Troy Forrest, deputy commissioner for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, told the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee that the department has moved its predator-control work under the Grazing Improvement Program and has used recent one-time legislative funding to buy equipment and build water infrastructure for grazing allotments.

The change combines predator control with grazing coordinators “to develop some synergy between our trappers” and grazing staff, Forrest said. The Legislature provided roughly $1 million in one-time funding to support predator control; Forrest said additional ongoing funding and one-time dollars — “$2,000,000 or $3,000,000” as described in the presentation — have supported drilling wells, extending pipelines, installing troughs and buying trapper trucks and related equipment.

Why it matters: committee members said the shift could improve coordination and on-the-ground response for livestock producers. Several legislators described past projects as season-saving during drought; the subcommittee asked technical questions about materials, measurement and regulatory roles.

Forrest and Commissioner Kelly Pearson described several project types the GIP has funded: drilled wells ranging from about 40–50 feet to as deep as 1,200 feet in Navajo sandstone; storage tanks described in presentation as “20,000–30,000 gallon” capacities; solar-powered well systems; long pipeline runs with multiple troughs; and rainwater “aprons” made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) that feed collection tanks in low-rainfall zones.

Forrest said the HDPE aprons are welded in seam rolls and reported manufacturer life estimates of about 30 years if perforation is avoided and collection points are kept clear. He described a Washington County project that uses an HDPE apron to capture rainfall in a roughly 6-inch annual rainfall zone and route it through about seven miles of pipeline to troughs for livestock.

The department also described work on larger watershed projects that altered grazing timing and intensity. Forrest said one 160,000-acre project (“3 Creeks” in the presentation) improved water quality fast enough that the affected segment came off a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) list for E. coli in its first year after changes in grazing intensity and timing.

Predator control details: departmental staff said predator-control trappers now carry purpose-built trucks that can transport horses or all-terrain vehicles and are fitted with winches for rough country. The program uses thermals and infrared equipment from the ground and air; Forrest said every trapper now has thermal optics. The department described working closely with the Division of Wildlife Resources to protect translocated bighorn sheep and managed mule deer fawning areas. Department staff noted that bears have become a major summer predator on sheep and that coyotes, mountain lions and ravens also affect livestock and wildlife. Forrest said the department holds a take permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for ravens, which he estimated at “2,500 or 3,500 a year” (as stated in the presentation).

Questions and regulatory scope: Representative Shelley asked whether the trapping regulations discourage new trappers; staff replied that trapper regulations are set by the Division of Wildlife Resources and offered to open a dialogue with that agency about possible adjustments. Representative Bennion asked whether HDPE aprons affect water quality or groundwater; department staff said the material is the same high-density polyethylene used in some potable systems and that captured rainwater or pumped ground water is not chemically altered by the liners. Staff also said water-rights accounting and approvals remain subject to water-rights rules and are routed through the state engineer’s shop when applicable.

Legislative reaction: Representative Albrecht praised the realignment and separation from federal control, calling the move “an awesome move.” Several members praised the trappers and said improved predator control helps grazing management by limiting animal harassment that displaces stock.

Next steps and oversight: there was no committee vote on the presentation. Department staff said the GIP coordinators will facilitate predator-control contracts, that they are expanding measurement and flight coordination capacity, and that they will continue to provide project reports and spreadsheets to committee staff.