DWR releases new tool to provide comprehensive wildlife information for early project planning that reduces land project impacts

Salt Lake City — With ongoing population growth and urban sprawl, increased renewable energy projects, and other ongoing multiuse activities occurring on public lands in Utah, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wants to help make wildlife a bigger priority in the planning of new development and other land projects — and a public, user-friendly new tool released Thursday will make it easier to do just that.

The Wildlife Habitat Analysis Tool provides a "one-stop shop" for research and other authoritative information about Utah's wildlife and rare plant species. The new tool provides geographic analysis and promotes improved wildlife planning efforts and environmental reviews by offering better access to data earlier in the decision-making process for various development and other land projects in Utah. In addition to giving information about various wildlife and plant species, the tool also provides mitigation recommendations and important site and landscape context for areas being considered for alternate designations and development.

"Utah has an abundance of remarkable plants and wildlife, and project planners and developers had requested a way to incorporate considerations for wildlife early into their project planning," DWR Impact Analysis Biologist Jess Kinross said. "This new tool provides resource specialists, industry, developers and others with the ability to make data-driven decisions and to prevent impacts to wildlife and their habitat by providing them with crucial information early in their project planning and development. Having an understanding of wildlife and their needed resources in project areas will provide the opportunity to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts to our native species, which is a win for everyone involved."

The online tool can be found on the DWR website and works best on a desktop. The tool allows users to perform a dynamic analysis of a land area using the map interface or to generate a static analysis of an area as a PDF file. Instructions on how to use the tool can be found on the DWR website.

"With this new tool, the public will have access to comprehensive Utah plant and wildlife information all in one place, in an easy-to-navigate format," DWR Natural Heritage Program Coordinator Maeve Stevens said. "Even if you aren't a developer, conservationist, or land-use planner, it's a fun tool that allows users to learn more about the interesting wildlife and plant species found in Utah."

The tool was funded by industry associations and several conservation groups, including:

• Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife
• Mule Deer Foundation
• Wild Sheep Foundation
• National Wild Turkey Federation
• The Species Protection Account
• Pittman-Robertson funding