Summit County drafts plan for managing resources on public lands

Summit County has joined the 28 other counties in the state in drafting a plan for how natural resources are managed on federally-owned public lands. In 2015, the Utah Legislature passed a measure requiring counties to develop a county-wide Resource Management Plan (RMP). A RMP is a "planning document used to define goals, objectives, and strategies for managing natural resources on public lands within each county," according to a draft of the county's plan. The bill, H.B. 323, which was amended by H.B. 219 during the 2016 legislative session, states counties must create these plans to address how resources will be managed with regard to 28 topics, including water quality and hydrology, air quality, land access and use, and recreation and tourism, among others. In March, the county hosted two open houses and solicited input online about the county's plan. At the 2016 Summit County Fair, attendees were asked to complete a public opinion survey to identify the top 5 resource planning topics. The themes that emerged were: water quality and hydrology; wilderness; air quality; recreation and tourism; and wildlife and fisheries...more