1     
JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING UTAH'S SPORTSMEN

2     
AND SPORTSWOMEN

3     
2018 GENERAL SESSION

4     
STATE OF UTAH

5     
Chief Sponsor: Timothy D. Hawkes

6     
Senate Sponsor: Allen M. Christensen

7     Cosponsors:
8     Cheryl K. Acton
9     Carl R. Albrecht
10     Stewart E. Barlow
11     Walt Brooks
12     Rebecca Chavez-Houck
13     Kay J. Christofferson
14     Kim F. Coleman
15     Brad M. Daw
16     Susan Duckworth
17     Rebecca P. Edwards
18     Justin L. Fawson
19     Gage Froerer
20     Brian M. Greene
21     Stephen G. Handy
22     Eric K. Hutchings
23     Ken Ivory
24     Michael S. Kennedy
Brian S. King
John Knotwell
Karen Kwan
Bradley G. Last
Karianne Lisonbee
A. Cory Maloy
Michael K. McKell
Kelly B. Miles
Carol Spackman Moss
Jefferson Moss
Merrill F. Nelson
Michael E. Noel
Derrin R. Owens
Lee B. Perry
Jeremy A. Peterson
Val L. Peterson
Dixon M. Pitcher
Val K. Potter
Marie H. Poulson
Susan Pulsipher
Paul Ray
Edward H. Redd
Douglas V. Sagers
Scott D. Sandall
Keven J. Stratton
Norman K. Thurston
Raymond P. Ward
Christine F. Watkins
R. Curt Webb
John R. Westwood
Mark A. Wheatley
Logan Wilde
Brad R. Wilson
Mike Winder

25     

26     LONG TITLE
27     General Description:
28          This resolution recognizes the impact Utah's sportsmen and sportswomen have on our

29     state's natural resources and economy.
30     Highlighted Provisions:
31          This resolution:
32          ▸     urges Congress to protect and enhance public lands for Utah's sportsmen and
33     sportswomen to advance the goals of hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and
34     others; and
35          ▸     
urges Congress to respect the historic and current use of Utah's public land by sportsmen
36     and sportswomen, support the time-honored Utah traditions of hunting and angling, the
37     very backbone of conservation, and respect the administration of wildlife conservation
38     through the sound science delivered by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and
39     science-based policies developed by the Utah Wildlife Board.

40     Special Clauses:
41          None
42     

43     Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
44          WHEREAS, Utah has a rich and storied culture of hunting, fishing, trapping, and
45     recreational shooting that dates back further than the state itself and carries forward to this day;
46          WHEREAS, Utah's sportsmen and sportswomen were among the first conservationists
47     to support the establishment of a wildlife management agency, now referred to as the Utah
48     Division of Wildlife Resources, to conserve fish, wildlife, and their habitats;
49          WHEREAS, through their license fees, Utah's sportsmen and sportswomen helped fund
50     state efforts to provide for multiple uses of healthy and sustainable natural resources;
51          WHEREAS, upon realizing that license fees alone were insufficient to restore and
52     sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations, sportsmen and sportswomen supported
53     self-imposed excise taxes on hunting, fishing, and boating equipment, as well as firearms and
54     ammunition, to raise additional conservation funds;
55          WHEREAS, to this day, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is funded primarily by
56     sportsmen and sportswomen, through this American System of Conservation Funding - a "user

57     pays, public benefits" approach that is widely recognized as the most successful model of fish
58     and wildlife management in the world;
59          WHEREAS, last year alone, Utah's sportsmen and sportswomen generated $44.94
60     million through this system to support the conservation efforts of the Utah Division of Wildlife
61     Resources and partners;
62          WHEREAS, Utah's 493,000 hunters and anglers support the state's economy through
63     spending more than $1.04 billion while engaged in their pursuits;
64          WHEREAS, annually, this spending supports approximately 19,677 jobs in Utah and
65     generates over $62 million in state and local taxes; and
66          WHEREAS, Utah's vast public and private lands are vital in providing opportunities for
67     Utahns to hunt, fish, trap, and recreationally shoot:
68          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
69     urges the United States Congress to protect and enhance access to public lands for Utah's
70     sportsmen and sportswomen to advance the goals of hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and
71     others.
72          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges the
73     United States Congress to respect the historic and current use of Utah's public and private lands
74     by sportsmen and sportswomen, support the time-honored Utah traditions of hunting and
75     angling, the very backbone of conservation, and respect the administration of wildlife
76     conservation through the sound science delivered by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
77     and science-based policies developed by the Utah Wildlife Board.