A special ribbon cutting event was held on Wednesday for the Cook Wildlife Management Area in Daggett County. The Cook Wildlife Management Area is the newest WMA in the state and was purchased from and named after private landowners Dall and Ellen Cook. The DWR partnered with several organizations to purchase the land, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Mule Deer Foundation, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Utah Wild Sheep Foundation. “We are extremely grateful to the Cook family and also to our many funding partners who are passionate about wildlife conservation,” shares DWR Director Riley Peck. “Wildlife management areas are crucial in protecting important habitat for our many wildlife species in Utah and for helping to provide a place for Utahns to hunt and fish.” The DWR announcement shares that the Cook WMA provides important summer range for deer, elk and pronghorn and also provides habitat for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, moose, upland game and black bears in the area. The land sale was finalized in January, and the WMA is now open to the public. The WMA is walk-in access only — no vehicles are allowed.
