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By Myrna Trauntvein Danny Summers, Regional Supervisor for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), presented Juab County Commissioners with a check for $5,707.84 in Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT). “I am new to this position,” said Summers. He said that Utah DWR regional supervisors annually deliver federal PILT funds to the county. PILT are payments from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to local governments, delivered by state agencies like Utah’s DWR, under the PILT program, compensating counties for federal lands that don’t generate property taxes, allowing counties like Juab County to receive funds for general purposes. These payments to local governments help offset lost property tax revenue from non-taxable federal lands (like national forests, BLM land, DWR land) within their borders. Counties can use PILT funds for any governmental purpose. In states with significant federal lands, like Utah, DWR often acts as the liaison or deliverer of these federal funds to counties. In addition, DWR allocates significant funds from hunting/fishing licenses and dedicated accounts (like the Wildlife Habitat Account) to habitat projects, access improvements, and conservation, which benefit counties and communities through enhanced recreation and natural resources, said Summers. “We have been shrub planting on the Steele Ranch,” he said. DWR invests heavily in habitat restoration (Watershed Restoration Initiative) and management focusing on improving forage and managing invasive species. Another multi-year project for a land exchange with Nephi City had been completed, he said. “We received land in exchange that will enhance wildlife habitat,” he said. Summers said that Riley Peck was the new director for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. “He has made it a high priority to help the deer herd,” he said. Their wildlife capture on Mt. Nebo had indicated that the herds were in good shape health-wise after the summer. It was still too hot and the animals had not moved down in the valleys for winter forage. “It is so hot that you can observe them standing in shade,” said Summers. “How are you addressing the low deer herd numbers?” asked Marty Palmer, commissioner. Summers said they had a public meeting in Springville. They were still working to understand the data that had been collected. “We are working with UDOT (Utah Department of Transportaion) about ways to protect deer from highway deaths,” he said. “Roadways and development fragment habitat and cause significant mortality, addressed by fencing projects.” He said they were also doing a cougar study trying to determine if there was a high occurrence of predator kill. If that proved to be the case, they would allow more cougar hunting. They were collaring deer and those collars would submit to DWR when the deer went down. DWR would then interpret the transmitted information so that crews could then investigate the cause of death. “I know it’s all about the money,” said Palmer. “In my opinion, you have too many hunts.” Summer disagreed. He said that Utah’s deer herds are struggling primarily due to habitat loss and degradation from development, invasive plants (like cheatgrass) and wildfires, extreme weather (harsh winters, drought), competition with elk, and diseases like Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Factors reducing food, water, and cover, impact deer’s ability to build fat reserves for winter and fawns’ survival, while increasing mortality and spreading illness, making habitat restoration a key DWR focus. Weedy grasses outcompete young sagebrush, hindering its establishment and increasing fire risk, impacting a crucial food source. Overgrowth of juniper also reduces valuable sagebrush habitat. Coyotes, cougars and other predators pose a threat, particularly to fawns, leading to DWR-supported predator control efforts and increasing elk numbers push deer into less productive areas, overusing remaining winter range.
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