HOW TO CONTACT DWR

Want to engage DWR but not quite sure how? Here are some tips and tricks.

Who do I contact? The DWR can be contacted directly at either the State or district levels, or through their Regional Advisory Council.

The DWR Director is Riley Peck (801-538-4703 rileypeck@utah.gov).

The Regional Advisory Council (RAC) periodically conducts public meetings. Here’s the latest schedule. They invite written comments before their public meetings and may offer public comment periods at their live district meetings.

How do I approach them? First and foremost be RESPECTFUL! Real problems are resolved with rational approaches.

Phone calls, emails and a good old fashioned letter all help deliver the message. Phone calls are shorter but can take some time to get through. If you get voicemail, it’s OK to leave your message there. Emails and letters provide an opportunity for a more lengthy and calculated message.

What if they actually respond? That means they care about the topic you’ve rationally presented and they’d like to engage more. Be prepared for this opportunity by having your facts ready (see the UMLC The Concerns page for supporting information), then present your concerns with an approach of calm resolve. Gauge their level of support, thank them for their time and conversation regardless, and let us know how it went.

What should I say? DWR can halt the BYU study (WRI 7707) that targets lion reduction in specific districts. But they can only influence HB 125 or HB 469.

As such the recommendation is a 3 layered approach:

Direct to DWR: emphasize the need to halt WRI 7707 and to seek their support in amending HB 125 and HB 469 for a more balanced approach to predator management.
Writing the RAC: emphasize the need to halt WRI 7707 and to seek their support in amending HB 125 and HB 469 for a more balanced approach to predator management.
In person at the RAC district meetings: this requires a more focused approach specific to the published meeting agenda. If it isn’t on the published agenda the RAC can’t engage in interactive discussion. The best approach is to first review the agenda for items relating to the predator management issues.

As an example, the upcoming agenda will discuss the increase in deer tags. Here are some thought provoking questions as supported from DWR’s big game report and the most recent deer management plan:

In many of the deer units in this year's proposal there seems to be a trend of unit populations showing some decline, but tag numbers seeing a relatively large increase to help decrease buck-to-doe ratios. When can we anticipate seeing the benefits of killing more bucks and shifting the ratios?
Is there any difference between the terms “population objective” and “carrying capacity” for mule deer? If there is, how much does one inform the other?
There are multiple strategies that the Division is deploying right now to try and help deer populations. If we start to see positive results in some of the units or even statewide, how do you determine which strategies actually worked?
Given that CWD is on the rise and there is no known cure, why would the State seek to remove mountain lions, the one natural means of controlling the disease?
Why has the State set a target mule deer population of 404,900 when that number hasn't been realized in decades?
Why is the State willing to risk long-term ecological stability caused by removing mountain lions for the short term gain of increasing the mule deer population?
How will increasing the deer population affect the elk population? Aren't they all vying for the same resources?

For the Boulder Unit specifically

Given a record low snowpack, do you expect habitat to be a limiting factor on population growth this year?
What are some of the recent body condition scores looking like?
We were seeing some pretty steady growth over the last few years in the unit, what was going right that made that the case? What caused the population drop last year?
Why are fawn numbers so high in the last few years?