Help Decide How Wildlife is Managed in Utah

Photos courtesy of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

DWR Press Release

SALT LAKE CITY — If you are interested in Utah’s wildlife and how species are managed, several positions will soon be opening on the five Regional Advisory Councils (RAC) that share public feedback with the Utah Wildlife Board. You can apply for one of the available RAC positions, beginning March 16.

What the RACs do

Each RAC holds about six meetings a year. At the meetings, RAC members listen to proposals from Division of Wildlife Resources biologists about hunting, fishing and wildlife management in Utah. They also take input from the public about the proposals.

After voting on which proposals each RAC prefers, the chairperson for that RAC presents its recommendations to the Utah Wildlife Board. Members of the board consider the input, and then make the final decision regarding how wildlife is managed in Utah.

The RAC meetings usually last from three to five hours. The meetings are held in the evenings, usually on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night.

Applying to serve

RAC members represent one of six interests: hunters, anglers and trappers; those who don’t hunt or fish; ranchers and farmers; locally-elected public officials; federal land-management agencies; and the rest of the public at large.

To fill one of the upcoming vacancies, you must live in the region of Utah you wish to represent. Here is how to apply:

If you want to represent the public at large, you must contact a group in your community and ask them to nominate you. Political groups, town councils, animal sanctuary committees and recreational groups are examples of groups that have nominated people in the past.

• If you want to fill one of the other positions on the RAC—except for the federal land- management agency position—you must contact a conservation group or organization in your region and ask that they nominate you to serve in the vacancy you’d like to fill.For example, if you want to fill a sportsman’s vacancy, you must contact a Utah sportsman’s group and ask them to nominate you for the vacancy. Federal land-management agencies appoint their own representatives to the RACs.

  To learn about wildlife or conservation groups in your area, contact the nearest DWR office.

Vacant RAC positions

The current open RAC positions include the following:

Northern Region

• Agriculture
• Public at large
• Locally-elected public official

Northeastern Region

• Non-consumptive

Central Region

• BLM
• Public at large

Southern Region

• Public at large
• Non-consumptive

Southeastern Region

• Sportsmen
• Non-consumptive

Nomination deadlines

Nominating groups and organizations can begin submitting their nominations at 12:01 a.m. March 16. Nominations have to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on April 15.

Visit the DWR website to submit nominations, once the nomination period has opened.

More information

For more information, call the nearest DWR office, or send an email to Staci Coons, the DWR’s Wildlife Board/RAC coordinator, at stacicoons@utah.gov.