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Utah�s Watershed Restoration Initiative is a partnership based program in Utah to improve high priority watersheds throughout the state. �WRI is sponsored by the Utah Partners for Conservation and Development and is in its 11th year. �The Watershed Program focuses on three ecosystem values: 1) wildlife and biological diversity, 2) water quality and yield, and 3) opportunities for sustainable uses of natural resources. �WRI is a bottom-up initiative where project planning, review, and ranking occur at a local level. �Five regional teams elect their own leaders, establish focus areas, review, score and rank project proposals using a comprehensive project prioritization score sheet, and assist their members in implementing projects. WRI through its partners provides a number of project services including: funding, assistance with project planning and implementation, cultural resource and project contracting and accounting, seed purchasing, storage, mixing and delivery, free use of restoration equipment, project monitoring and reporting, on the ground project management, and an on-line project tracking database (wri.utah.gov) and information website (watershed.utah.gov). �The locally-led teams provide a means to work on a landscape scale across ownership boundaries. Since 2006, WRI partners have completed nearly 1,500 projects and are approaching 1.5 million acres treated.� As of 2016, nearly 500 agencies, organizations and individuals have contributed to WRI projects by providing funding and/or in-kind assistance. �Projects can generally be categorized into two types, restoration projects to improve the health of watersheds and rehabilitation projects following wild fire to re-establish the structure and function of watersheds.� We are often asked about how WRI has been able to achieve such success in such a short time. �This presentation will highlight the history, organization, management and keys to the success of WRI in Utah.