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RAC endorses conservation‑permit rule changes aimed at greater flexibility for hunters
Summary
The council voted unanimously to accept amendments to the conservation permit program rule; the changes aim to accommodate memorandum‑of‑understanding (MOU) terms that allow more public benefit in some conservation permits and make the process more flexible for hunters and partners.
The Northern RAC unanimously approved proposed revisions to the conservation permit program rules designed to allow the Division of Wildlife Resources to structure permits and related MOUs in ways that deliver clearer public benefit.
Kobe Jones (online) told the RAC the rule changes were intended to allow a memorandum of understanding that better demonstrates public benefit, such as adding more public permits or other public‑benefit elements tied to a conservation permit. RAC members asked whether conservation permits that give an outfitter or other partner a first chance at a permit would still rotate when only one public permit is available. Jones said rotation would occur if the unit only had a single conservation permit and a single public permit; if an MOU produced additional public permits the balance could remain in favor of public benefit.
One public commenter, Angie Wanakott representing Sportsmen for Wildlife (SFW), spoke in support. The RAC motion to accept the amendments as presented passed unanimously; Randy moved and Rob seconded.
Staff said that the park/season/permitting timeline for some units (for example, Antelope Island arrangements governed by an MOU with state parks) may not follow the typical fall‑season setting and spring permit allocation cycle, and that MOUs remain the mechanism to manage those exceptions.
RAC members asked staff to clarify how season dates and permit allocations will be coordinated when season dates are set in the fall but public permits are decided in the spring; staff said that those particular cases are governed by MOUs that precede the normal cycle.
