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

Green River Basin,

Southwest Wyoming

• Number of acres in the basin: 

15 million

(The size of Connecticut, Delaware, 

Massachusetts, and New Hampshire 

combined)

• Number of homes that could be 

heated annually by natural gas 

production: 4 million

• Estimated volume of recoverable 

natural gas in cubic feet: 83 trillion: 

• World-class wildlife:

Estimated 100,000 deer and 100,000 

pronghorn antelope; 40,000 elk; 

8,000 moose; 1,400 bighorn sheep; 

and 151 non-game species of 

greatest conservation need

Wyoming encompasses some 

of the highest-quality wildlife 

habitat in the Intermountain 

West. Sagebrush, mountain shrub, aspen, 

and riparian communities offer crucial 

habitat for deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, 

greater sage-grouse, and a variety of 

non-game species. Lands and waters in 

Southwest Wyoming also offer some 

of the country’s most sought-after 

recreational opportunities, providing an 

important asset that attracts anglers, 

hunters, and other visitors. For many 

small rural communities, money spent by 

anglers and hunters is essential for longterm economic stability.

An Active Source of 

Natural Gas

Encompassing 15 million acres—roughly 

the size of Connecticut, Delaware, 

Massachusetts, and New Hampshire 

combined—the Green River Basin of 

Southwest Wyoming produces enough 

natural gas annually to heat 4 million 

homes. With approximately 23 trillion 

cubic feet of natural gas used annually 

in the U.S., the estimated 83 trillion 

cubic feet of recoverable natural gas in 

Southwest Wyoming will continue to 

account for one of the largest sources of 

natural gas in the U.S.

To ensure Southwest Wyoming’s wildlife 

and habitat remain viable in areas 

facing development pressure, BLM, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. 

Geological Survey, USDA Forest Service, 

National Park Service, the U.S. Bureau of 

Reclamation,, the Wyoming Department 

of Agriculture, the Wyoming Game and 

Fish Department, local conservation 

districts, and local counties.

Landscape Approach 

The greatest wildlife conservation value 

is achieved when wildlife enhancement 

is conducted at a landscape scale. 

Landscapes are land areas composed of 

diverse habitat types that include winter 

range and migration corridors.

Healthy 

Lands 

Initiative

WYOMING

Green River Basin

2009 Budget Update

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.
Access to a variety of habitat types and 

seasonal ranges within a landscape is 

essential for wildlife to fi nd food and 

shelter and raise their young.

What We Know

The high demand for energy resources 

has caused an unprecedented surge in the 

intensity of natural gas development.

The combination of energy development 

and industrial and residential expansion, 

along with associated road building, 

drilling, pipelines, utility lines, and other 

human-generated activities, is occurring in 

wildlife habitat areas.

Although impact mitigation is required in 

energy development areas, a landscapescale conservation action will better 

address natural resource issues in this vast 

area.

Role of Initiative Partners

• Conduct effi cient, science-based species 

monitoring and habitat enhancement.

• Facilitate best reclamation and 

mitigation practices for areas affected by 

current natural gas development.

• Integrate existing data with new 

knowledge and technologies to forecast 

development of energy resources and 

assist in habitat conservation planning.

• Conduct habitat enhancement in all 

habitat types with a special focus on 

sagebrush, mountain shrub, aspen, and 

riparian communities.

Role of the WLCI 

• Exchange information, data, and 

research fi ndings among partners, industry, 

and stakeholders to improve habitat 

conditions and long-term viability of 

species at a landscape scale.

• Complement existing habitat 

reclamation and mitigation efforts.

• Broaden the understanding of the 

valuable Green River Basin ecosystem.

Funding Plans

In Wyoming, funding will be used for 

projects including vegetation treatments 

(sagebrush, aspen trees); water projects 

such as building or restoring water 

sources for wildlife; and improving 

riparian areas. Long-term funding may 

include state and Federal appropriations, 

special mitigation accounts, trust funds, 

non-governmental organization and 

industry contributions, other independent 

donations, and an endowment.

For additional information contact:

Bureau of Land Management 

Wyoming State Offi ce

 Cindy Wertz, 307-775-6014

 Cindy_Wertz@blm.gov

Wyoming Landscape Conservation 

Initiative

 Renee Dana, Rock Springs Field Offi ce

 307-352-0227

 Renee_Dana@blm.gov

 

Green River Basin