Large land restoration efforts are increasingly helping to address habitat loss and negative impacts on wildlife.
In Utah, a major milestone has been reached. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 144,433 acres of land were restored or improved across the state between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.
The work was completed through the state's long-running Watershed Restoration Initiative.
According to the report,13,960 acres destroyed in 2024 wildfires were part of the restoration project.
The initiative completed 120 habitat restoration projects, improved 142 miles of streams, and spread 743,787 pounds of seed across damaged landscapes. The agency said that the work also supported about 539 jobs across the state.
"It takes a great deal of coordination and funding to make these projects possible, and we are very grateful to our many partners and their continued support of wildlife conservation and improving water quality," Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative program director Tyler Thompson said in a statement.
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"Along with proactive improvement projects, we also do a lot of work to restore areas impacted by wildfires, like we saw this year. These efforts are vital for maintaining healthy ecosystems."
According to St. George News, the restoration work included aerial seeding after wildfires, removing encroaching trees to protect sagebrush habitats (and planting more sagebrush and shrubs), and using prescribed fires to reduce fuel loads.
The initiative also used artificial beaver dam structures to slow erosion and improve the water quality and levels.
Per the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which partners on Watershed Restoration projects in Utah, large-scale habitat work improves forage for elk, mule, deer, and other wildlife. All in all, these projects also help to stabilize soils and protect water sources that communities rely on.
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Definitely 👍 As the shifting climate is accelerating biodiversity loss worldwide, restoration efforts, such as dam removal and the creation of nature reserves, are becoming more urgent.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said almost 3 million acres have been rehabilitated since the Watershed Restoration Initiative's creation in 2006.
If you want to make a difference, getting involved in local restoration efforts and talking to friends and family about environmental issues that impact our water and food sources can cause a chain reaction that improves the quality of life for wildlife, humans, and the environment.
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