UTAH COUNTY — Recent legislation enacted in May led to changes at state wildlife management areas (WMAs) in class one and class two Utah counties: Davis, Weber, Salt Lake and Utah counties, in specific.
House Bill 309 states that you now need a hunting or fishing license in the 30 wildlife management areas affected within those counties — even for simpler, unrelated recreational uses like hiking or biking.
This had an immediate impact on users at the Timpanogos WMA in Orem, an area that holds popular trails like the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST).
The entire 280-mile route of the BST is still a proposal. Only about 100 miles are officially designated.
But recently, even those portions became fractured.
“You now have to have a permit — like a hunting permit, fishing permit, to access or use that area?” said a bewildered Kyle Burgess in a video posted to his Instagram, @cougarkyle.
Burgess was running the BST in Orem a couple of weeks ago when he said an officer stopped him.
“He’s like, 'If you don’t have [a license], you’re going to get fined,'” Burgess said. “So I was like, 'Well, I guess I’ll turn around now!'”
Chelsea Duke with Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) explained that the Timpanogos WMA presented a unique issue.
“In the fact that we have a trail that runs through that property that is heavily used by non-traditional users of wildlife management areas,” said Duke, who serves as their wildlife lands coordinator.
On top of that, she says the trail doesn’t have a public easement. But feedback from Burgess and others sparked change.
“We wanted to work with our sister agency and make some changes to that trail,” Duke said.
Duke says DWR and the Division of Outdoor Recreation collaborated on a special use permit, making the area open again for its many uses — without a license.
“Lot of bikers, mountain bikers, dog walkers — it’s a really big area,” said Burgess, noting the close proximity to homes.
While he ended up spending $40 on a fishing license already, Burgess said he didn’t mind paying.
“Cause I didn’t want to have to get stopped again and go through it again, right?” Burgess said.
But he feels this step by state officials will encourage more people to appreciate these outdoor spaces.
“Let’s take care of it together and respect the land so that, whether you hunt, trail run, mountain bike, we all can use it going into the future,” said Burgess.
The special use permit, which is in effect at Timpanogos WMA, is specific to that area, and wildlife officials note that users must stay on the designated trails at all times.
