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Show BLM Working fo Improve Wildlife Habitat "Something should, be done about the decline in wildlife habitat" is an opinion often voiced by sportsmen and concerned groups. Well, something is being done to improve this situation by the Bureau of Land Management, which administers admin-isters almost 25 million acres of national resource lands (NRL) in Utah. According to Paul L. Howard, How-ard, BLM state director in Utah, the bureau has developed develop-ed eight wildlife habitat improvement projects in seven counties during the past year and such efforts will be increased next year. The director added that in spite of ever-increasing demands de-mands and complexity of resource management programs, pro-grams, BLM has made a deliberate effort to assure that important wildlife habitat improvement im-provement needs are not neglected because of other programs and pressures. In cooperation with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, (DWR) the bureau is developing develop-ing wildlife habitat plans which identify habitat problems prob-lems and then schedules actual project work to solve the problems. Under the framework of a coordinated BLM-DWR statewide state-wide Sikes Act agreement, which outlines wildlife habitat improvement needs on Federal Feder-al lands, the following projects ' ' have been completed on NRL in the past year: 1. Brown's Park (Daggett County) big game winter range seeding. 2. Willow and Beaver Creek (Daggett County) stream fisheries fish-eries improvement. 3. Pariette Wash (Duchesne County) water impoundment for waterfowl, fish and raptors. rap-tors. 4. Birch Creek (Beaver County) stream fisheries improvement. 4. Puddle Valley (Tooele County) water development for antelope and game birds. 6. Otter Creek (Piute County) Coun-ty) stream fisheries improvement. improve-ment. 7. Big Creek (Rich County) stream fisheries improvement. 8. Buckskin Valley (Iron County) prescribed burning for deer and sagegrouse forage improvement. A total of $55,000 was spent on the above projects, not including manpower costs. BLM plans to increase its habitat improvement effort in fiscal year 1977 (October 1, 1976 to September 30, 1977). Bureau and Division of Wildlife Wild-life Resource biologists throughout the state are currently doing the final design work on projects to improve more deer winter range, protect riparian vegetation vegeta-tion and streams, and create additional waterfowl habitat. Next year's work will cost $92,500. Howard stated that although the funds obligated so far seem like a lot to some people, the needs are actually much greater. We plan to accomplish accom-plish more direct habitat improvement work in the future, as well as continuing our environmental assessment and other work priorities, he added. Ronald S. Trogstad, BLM wildlife specialist, and Donald A. Duff, BLM fisheries specialist, spe-cialist, stressed that the bureau's efforts emphasize work for endangered species and game species, but all BLM programs are designed in consideration of the total ecosystem. For example, many small birds and mammals mam-mals as well as other resources, resour-ces, benefit from projects designed to improve big game range or fisheries habitat. Howard requested that concerned con-cerned citizens assist the BLM and DWR in identifying habitat improvement needs on NRL. |