Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Utah lawmakers propose keeping wildlife refuges open during government shutdowns.
- Rep. Paul Cutler emphasizes the economic impact on hunting communities and local economies.
- Despite past costs, Utah saw financial benefits from maintaining park access during shutdowns.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has already passed a law that says the state will step up to keep national parks open in the event of an emergency government shutdown, much like it did in 2013 to the tune of $1 million.
Now, a Utah lawmaker wants to add national wildlife refuges to the list as they serve as a cornerstone of some local economies, and a shutdown interferes with key hunting opportunities. Testimony in favor of HB200 by Rep. Paul Cutler, R-Centerville, emphasized how severe the last disruption interfered with the hunting community.
"It impacted everyone," said Bill Pedersen, director of the Utah Shooting Sports Council. "I was a victim of the last government shutdown ... the last time we had that shutdown a few years ago, it was right during the middle of the hunting season."
Pedersen, during a hearing Wednesday before the House Economic Development and Workforce Services, said hunters wait all season only to be deterred by a shutdown that closes off access.
Jason Curry, director of the state Outdoor Office of Recreation, said the state has developed via rule the priority in which federal spots for recreation remain open even if the federal government is idled.
While Cutler conceded that the federal government has yet to return the $1 million Utah spent to keep national parks open in 2013, he did note that federal employees were given back pay for their time spent idled, and the economic boon such attractions bring into the state nevertheless continued.
Wildlife refuges such as the Bear River Migratory Refuge serve as important economic drivers for the state and areas like Brigham City, as well provide a haven for both fowl and human. The marshes are the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. Of more than 210 bird species that use the refuge, 67 species nest on the refuge. American avocets and black-necked stilts nest by the thousands along refuge dikes and roads.
While some may be hesitant to pick up when the federal government failed to do its job, a report released in 2014 after the 2013 six-day shutdown shows that Utah actually reaped financial benefits. Nearly $10 million was spent at the parks and in local gateway communities in contrast to Utah's $1 million tab.
Cutler's bill will now be heard in a Senate committee.
