USDA Forest Service | Manti-La Sal National Forest
December 2024 Monthly Newsletter | Volume 4, Issue 12
USDA Forest Service image by Manti-La Sal National Forest
“Adopt the pace of Nature, her pace is patience” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Welcome to the Manti-La Sal National Forest Newsletter
The Look Back Special, Part 1!
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a visual 'look back' of 2024 including projects completed, stunning scenery, and highlights across the Manti-La Sal's departments that you likely haven't seen before. Buckle up, your backstage pass to this forest awaits!
Wildlife
Wildlife crews and all departments across the forest have had a productive year. As you scroll through new water guzzlers for wildlife have been an ongoing installation process across the Manti-La Sal National Forest. Water guzzlers ensure wildlife have drinking water through a natural catchment system and are valuable for species of interest in areas that lack water across the forest.
a team of forest service people stand on long black thick plastic that serves as a trough for the guzzlers
a yellow tractor lifts a large roll of black vinyl that will be rolled out for a guzzler install while two people spot the process
A yellow tractor smooths out a large expanse of dirt to prepare a site for a wildlife guzzler
four USDA forest service staff hold back heavy vinyl and install a guzzler drain filter
A black waterline now feeds into water tank
Digging the guzzler's apron platform
a person stands on the top of the guzzler apron, which is a large black vinyl rectangular shape with rocks on it
A guzzler apron, which is a large black vinyl rectangular shape with rocks on it
The brown holding tank is ready to store water, it is rectangular with a domed top to help shed snow and water, while remaining structurally sound
Check out the guzzler installation process! This guzzler will be utilized by Greater Sage Grouse and other wildlife, the biologists of the forest and a dozen or so forest staff help with installing the large apron system that funnels rain and snow run off into the 1,500-gallon holding tank. These guzzlers provide drinking water for wildlife in areas that are typically scarce on water
a flat top, old water guzzler for wildlife made of corrugated metal
a side view of the old guzzler with corrugated metal top and post and pole fence around it
Flat top guzzlers fail over time due to snow load, this guzzler's top is dented and collapsing and it needs to be replaced
Old guzzlers on the forest are replaced with new, more resilient designs featuring an apron, holding tank, and better tank cover
Black Bear drinks from guzzler
Black bear cools off and takes a swim in the guzzler
a bobcat drank from the guzzler and jumps off the side of it
deer visits guzzler for water
Goshawk drinks from guzzler
Goshawk takes a quick bird bath and shakes off water with wings out stretched
deer using guzzler
New guzzlers on the forest attract goshawks, deer, bears, bobcats and more!
Wildlife Field Surveys, Monitoring, and Sightings
Northern Goshawk
Northern Goshawk Monitoring
Raptor Monitoring
Raptor Nest Territory Occupancy Monitoring
Golden Eagle Nest Territory Occupancy Monitoring
Raptor Territory Occupancy Monitoring
a red fox in the field
Boreal Toad Monitoring
Buck Mule deer in sage brush
Greater Sage Grouse during Lek survey
Surveys of 2024: Mexican Spotted Owl Surveys, Greater Sage Grouse Lek Counts, Golden Eagle Nest Territory Occupancy Monitoring, Northern Goshawk Monitoring, Three-toed, Woodpecker Surveys, IMBCR Monitoring (Migratory Birds), Na Bat Monitoring, Boreal Toad Monitoring, Rabbit Surveys, and of course general wildlife sightings during surveys are all part of the wildlife biologist experience
Wildlife Technician installs Beaver Deceiver in milky colored pond, wearing waders. The Beaver deceiver is a large cage with a long flexible black tube to allow water to flow through
Wildlife crews install piping of Beaver Deceiver
Utah DWR relocates beaver to Manti-La Sal National Forest
Wildlife technicians install pond levelers which combine a cage and flexible tube to allow beavers to keep their dams without flooding roads on the forest. We even enjoyed having Utah DWR relocate beavers to our forest to enjoy new habitat
Wildlife Staff and the Local Community
USU Eastern Field Trip with Students from England. A group of people standing and viewing a scree slope
Special Needs Fishing Event at Gigliotti Pond, the group of USFS volunteers that helped put it on
4th Graders learning from Wildlife Biologists during the annual Conservation Days
Manti-La Sal NF staff at Conservation Days standing in a line wearing green Forest Service uniforms
Wildlife staff provide education and outreach opportunities to the local community each year. In 2024, they provided: Special Needs Fishing Day, an Eagle Scout Presentation, USU Eastern Field Trip with Students from England, Presentations at Nephi High school, Nephi Junior High school, Manti High school, Gunnison High school, Ephraim Elementary, and presented at Conservation Days for approximately 500 4th grade students
Wildlife Biologists Restore Pack Creek Watershed (Before and After)
The restoration of watersheds and forest health as a core management objective of the National Forests and Grasslands. To achieve this goal, the Forest Service is directed to restore degraded watersheds by strategically focusing investments in watershed improvement projects and conservation practices at the landscape and watershed scales. At Pack Creek, you can see improved stream bed, bank structure, and in turn, foliage which all contribute to the essential building blocks of the health and longevity of our watersheds and local ecosystems.
(See the before and after by sliding the white bar with arrows)
South Manti Fuels Reduction Project Benefits Wildlife
Fuels reduction efforts can greatly benefit wildlife through methods such as mastication, burning, thinning, and cut and pile. On the North Zone of the forest within the South Manti Fuels Reduction project, the red areas show wildlife concentrations within the area. In the first photo, before the fuels reduction efforts, wildlife stayed bunched up and confined. If you slide the bar to reveal the second photo, you can see the wildlife has significantly spread out after just one year of use from 2023-2024 after fuel loads were reduced via cut, pile, and burn efforts. Fuels reduction efforts improve habitat for wildlife by providing forage stimulation, canopy height improvement, ecosystem diversity, and contributes to an overall healthy and well-maintained environment for wildlife to flourish in.
South Zone Range and Hydrology
A grassy field with red rock cliffs in the back grounds and blue sky as a person walks during a survey in the grass
Grazing allotments on the South Zone where cattle lay in grass and dark cloud rain on mountains on a horizon
Southeastern Colorado River Water Adjudication spring improvement
A Beaver Dam Analog constructed by a USU intern
Interns work in Range for the South Zone, riding horses to complete surveys
A red rock arch in the background and a buckskin-colored horse belonging to range at one of their survey sites
Testing Virtual Fencing with Utah State University
2024 Interns Help South Zone Range
Range accomplishments included an internship program, spring surveys, stream inventory, alpine soil temperature logs, water level logs, range monitoring, beaver dam analogs, researching virtual cattle fencing with Utah State University, spring restoration, and valuable partnership work with the Bears Ears Partnership, Ancestral Lands Conservation Corp, Color Country Conservation Corp, and Grand Canyon Trust, and much more!
water reflecting surrounding red rock in woodenshoe canyon, part of Dark Canyon Wilderness
Reflections at Woodenshoe Canyon, Dark Canyon Wilderness
South Zone Recreation Highlights
In 2024, the Moab Ranger District achieved a rating of “60" for the Dark Canyon Wilderness Stewardship Performance rating, which put the Dark Canyon Wilderness into the category of being managed to standard for the first time ever. While the score occurred in 2024 it took lots of work to get us to that level, work included years of mitigating invasive species, maintaining trails, conducting campsite inventories, monitoring solitude and other aspects of wilderness management.
Botany crews monitor in wilderness and sit around fire after work
Two small figures are pictured against the white of high mountain peaks and snow during avalanche monitoring
Archaeological monitoring shows an archaeological site in red rocks with a rectangular window
Tall aspen with golden leaves and bright blue sky and a tan dirt road in the Abajo Mountains
Interdisciplinary monitoring in the Wilderness with the Botany, Heritage and Recreation staff, avalanche monitoring, views from archaeological sites and a show of fall colors in the Abajo Mountains
During 2024, the South Zone Trail crew and a variety of volunteers and partners completed trail work and several trail bridges for the Whole Enchilada Trail in the La Sals. These bridges were built with REA funding from the permitted outfitter and guide fees. As a forest, we collect these fees and put them back into maintaining the infrastructure that the outfitters and guides use for operations, in this case, the trails and bridges. Labor for the bridges was provided by the USFS trail crew, SUWA volunteers and the Grand County Active Trails and Transportation trail crew. Additionally, the Tuerto connector trail in Bears Ears National Monument needed a complete rebuild. This work was accomplished with the USFS trail crew and both the Zuni and Acoma Ancestral Lands Corp trail crews.
Tuerto connector trail being rebuilt by several workers with hand tools wearing hard hats
Whole Enchilada Trail bridge work
Whole Enchilada Trail bridge work
Cyclists enjoying new bridges on the Whole Enchilada Trail
Thank you to our trail crew, partners, and volunteers for making this a banner year for trail improvements
Gooseberry Guard station gets remodel and is finally finished
Gooseberry Guard Station remodel
Lots of great work occurred out In Bears Ears National Monument including wrapping up the Gooseberry Guard Station remodel and replacing the pasture fence at the site.
Porcupine campground is now complete
Porcupine Campground
With support of Canyonlands Natural History Association (CNHA) and funding through the Infrastructure Bill, we finished up work on the new Porcupine Campground, photo below was taken during the construction by William Otto using the USFS drone.
Special Uses
Easements, permits, leases, water transmission, agriculture, outfitting and guiding, recreation, telecommunication, research, photography, video productions, and granting road and utility rights-of-ways all fall within our Special Uses program. This year, our teams made sure to keep permit holders aware of requirements of their permits, with special attention to keeping structures on national forest lands up to standard requirements. Permitting for special uses across the forest allows public lands to be responsibly utilized in ways that further our understanding of historical uses, future forecasting, recreation, and access
A cabin with a green roof and porch
A permitted site that has fallen out of code that our team will reach out to the permittee about
A nice triangular shaped wood cabin with green roof
A communication tower with large drum-looking devices going up a large pole, plus a structure
Thank you for keeping spaces up to code - a green storage unit with roll up door
Permitted sites across the forest are monitored for compliance
Bears Ears National Monument Planning
The Manti-La Sal National Forest has been developing a Bears Ears National Monument Plan with the BLM, the Bears Ears Commission, and with our state and local cooperating agencies. The management of this monument is unique in many ways, but notably, due to the rich cultural aspects of the area, the Bears Ears Commission of five tribal nations co-stewards the monument with all agencies and stakeholders. Throughout the year, many public meetings, public comments, and reviews of those comments have been the focus of the Bears Ears National Monument planning efforts to establish a cohesive management direction. Agencies anticipate that the Bears Ears National Monument will have a signed management plan in 2025.
People attending a public meeting learn facts about Bears Ears National Monument
The public sit in a curved auditorium listening to BLM and USFS lectures about Bears Ears National Monument Management Plan
Betsy Chapoose chats with public
Manti-La Sal National Forest staff at the Salt Lake City, UT Bears Ears National Monument Public Meeting
Navajo Nation Council Delegate and Manti-La Sal National Forest's Moab District Ranger Michael Engelhart
Public Meetings during the public comment period for Bears Ears National Monument in 2024 were well attended and made possible by the BLM, Bears Ears Commission, and Manti-La Sal National Forest Service employees
Heritage
A white arrowhead in a hand
A red cabin with green shutters considered for preservation
a carving on an aspen tree with greenery in the background
Heritage crews walk and place small orange flags for marking sites during survey
A group of six heritage and botany staff smile during the heat of summer in the shade of a tree while surveying
Two heritage staff scramble down a rocky face during a survey
The Heritage Program is responsible for significant historic and cultural resources on public lands, ensuring that future generations can understand the human stories within the landscapes of our national forests and grasslands. This year, the Heritage program enjoyed having two interns, completed approximately 3,214 acres of surveys, updated 22 survey sites, and recorded 84 new sites. Approximately 15 new projects were cleared across the forest to ensure heritage sites were properly considered, collaborations with the NRCS, BLM, Utah DWR and many more made this year a busy one for this team.
Children learn about the Heritage program as a group outside
A woman holds wood to demonstrate traditional concepts as part of a heritage demonstration
Wilderness Volunteers hiking on Milk Ranch Point
BEDCHI ethnographer and Zuni tribal member setting up for an interview
Archaeologist & Navajo Nation members visit field and take a lunch break
The Heritage Program was managed to standard in 2024, and established Federal Preservation Programs, participated in outreach during the forest's annual Conservation Days, the Fremont Festival, CNHA Public Lands Day Celebration, Dine College Career Fair, USS Blanding STEAM Expo & Career Fairs, assisted with the Bears Ears Digital Cultural Heritage Initiative (photographic models of structures), and the Ethnobotanical Plant Monitoring Project
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Regional Office Forest Service employees conducted field visits to existing structures within our Heritage Program including North Cottonwood Guard Station, the Great Basin Station & Alpine Cabin, and Stuart Guard Station
Discover Manti-La Sal National Forest's diverse terrain- from mountains to scale, trails to explore, waters to fish, and abundant camping areas perfect for creating family traditions. Scenic byways and backways offer motorists stunning vista views.
