Posted
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
The Utah Upland Game Advisory Committee
Meeting minutes, July 15, 2002
Opening
A meeting of the Utah Upland Game Advisory Committee was held on this date.
Present
- Todd Ballantyne
- Robb Leishman
- Dean Mitchell (DWR Upland Game Program Coordinator)
- Dan Potts
- Hal Smith
- Terry Sanslow
- John Staley (Chair)
- Luke Topper (Acting Secretary)
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as distributed.
Old business
Chukar management plan
Dean presented an update on the Chukar Management plan. The plan is still in the technical writing phase and although many of the elements are underway, the final plan has been delayed by other projects and distractions such as guzzler studies and turkey issues. The bottom line is that the management is occurring, including the upcoming chukar plant during the week of 16 to 20 September. Anyone interested in volunteering to help plant chukars should contact Dean.
Proclamation
The new 3-year proclamation has been completed and is already published.
Youth pheasant hunts
There will be 5 youth pheasant hunts again this year. The board will work to promote them and to get the word out about the hunts.
Luke suggested that we hold trap practices as well as the pheasant hunts.
Sharptail and Sage Grouse
The Sharptail and Sage Grouse plans have been completed.
Falconry & Sage Grouse
A follow report clarified the board's position of support for Falconers to get surplus Grouse permits after the gun season.
New business
Turkeys at the forefront
Dean mentioned that some issues from the National Wild Turkey Federation are on the front burner, including a bonus point system similar to big game.
Issues for future meetings
On the topic of future agenda items, projects and committee tasks, Ernie Perkins offered the following for consideration:
- An Upland Game Hunter's Survey (believe this is in the works) would like to review the survey before it goes out & see if we can offer any suggestions.
- Dog training areas on more WMAs near the populated areas.
- Production of an Upland Game Hunting book similar to the Oregon Document.
- Discussion on a full time guzzler and water development crew for the State.
- Periodic reviews on the guzzler study. If not moving forward then consideration of recommendations re: guzzler projects
- Walk-in-access Updates and support
- Pheasants stocking of WMA's. Cost vs. benefits. Survey questions? Funding Options.
- An Upland Game Hunting two day seminar / festival / show & tell with demos / booths / etc.
- Large scale (landscape or ecosystem I don't know the P.C. term) projects for the State. Do we want to promote one or more? How to get moving? Examples include ideas in the Sharptailed Grouse Management Plan: Specifically:
- Substantiate the presence/absence of Sharp-tailed Grouse in the Goose Creek drainage & see if there is landowner support for a reintroduction and/or augmentation transplant. (Note: Idaho has just completed a successful reintroduction to the North).
- Work with BLM to designate the Cedar Hill, Wildcat Mountains and BLM-SITLA lands south of Curlew Junction as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). The area could be the focus of extensive habitat protection and enhancement.
- Create a Sharp-tailed Grouse habitat management area in White's Valley, incorporating conservation easements on SITLA lands, key parcels of private land, and the Davis County Solid Waste Management lands.
- Hungarian Partridge Management Plan
These items were accepted as being fairly comprehensive, although Dean had a few additions:
- A turkey/landowner program
- An upland game feeding program for severe winter contingencies
- A quality hunt program for turkey hunters that considers numbers of hunters per square mile and possibly uses a bonus point system.
The topics seemed to fall along three lines:
- Hot items that the board can influence (i.e. more dog training areas on public lands)
- Items that are currently in progress and will be updated (i.e. Walk-in Hunting Program)
- Back burner items that can wait (i.e. an upland bird hunting show).
Forest grouse numbers
Robb asked about the forecast for Forest Grouse numbers this fall. Dean did not have the actual figures with him, but said that his "hip shot" answer is that they should be good.
Agenda for Next Meeting
Our next meeting will be held on Monday, August 12th at 6:00 P.M. at the DWR State offices at 1594 West North Temple, Salt Lake City.
The meeting will determine the issues that will be addressed in the next few meetings.
Everyone is invited to attend this meeting; it's an opportunity for you to get any issues you know about onto the table.
Let us know of donations, projects, etc., made by your group we want to publicize good activities!
If you know of other interested parties who should get copies of the minutes, and who are involved in upland game organizations or programs, please get us their name. If you want to make an electronic mail input, please send it to one of the following:
Respectfully submitted
Luke Topper
