Federal officials are proposing to substantially expand hunting in Utah’s Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge as part of a wider effort to boost hunter access to the nation’s wildlife preserves and other public lands.
The agency intends to invite hunting into another 13,500 acres, bringing the amount of the refuge available for that use to the legal maximum of 40 percent.
Federal law requires at least 60 percent of the 77,00-acre refuge, located on the Great Salt Lake’s northeast shore outside Brigham City, remain an “inviolate sanctuary for migratory birds,” closed to hunting and other uses that would disturb wildlife.