Interior Department opens over 90 million acres for hunting and fishing, affecting Utah
The Department of the Interior announced a rule that will add roughly 1,500 new hunting and fishing opportunities across more than 90 million acres, including several sites in Utah.
On Aug. 13 the Department of the Interior revealed a final rule that will create nearly 1,500 additional hunting and fishing slots on more than 90 million acres of public land, including well-known Utah locations such as Jones Hole, Bear River and Green River. The rule applies to 111 refuges and hatcheries across 32 states and simplifies over 1,000 regulatory provisions, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Federal officials contend that controlled harvest can serve as a management tool and boost the $144 billion recreation economy, citing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik.
Critics from Utah’s Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Save Our Canyons argue the expansion undermines wilderness protections and could harm ecosystems. The rule will be published in the Federal Register ahead of the upcoming fall hunting season.
Why it matters
Opening vast public lands to hunting and fishing could reshape wildlife management and local economies while sparking conservation debates.
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