In a nationwide survey performed by states organization for boating access and responsive management boaters prioritized investment in the maintenance and repair of existing boater access sites and…

Federal Grant Award Summary

The State of Utah, Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) received a $102,000 Formula Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Sport Fish Restoration program (CFDA 15.605) for the period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. This award funds the first year of a multi-year comprehensive inventory initiative to assess the condition and functionality of existing boater access sites and facilities throughout Utah. The project will provide funding for regional biologist time to conduct on-site assessments of boater access facility conditions, generating systematic data on Utah's boating infrastructure that is currently unavailable for many facilities developed without previous Sport Fish Restoration funding.

The inventory data generated through this grant will enable UDWR to make evidence-based investment decisions regarding the allocation of annual Sport Fish Restoration funds between new boater access construction projects and maintenance and repair of existing boating infrastructure. This assessment effort directly addresses national survey findings indicating boater preference for maintaining and repairing existing access sites over constructing new facilities. By establishing baseline condition information for the state's boater access infrastructure, UDWR will replace reliance on outdated useful life estimates and improve long-term capital planning for recreational boating resources.

In a nationwide survey performed by states organization for boating access and responsive management boaters prioritized investment in the maintenance and repair of existing boater access sites and facilities over investment in construction of new sites and facilities. Currently utah does not have a way to systematically assess the functionality of existing boater access sites and facilities. Without on site assessments of boater access site condition and functionality utah is reliant on the useful life estimates from previously funded boater access grant projects. However many boater access sites in utah have been developed without using MBA funds and therefore functionality estimates and replacement timing are not available for these sites. In order to prioritize utahs annual investment of MBA funds between those projects focused on new boater access site construction and those projects focused on maintenance and repair of existing boater access sites udwr needs to inventory the condition of our existing statewide boater access infrastructure. This project represents the first year of what will likely be a multi year effort to perform a comprehensive inventory of improved boater access sites in utah. This project will provide funding for regional biologist time to conduct incidental assessments of boater access facility condition. These data will inform efforts to balance investment between new boater access construction projects and maintenance needs for existing boater infrastructure.