Travel board hears reports on Millsite fish issue, Bowline Festival visitation, parks projects and grants

At the April 14 meeting Emery County Travel Office staff and partners reviewed recent events, operations and grant activity affecting tourism and outdoor recreation.

Fishing and fisheries: Event coordinator Amanda Leonard reported that the Millsite Off Ice fundraiser raised more than $2,700 and drew over 35 anglers. She said staff encountered a higher-than-normal number of chub in Millsite Lake, which she described as inhibiting rainbow trout populations, and proposed organizing a chub-specific tournament to address the imbalance. Amanda said she will provide updates as the tournament plan develops.

Museums and festivals: Janet Smoak described a successful first-year Bowline Festival at the JWP that ran films and increased visitation; she estimated roughly 30–40 hotel room bookings and about 300 additional visitors compared with last year. Green River Rocks also had its largest turnout despite poor weather; one field trip was moved indoors.

State Parks and projects: Nathan Martinez reported campgrounds have been filling since mid-March and flagged upcoming events including a disc golf tournament and Astro-Fest, where travel office staff will host a star-gazing event. He said demolition of Huntington’s shower house is underway with replacement work expected to finish in August. AnnDee Mead reported ongoing efforts to update Little Wildhorse signage to improve visitor safety and reduce emergency rescues.

Trails, grants and staffing: Terri Bennett said the trails crew has completed trail repairs for the Watermelon Crawl, responded to search-and-rescue needs after a snowstorm, and is participating in SHPO’s site stewardship reporting. She confirmed a trails-related grant administered by the travel office closes tomorrow; funding for workers and equipment was approved and the RTP for a side-by-side and trailer was submitted. Job applications related to that grant close April 15. Staff also noted forthcoming co-op marketing grants with stricter allowable use rules, prompting a need to rethink event funding strategies.

Financials and business feedback: Staff presented monthly tax data showing a notable decline in Green River receipts this month. Board member Janeice Pfander said her on-the-ground view of Green River business activity suggests the state-recorded decline may be a recording issue rather than an actual drop in local commerce. The board discussed reconciling state records with local business reports and business-coalition efforts to better represent local commerce.

Next steps: Staff will continue to develop the chub-tournament plan, finalize grant staffing and equipment procurement, and return with updated information on financial records and marketing-grant usage rules.