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Agencies ask Legislature for funds related to Great Salt Lake conservation

Erin Lewis

The Great Salt Lake Strike Team has made clear, in their recent report, that long term, continuing conservation efforts are necessary to a healthy Great Salt Lake. While strides have been made in limiting water use and monitoring lake levels, the lake remains highly susceptible to drought and increasing temperatures.

Joel Ferry, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said Great Salt Lake continues to be a top priority. “We're focused on making sure that we, make right decisions, make the proper investments to continue on the pathway to recovery of Great Salt Lake.”

Ferry emphasized that while the state has made some great progress in focusing efforts on the lake, decreased water use remains crucial to long term conservation.

“An objective in the next 10 years is to reduce the amount of water we're using today by 10%. And that, will equal nearly 250,000 acre feet annually, getting to Great Salt Lake,” Ferry said.

Several agencies are asking legislators for significant funding for Great Salt Lake related conservation.

“Great Salt Lake Commissioner's Office is asking for $16 million," Ferry said. "My office is asking for funding for, you know, to do some wildlife improvements, to do some work there, and then I think you'll see some policy changes as well that are going to help us.”

Erin Lewis is a science reporter at Utah Public Radio and a PhD Candidate in the biology department at Utah State University. She is passionate about fostering curiosity and communicating science to the public. At USU she studies how anthropogenic disturbances are impacting wildlife, particularly the effects of tourism-induced dietary shifts in endangered Bahamian Rock Iguana populations. In her free time she enjoys reading, painting and getting outside with her dog, Hazel.