Public invited to apply for Utah Wildlife Advisory Councils

November is a great time to see buck deer at the Nash Wash Wildlife Management Area. Photo: DWR // Morgan Jacobsen.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns passionate about wildlife and conservation have an opportunity to help shape the future of the state’s natural resources by applying to serve on one of five Regional Advisory Councils (RACs). Applications are being accepted now through May 31 for 17 volunteer positions across all five regions.

The RACs are composed of 12 to 15 members who review wildlife management proposals from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) biologists and consider public input before making recommendations to the Utah Wildlife Board. Each council meets roughly six times per year, typically on weekday evenings, with options for in-person or virtual attendance.

RAC members represent one of six interest groups: hunters, anglers and trappers (sportsmen); non-hunters (watchable wildlife); agriculture; local elected officials; federal land-management agencies; and the general public. Volunteers serve unpaid terms of up to four years.

New legislation that goes into effect May 7 made some new eligibility requirements for serving on a Regional Advisory Council. All Regional Advisory Council members are now required to have a current, valid hunting or combination license while serving on the council, and they must have possessed a license at least three of the five years prior to becoming a council member.

Vacancies by Region Include:

• Northern Region: Two agriculture representatives, one watchable wildlife representative, and at least one public-at-large representative.
• Northeastern Region: One agriculture representative, one watchable wildlife representative, and one elected official.
• Central Region: One public-at-large representative, one elected official, and one sportsmen representative.
• Southern Region: One agriculture representative, one elected official, and one sportsmen representative.
• Southeastern Region: One public-at-large representative, one sportsmen representative, one elected official, and one watchable wildlife representative.

To fill one of the upcoming vacancies, you must live in the region of Utah you wish to represent. Here is how to apply:

• If you want to represent the public at large, you must contact a group in your community and ask them to nominate you. Political groups, town councils, animal sanctuary committees and recreational groups are examples of groups that have nominated people in the past.

• If you want to fill one of the other positions on the RAC — except for the federal land- management agency position — you must contact a conservation group or organization in your region and ask that they nominate you to serve in the vacancy you’d like to fill. For example, if you want to fill a sportsmen’s vacancy, you must contact a Utah hunting or conservation group and ask them to nominate you for the position. Federal land-management agencies appoint their own representatives to the RACs.

For more information, to apply or submit a nomination, visit the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources website.