Wasatch Search and Rescue will get a mobile command post and drone operations hub after the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation awarded the team $119,000 through its latest Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation grant cycle.

The grant, one of 24 projects funded in the cycle, will pay for a vehicle built on a Sprinter van chassis, Gephardt Daily reported. The van will serve as both a command center and a base for drone operations during backcountry search and rescue missions, according to the state's grant recommendations document.

The total project cost is $219,000, with the grant covering $119,000. The grant document does not specify where the remaining funds will come from or when the vehicle will be deployed.

Wasatch Search and Rescue operates under the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office and is one of the busiest SAR teams in Utah, according to the sheriff's office. The team's 36 volunteers respond to roughly 140 calls per year, with 65% occurring during winter months due to snowmobile and skiing incidents in Wasatch County.

The SAR grant was part of a larger $2.14 million award the division distributed across 24 projects statewide on Oct. 22. The OHV Advisory Council recommended the projects after reviewing 30 applications. Combined with a spring cycle, the division has awarded $4.5 million to 59 OHV recreation projects in 2026.

"From maintaining existing trails and improving infrastructure to supporting search and rescue teams, these projects strengthen our recreation opportunities," Rachel Toker, OHV grant analyst for the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, said in a statement reported by Gephardt Daily.

Three other search and rescue teams also received funding: Tooele County SAR got $18,086 for two new ATVs, Juab County SAR received $36,745 for a new UTV and trailer, and Iron County SAR was awarded $27,000 for a replacement ATV.

The largest single award, $266,328, went to the Foundation for America's Public Lands for wayfinding signage and traffic counters along the 810-mile High Desert Trail. Garfield County received multiple grants totaling more than $370,000 for post-fire trail restoration, seasonal trail workers and a new restroom at the Little Egypt staging area.

The OHVR Grant program launched in 2020 and is funded by OHV registration revenues. The next application cycle has not been announced.