DWR announces camping changes at Hardware WMA to decrease habitat damage

Hyrum — In an effort to decrease damage and to make habitat better for deer, elk and other wildlife, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is implementing two major camping changes at the Hardware Wildlife Management Area, starting this year.

The 14,000-acre Hardware WMA is located at the top of Blacksmith Fork Canyon east of Hyrum. The WMA provides critical winter habitat for elk and other big game animals in the area.

The new changes at the WMA include:

• Camping is now limited to five camping areas: the Wapiti, Baxter-Rock Creek, Baxter-Rock Creek Livestock and Hardware Flats camp areas are the four major ones. A fifth area — four small hunting season camp areas along state Route 101 — will also be open to camping. Effective immediately, these five areas are the only places where people can camp on the Hardware WMA.
• A camping season has been established at the WMA, also effective immediately. In the Wapiti, Baxter-Rock Creek and Baxter-Rock Creek Livestock camp areas, camping will open the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (which is May 26 this year). The camping season in the Hardware Flats Camp Area and the SR-101 hunting season camps starts Aug. 1.

Why the change?

In the past, camping was allowed across most of the 14,000-acre WMA anytime of the year. However, the WMA is at 5,200 feet in elevation, and allowing camping in the spring — when the habitat is wet and easily damaged — has created issues in recent years since the number of people camping on the WMA has increased dramatically over the past decade.

"It takes time for habitat to dry to the point that vehicles can travel on it without leaving ruts and damaging the vegetation," Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Hardware WMA Manager Brad Hunt said. "Waiting until Memorial Day weekend to start the camping season on three of the camp areas will give the ground a chance to dry out so it isn't as susceptible to damage. The fourth major camp area — Hardware Flats — is higher in elevation and takes even longer to dry out, which is why the camping season there doesn't start until Aug. 1."

There are 194 wildlife management areas and waterfowl management areas in Utah. The DWR started acquiring the areas in the late 1940s for several reasons:

• To conserve critical habitats for wildlife
• To help minimize and mitigate wildlife depredation on private property
• To provide anglers and hunters — who provide funding for the WMAs through the purchase of a fishing or hunting license — a place to hunt and fish in Utah

"While we would like to provide recreational opportunities on our WMAs, these properties were purchased for the benefit of wildlife and wildlife habitat," Hunt said. "These properties are public land, but they are not multiple use like many other state- and federally-owned properties. Restricting camping until the areas dry out — and limiting camping to the established camping areas and time frames — should allow visitors to have a good time camping without damaging the habitat the WMA was purchased to protect."

DWR conservation officers will increase their presence on the WMA to ensure compliance with the new camping regulations.

For more information about the WMA or the camping changes, call the Hardware WMA Education Center at 435-753-6206.

To learn more about the wildlife management areas and waterfowl management areas in Utah, visit the DWR website.