DWR updates South Sanpete WMA plan with new access rules, winter closures to protect mule deer

Robbie Edgel, habitat restoration biologist for the DWR Central Region, presented a revised habitat management plan for the South Sanpete Wildlife Management Area, a portfolio of about 10 WMAs running from White Hill north of Ephraim to Willow Creek south of Mayfield. Edgel said the updated plan keeps broader habitat goals but places its largest changes in access management: naming and formalizing a smaller system of trails, installing a consistent winter closure across WMAs, and working with Sanpete County on road closures.

Edgel said managers want access that is “responsible and doesn't take away from the value of those properties,” and described meetings at the Great Basin Research Center in Ephraim with mountain‑bike, motorcycle and horseback groups and a presentation to the Sanpete County Commission. The plan uses outreach and a “named trails” approach to encourage stewardship and reduce user‑created routes, Edgel said.

Council members pressed staff on how the plan will address specific conflicts. A council member identified as Randy urged a firm line against new trails as urban edges expand and asked that grazing impacts be addressed more explicitly in project proposals; Edgel said staff will continue refining grazing and access language. The council also discussed electric bicycles: several members noted federal and local changes allowing class‑1 e‑bikes on some mountain‑bike routes and asked that staff anticipate that trend when designating single‑track and motorcycle routes.

Edgel described ongoing habitat work across the WMAs — juniper thinning, sagebrush plantings and annual weed crews — and said managers hope a consistent winter closure (with limited exceptions, such as a county road crossing) will reduce disturbance during mule deer high‑use periods. The council did not take a final vote on the plan at the meeting; staff requested public comment and set a two‑week deadline for council edits and written input.

The council and staff said they will continue to refine the plan with county roads representatives and recreation groups and to present the finalized access maps through the Division’s approval process. The revised access‑management approach is intended to balance growing recreation demand with the properties’ primary objective: protecting mule deer winter range and other wildlife values.

Ending: The DWR asked council members and stakeholders to submit written comments within two weeks; staff said they will return the plan through the Division review process and to the council for final action if needed.