks.

"This is where (sage-grouse) can get together, strut, dance, puff up and expand with air" when mating, said Mark Farmer, a DWR habitat biologist.

Workers did a similar project up on a hillside on the ranch. Uprooted junipers were left in piles on the ground, and grass has begun to grow in areas under the dead trees.

Elizabeth Mitchell, the ranch owner, said it takes work and study to figure out what projects would be best to rehabilitate the land. The land, she said, is her livelihood.

"The land supports the grasses, which support the livestock and wildlife," she said. "You have to take it all in holistically and understand all the elements."

For now, state officials have no time-frame for when their watershed rehabilitation program will end. Green says it depends on funding from the state and a multitude of private and public agencies, but he is confident the program has support.

"We're a lot further along than we thought we would be," he said. "As long as we continue to work together and find common areas, the future looks good."

For more information, log on to: wildlife.utah.gov/watersheds/.

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E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com