The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has launched a new website with valuable information that only a few other states are also offering. The site will offer data from the real-time tracking of wildlife. The Wildlife Migration Initiative program started in 2017 to track and study different wildlife and fish species and Utah is the only state to include fish tracking. Some of the species being tracked include black bears, elk, pronghorns, cougars, razorback sucker, cutthroat trout and boreal toads. Some of the benefits of the data gathered is:locating migration routes and ensuring that wildlife crossings are constructed strategically, to see how wildlife uses both public and private land that leads to more comprehensive wildlife management on all lands, to increase natural river connectivity by identifying barriers to fish movement, and in assisting conservation officers in their battle against poaching. “We have also learned other interesting things,” shares DWR Migration Initiative Coordinator Daniel Olson. “For example, there are deer that swim almost a mile across Flaming Gorge Reservoir as part of their annual migration. A lot of the information we gather from this tracking initiative is invaluable in helping us better manage wildlife.” See the site for yourself at wildlifemigration.utah.gov.
