Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative

07/08/2026

Recently, the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative held its Northern Region summer field tour.

Project sites visited include the Raft River Mountains in Northern Utah, Clarks Basin, Johnson Creek and the Nut Pine Hills.

From landscape-scale vegetation treatments in the Raft River Mountains to riparian and meadow restoration efforts, our teams and partners are hard at work:

✨ Improving wildlife habitats for species like sage-grouse, mule deer, and Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

🔥 Reducing fuels to lower wildfire risk and improve forest health.

🌿 Tackling invasive weeds to restore vital meadow and aspen ecosystems.

💧 Upgrading Utah’s waterways while improving water quality (including beaver relocations!) to support sustainable livestock grazing and riparian health.

The Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative works across boundaries to ensure our landscapes remain resilient, healthy, and thriving for years to come. Thanks to our partners from the many agencies within the Utah Department of Natural Resources, the US Forest Service, Trout Unlimited, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, the Mule Deer Foundation, Utah Chukar and Wildlife Foundation, Bureau of Land Management, Sageland Collaborative, Utah State University, Weber River Partnership, Minidoka County Idaho, Ogden City, Summit County and local landowners for joining us on this tour!

06/23/2026

Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) and its partners announce funding decisions for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) project implementation season. 114 of the 154 project proposals submitted to WRI were either fully or partially funded this week. This year’s list of funded projects is scheduled to target for improvement another 311,000 acres of priority watersheds in Utah. Funding for these projects totaled nearly $36 million dollars in WRI and partner funding as well as another $5 million of in-kind support. Major funding partners include:

Utah Forest Restoration Institute, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sportsman for Fish and Wildlife, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Utah Archery Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, Utah Wild Sheep Foundation, Safari Club International, Wildlife Conservation Foundation, Dallas Safari Club, Chukar Foundation, Pacificorp, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For tthe full list, maps and other information please visit our website

WRI Announces Funded Projects for FY 2027 Tyler Thompson/June 8, 2026/NewsUtah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) and its partners announce funding decisions for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) project implementation season. 114 of the 154 project proposals sub...

05/18/2026

Excellent tour with Utah's Prescribed Fire Council looking at many years of WRI funded project work in the Upper Provo watershed.

One of the main challenges of conducting prescribed fire work in the Wasatch Back is growing development and recreation. The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest is considered an urban forest, and with the second most annual visitors across all national forests, these treatments require more planning...

04/10/2026

04/10/2026

The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) continues its long-term investment in the future of Utah’s mule deer habitat through its ongoing financial support of the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative. As the largest contributing organization, MDF committed $2.4 million across 63 different projects. This accounted for over one-third of the more than $6 million pledged collectively by Utah’s leading conservation groups.
This is a great way MDF puts your financial support back into the ground to help grow our mule deer populations. Thank you!
Read more here: https://bit.ly/4c1d6bx

04/10/2026

🌱 Aerial Seeding Begins Across the Monroe Canyon Fire Area 🌱

If you notice a low flying plane in the Monroe Canyon Fire area over the next few days, here’s what’s happening:

The Fishlake National Forest, in partnership with Utah’s Department of Natural Resources and the Watershed Restoration Initiative, has launched a major post fire restoration effort following the Monroe Canyon Fire. Over the next couple of weeks, a contractor will be aerially seeding 27,000 acres to help stabilize soils, reduce erosion, and support the return of healthy native vegetation.

To make this happen, several loads of seed will be dispersed, including:
• 26 bags of low elevation seed
• 121 bags of high elevation seed
Each bag weighs 1,750 lbs., and the aircraft can carry 1.5 bags per load—meaning many trips back and forth to cover such a large area.

This seeding effort is a critical step in helping wildlife habitat recover, reducing the spread of invasive plants, and supporting the long term health of the Fishlake. It also helps protect downstream communities from runoff and erosion.

If you see aircraft in the area, know that this activity is part of rebuilding a more resilient forest for the future. Thank you for your support as we work to restore the land we all depend on. 💚

03/10/2026

This is the way!! https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4cb1a54ad71c413c9c8f392d20f3b736

🔥 Fuels Management Impacts on the Monroe Canyon Fire🔥
The Monroe Canyon Fire was a large fire that experienced several red flag days with hot and dry conditions. This resulted in several days with large fire growth. Thanks to decades of active fuels management work, impacts were far less severe than they could have been. Treatments helped firefighters save homes, improve safety, and slow fire progression.

✅ Partnerships and funding from Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative have made Monroe Mountain one of Utah’s most actively managed landscapes.
👉 Read the full report and see the map here:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/media/263366

Your continued support for fuels and active vegetation management makes a difference!

02/17/2026

UWRI is proud to be a partner on this awesome effort!

Utah is showing what’s possible when local governments invest before disaster strikes.

Through the Utah Resilience Fund, partners are accelerating cross‑boundary wildfire treatments, improving evacuation safety, and protecting headwater forests that supply drinking water to 700,000+ residents.

Learn how they do it: bit.ly/UTFire

01/12/2026

The Nature Conservancy explores how forest thinning and prescribed burning affects western snowpack, water supply and forest resilience.

01/09/2026

WRI has for many years worked hand in hand with our federal partners in Utah to implement active management projects across the state. This agreement will only serve to strengthen that relationship and lead to even more work on the ground.