Hikers, cyclists and bird watchers, take note: starting this summer, you won’t need a hunting or fishing license to access Utah’s wildlife management areas. Instead, you’ll be required to watch a 2-to-3-minute online video created by the Division of Wildlife Resources to get a digital access permit.
Republican Rep. David Shallenberger is responsible for the change. He sponsored HB30 as a “clean up” of the problem, and it’s now waiting for the governor’s signature. Last year, lawmakers passed a law that required adults to have a hunting or fishing license to access wildlife management areas in Salt Lake, Utah, Weber and Davis counties.
That upset trail users, Shallenberger told a House committee.
“We started getting lots of emails, lots of calls, and a lot of angry people saying, ‘You mean I need a $40 fishing license to ride my bike up in the mountains of Timpanogos?’ and that's about the gist of the thousands of contacts,” he said.
After six months of discussions with the Division of Wildlife Resources, hunters, anglers and recreationists, Shallenberger decided to replace the license with the educational video requirement.
“There might be seasonal closures, specific rules to various WMAs, and that they can respect and help take care of those,” he said.
The online informational video will be accessible via QR code posted at trailheads.
An educational video would be a valuable tool, said Olivia Juarez, public land program director with GreenLatinos.
Juarez hopes it’ll be accessible to Utahns who speak languages other than English. The Division of Wildlife Resources has not discussed languages for the video yet, a spokesperson said, but it has made signs and other materials available in Spanish in the past.
Rep. Paul Cutler, whose district includes the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, was pleased with the new bill.
“This will make the bird watchers, the hikers and the bikers in my area very happy,” he said.
Both sponsors of last year’s law, Rep. Casey Snider and Sen. Mike McKell, voted for the change.
Shallenberger’s bill also establishes the Wildlife Management Area Stewardship Fund, which visitors will be able to contribute to voluntarily. Wildlife management areas are funded by sales of hunting and fishing licenses and federal taxes on hunting and fishing equipment, not by state taxes.
Matt Anderson, director of the Utah Sportsmen’s Caucus, spoke in favor of the change but worried it would lead to a loss of money for wildlife management area preservation.
Shallenberger is optimistic that trail users will want to give back.
Wasatch Front outdoor enthusiast JM Fabrizi agreed. Trail users don’t want to buy a fishing or hunting license because they don’t identify as hunters or fishermen, he said.
“That being said, I can tell you firsthand in speaking with many, many people, that those that do recreate in these different fashions are very excited to contribute to the preservation of these places,” he told the House committee.
Jenn Gale, an Orem city council member and director of a local youth cycling association, said she and her mountain bike team would be happy to contribute.
“I have to admit that after using these trails for years, I didn't really understand what a WMA was,” she told the committee. “So this is a great opportunity for us to educate our public, me included, and help them know why it's important.”
The new video and digital pass requirement will roll out in the four counties July 1. It will apply to wildlife management areas across all of Utah starting July 1, 2028.
Macy Lipkin is a Report for America corps member who reports for KUER in northern Utah.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps, funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
