You'll soon need a license to enter these Utah wildlife management areas

SALT LAKE CITY — You'll soon need a hunting or fishing license to access more than two dozen Utah wildlife management areas along the Wasatch Front.

State wildlife officials are proposing a new rule requiring a license in management areas in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties. This is in coordination with the passage of HB309, which goes into law next week. However, there will be some exceptions, especially in areas that attract more than just hunters and anglers.

The new law addressed several wildlife-related items, including a few related to wildlife management areas.

First, it redefined wildlife management areas as properties that "protect, conserve and perpetuate wildlife resources" rather than just a piece of land owned by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Aside from some exceptions, such as written permission, it also added a new requirement that anyone 18 or older must have a valid hunting, fishing, or combination license to access a management area in a county of the "first or second class," which currently applies only to 30 properties along the Wasatch Front.

Hunting and fishing are considered the "primary recreational activities" at wildlife management areas, but many have brought in people for other recreation, such as those looking to view wildlife. Some of these areas then experienced an uptick in usage in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to more considerable challenges in managing the spaces, said Faith Heaton Jolley, the division's spokeswoman.

"Unfortunately, just like everywhere else, in some cases, they were loved to death," she told KSL.com. "We did get some vandalism, we saw some littering (and) things like that in some of these wildlife areas."

However, wildlife management areas are only acquired and maintained through hunting and fishing license fees and a tax tied to purchasing hunting or fishing equipment, which factored into the law change. It goes into effect on Wednesday, along with many other new laws passed this year.

Meanwhile, the rule the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is proposing aims to clarify the new law, so it's easier for everyone to understand and follow, Chelsea Duke, the division's wildlife lands coordinator, said in a video explaining the new rule.

Since educational programs and education/visitor centers were among the exemptions, the new rule wouldn't apply to the Eccles Wildlife Education Center or Hasenyager Reserve at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area in Davis County, which also serves as a popular location for birdwatching.

"This area is closed to hunting and provides educational opportunities for the public; therefore, this education and visitor center would be exempt from the requirement," she said.

Division employees, contractors and volunteers carrying out duties in a management area would also be exempt while on the job. Management areas on sovereign lands or lands owned by the Utah Reclamation Mitigation Conservation Commission are also exempt from needing a license, Duke added. Areas like the Provo River Delta, Diamond Fork and Utah Lake Wetland Preserve would be exempt because of the latter.

Some additional exemptions apply to management areas that straddle county lines. For example, licenses would be required on the Weber County side of Cinnamon Creek, Harold Crane and Willard Bay Upland Game wildlife management areas, as well as the Utah County side of Santaquin, Spencer Fork and West Hills management areas, but not in any of the neighboring county sections.

The proposal is one of a few that the Utah Wildlife Board will consider during its meeting at Eccles Wildlife Education Center, 1157 S. Waterfowl Way in Farmington, on June 12. People can weigh in by submitting public comments online by the end of June 5, or by attending a series of regional advisory council meetings across the state between May 13 and May 22.

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