Permit revenue benefits wildlife, habitat and hunters.

If you hunt in Utah, you've benefited from a program you might not know much about. Utah's Conservation Permit Program provides substantial, dedicated funding for wildlife projects. It's a program that benefits wildlife, habitat and hunters.

Using revenue from conservation permits, the DWR is studying mule deer survival statewide.

Program overview

Conservation permits are hunting permits auctioned annually at banquets, fundraisers and other events sponsored by various conservation groups. Since the program began in 1981, these permits have raised more than $25 million. The majority of that revenue — more than 90 percent — has gone toward projects that directly benefit the species for which the permit was issued. These projects include:

• Habitat enhancement and restoration
• Species transplants
• Radio telemetry studies and research projects
• Aerial surveys
• Education efforts

The Conservation Permit Program funds important wildlife and habitat projects with minimal impact to Utah hunters. None of the money from this program funds employees' salaries. In April 2012, the conservation and sportsmen groups that participate in the program allocated more than $1.3 million toward DWR-approved projects for the coming year.

How the program works

Although the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) distributes conservation permits, the Utah Wildlife Board has authority over the number and type of permits issued. Board members have adopted a detailed administrative rule that determines how many conservation permits are available and how they are distributed.

The conservation groups that partner with the DWR in this program can then auction the permits to members of the public who attend their annual banquets and fundraising events. Conservation permits are available for the following species: bear, bighorn sheep (desert and Rocky Mountain), bison, cougar, deer, elk, moose, pronghorn, Rocky Mountain goats and turkey.

After the permits are auctioned, the funds are allocated as follows:

• The group that sold the permits retains 10 percent of the proceeds to cover administrative costs. The group can keep that money for its own use, but groups sometimes donate it back to the DWR.
• The DWR receives 30 percent to benefit the species for which the permits were sold.
• The remaining 60 percent may be kept by the group that sold the permits. Those funds must be spent on DWR-approved wildlife projects or activities. Groups must follow the administrative rule to continue participating in the Conservation Permit Program.

For 2012, the Utah Wildlife Board approved 324 conservation permits, 229 of which were for limited-entry or once-in-a-lifetime big game hunting. (To put this in perspective, the DWR issues approximately 6,500 limited-entry hunting permits each year.) See detailed information about conservation permit numbers and revenue from 2001–2012. Note: Revenue data for the 2012 permits will be available in October.

Conservation permits helped fund the 2010 bison transplant that moved animals from the Henry Mountains to the Book Cliffs.

Program benefits

Because of the funding it generates, the Conservation Permit Program benefits all Utah hunters:

• The program's revenue has been critical in keeping permit fees low and ensuring that most permits go to Utah residents. The percentage of Utah permits available to nonresidents is among the lowest in the western states.
• You'll find diverse hunting opportunities in Utah, including bear, bighorn sheep, bison, cougar, elk, mule deer, Rocky Mountain goats and turkeys. The Conservation Permit Program has funded transplants of 561 bighorn sheep, 350 pronghorn and 80 bison to provide some of these additional opportunities.
• Utah leads the West in habitat work, restoring more than 778,000 acres of wildlife habitat since 2005. The Conservation Permit Program contributed to 309 different habitat projects from 2006–2011. Learn more about habitat-restoration efforts.
• Utah has launched numerous studies and research projects to better understand changes in big game populations. The program is currently funding studies on highway mortality, deer survival and the effects of predators on mule deer. Learn more about some of the research projects.

Revenue from the Conservation Permit Program provides funding for projects that could not otherwise be funded under the DWR's normal operating budget. Without the program, Utah's general deer and elk permit fees would likely increase by an additional $15 to $20, or a larger percentage of those permits would have to go to nonresidents, who pay higher permit fees.

The online database contains in-depth information about the habitat-restoration projects funded by the Conservation Permit Program.

Detailed information about projects

After they auction conservation permits each year, members of the participating conservation groups meet with the DWR to decide how to spend the 60 percent of permit revenue that funds many wildlife projects. The groups' representatives discuss proposals and then indicate which projects they want to fund.

In April 2012, the conservation and sportsmen groups in the program allocated $1.3 million toward DWR-approved projects for the coming year. The adjacent screen shot provides a quick look at one of the projects they will support with conservation permit funds. If you visit this page, you can click the items in the left column to learn more about necessary equipment, budget components, affected species, proposed features and other relevant project details.

The DWR tracks detailed information about all habitat-restoration projects using the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative's online database. The DWR and its partners launched the initiative in 2005. Since then, the initiative has generated approximately $76 million to restore more than 778,000 acres of habitat. The Conservation Permit Program has provided more than $5.4 million of the $76 million. When possible, the DWR uses the conservation permit revenue to obtain matching funds and donations from other agencies and the federal government.

DWR personnel use a bullhog to improve wildlife habitat on the Henry Mountains.

Program audits

The Utah Legislature recently performed an audit of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The auditors specifically reviewed the Conservation Permit Program (pages 27–30) and released their final report in November 2011. They reached the following conclusion:

The sale of conservation permits promotes habitat improvement on public lands with no expense to the taxpayer, while negligibly reducing the public's opportunity to draw a permit for a limited-entry hunting area. We would encourage the division to continue to support this program.

The DWR annually audits the Conservation Permit Program and presents the results to the Utah Wildlife Board.