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SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly 100 habitat restoration projects are set to receive funding through a portion of Utah's record hunting and fishing license sales in recent years.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Habitat Council approved a little over $4 million in permit funds to go toward 91 different habitat projects throughout the state over the next fiscal year, which begins in July.
State wildlife officials said Wednesday these include four "high-priority" projects, such as improvements to the recently-acquired Cinnamon Creek Wildlife Management Area, a rebuild of two irrigation diversions that are currently blocking fish from connecting from Blacksmith Fork and Logan rivers, a new spillway at Navajo Lake after a pair of dam failures in recent years, and a plan to seed more aspen trees to improve the ecosystem on Monroe Mountain.
The division's habitat council dates back to 1995. It has, on average, had about $2.5 million to spend annually on projects over the past 15 years.
This year's bump comes from record sales that date back to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources reported a surge in hunting and fishing licenses last year, with a record 708,272 licenses sold between March 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021.
The pace has slowed down some but remains very high. The division has sold 510,183 hunting, fishing or combination permits between March 1, 2021, and March 31, division officials told KSL.com. The more sales, the more money is made available for conservation projects.
The council previously allocated about $37.6 million toward 1,326 in the 15 years leading up to this year's funding decision. This, division officials say, has helped improve and restore about 442 square miles of wildlife habitat on land, and a little over 1,833 miles of streams and rivers. It's even helped the state acquire about 44 square miles of habitat land now under permanent conservation easements in that time.
The state was able to haul in a record $4.2 million through its Utah Conservation Permit Program last month. Those are permits specifically allotted to conservation groups that auction off permits that go back toward conservation programs and wildlife research.
Tyler Thompson, director of the Watershed Restoration Initiative Program for the Utah Department of Natural Resources, told KSL.com last month that he believes the conservation permit record was set because people saved up money from trips they otherwise would have taken but didn't due to the pandemic, while they spent more time on public lands when it became one of the only available outdoor options.
There are no signs of that stopping, even as other recreation options are available again. And since there's a record level of interest in outdoor recreation, there's an equal need to conserve the land people are traveling on.
Daniel Eddington, the habitat conservation coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said hunting and fishing permits are ultimately crucial in finding funds to meet that need.
"We are very appreciative of the hunters and anglers who are the backbone of wildlife conservation," he said in a statement Wednesday. "Anyone who buys a hunting and fishing license helps fund many of the crucial habitat restoration projects that help to maintain fish and wildlife populations for future generations to enjoy."
