BLMNational's video: Saving an Endangered Species and a Trail One Fence Post at a Time

The Red Bluff Area of Critical Concern (ACEC), just outside St. George, is known for its fun and flowy mountain bike trails. It also happens to be one of the few places where the Dwarf Bear Claw Poppy thrives. After consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and through an Environmental Assessment, the Dwarf Bear Claw Poppy was determined endangered and necessary measures would be needed to save the species, or the ACEC would be limited or closed to recreationalists. In an effort to conserve the endangered species and the Bear Claw Poppy Mountain Biking Trail, the BLM enlisted the help of an American Conservation Experience (ACE) crew. Through hard manual labor, the crew installed split rail fences to minimize impacts to the endangered Dwarf Bear Claw Poppy while maintaining access for recreational public lands users. “Erosion, invasive plants, and wildfire greatly impact critical seed banks found in the soil—and that’s what we’re trying to protect,” said John Kellam, BLM-Utah St. George Field Office Wildlife Biologist. But the project goal is twofold, “We’re trying to mitigate and protect the habitat and allow for recreational use along the trail system”. According to project lead Kyle Voyles, BLM-Utah St. George Field Office Outdoor Recreation Planner, fence construction began in March. But, the project’s location inside the ACEC posed real logistical challenges for finishing the project in a timely manner. “The Red Bluff ACEC is a non-motorized area—so we can’t use ATV’s to get the supplies in,” Voyles said. In phase 1, crews hauled equipment in manually including augers, hand tools, generators and drills and all of the posts which weigh 22-26 pounds each. To complete the project expeditiously, BLM contracted a helicopter for phase 2. With the help of fire crews from BLM Arizona Strip, Dixie National Forest and the National Park Service, crews were able to accomplish in four hours what it would take a crew an entire week to accomplish. Interestingly, the project wasn’t paid for with tax dollars but with fees paid directly to the BLM St. George Field Office from 120 Special Recreation Permit holders— outfitters and guides and race concessionaires for competitive events that operate on public lands. Through the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) Congress determined that the funds paid to BLM for recreation—three percent of gross receipts—would remain in the same office and be spent on recreation. The funds earned through REA, is what funds projects like the Bear Claw Poppy fence project. “That’s how we build trails, that’s how we build trailheads, and that’s how we reached this compromise between the Endangered Species Act and recreational access,” said Dave Kiel, BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner.