Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Acquisition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County discusses Allen Valley land purchase, seeks stronger prairie-dog protections in management plan
Summary
Commissioners and landowners discussed a proposed purchase of 180 acres at Allen Valley plus an adjacent 20-acre parcel, focusing on prairie-dog impacts, fencing limitations under Fish and Wildlife Service rules, funding from a state species-protection account, and a proposed addition to the WMA management plan to require visual barriers when counts exceed thresholds.
Iron County officials and local landowners debated a proposed acquisition of 180 acres of the Allen Valley Farm and an adjacent 20-acre parcel while grappling with how to prevent prairie-dog encroachment on neighboring property and airport operations.
Unidentified Speaker 5 read the motion language on the record: "Dennis Stoll made a motion to pursue acquisition of a 180 acres of the Allen Valley Farm to work towards acquisition of an add additional adjacent 20 acre parcel to make a total of 200 acres. Criteria contingent upon a combination of fencing and or other methods to protect adjacent land owners from encroachment." The transcript does not record a vote on that motion.
Why it matters: Landowners and airport operators said prairie dogs have damaged equipment and create safety and operational concerns; some also questioned the cost and effectiveness of existing mitigation programs. County staff and a division representative said the purchase is intended to advance conservation goals and move toward federal delisting, which could eventually allow the state more local flexibility in management.
Funding and legal limits: A division representative explained the work is financed through a state "species protection account" (formerly the endangered species mitigation fund), funded primarily by taxes related to brine-shrimp collection on the Great Salt Lake and other state sources; Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) contributions have been intermittent. The division representative warned that the FWS historically would not credit fenced populations toward recovery because a barrier can block gene flow, saying, "We're not ever gonna be able to commit to the prairie dog proof fence." The representative said that previously, where a fence was buried 6 feet down, FWS issued an unrestricted kill permit to the city for the airport, but that approach cannot be replicated at Allen Valley.
Proposed management changes: The division representative committed to rewriting the wildlife management area (WMA) plan and invited landowners to participate. He proposed adding a trigger based on spring counts so that if counts exceed a set threshold, the division would require a visual barrier (silt fence, plantings, or similar) prior to dispersal season. Practical suggestions in the meeting included burying the silt fence ("maybe a foot") and planting shrubs to reduce dispersal.
Control options and timing: Participants discussed a range of control options the division said remain on the table, including lethal control by landowners (with permits) and live trapping by the division. The division said it can intensify control efforts for roughly six months of the year and try to install or seal fences earlier in the season to reduce dispersal.
Next steps and outreach: Commissioners and staff reviewed existing letters of support and prior correspondence; one participant asked that producers be consulted on the letter language before any vote. The transcript shows discussion and commitments to include language in the letter of support and to carry agreed measures into the WMA plan, but it does not record a formal vote or final adoption of the motion during the excerpt.
The matter remained in discussion at the close of the provided transcript; no final action or tally was recorded.
