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Headwaters of the Virgin River Strategic Fund Pool

Mastication with range seeding to increase upland forage and reduce pressure on the riparian corridor from livestock and wildlife.

Project Description

The headwaters of the Virgin River have water quality issues due to elevated e-coli and sediment. The overall goal of this project is to address the water quality resource concern by improving 8,000 acres of uplands, over a period of 5 years. The improvements will provide forage and water in the uplands and remove livestock and wildlife pressure from the riparian corridor and stabilize upland soils. 

Headwaters of the Virgin River SFP map
  • County or Counties: Kane County
  • Year active: FY 2022
  • Duration: 5 years

Partners

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mule Deer Foundation, National Wild Turkey Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife, Utah Department for Environmental Quality, Safari Club Institute, Watershed Restoration Initiative, National Park Service – Zion National Park, Kane County Conservation District.

Conservation practices involved

  • Brush Management (314)
  • Herbaceous Weed Treatment (315)
  • Conservation Cover (327)
  • Sediment Basin (350)
  • Pond (378)
  • Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation (380)
  • Fence (382)
  • Woody Residue Treatment (384)
  • Riparian Herbaceous Cover (390)

When to Apply

Program applications are accepted on a continual basis. However, NRCS establishes application ranking dates for evaluation, ranking and approval of eligible applications. Applications received after the ranking date will be automatically deferred to the next funding period. 

Local Working Group Meetings

Every year, NRCS hosts Local Working Group meetings where farmers, landowners, conservation partners and other members of the community discuss the natural resource needs for the county. Based on feedback from those meetings, NRCS updates the county's Local Resources Assessment Priorities (LRAP) and develops new Conservation Implementation Strategies to address those resource concerns. You may contact us anytime to express concerns or comments about conservation needs in the county, and we encourage you to attend the next Local Working Group meeting in your county. For more information about Local Working Group meetings, contact your local NRCS office, or visit our Utah State Technical Committee page. 

 

Locally Led Conservation

At the Natural Resources Conservation Service of Utah, we understand effectively partnering with our local, county and state agencies and organizations is paramount to our mission of conserving our natural resources and helping people help the land. Utah’s diverse landscape and resource needs require strategic funding and focused efforts to support locally led conservation on the ground.

Learn more about Utah's Focused Opportunities and how NRCS is utilizing SFPs to target locally identified high priority natural resource concerns and work toward a desired outcome.

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