Lunch & Learn - August: Utah DNR: New Tools for Species Conservation

Description

Paul and Maeve with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) will highlight state native species conservation programs that strive to keep populations healthy, which prevents species from needing protection under the federal Endangered Species Act and keeps them under state control. These programs include the Species Protection Account, which helps fund native species programs; H.B.378 that passed during the 2025 Legislative Session provides additional funding streams for the account. The Utah Wildlife Action Plan, which is a comprehensive 10-year plan that highlights the species in need of conservation attention, the habitats that they rely upon, and the stressors/threats that the species/habitats face. The Wildlife Habitat Analysis Tool (WHAT) is a new, voluntary DWR project-planning tool designed to open communication lines early in project development in order to reduce wildlife-project conflicts.