County hears Division of Wildlife PILT check and tourism office reports 2024 visitation gains

The Box Elder County Commission received two public‑interest presentations on Dec. 18: a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) presentation from the Division of Wildlife Resources and the annual tourism report from the county tourism director.

Blair Stringham, Northern Region supervisor for the Division of Wildlife Resources, presented a PILT check for $11,400.61 and said much of the money comes from licensed hunting and angling sales. Stringham said the Division manages about 57,000 acres in the county, roughly 50,000 acres of waterfowl management areas, and uses proceeds to support habitat management and public access.

Tourism director Joni (Joan) Hammer presented the annual report required by bylaws, saying Box Elder County’s top destinations — Willard Bay State Park, Golden Spike, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and Crystal Hot Springs — together drew more than 1,000,000 visitors in 2024. Hammer said visitation was up 7% over 2023 and visitor spending up 5%, with an average retail spend of $121 per visitor and average transportation spend of $177. She noted the hotel tax was roughly flat (down about 0.5%) while restaurant tax increased about 3%.

Hammer highlighted that 50% of visitors are ages 25–54, 44% are families and that top markets include Salt Lake City, Denver and parts of Idaho. She said the tourism office aims to grow responsibly and previewed plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Box Elder County Fair and Rodeo in 2025.

Commissioners thanked both presenters; no formal action was required on either presentation.