At a public meeting of the Northeastern Regional Advisory Council, the region’s manager (referred to in discussion as Miles) delivered a broad regional update covering law enforcement, outreach, habitat and fisheries work. The update, presented during the council’s November meeting, described enforcement responses to several bull moose that were mistakenly shot during the recent hunting season and urged hunters to verify species before firing.

Miles highlighted outreach programs including the Utah Bird Slam, regional pheasant releases and the annual Christmas bird count. He said the Bird Slam offerings range from beginner to expert and that staff and residents have completed dozens of slams this year, spawning local birding events and education opportunities.

On habitat work, the manager reported large-scale projects this year: approximately 20,000 acres of fence construction on wildlife management areas, 433 acres of seedling plantings, roughly 8,000 acres of herbicide treatments and dozens of repair projects to address damage from heavy snow in prior years. He noted a large water-collection apron built on Blue Mountain to improve water availability for wildlife.

Aquatic staff reported mixed trends at Flaming Gorge Reservoir: catch-per-unit effort for burbot on the Utah side declined from 6.7 to 5.3 fish per net per night, a change staff said they will monitor; concurrently, kokanee salmon egg collection from Sheep Creek exceeded 3,000,000 eggs, which managers said provides ample hatchery supply for the season. The region is also developing a harvest-incentive program to encourage removal of small lake trout at Flaming Gorge.

The manager invited RAC members to participate in upcoming capture operations (deer, moose, elk, bison) and announced public mule deer ‘‘growth’’ meetings scheduled for Jan. 13 in Roosevelt and Jan. 14 in Bernal to discuss predation and disease concerns. Members asked and received clarification on capture timing and the uses of capture data for body-condition and migration studies.

The regional update was informational; no formal RAC action was required.