Venture to aid sagebrush areas

Dwindling habitat has long been a concern for wildlife managers.

Under a new program, a joint venture between the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and private landowners, there's hope the downward spiral can be, at least, slowed.

Utah received a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services for $1.12 million, to which a matching sum will be added to bring the total to $2.4 million to improve habitat on private land. The DWR also received $180,000 in start-up funding.

According to an official release, the Landowner Incentive Program is a "a voluntary program that provides technical and financial assistance, including habitat protection and restoration, to private landowners for the protection and management of habitat to benefit federally listed, proposed, candidate or other at-risk species on private lands."

Landowners have until April 30 to apply for funding and technical support from the DWR.

John Fairchild, DWR habitat conservation coordinator, said the focus this go-round will be in two areas: sagebrush steppe and low- to mid-elevation riparian corridors and associated wetlands.

Improving sagebrush steepe will benefit greater sage-grouse, Gunnison sage-grouse, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, other at-risk neotropical migratory bird species, pygmy rabbit, Utah prairie-dog, white-tailed prairie-dog and Gunnison's prairie-dog.

Working with riparian corridors will support Columbia spotted frog, Least chub, Bonneville cutthroat trout, Colorado River cutthroat trout, native populations of Yellowstone cutthroat trout, and yellow-billed cuckoo, Southwestern willow flycatcher and other at-risk neotropical migratory bird species.

Habitat restoration work, reported Fairchild, will include the mechanical treatment and seeding of decadent sagebrush stands, fuel breaks to control the spread of wildfires, stream channel restoration and riparian plantings. The program also provides for the acquisition of conservation easements, from willing sellers, to protect habitats in key areas.

Fairchild said he hopes to restore about 7,000 acres of sagebrush steepe this year. Target areas will not only be along with eastern section of the state, where drought and moths have destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of low-elevation sagebrush, but also old sagebrush on private land that has stopped producing for wildlife.