Kevin Conway WMA: recent Russian‑olive removal and ongoing water challenges

MYTON AREA — Tom Platero, impact analysis biologist for the Northeastern Region, presented an updated habitat management plan for Kevin Conway Wildlife Management Area and summarized recent on‑the‑ground work.

"The Kevin Conway WMA is 270 acres," Platero said, locating the property two miles southeast of Myton, Utah. He described the site’s reference condition as wet saline springbank habitat with a higher water table and explained how historical drainage and mid‑20th‑century agriculture changed its character. In the 1990s the division acquired the property and, with Ducks Unlimited, constructed four ponds to restore open water habitat.

Platero told the council that, in 2024, contractors removed approximately 3.5 acres of young Russian olive—about 230 trees—by cutting and treating stumps with triclopyr to protect and maintain open areas and existing gains. "We have no intention of completely removing it," Platero said, adding that soils and hydrology limit how well new native plantings persist in some spots.

He also described ongoing water‑management features including the Uresk drain and two flashboard risers added in 2012 to help manage selenium and pond levels. Planned future work includes another potential waterfowl pond, though water‑rights constraints have delayed placement on the southern end; staff continue to coordinate with Delta Waterfowl and other partners.

Council members asked about long‑term management; Platero and other staff emphasized that Russian olive eradication is difficult and that management will be iterative and partial: "I don't think there's any way that we're ever gonna be able to get rid of the Russian olive," Platero said.

The council thanked staff for the plan and moved the habitat management plan forward for comment and final director approval per the handbook process.

Provenance: Tom Platero's presentation beginning at SEG 945 with discussion through SEG 1205.