Mule deer on the Eastern Paunsaugunt will have more water, cleaner water, and a safer, more secure resource to drink from because of a recent $34,000 commitment from SFW.
“SFW has committed this money to fund the completion of two winter watering tanks that will prevent mule deer drownings and provide consistent and cleaner water resources for wintering mule deer,” according to Rusty Aiken, SFW’s Iron County Chapter Chairman. “This important project will cap two existing water storage tanks where wildlife have been drowning for many years.”
The project is being managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and is classified by SFW as “critical” for mule deer in the area. It includes building lids to cap the two large water storage tanks, which are constructed at ground level, and constructing safe watering access in the form of drinkers at the bottoms of each tank. When finished, the watering sites will provide safe access for all wildlife species, including a small band of 5 Desert Bighorn Sheep.
First of the two sites is the Eightmile project located approximately 35 miles east of Kanab, Utah. The second is the West Clark Bench project located approximately 45 miles east of Kanab. Both projects are on BLM lands administered by Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.
“Both of these watering sites lie in the heart of trophy mule deer country,” Aiken added. “This is exactly why SFW exists; to help Utah mule deer thrive by securing the health and habitat of specific wintering herds.”
According to Cameron McQuivey with the BLM, “These water storage sites have become death traps for wildlife entering the tanks to obtain water. Within the last year, BLM employees have removed six dead mule deer, numerous raptors and countless small rodents and birds.”
SFW funds will be used to construct two lids on top of a metal framework of beams inside the lip of each tank. The beams will then be covered by tin roofing sheets. The money will also provide new drinkers at each site using a pipeline below each tank to pull water to feed into a new enclosed 5,000 gallon storage tank constructed below ground level. These new tanks will preserve 5,000 gallons at each location, specifically for wildlife use. The new drinker would be surrounded by a 60′ by 60′ lodgepole fence to exclude livestock. The area will be re-contoured and seeded with a native seed mix appropriate for the area.
