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2021 Bonneville Basin Coordinator Update

Authors: Drew Dittmer

Year: 2021

Abstract

  1. Wetlands in Snake Valley serve as critical habitat for at least five of Utah’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), including four species threatened by groundwater withdrawal. The Utah Geologic Survey has been leading efforts to monitor the area and this year released the following report: Goodwin, P., Inkenbrandt, P., Menuz, D., Hurlow, H., and Dittmer, D., 2021, Snake Valley hydrologic monitoring-ten-year report: Utah Geological Survey Open-File Report 732, 36 p., 2 appendices, https://doi.org/10.34191/OFR-732. 2) A manuscript titled ““A Successful Reintroduction of Columbia Spotted Frog, Rana luteiventris, Through Repatriation of Recently Hatched Larvae,”“ is in press and will be available in 2022 in Ichthyology & Herpetology. It was authored by the following Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) employees: Paul Thompson, Chante Lundskog, and D.E. Dittmer. 3) Manti Meadows is a wetland and Waterfowl Management Area (WMA) managed by the UDWR. Since 2018, Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative has funded efforts to restore and improve habitat conditions at Manti Meadows. Prior to 2018, the entire area was dry but restoration efforts have successfully reestablished shallow, fishless aquatic habitat. Currently UDWR is developing plans to introduce a refuge population of Least Chub, Iotichthys phlegenthontis, in the WMA. Additionally, UDWR is planning to repatriate Columbia Spotted Frog as there are historic records of the species in the area. 4) Since 2020 the UDWR Native Aquatics section has been working closely with the Utah Natural Heritage Program to digitize species locality records into ArcGIS web maps. Presently we have developed web maps for Least Chub and Columbia Spotted Frog. These web maps serve as digital repositories of information that can be used to to inform species distribution models, habitat models, and aid in the revision of our Wildlife Action Plan SGCN list. 5) UDWR is continuing to formalize its efforts to manage and conserve Utah’s native Mollusks. Some notable achievements include: 1) finalizing the Conservation Agreement and Strategy for springsnails; 2) conservation actions to benefit the Sub-globose Snake Pyrg, Pyrgulopsis saxatilis; and 3) significant improvements in the distribution knowledge of Winged Floater, Anodonta nuttaliana, and Western Pearlshell, Margaritifera falcata.