Latest news with #UtahDepartmentofWildlifeResources
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Utah Department of Wildlife Resources inspects 11K boats for invasive species over Memorial Day weekend
SALT LAKE CITY () — The Utah Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) said it inspected about 11,000 boats for an invasive species this Memorial Day weekend. DWR said it was looking for quagga mussels and Eurasian watermilfoil. Quagga mussels can destroy fisheries, damage boats, and even pollute shorelines, DWR reported. Officers say they found about 140 boats with the invasive mollusk. Eurasian watermilfoil is an invasive plant that has made its way through Utah. It blocks out sunlight, killing native plants and hurting fish. According to DWR, bringing even one piece of watermilfoil to a body of water can start a new population. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said invasive species like mussels and watermilfoil impact everyone in Utah. 'We have pictures that show PVC pipes that are being completely closed off with these growing mussels within a year's time we can completely close off a 2-inch waterline. So, those costs go to even non-boaters,' Bruce Johnson, Lieutenant of AIS Operations at DNR, told in an interview. Sandy mom of six survives 15 years of blood cancer, helps other patients fight Johnson said that the solution is simple: When you leave the water, clean, drain, and dry your boat. 'Clean, drain, and dry. That program, that concept works for everything,' Johnson stated. 'As soon as a boater pulls out of any water body, pull all the drain plugs, let all the water drain out, let your boat air dry out, and that will prevent so many problems down the line.' However, it is important to drain and dry a boat at the body of water. Draining into a gutter or a storm drain is 'the worst thing you can do,' Johnson said. That can contaminate other bodies of water that the DNR may not be able to track, causing problems and clogging pipes. According to DWR and DNR, in order to keep Utah's water bodies healthy, boaters also must stop at an inspection station before going in the water. Inspection stations are found throughout the state. An inspection technician will help you and give you a receipt. 'It is mandatory that while we are open at any of these locations, those boaters are required to pull in and get that inspection,' Johnson told 'and it's a good thing for them, […] if they are carrying water, we're preventing that water from being transported from that infested water body and being deposited in a clean water body up here.' Carly Wasserlein and Nick Butts contributed to this story. Human foot found in shoe along Fish Lake shoreline may belong to man missing since 1997 Utah Department of Wildlife Resources inspects 11K boats for invasive species over Memorial Day weekend Experience the magic of your favorite Harry Potter™ movies up close at Harry Potter: The Exhibition RGS Exteriors is your one stop shop for home exterior upgrades and repairs See how Duct Brothers seals the costly leaks in your air duct system Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A $3,710 Elk Tag? Utah Set to Double Hunting Fees for Nonresidents
In the last few years many states, particularly in the West, have been increasing fees for hunting license, tag, and application fees. No matter how long it's been since your state saw a license fee increase, raising the cost of hunting fees is never popular among residents. But one strategy usually has overwhelming support: Require out-of-staters to shoulder the heftiest price increases. Following this strategy, Utah plans to increase nonresident license fees by 100 percent this year, which will price many DIY hunters out of the state and — potentially — out of the application process. Although Utah has already increased nonresident hunting fees several times in the last five years. In 2022 it raised prices for both residents and nonresidents. And in 2020, Utah raised the fees for nonresidents while resident fees remained in place from 2014. The Utah Department of Wildlife Resources is 92 percent self-funded and receives only limited funding from the state's General Fund, the agency reported that year. The newest provisions are included in Senate Bill 8, a massive 263-page appropriations proposal that authorizes fee increases for all nonresident hunting and fishing licenses. SB8 already passed the state House and Senate, and if it's signed by Governor Spencer Cox, it'll go into effect this July. Here's a look at the price difference for some key examples: Fees for nonresident landowner mitigation hunts have also doubled, with a cow tag now slated to cost $700. You can find the rest of the fee increases in the bill on page 128. Resident tags will remain unchanged. The language of the bill sets the below fees as the maximum amount the DWR can charge for a hunting license fee. So although the DWR could theoretically charge less than these amounts, it's unlikely. While the fees are hefty for nonresidents, the hikes aren't nearly as extreme as what neighboring states have considered. (Earlier this year, Wyoming was considering quadrupling hunting license fees.) In general, nonresident deer licenses range from roughly five times the cost of a resident license, as in Pennsylvania, to as much as 28 times, as in Montana. As we've reported previously, charging nonresident hunters half a grand for a deer tag, say, is a smart tradeoff for state agencies. If you're traveling out of state to hunt, your primary motivation is likely recreation rather than subsistence. Read Next: How Much Should a Deer License Cost? Nonresident hunters are also a minority customer base, so wildlife managers and lawmakers are more comfortable subjecting them to extreme price hikes and keeping resident hunters happy. And in states like Utah, where license fee increases must be approved by the legislature, politicians are more likely to put the squeeze on out-of-staters than their own constituents.
