Division reports staffing changes, conference turnout and ranger consolidation

Director Jason Curry opened a division update by reporting staff restructuring intended to increase capacity for grants, planning and trails work. The division created a recreation program director role (filled by Carly Lance) to oversee planning and statewide trails programs; Patrick was promoted into a program director role over grants. Jason Curry said the changes were made because grants and planning work had outgrown a single-person capacity.

Curry highlighted recent events and programs: the Mountain West Trails Conference in Vernal drew participants from across the West and received strong feedback; the division’s "1 Utah" campout hosted about 80 people, including foster and immigrant families, to teach basic outdoor skills; and the division is progressing on consolidating rangers from multiple units into a single law enforcement division, a change the director said will take effect Jan. 1.

Staff also noted progress on project contracts, including Forest Service work and a Zion Regional Collaborative MOU to manage NEPA work on the Guacamole Mesa Trail. Curry and other staff said they will continue to report to the commission as contracts and ORI projects move toward execution.

Chair Representative Stenquist congratulated staff on promotions and the division’s outreach; commissioners noted the potential for these staffing changes to expand technical assistance to communities statewide.