If you are interested in Utah’s wildlife and how species are managed, several positions will soon be opening on all five Regional Advisory Councils that share public feedback with the Utah Wildlife Board. You can apply for one of the available RAC positions between now and May 31.

What the RACs do

Each of the five RACs consists of 12-15 members, and those members — who are all unpaid volunteers — can serve up to four years on the council. Each RAC holds about six public meetings a year. At the meetings, RAC members discuss proposals that they have reviewed in advance from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists about hunting, fishing and wildlife management in Utah. They also review any input or feedback from the public that was submitted online prior to the meetings.

After voting on each of the proposals, the chairperson for that RAC later presents their region’s recommendations to the Utah Wildlife Board. Members of the board consider and discuss the input, and then vote to decide how wildlife is managed in Utah.

RAC meetings usually last several hours. The meetings are held in the evenings, usually on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night. These meetings are held in person but can also be attended virtually, as needed.

New requirements for RAC members

New legislation that goes into effect May 7 made some new eligibility requirements for serving on a Regional Advisory Council. All Regional Advisory Council members are now required to have a current, valid hunting or combination license while serving on the council, and they must have possessed a license at least three of the five years prior to becoming a council member.

Vacant RAC positions

RAC members represent one of six interest groups:

• Hunters, anglers and trappers (sportsmen)
• Those who don’t hunt or fish (watchable wildlife)
• Ranchers and farmers (agriculture)
• Locally elected public officials
• Federal land-management agencies (including the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management)
• The rest of the general public (public at large, including businesses)

Seventeen RAC positions are currently open for public nominations:

• Northern Region: Two agriculture representatives; one watchable wildlife representative; and at least one public-at-large representative.
• Northeastern Region: One agriculture representative; one watchable wildlife representative; and one elected official.
• Central Region: One public-at-large representative; one elected official; and one hunter, angler and trapper (sportsmen) representative.
• Southern Region: One agriculture representative; one elected official; and one hunter, angler and trapper (sportsmen) representative.
• Southeastern Region: One public-at-large representative; one hunter, angler and trapper (sportsmen) representative; one elected official; and one watchable wildlife representative.

Applying to serve

To fill one of the upcoming vacancies, you must live in the region of Utah you wish to represent. Here is how to apply:

• If you want to represent the public at large, you must contact a group in your community and ask them to nominate you. Political groups, town councils, animal sanctuary committees and recreational groups are examples of groups that have nominated people in the past.

• If you want to fill one of the other positions on the RAC — except for the federal land- management agency position — you must contact a conservation group or organization in your region and ask that they nominate you to serve in the vacancy you’d like to fill. For example, if you want to fill a sportsmen’s vacancy, you must contact a Utah hunting or conservation group and ask them to nominate you for the position. Federal land-management agencies appoint their own representatives to the RACs.

To learn about wildlife or conservation groups in your area, contact the nearest DWR office.

Nomination deadlines

Nominating groups and organizations can begin submitting their nominations starting Tuesday, April 15. Nominations have to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. The new RAC members will begin their unpaid term during the July/August 2025 RAC meetings. For more information, to apply, or to submit a nomination, visit the DWR website.