Daggett County to consider BLM lease, FAA identifier as volunteers prepare to reopen Taylor Flat airstrip

Daggett County commissioners agreed to put a Bureau of Land Management lease and an FAA identifier application on next week’s agenda after volunteer pilots and nonprofits described plans to reopen the Taylor Flat backcountry airstrip.

The discussion during the Sept. 30 Daggett County Commission and RDA meeting focused on next steps for reopening an airstrip that has been closed for 28 years, the administrative steps needed from the county and the volunteer-led work the Utah Backcountry Pilots Association and the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) say they will perform.

John Clayton, a representative of the Recreational Aviation Foundation and the Utah Backcountry Pilots Association, said volunteers will do most of the on-the-ground work and that the county’s role would include approving paperwork and, potentially, limited grading or similar support. “For the reopening of the airstrip, which has been closed for 28 years, we’re … planning to get volunteers to help to get all of those activities done,” Clayton said.

Wendy [last name not specified], a representative of the Recreational Aviation Foundation, said the groups expect to apply for and receive an FAA identifier in parallel with the BLM process. “The FAA takes, I don’t know, 4 months or 6 months,” she said, describing the typical processing time after the county signs and submits the application. She also said the county would need to sign a paper copy of the FAA application so she could upload it to the FAA’s database.

County staff and volunteers said the BLM Realty officer has shared a draft agreement by email and by mail. Patrick Barns Brock at the Bernal BLM office was identified as the point of contact who had provided paperwork to the county. Commissioners asked the clerk to place both the BLM lease/agreement and the FAA identifier application on the commission agenda for the next meeting so the county could formally consider signing or otherwise responding to the documents.

The pilots’ groups emphasized that volunteer labor, not county funds, would be used for most work, and that grant funding is often available for backcountry airstrip repairs. Clayton and other pilots also discussed nonoperational improvements they hope to add over time, such as primitive camping areas, picnic tables and pit toilets, but said those would be future work after the reopening.

Speakers also discussed technical details raised by the FAA process: the agency will assign an identifier and, after analysis of obstructions, a runway designation. Wendy and others referenced that outcome, and Clayton said the runway’s magnetic orientation corresponds to “927” as a number used in their internal references. Speakers noted that the Utah Backcountry Pilots Association sometimes serves as a point of contact for backcountry airstrips to provide pilot-to-pilot reporting and to share notices; participants stressed that such a listing does not create operational authority over the site.

County commissioners and volunteers also discussed coordination with other local airstrips and land managers. Speakers mentioned ongoing contact with the BLM and that recent federal engagement had made some airstrip work easier to advance. Commissioner Jack [last name not specified] thanked BLM staff and described the relationship as collaborative: “The attitude and the effort that they made was very good. It didn’t feel like we were having to twist arms,” he said.

The groups invited county staff and commissioners to join them on site for survey work and to participate virtually in next week’s discussion. The county clerk was asked to place the two items (the BLM lease/agreement and the FAA identifier application) on the commission agenda for the next meeting so the board can review and, if appropriate, act.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to go in and out of the Daggett County Redevelopment Agency (RDA) meeting: motion moved and seconded; recorded tally: yes 3, outcome: approved.

- Motion to approve minutes from the Sept. 23, 2025 Daggett County Commission and RDA meeting: motion moved by Terry Wright; seconded (not specified); recorded tally: yes 2, outcome: approved.

Next steps and context

County staff will bring the BLM lease/agreement and the FAA identifier application to the next commission meeting for formal consideration; the pilots’ groups asked to participate remotely or in person. Participants said the BLM had already emailed and mailed the draft agreement and that, if the county signs the paper FAA application, volunteers will upload it to the FAA’s electronic system. The pilots said the FAA identifier and runway designation process typically takes several months, and that volunteers intend to pursue grants where money is required. No formal county action on the BLM lease or FAA identifier was taken at the Sept. 30 meeting.