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OHP staff outline heavy equipment coordinator hire and trail-crew activity across state
Summary
OHP staff said they are hiring a coordinator for a new heavy equipment crew, detailed progress on four trail crews, and reported deployment plans in Richfield and response work related to recent fires.
OHP staff gave the advisory council an update on the program’s trail crews and a planned heavy equipment crew, saying a coordinator will be hired to manage operators, trail-crew assignments and snowmobile grooming operations across the state.
The division’s trail-crew supervisor, Nate, reported that four crews are active in different regions — Salt Lake, Richfield, Moab and Cedar City — and described recent work including rock removal with a newly available jackhammer, chainsaw and brush-trimmer operations and reroutes caused by the Monroe Canyon fire. “We’ve been dealing with the Monroe fire a lot… I would say a third of the rides need to be rerouted,” Nate said, describing adjustments to events and trail plans.
Staff said the heavy equipment program is moving forward but more slowly than hoped. The first steps include hiring a coordinator who will direct both heavy-equipment operators and regular trail crews and oversee snowmobile grooming, which the division said supports 15 groomers and roughly 69 associated volunteers and contractors.
Why it matters: on-the-ground trail maintenance and an equipment coordinator affect safety, event routing and how OHP funds are used to sustain motorized and nonmotorized recreation access. Council members were shown photos and examples of recent work and asked to notify local county officials about the dollars returning to counties from OHP grants to build local support.
Staff said two heavy-equipment operators are still being recruited with a plan to base them in Richfield to respond to wildfire- and trail-related needs in southern and central Utah. A program representative said the state crews will balance work between motorized and nonmotorized needs, and that some motorized parking and grooming work benefits nonmotorized users as well.
Council members praised crew reports and urged staff to keep the advisory body apprised of staffing timelines and equipment placement. Staff estimated the new trail crew hires were likely to begin work in November or December, depending on recruitment and equipment rehabilitation timelines. "My goal is to start them going up by October 1… I think we'd be lucky to have them going by probably November 1 or December 1," a staff member said in response to a question about the start date.
Ending: Staff invited council members to refer emergency trail needs directly to the crew supervisor and said they will provide further staffing updates at future meetings.
