Proposed plan will guide otter management for the next 10 years

A proposed plan that would guide how river otters are managed in Utah will be available soon for review.

Division biologists are revising a plan that will guide how river otters are managed in Utah for the next 10 years, and they want your ideas.

Photo by Ron Stewart

The plan will guide how river otters are managed for the next 10 years.

The plan should be available by July 12, 2010. You can review it online.

Places to put river otters is one of the areas the new plan focuses on. Straight Canyon near Joes Valley Reservoir and the Weber River are two areas the former plan identified as possible sites.

"Under the new plan, we'd reevaluate those sites," says Justin Dolling, game mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "We'd also take a look at additional sites that might be good places to put otters."

Share your ideas

After you've reviewed the plan at wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an e-mail to them.

RAC chairmen will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on Aug. 19, 2010 to approve the new otter plan.

Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:

• Southern Region
  July 27, 7 p.m.
  Beaver High School
  195 E Center Street, Beaver
• Southeastern Region
  July 28, 6:30 p.m.
  John Wesley Powell Museum
  1765 E Main Street, Green River
• Northeastern Region
  July 29, 6:30 p.m.
  Uintah Basin Applied Technology College
  450 N 2000 W, Vernal
• Central Region
  Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m.
  Springville Civic Center
  110 S Main Street, Springville
• Northern Region
  Aug. 4, 6 p.m.
  Brigham City Community Center
  24 N 300 W, Brigham City

E-mail

You can also provide your comments to your RAC via e-mail. E-mail addresses for your RAC members are available at wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings.

The group each RAC member represents (sportsman, non-consumptive, etc.) is listed under each person's e-mail address. You should direct your e-mail to the people on the RAC who represent your interest.