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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Michael Mills, Executive Director
Phone: 801-524-3146
Email: urmcc@usbr.gov

SUBJECT: Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission Meeting

Salt Lake City, UT – The Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission will hold its next public meeting Tuesday, September 8th at 10 AM in the Commission office conference room at 230 South 500 East, Suite 230, with remote participation available through Microsoft Teams.

Among the agreements proposed for Commission approval is modification to an agreement with Brigham Young University to continue monitoring avian abundance and movement near Provo City Airport. The study, underway since 2017, tracks how bird activity has changed before, during, and after construction of the Provo River Delta Restoration Project. Surveys show the restored Delta is attracting more birds and a wider variety of species, and project partners are using the growing dataset to manage the Delta so as not to increase wildlife hazards to Provo Airport. 

Over nine years, BYU students and wildlife biologists have conducted the surveys across 22 sites in and around the Delta. The effort now totals 28,512 surveys, 4,752 field hours, and 2,648,571 bird observations, with 214 species recorded. Randy Larsen of Brigham Young University will present updates on the study at the meeting.

In addition to items proposed for action, the Commission will also consider four other agreements related to mitigation projects and environmental stewardship across the region.

The Mitigation Commission is an independent Federal agency created by the Central Utah Project Completion Act of 1992. The Commission is responsible for planning, funding, and implementing projects that offset the impacts to fish, wildlife, and related recreation resources caused by the Central Utah Project, and other Federal water reclamation projects in Utah. The Commission meets publicly to consider and act on agreements to carry out mitigation projects with various partners, including State and Federal natural resource agencies, native American tribes and non-profit groups.

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