Habitat Council approves wide slate of restoration projects as conservation partners pledge $6.6 million

The Utah Habitat Council on April 21 approved a broad package of habitat-restoration projects covering multiple regions and heard that sportsmen—s groups pledged $6,600,000 through the external conservation-permit (ECP) process, a sum that council staff said will cover most requests and create about $800,000 in extra funding for projects the council normally funds.

Daniel Eddington, habitat conservation coordinator, told the council the ECP meeting produced the $6.6 million commitment and that Safari Club International, absent from the meeting, is expected to add more funds after its banquet. "They committed 6,600,000.0," Eddington said.

Why it matters: The ECP pledge and the slate of approved projects could accelerate on-the-ground work that managers say is needed to reduce wildfire risk, regenerate aspen and sagebrush steppe, restore riparian areas and improve winter range for mule deer and elk. Councillors repeatedly raised the uncertainty of federal partner funding, and staff said WRI (Watershed Restoration Initiative) and other federal money will still determine how many of the larger, multi-year projects proceed.

What the council approved: The meeting covered dozens of project presentations from regional habitat biologists. Presenters explained project aims, including cut-and-pile and mastication treatments, prescribed burning, beaver-dam-analogue (BDA) work, riparian fencing and drip-trough or guzzler installations to hold water in dry drainages. Council members moved and passed funding consideration or approval on a long list of proposals spanning the Central, Southeast, Southern and Northern regions.

Several pres…