Interested in deciding how wildlife is managed in Utah? Apply for a position on the Utah Wildlife Board in 2023

Salt Lake City — The group that makes the final decisions about hunting, fishing and how wildlife is managed in Utah has two positions to fill, and members of the public who have an interest in wildlife are encouraged to apply.

In August 2023, two members of the Utah Wildlife Board — Kevin Albrecht, the current chairperson of the board, and Karl Hirst — will leave the board after completing their six years of service. The governor appoints members to the seven-person board, but any resident of Utah can submit an application for consideration.

The application period for the two wildlife board positions runs from Jan. 1 at 12:01 a.m. to March 31 at 5 p.m. Applicants are not required to have a college degree, but they do need to list any organizations or associations they have been a member of for the previous five years. You can apply for one of the positions at this website: boards.utah.gov/s/. The application will not be available on the website until Jan. 1.

To help manage wildlife in the state, the DWR has divided Utah into five regions. State law requires that every region have at least one representative on the board. The two open positions must be filled by someone living in the Southeastern Region and by someone living anywhere outside the Northern Region. You can find the regional boundaries on the DWR website.

The members the governor appoints will serve for one six-year term. These individuals are encouraged to attend the public Wildlife Regional Advisory Council meetings in their respective regions and will also attend roughly six public wildlife board meetings in Farmington each year.

The positions are unpaid, and members of the board do not become employees of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

"To serve on the board, you need to have a strong interest in wildlife and wildlife management in Utah," DWR Wildlife Board Coordinator Staci Coons said. "You also need to be committed to serving and representing the people of Utah."

The Utah Wildlife Board Nominating Committee — an 11-member committee appointed by the governor — will review the applications and select candidates to interview. Then, the committee will forward its recommendations to the governor, who will make the final decision about who fills the two vacancies.

To learn more about the Utah Wildlife Board and the Wildlife Regional Advisory Council, visit the DWR website.