In the News
-
Deseret News Thursday, May. 10, 2018
Great Salt Lake: A Lake No More?
There are two things the waters of the Great Salt Lake and agricultural lands have in common: they are both in steady, rapid decline. A three-day forum hosted by Friends of the Great Salt Lake at the University of Utah Officers Club is providing an in-depth look at the many challenges and unique attributes of a lake that delivers $1.3 billion in economic output — including the industry and recreation it supports. ... A report from Utah State University shows the waters of the Great Salt Lake have been reduced 48 percent since the arrival of pioneers. ... "We really think there is an urgent need to protect agricultural lands in the face of rapid land use change," said Karin Kettenring from USU's Quinney College of Natural Resources. Kettenring and Joanna Endter-Wada, also from the university's natural resources college, spoke Thursday about the nexus between agricultural land and healthy wetlands — which depend on return flows from agricultural operations. ... Don Leonard, chairman of the Great Salt Lake Advisory Council and chairman and CEO of the Great Salt Lake Brine Shrimp Cooperative, said of nine research projects identified in 2012 related to the lake, eight of those are either complete or underway. The research has taught the scientific community and advocates that there is an abundance of knowledge left to be acquired, but few dollars to carry out those studies. ... The Great Salt Lake Advisory Council solicited ideas to help the Great Salt Lake and stem its decline. ... Many of the top strategies focus on financial compensation for farmers to cut down production during late harvest, expanding the ability to acquire water rights for in- stream flows and a study of dry lake impacts.