The Division of Outdoor Recreation gave an extended legislative and program update at the April 23 OHP Advisory Council meeting, reporting large growth in the off‑highway vehicle (OHV) restricted account and outlining several legislative outcomes that will affect grant programs, trail crews and law enforcement funding.

Division director Jason Curry said the state now has roughly 227,000 registered OHVs and about 67,000 registered boats; nonresident permits in 2024 were roughly 33,000. He told the council the annual legislative appropriation for OHV grants has been $3.5 million, but a one‑time infusion and prior underutilization produced higher award totals in recent years — roughly $6 million in 2023 and again in 2024 — and helped the division leverage matching funds on the ground.

Trail crews and outreach: Curry said the OHP restricted account contributes funding for the division’s trail crews and other on‑the‑ground work. The OHP restricted account currently provides about $400,000 per year toward trail crews; in recent seasons four crews worked statewide and illustrated widespread results on a story map the division maintains.

Key 2025 laws and appropriations: Curry summarized three 2025 bills the division expects to affect OHV work:
- HB 439: changes enabling the division to provide upfront funding in some grant circumstances and clarifies definitions used by the program.
- HB 456 (Outdoor Recreation Mitigation Grant): created a new grant funded from an additional 0.75 percentage point of certain hotel tax receipts (estimated at roughly $7 million at current numbers) to help third‑, fourth‑, fifth‑ and sixth‑class counties with visitor impacts — EMS, roadway maintenance, solid waste and similar categories. That new program will be administered through a newly created mitigation board and will require local coordination.
- SB 52: tightens enforcement around out‑of‑state registration designed to avoid state registration and tax requirements; the bill gives the Tax Commission additional enforcement tools and limited amnesty options.

Maintenance facility and other capital requests: The division received an appropriation in 2025 for construction of a maintenance facility (the fiscal note described a project costing $21 million to $27 million as estimated by DFCM). The appropriation structure provided $13 million from the OHV restricted account in the first year and other funds from the boating account; Curry said the division would prefer a different funding split and may request additional sources later. He also summarized a $600,000 ranger residence appropriation (50/50 boating/OHV split) for Flaming Gorge.

Ranger funding and council concern: The legislative update prompted queries about funding for rangers and enforcement. Public commenter Brett Stewart submitted GRAMA materials that raised questions about how much of the OHV restricted account has been used for law enforcement and personnel, and whether the division’s current pattern of spend matches legislative intent. Division staff said they have repeatedly asked for general‑fund support for the law‑enforcement component but that the legislature allocated little or no general‑fund support this session; the division continues to seek more general‑fund support but for now law enforcement funding has come from restricted accounts. Director Curry said he wants the council more engaged in discussing allocation priorities going forward.

Why it matters: The legislative changes and the size of recent awards affect how many grants the division can make, where trail crews are deployed and how the division balances operational needs — from capital projects and trail maintenance to law enforcement — with the restricted account’s revenue base.

What’s next: The division asked the council to increase engagement on priorities and said it will return with more details on the maintenance facility, the new mitigation grant board and any proposed changes to grant cycles.

Speakers: Jason Curry (Division director) presented the update; Rachel Toker and other Division staff joined the discussion and took detailed questions from council members and members of the public.