# Presentation: 840140

## Jonah Interagency Mitigation & Reclamation Office (JIO)

- Bill Lanning
- Assoc. Field Manager
- BLM PFO-WY

- Mike Stiewig
- Assoc. Field Manager
- BLM PFO-UT
- (Former JIO Coordinator)

**Notes:**
The Jonah Interagency Mitigation and Reclamation Office (JIO) will provide land management recommendations in support of the adaptive management process, as outlined in the ROD.  JIO selects and manages all off-site mitigation projects and provides the funding necessary to implement off-site treatments in order to facilitate improvements and/or protection to comparable habitat areas within relatively close proximity to the Jonah Infill Drilling Project Area (JIDPA). JIO executes plans, monitoring, and other activities to ensure the effectiveness of onsite reclamation actions and offsite compensatory mitigation in the vicinity of the Jonah Natural Gas Field in accordance with the Record of Decision for the Jonah Infill Drilling Project.  

## Slide 2

**Notes:**
Reference intense “infill” drilling activities.  Unable to mitigate habitats onsite due to intensity of drilling operations.

## Jonah Infill Project Background

- Project Area
- 30,000 acres
- ≈ 14 TCF
- Infill Proposed Action
- 16,000 acres new disturbance (20,000 total)
- 3100 new wells (3600 total)

## Jonah Infill Project Background

- ROD Authorized
- No limit on number of wells or well spacing
- Manage surface disturbance field-wide
- 14,000 acres max at any one time (46%)
- 6,000 additional acres available via “rollover credit”
- Results In Significant Impacts
- On-site mitigation insufficient

## Jonah Infill Project Background

- $24.5 Million in Compensatory Mitigation
- EnCana commitment
- $16.5 million – wildlife mitigation
- $8.0 million – “other” mitigation/monitoring
- Includes JIO operational costs

## Jonah Infill Project Background

- JIO Organization
- 4 full-time positions
- BLM, WGFD, WDEQ, WDA
- Oversight by Agency Managers Committee
- Directors of each Agency
- Provides strategic guidance

## JIO Functions

- Three primary functions
- Off-site mitigation management
- On-site monitoring
- Adaptive management recommendations
- Key – Focus on Post-APD Activities Only

## JIO Functions

- Off-Site Mitigation
- Establish Mitigation Goals
- Developed from EIS impacts
- Evaluate/Select Projects
- Potential projects solicited from all quarters
- Projects must support mitigation goals
- Monitor Projects Post-Selection
- Measure actual results against expected results

## JIO Functions

- On-Site Monitoring
- Disturbance
- Baseline by satellite imagery
- Quarterly reports
- Reclamation (tracked by site)
- Stage 1 – disturbed/no reclamation
- Stage 2 – interim reclamation begun
- Stage 3 – met rollover criteria
- Stage 4 – met final criteria

## Specific Jonah Practices

- Hub & Spoke Development
- Centralized fracing
- Consolidated production facilities
- Closed-Loop (pitless) Drilling
- Mat Drilling
- Uses oak mats directly on surface

## Hub & Spoke Development

## Hub & Spoke w/Mat Pads

## Mat Pad Close-Up

## Map Pad Close-Up

## JIO Benefits

- Brings Focus to Monitoring ROD Commitments
- Collocates Agencies with Resource Authority
- Overcome Barriers to Communication Between Agencies

## JIO Issues

- Agency Coordination
- Imperative to _all_ JIO activities
- JIO Activities Adds Workload for BLM Staff
- Monitoring/off-site mitigation coordination
- NEPA for off-site mitigation projects
- Agency Buy-In to Compromises
- JIO staff consensus not always accepted by Agencies

## JIO accomplishments 2006:

- Lander Trail Well Wildlife and Stockwater Development
- Muddy Creek Water Well
- Square Top Water Well #1
- Sand Draw Water Wells Yellow Point and Wild Horse
- Jonah Raptor Nest Platform Project
- Arambel Reservoir and 5 Acre Treatment Plots

## 2006 Arambel Project:

**Notes:**
Treatment of 5 acre test plots using Lawson Aerator, snow fence construction to add moisture for increased reclamation success, test of weed control methods, and repair of dam on Arambel Reservoir. 

## Square top water well #1

**Notes:**
Drill new well; equip with solar pump and storage and stock watering tank, water overflow pit with fencing for wildlife watering. 

## JIO accomplishments 2007:

- Tibbals Reservoir & Vegetative Enhancement
- Cottonwood Ranch Bench Corral Conservation Project
- MJ Ranch Sagebrush Conservation and Mitigation Project
- Elk Mountain/Red Canyon Prescribed Burn
- Wardell Buffalo Trap

## 2007 continued

- Stud Horse Butte Livestock Mitigation
- A Project to Mitigate Direct Impacts to Wildlife and Grazing in the Immediate Area South of the Jonah Field

## Cottonwood Ranch...

**Notes:**
Conservation easement on 1110 acres to preserve pristine wildlife habitat from residential development. Water efficiency project that will allow improved grazing management on 25,000 acres. Funding for intensive grazing management on a large scale (25,000 acres) that will address BMP's for sagebrush obligates. 

## MJ Ranch...

## Elk Mountain/Red Canyon

**Notes:**
Left no burn, Right post burn. Improvement of upland plant communities for various wildlife species, including sage-grouse with prescribed burning of 20,000 acres (approximately half black) in a mosaic pattern in the Elk Mountain area. Approval of the Proposed Action is the most environmentally acceptable method of stimulating regeneration of desired plant communities (aspen, mountain shrubs and grasses). 

## Wardell Buffalo Trap

**Notes:**
Establishment of a drainage system to protect the Wardell Buffalo Trap site for preservation of an important archaeological site. 

## For 2008, JIO has received over 30 applications, with a total request for funds exceeding $22M  

- Questions?