The Fremont and Upper Sevier River watersheds represent south-central Utah’s best opportunity for integrating public and private conservation for the local socioeconomic benefit and broader ecological benefits of blue-ribbon fisheries, wildlife habitat, clean water flows, and sustainable recreation.

The watersheds of the Upper Sevier and Fremont Rivers are surrounded by remote parts of the Dixie and Fishlake National Forests and interspersed with protected areas like Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef. Areas of proposed wilderness lie to the south and east; however, the rivers themselves have had almost no attention. Population and recreation growth and oil and gas development threaten the region’s biosystems as never before.

The rivers are extraordinary places. The Fremont River, with its marshy headwaters at 11,000 feet on Fishlake Plateau, increased by the spectacular springs from Thousand Lakes Mountain to the north and the Aquarius Plateau to the south, make it Utah’s equivalent of Idaho’s Silver Creek. From Bicknell Bottoms and below, the stream stops gaining water and flows largely through farmland until it nears Capitol Reef National Park.

Downstream from the park the Fremont River runs at an elevation of about 5,000 feet through the west canyonlands desert and joins with Muddy Creek to form the Dirty Devil River. The Dirty Devil empties into Lake Powell on the Colorado River. This watershed drains a 1,970 square mile area while providing key fisheries and habitat for many wild animals and birds.

Various parts of the Fremont River watershed harbor the largest mountain lake in Utah (Fishlake), key coldwater and warm-water fisheries, beaver-created wet meadows, waterfowl habitat and underground aquifers. The watershed also contains numerous uranium claims, coal deposits, and potential oil and gas deposits. Some areas have been heavily degraded by livestock grazing, increasing OHV recreation, and unsustainable farming practices. Six water bodies in the watershed are state-listed as impaired for cold water fisheries.

The Upper Sevier River starts at the confluence of Mammoth Creek and Asay Creek south of Hatch, Utah in the vicinity of Bryce Canyon National Park. From there it runs north to join the East Fork near Kingston and then into Paiute Reservoir. Below Paiute the Middle Sevier River runs primarily through farmland for many miles and is alternately dewatered by irrigation diversions and re-watered by tributaries from adjacent mountain ranges. It eventually enters the Sevier dry lake bed southwest of Delta, Utah, where there is rarely any actual discharge of water.

The Upper Sevier watershed is an area with tremendous wildlife and recreational values. In recent years it has been discovered by the escalating populations of Saint George, Utah and Las Vegas, Nevada and may be transformed from a quiet rural farming area into a sea of trophy homes. Part of the river is currently designated as a blue ribbon fishery and planned stream restoration projects will build on the existing fishery. Next year, in partnership with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, we will be doing stream restoration work to create more blue ribbon trout habitat on the Upper Sevier River. The enhancement of the fisheries can be an economic benefit to struggling local rural communities by attracting anglers to this spectacular landscape.

We are assessing the conservation values of lands in the Sevier and Fremont River watersheds, analyzing the current conservation work in the region and identifying potential conservation partners.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that the upper reaches of the Sevier River and Fremont River drainages are restored and protected.