February 18, 2009
L-R: Devin Johnson (Dixie Natl. Forest), Miles Moretti (MDF Pres. and
CEO),
Brian Ferebee (Forest Supervisor, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache Natl. Forest,
Nate
Yorgason (Dixie Natl. Forest). Not pictured: Ron Rodriguez and Tyler Hoyle.
Contact: Danielle K. Chi, Ph.D.
Wildlife Program Leader,
USFS, Intermountain Region
Tel.: 801-625-5667
E-mail: dkchi@fs.fed.us
Mule Deer Foundation Conservation Award
OGDEN, Utah – The seventh annual Mule Deer Foundation Conservation Award was presented by Brian Ferebee, Forest Supervisor of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The announcement was made during the Mule Deer Foundation’s annual volunteer recognition night, Feb. 6, 2009, in Salt Lake City, as part of the MDF's Annual Convention and the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo (WHCE).
Nate Yorgason, Devin Johnson, Ron Rodriguez and Tyler Johnson were recognized for their collaborative work with the Mule Deer Foundation and numerous other partners toward the conservation of mule deer and black-tailed deer on the Dixie National Forest, located in south-central Utah.
Their work consisted of a suite of projects targeting important winter, summer and transition range in the southern portions of Utah. These projects were designed to improve upon degraded mule deer habitat conditions across a broad landscape and over a variety of land ownerships. Specific treatment areas were located on the Cedar City and Pine Valley Ranger Districts, near the towns of Irontown, Pine Valley, Panguitch, Paragonah, Enterprise and Pinto.
The strategy behind the series of projects in these areas focused on decreasing Pinyon pine/juniper regeneration in old anchor-chained areas and creating quality deer habitat over a wide range of deer habitats on public lands, both Forest Service and BLM. These projects included numerous components which addressed different needs related to enhancing habitat including:
- Pinyon pine/juniper removal
- Reseeding/seeding of native vegetation
- Sagebrush treatments
- Water/wetland developments
- Monitoring to assess effectiveness of and improve upon treatment
In total, almost 14,000 acres of mule deer habitat have been enhanced using these methods, a total that has been matched on adjacent BLM lands as part of the larger cooperative efforts.