What is the Healthy Lands Initiative?

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne launched the Healthy Lands Initiative 

(HLI) in 2007 to accelerate land restoration, increase productivity, and improve 

the health of public lands in the Western United States. The goal of the Initiative 

is to preserve the diversity and productivity of public and private lands across the 

landscape. The Initiative will enable and encourage local BLM managers to set 

priorities across a broader scale and mitigate impacts to an array of resources in 

ways not previously available to them.

The President’s 2009 budget includes an increase of $10 million for HLI over 

the level enacted in Fiscal Year 2008. The effort has focused on landscape-level 

restoration effort on southwest Wyoming; northwest and southeast portions of 

New Mexico; south-central Idaho; southwest Colorado; Utah; and a three-corner 

area of Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada. In FY 2009, areas in northwest Colorado and 

parts of California would be added.

Meeting both our energy and land 

health goals requires integrated, 

landscape-scale habitat protections 

and resource management. Our 

initiative combines investments 

in habitat protection with policy 

improvements that will protect 800 

species, including the sage-grouse.

Secretary Dirk Kempthorne

By the Numbers Healthy 

Lands 

Initiative

UTAH

I

n Utah, a consortium of agencies form 

the Utah Partners for Conservation 

and Development. Seven Federal 

agencies, seven state agencies, private 

landowners, a university extension 

service, and non-profi t organizations 

such as Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife 

are planning to restore sagebrush habitat 

in focus areas selected for their wildlife 

value, particularly focusing on sage-grouse. 

The partners have committed more than 

$30 million to restore 120,000 acres 

of public and private land. The State of 

Utah has given an annual and on-going 

commitment of $4.5 million to this effort. 

Goals of the Initiative

• Increased water quality and quantity

• Quality habitats and maximum 

biodiversity

• Sustainable working farms and ranches

• Social-economic uses and opportunities

Current Efforts

BLM funding is paving the way to conduct 

on-the-ground restoration efforts on 

an unprecedented scale. Since 2003, 

Utah BLM, in cooperation with the 

Utah Partners for Conservation and 

Development, has conducted treatment 

projects on approximately 500,000 acres 

of watersheds across the state. The aim 

is to improve the health and functionality 

of Utah’s watersheds. The majority of 

those improved acres required vegetation 

manipulation and reseeding using seed 

mixtures developed for each site. Initial 

habitat assessments, project coordination, 

and NEPA analysis were accomplished 

with BLM funding. On-the-ground project 

construction and follow-up monitoring 

assessments have been accomplished 

with a variety of partners including the 

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 

Natural Resources Conservation Service, 

Utah State University Extension, Rocky 

Mountain Elk Foundation, Sportsmen 

for Fish and Wildlife, and numerous 

private landowners and livestock grazing 

permittees. Vegetation restoration 

methods have included the removal of 

encroaching juniper through manual 

Utah Partners for 

Conservation

and Development

• Funds committed by UPCD 

partners for projects since 2003: 

$30 million

• Number of acres treated to 

date: 500,000 acres

• BLM funds have been matched 

and leveraged with non-Federal 

monies as high as 7:1

• Acres to be treated in 2009: 

100,000 acres 

2009 Budget Update
cutting or mechanical treatments such 

as bull hog or brush saws, Dixie harrow 

treatments, green stripping to reduce 

fi re hazard, and various other methods 

depending on the physical and biological 

characteristics of each individual site and 

the recommendations of local restoration 

experts. Total investments by all partners 

involved in this statewide initiative total 

approximately $25 million. The improved 

habitat exceeds 500,000 acres of state, 

Federal, and private lands.

Results of the Treatments 

Monitoring efforts are being conducted 

to determine the results on: increased 

water quality and quantity; decreased silt 

deposition in streams and reservoirs; a 

return to healthy rangeland conditions 

with a mix of desired species, protection 

of at-risk natural sites, improved habitat 

to support mule deer, sage grouse, wild 

horses, and other wildlife populations; 

and the reduction of forage competition 

between livestock and wildlife are just 

some of the anticipated benefi ts of these 

treatments. Such benefi ts also reduce the 

risk to sagebrush-obligate species—such 

as Gunnison’s and greater sage-grouse, 

pygmy rabbit, and a host of endemic 

plants that occupy the sage steppe 

ecosystem—from becoming listed under 

the Endangered Species Act.

Funding Plans

With BLM’s proposed contribution to 

this effort, partners in Utah will be able 

to implement 90 projects to restore 

over 100,000 acres on a landscape scale 

across the State in 2009. These projects 

will benefi t wildlife and water quality, and 

reduce the chances of large-scale wildfi res. 

The following are additional examples 

of how this funding will be making a 

difference in Utah: 

Seed warehouse: The seed warehouse 

that services the entire state has 

exceeded its capacity. Expanding the size 

of this warehouse would not only increase 

storage capacity, but would help native 

seed producers expand their native plant 

production capacity. Because these seeds 

are used in on-the-ground restoration 

Sagebrush Restoration Focus Area

BLM Field Offi ce Area

Source: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR)

Utah Sagebrush 

Restoration

Focus Areas

projects, this is a critical component in the 

process. This increased storage capacity 

would provide for greater quantity and 

quality in implementing restoration 

projects.

Equipment: Increased funding would 

allow partner agencies to acquire 

equipment and techniques necessary to 

carry out projects for habitat restoration 

and enhancement.

Monitoring: Project monitoring is 

essential to ensuring that restoration 

is providing the intended benefi ts. 

The implementation of pre- and posttreatment monitoring will continue to be 

a high priority. 

Emergency Stabilization and 

Rehabilitation (ESR): The process has 

been employed to conduct (ESR) activities 

across large multiple ownership areas 

burned over by wildfi re. It represents 

a major change from how ESR has been 

implemented in the past.

For additional information contact:

Bureau of Land Management 

Utah State Offi ce

Mary Wilson 

801-539-4020

Mary_L_Wilson@blm.gov