Habitat Council approves a slate of WMA projects and funding allocations across Utah
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Summary
At its February meeting the Habitat Council approved multiple WMA habitat projects — including maintenance, invasive species control, beaver and riparian programs, equipment leases, and new pond engineering — and set allocation splits across species funding categories for several multi-benefit projects.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources’ Habitat Council considered and approved funding proposals for a broad array of regional projects on Feb. 14. The council used voice votes for most items and adjusted funding splits for multi‑benefit projects where staff requested mixed allocations across sport fish, waterfowl, upland, and big‑game categories.
Key outcomes (motions approved by voice vote):
- Phragmites control project (Northern Region): Approved (mover: Jason Jones; second: Jeremiah Cornia). Division asked for $572,000 for division and partner treatments; Habitat Council contribution recorded as requested for FY27. (See article on Phragmites control.)
- Northern Region WMA maintenance and technician packages (Ogden Bay, Salt Creek, Farmington Bay): Approved; several funding splits (including a 50/50 upland/waterfowl split on one project) were set by motion.
- Central and Southern Region riparian restoration/beaver packages: Council approved regionally tailored beaver and riparian projects; Central and Southern regions emphasized concentrated saturation of release sites and BDAs. (Motions included adjusted species allocation percentages; e.g., 40% sport fish on selected riparian projects.)
- Stewart Lake invasive‑weed control and endangered‑fish habitat (Northeast Region): Approved for funding consideration; included recurrent cattail herbicide treatments, tamarisk/Russian olive follow‑up, Pheasants Forever plantings, and a FY28 engineering request for outlet control structure replacement to support razorback sucker and bonytail rearing.
- Northeastern beaver relocation program and Vernal quarantine facility: Approved with a caveat to re‑examine quarantine costs and design standards across regions. Council asked staff to return with revised, lower‑cost options where feasible.
- Multiple additional WMA projects (Kevin Conway pond engineering, Browns Park maintenance, Red Creek irrigation engineering, Desert Lake seasonal staffing): Approved; some items will proceed to ECP or other funding partners for larger construction budgets (for example, Red Creek engineering will go to ECP for FY27 engineering funding and potential FY28 construction funding requests).
All motions carried by voice vote unless otherwise noted; a small number of members asked for budget refinements on capital items (notably quarantine facility cost estimates and larger irrigation buildouts) and council asked staff to return with refined designs prior to major construction draws.
Next steps: Staff will coordinate with partner programs (ECP/WRI, Great Salt Lake programs, Pheasants Forever, USU, BLM/Ducks Unlimited) and return to the council with engineering estimates, revised budgets, and project timelines for FY28 construction items.
