Nephi Canyon Wildlife Management Area Disposal Environmental Assessment, Utah

The Region 6 Office of Conservation Investment (CI) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is seeking public comment on a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding the proposed disposal of 13.77-acres from the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources’ (UDWR) Nephi Canyon Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Juab County, Utah. Funding for the project administered by the CI Program constitutes a Federal action subject to the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended.  

The Nephi Canyon WMA is located approximately 2-miles northeast of Nephi City and is managed as winter big game habitat while also providing hunting opportunities for the public. Region 6 CI has received UDWR’s notice proposing the disposal of 13.77-acres of the Nephi Canyon WMA due to the expansion of the Nephi City Golf Course. 

The Nephi Canyon WMA was acquired through several purchases between 1955 and 1978 by UDWR, in part, with CI grant program funds for wildlife habitat. As property acquired with the assistance of the federal grant funding, its disposal would require repayment or replacement of the property. To meet these requirements, the city and UDWR are proposing that UDWR will acquire approximately 40 acres of city-owned habitat adjacent to the WMA, and therefore the proposed disposal will not result in a cumulative loss of wildlife resources or public hunting on the property.

The Draft EA prepared by the Service and UDWR analyzes the environmental effects of the disposal and provides an opportunity for all interested stakeholders to review and comment on the proposed action. In the Draft EA, the Service concluded that the proposed disposal would not have impacts to wetlands, floodplains, or farmland, would not affect historical and cultural resources, would not have any effect on threatened, endangered or candidate species, and would not have any effect on the vegetation in the area or on local fish and wildlife or their habitats.  

Public comments will be accepted for a 30-day period which ends March 30, 2025. Copies of the Draft EA and Appendices, which include details of the proposed action and the alternatives considered, are available online by clicking on the title of the document at https://www.fws.gov/library/collections/mountain-prairie-region-office-…. Those without internet access may request copies by calling the Services’ Office of Conservation Investment Program at (720) 654-6390. Comments will be accepted until March 30, 2025, and can be sent by email to: Jay Ogawa at jay_ogawa@fws.gov or via mail to: Office of Conservation Investment, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado, 80225.