Southern Region RAC backs proposed rule changes on surrenders and variances after discussion of Monroe Mountain fire impacts

The Southern Region Advisory Council voted unanimously Aug. 5 to adopt the Division of Wildlife Resources' recommended changes to the surrender and variance rules for hunting permits. The vote followed briefing and a detailed question-and-answer session about how the rules interact with emergency situations such as the Monroe Mountain fire.

The council adopted the recommendation after hearing staff explain the current limits of the variance rule and planned future guidance. Lindy Varney, a Division of Wildlife Resources staff member who presented the rule changes, told the council, "the rule of the variance rule does not include any natural disasters within. So the rule that we're presenting today does not include that, but it's all dictated by the director." The council recorded a motion to adopt the recommendation that Chad Utley moved and Bridal Johnson seconded; the motion carried unanimously.

The vote follows actions taken by the Utah Wildlife Board in an emergency meeting called in early August related to the Monroe Mountain/Monroe Canyon fire. Austin Atkinson, chair of the Southern Region RAC, reported that the Wildlife Board approved options for hunters holding Monroe unit tags: surrendering the tag and receiving a point for that year, receiving a refund, keeping the tag as issued, or seeking an extension (variance) to use the tag in a later season. Those options apply only to the Monroe unit, Atkinson said, and are subject to the duration of closures set by the U.S. Forest Service.

During RAC discussion, members asked how the division determines when to call an emergency Wildlife Board meeting for natural disasters, and Varney and other staff explained current practice. "The director wants to call emergency meetings based" on natural disasters, Varney said, and she added that staff plan to propose language later in the year to address natural-disaster relief without always requiring an emergency board meeting.

Council members also pressed staff on medical variances under the current rule. Varney said medical variances sometimes come in up to 90–120 days after a hunt, and law enforcement reviews late-submission cases. She said a proposed change would tighten that timeline. She clarified that acceptable medical documentation must come from an MD, DO or PA, and not from an RN or nurse practitioner. On refunds, staff said state code requires the physical tag to be turned in before the end of the season to qualify for a refund.

The council's action was limited to recommending the rule changes as presented; no new emergency authority was created at the RAC level. Council recordings show the motion to adopt the recommendation was moved by Chad Utley and seconded by Bridal Johnson; the council voted unanimous in favor.

The division will take the RAC recommendation forward as part of the administrative rule process. Members and staff noted that director-level guidance on natural-disaster response language is being prepared for later this fall.