Interested in deciding how wildlife is managed in Utah? Apply for a position on the Utah Wildlife Board in 2025

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

The terms for the three positions on the Utah Wildlife Board will begin in August 2025, and will replace Randy Dearth — the current chairperson of the board — Wade Heaton and Bret Selman. The governor appoints members to the seven-person board, but any resident of Utah can submit an application for consideration.

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

The application period for the three wildlife board positions opened Jan. 1 and runs until 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 open positions at the Utah Boards and Commissions website.

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. One of the open positions must be filled by someone living in the Northeastern Region, and the other two open positions can be filled by anyone. 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.

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.