Habitat improvements announced near Hardware Ranch – Cache Valley Daily

Hardware Ranch 16 miles east of Hyrum up Blacksmith Fork Canyon.

HYRUM – Utah’s wildlife and conservation projects have received a significant boost following the annual conservation permit project funding meeting held earlier this month. The Utah Conservation Permit Program has committed $3.9 million to dozens of large wildlife research, conservation, and habitat restoration projects. The funds come from a small percentage of limited-entry and once-in-a-lifetime hunting permits that the Utah Wildlife Board designates as “conservation and expo permits.”

During the meeting, conservation groups assessed 85 proposed projects and selected 79 to receive partial or full funding. The Mahogany Ridge Bullhog Phase II project was among the top-funded projects, receiving over $147,000. This project will improve the habitat in the Mahogany Ridge area near Hardware Wildlife Management Area in Cache County by removing encroaching pinyon pine and Utah juniper trees, treating noxious weeds, and aerial seeding 363 acres with native grasses and shrubs.

The conservation permits are auctioned by conservation and sportsmen’s groups and have generated over $59 million for conservation work in Utah since 2001. Without these permits’ revenue, wildlife conservation projects in Utah would have much less funding to complete high-priority projects. The Utah Conservation Permit Program has helped to enhance thousands of acres of crucial habitats and complete important research to better manage big game populations.

The conservation groups that participated in the funding meeting and helped fund the conservation projects include King’s Camo, Mule Deer Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation Foundation, Utah Archery Association, Utah Wild Sheep Foundation, and Utah’s Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit Association.