Utah Division of Wildlife Resources gets $37.2 million in grants for habitat restoration projects
Jan 23, 2025, 3:57 PM | Updated: 4:25 pm

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources received funding for habitat restoration project across the state. Two projects focus on the Price River. (The Nature Conservancy)
(The Nature Conservancy)
SALT LAKE CITY — Last week, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources received about $37.2 million in federal grants for five habitat restoration projects across the state.
The money comes from $72.4 million that was granted to the state by the Upper Basin Environmental Drought Mitigation Program through the Inflation Reduction Act.
The US Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the program, said this was the first round of projects to receive funding. According to its website, USBR may announce more funding in the coming months.
The program aims to address the effects of climate change and drought on the Colorado River Basin.
Utah previously received funding through the Inflation Reduction Act to protect the state’s watersheds and Great Salt Lake.
Utah DWR’s “crucial” habitat restoration projects
The division said the grants will “help benefit fish and wildlife in southeastern Utah.”
DWR Habitat Conservation Coordinator Daniel Eddington said in a news release that the news is exciting.
“Investing in the continued maintenance and improvement of habitat is crucial for the health of Utah’s fish and wildlife species,” Eddington said.
The DWR received funding for five projects. The projects focus on the Scofield Reservoir, Price River, Huntington Creek, and the Willow Creek subbasin.
The projects include:
- reducing erosion in the Scofield Reservoir,
- creating new dams and reservoirs along the Price River,
- removing invasive plant species in the Green River Basin, and
- installing restoration structures in Huntington Creek.
The DWR said it would also partner on some of the other projects in the state that received funding.
Heather Peterson contributed to this article.