DWR and wildlife board offer Monroe hunters options after Monroe Mountain fire; RAC advances variance rule changes

The Utah Wildlife Board approved emergency options for hunters in the Monroe (Monroe Mountain) unit after wildfire closures, and the Southern Region Advisory Council unanimously recommended DWR's proposed changes to the agency's surrender and variance rules. At an emergency board meeting called in early August, board members approved options for hunters holding Monroe tags, including surrendering tags in exchange for license points, receiving a refund, or keeping tags and applying for an extension/variance for a future season. DWR staff told the RAC the options apply only to the Monroe unit and that the closure order from the U.S. Forest Service is currently in place through Sept. 30 but could change. The RAC then considered a DWR rule package on surrenders and variances. Lindy Varney, the DWR presenter, told the council that "the rule the variance rule does not include any natural disasters within," and that emergency coordination for natural disasters was initiated by Director Riley Peck. Varney said the director has directed staff to bring proposed rule language later this fall to address natural disasters so emergency board meetings will not always be required. Why this matters: hunters who drew limited-entry or other Monroe tags face uncertainty while the closure and fire impacts remain active; the board's emergency options preserve choices for affected hunters this season, and DWR staff are preparing regulatory language to handle similar events in the future. Details: DWR described three options the board approved for the Monroe unit: surrender the tag and receive points for the year; surrender the tag and request a refund (subject to state-code refund requirements); or keep the tag and request a variance or extension into the next season. DWR staff said extensions for Monroe would be treated as extensions (not variances) in that instance, and that hunters who accept an extension will be transparent in next year's permit accounting. Varney also explained that the existing variance rule does not currently include a natural-disaster provision and that the director directed staff to develop guidelines to avoid calling emergency board meetings in all such cases. On timing and scope, DWR staff said the Monroe closure order from the Forest Service was in effect through Sept. 30 at the time of the meeting and that the board-approved options were limited to the Monroe unit only. Staff emphasized the board processes and the director's role: the director can call emergency coordination based on event circumstances and will propose rule language later this year. RAC action: The Southern Region RAC voted unanimously to adopt the DWR recommendation on surrenders and variances at the Aug. 5 meeting. What remains: DWR staff said they will draft rule language addressing natural disasters and present it later this fall for public review and for board consideration; the agency also signaled it will track how many tags are extended or varianced and report those numbers in subsequent permit discussions.