March 2015 - GSL-Marina - mailman.xmission.com

Water to Docks
by Dave Shearer 17 Mar '15

17 Mar '15

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. The water is back on to all the docks except C, J, and K. We have some issues to fix on those three docks. The pump-a-head is back on and working for the season too. Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

1 0

Antelope Outing
by Dave Shearer 17 Mar '15

17 Mar '15

Last chance to RSVP for the Antelope Island outing this Saturday. We will be hosting a soft shell beef taco lunch and will discuss lake levels and dredging plans immediately after the lunch. The outing will be held at the historic Fielding-Garr ranch house on the east side of the island. Parks will be comping the entry fee to Antelope Island for the marina community. But we can only comp those that RSVP. Please, if you haven't already RSVP'd please do so now. Thank you. Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

1 0

GSL Sailors at the San Diego NOOD Regattas
by Bryant Pratt 16 Mar '15

16 Mar '15

GSL sailors did very well this weekend in the Helly Hansen NOOD Regattas in San Diego. Congratulations to Mark Allen and the Junta crew for WINNING the Ultimate 20 Class Regatta. Mark dominated the fleet with 4 firsts, 2 seconds and a third, and won the class by 10 points. Also in the U-20 class, Travis Gregory on 222 took fourth, only 2 points out of third. Also, our old friend Mike Johnston on his Olsen 30 Cheap Thrills took fourth in the North Rally Race, a mixed-class pursuit race. Well done, guys! You make us proud. Bry Pratt

1 0

PASSED!
by Dave Shearer 13 Mar '15

13 Mar '15

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users. The legislature passed a bill for 1.5 million dollars to go towards dredging for fiscal year 2016. The fiscal year starts July 1 of this year. It appears dredging will happen sometime after July 1st. There are many questions that still need to be answered. And the snowpack is just not working in our favor. I am hoping that dredging will be very successful and will be able to dig deeper than the 4188 level that the marina was originally dredged to in 1980. It is still very likely that deeper draft boats should pull out while they can until we can see how successful dredging efforts are. I hope to have more information at the Antelope Island Outing a week from Saturday. If you are planning on attending the outing please RSVP ASAP. Free entry to the park will only be given to those that RSVP. Thanks Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

1 0

CORRECTION
by Dave Shearer 12 Mar '15

12 Mar '15

Correction. The date of the Antelope Island outing is Saturday, March 21st. Sorry Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

1 0

Dredging and more stuff
by Dave Shearer 12 Mar '15

12 Mar '15

GSL Slip Renters and Marina Users As many of you may know now there seems to have been significant movement in a positive direction toward allocating money to dredge Great Salt Lake Marina. I hope to know more after midnight tonight when the legislature ends. Right now there is too many unanswered questions to brief you on what this means. We still have crane day planned in April. It is likely many of you will still have to utilize this crane day to pull out before the lake becomes too low trapping you in your slip. Having you trapped in your slip would not be a very good thing if dredging money is allocated. It could make dredging, if it happens, very difficult. Remember that we are having the Antelope Island outing and picnic on Saturday, March 23rd at 11am. Parks will be hosting a barbecue picnic and entry to the park will be free that day. But in order for the free entry WE NEED YOU TO RSVP. Only those that RSVP will be granted free entry. The picnic will be held at the Fielding-Garr ranch house down on the east side road. We will have a meeting right after the barbecue and will discuss lake levels, and hopefully any new developments on funding for dredging as well as any other information we hope to know by then. Also, the Yacht Club is holding their annual St. Patty's Party this Saturday, March 14th at 4:30pm. We plan to turn the water back on to the docks next week. We will also turn the pump-a-head back on at that time. The lake level today is 4194 and holding steady. That puts 4.7' of water in the mouth at the shallowest area. The lake is likely not going to come up much more if any this year unless the snowpack increases. Yet it appears there are several storms lined up and heading our way. NOAA is forecasting a wetter-than-normal spring and summer. But, it is my experience, that NOAA is wrong on their long-term predictions about 50% of the time. Let's hope this is the 50% prediction that is right. Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

1 0

EAC Update & Funding
by Janet Robins 12 Mar '15

12 Mar '15

As a lot of you have already heard, the EAC met today and approved one time funding for the dredging of the GSL Marina. Just because we got committee approval, does NOT mean that this is a done deal. It still needs to be voted on by the Senate and then the House. So until Cinderella's clock strikes midnight on Thursday - we won't know for sure. So, please please, please - no one post anything that could possibly piss off the Dredging Gods. We are definitely 90% there - the hardest part has been won. Janet Robins The Safety Consortium 400 W. Lawndale Dr. Salt Lake City, UT 84115 Phone: 801-746-2462 Fax: 801-803-6266

2 1

Dear Great Salt Lake - from Nicole Anderson
by Janet Robins 12 Mar '15

12 Mar '15

Please read the beautiful letter Nicole Anderson wrote ... ________________________________ From: Nicole Anderson <nma9999(a)xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2015 7:47 PM To: Janet Robins Subject: Last ditch effort.... Hi Janet, Will you please share with your list? Here is my latest blog pos<http://www.canoeingwithgod.com>t which will also appear online. Please share this with everyone you know. Dear Great Salt Lake [Great Salt Lake Marina]<http://canoeingwithgod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/936467_10201582920725…>Dear Great Salt Lake, I have been meaning to write this for some time now but in all honesty it makes me sad to think about what is happening to you. Some folks say it is just the natural ebb and flow of life coming together in full circle. Others don’t understand or, quite frankly, know anything about you. You would think that citizens of Salt Lake would at least try to understand the importance of a Lake that has given our city its name. All those years ago, Brigham Young, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, declared that “this is the place.” However, for whatever reason it seems that most people are just too busy to care or simply don’t understand your importance. You have become part of me. You provide me a sense of place and comfort that human beings need to survive. As I drive toward you I am able to feel the stress of the day-to-day rat-race leave the closer I get to your briny shoreline. I embrace the smell of your waters, for they are my home away from home that gives me peace. [Sailing Great Salt Lake]<http://canoeingwithgod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/IMG_0052.jpg>I grew up camping and hiking with my Dad. We spent many summers splashing in the salty waters of Great Salt Lake. It wasn’t too far away and we went there often. We splashed and played, watched firework shows on the 4th of July, caught brine shrimp and waded out in the water until we were deep enough to float. You have always been there and much like myself, you have always been in a constant state of change. [Pink Waters of the North Arm Great Salt Lake]<http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1364214?sid=21106090251593&uid=373925…>It’s hard for me to understand why or how people can dislike a Lake or a place that they probably don’t even know. Let’s just address the smell right now and upfront. While I have come to love that smell, many folks think you stink! Great Salt Lake, let’s face it, you smell bad sometimes<http://wildlife.utah.gov/gsl/facts/smell.php>. I know you don’t mean to smell. I understand that the smell is because you are so alive. The brine fly larvae<http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/gsl/foodweb/brine_flies/> casings on the shoreline decay. There are other things that contribute to your smell like the fact that you are shallow. Yes, Great Salt Lake, you are shallow<http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake_facts.htm>! A mere 13’ on average and at your deepest point you are still only 30’ below the shoreline and what’s more, you have nowhere to go! You can’t run, you can’t meander away. You are here to the west of a city that seems unable to protect you. You are terminal<http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/gsl/physical_char/>, with no outlets leading to the sea. None of that matters to me though. I still love you! In many ways you have given me life. You have given me a place to play and explore the wonders that you have to offer. There are so many fun places in, on, and surrounding Great Salt Lake. [Eardley Spit]<http://canoeingwithgod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/1048980_2052944896223…>You are worth more, literally more, than the folks of Salt Lake and the State of Utah understand. Did you know that those little amazing brine shrimp that call you home provide brine shrimpers<http://wildlife.utah.gov/gsl/brineshrimp/> and the state of Utah an estimated $574 million dollars in the employment sector and $56.7 million in economic output for the state? You provide the recreation sector a whopping $135.8 million in economic output and $1,764 million in Utah employment. You already know this but just in case anyone else is reading this letter it is great that you provide recreation for so many different groups like: * City Sights Tour – Great Salt Lake is one of their most popular tours * Duck Hunting which generates $97 million<http://user.xmission.com/~fogsl/images/stories/2011/Duck_Final_Executive_Su…> annually to the economy * Great Salt Lake Open Water Swimmers<http://greatsaltlakeopenwater.blogspot.com/> * Great Salt Lake Rowing Club<http://www.gslr.org/> with 46 members and 18 boats * Great Salt Lake Volunteer Search and Rescue * Gonzo Sunset Dinner Cruise<https://www.facebook.com/GonzoBoatRentalsAndTours>, Kayak and Paddle Board Rentals * Huntsman Rowing Club * Hui Paoakalani Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Club<http://huipaoakalani.blogspot.com/> * Mud motorboat<http://utahmudmotor.com/> groups * Sailboats<http://www.gslyc.org/> – approx. 160 sailors that together pay upwards of $475,000 annually in slip fees * Utah Airboat Association<http://www.utairboat.com/> * Utah Bowfishing Association<http://www.utahbowfishing.com/> [Utah Airboating by Charles Uibel]<http://canoeingwithgod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/wpceb4eedb_06.png>In fact, did you know that The Great Salt Lake Advisory Council’s Executive Summary Report <http://www.gslcouncil.utah.gov/docs/2012/Feb/gslac_eco_sig.PDF> from January 26, 2012 states that the Net Economic Value of the Great Salt Lake EcoSystem is 1.3 BILLION dollars to the Utah economy? These numbers are amazing to me and yet, with all this activity on theGreat Salt Lake<http://www.utah.com/stateparks/great_salt_lake.htm>, the Utah Division of Natural Resources and Utah State Parks Administration (not the State Park Rangers or the Harbormaster) don’t feel that they should dredge the marina<http://www.gslmarina.com/> that provides access for many of these activities to take place. I can’t imagine what would happen if the marina isn’t dredged and the search and rescue boats are stuck. What if that dreaded airplane crash<http://www.sltrib.com/home/2042489-155/one-body-recovered-after-plane-crash>actually happened over your waters? What happens the next time duck hunters are stranded or injured and the rescue boats can’t come? The marina needs to be properly taken care of and managed. If the state is unable to do this then maybe they should consider giving it back to the family that owned the lands in the beginning. In fact, Great Salt Lake, did you know that Forestry, Fire and State Lands is charged to protect you under the governing doctrine of Sovereign Lands<http://www.ffsl.utah.gov/index.php/state-lands>? Did you know that it states in the Utah Constitution<http://www.usace.army.mil/Portals/2/docs/civilworks/regulatory/cwa_guide/ap…> that they have an obligation to keep your waters navigable? This hasn’t been the case for years now. I know that they are trying their best to help you but so much of today’s society is focused on money and for some reason lawmakers don’t seem to acknowledge what you bring to Utah in means of economic value. [West flow 10-12-13 by Jeff Farr]<http://canoeingwithgod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/West-flow-10-12-13.jpg>It seems pretty clear to me, my friend Great Salt Lake, that you are getting the short end of the stick here. It isn’t just the sailboats that can’t get out onto the water either. It is the airboats that can’t go out as far as they once did because there isn’t any water, leaving them stuck in the mud. If you happen to be driving on highway 89 you can look toward the west and see what was once a beautiful expanse of water but now it is more lakebed than water with just a few water flows heading out towards you. It appears that you could walk to Antelope Island <http://stateparks.utah.gov/park/antelope-island-state-park> because it isn’t really an island anymore. [Antelope Island Marina High and Dry by Paul Harrison]<http://canoeingwithgod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/1920368_7482692019147…>Have you considered the health ramifications<http://www.fogsl.org/news-and-archives/calendar/20th-annual-stegner-symposi…> if more water doesn’t find its way to your dry lakebed? I wonder if the folks that live around you in the Salt Lake Valley have considered this as a potential problem. If you don’t get more water, the dry lakebed could cause the next potential dust bowl if we get a really bad windstorm here in Salt Lake City. We already have some of the worst air in the nation but folks just keep pulling water away from you and want to dam the rivers that flow into you without thinking fully about the very real possible ramifications of doing so. Then there is that bully plant, Phragmites<https://saltcitywriter.wordpress.com//?s=phragmites&search=Go>. It looks harmless enough and it sure is pretty when it is shown gently blowing in the wind on the newscasts late at night. It is a sod builder and not only do you see it everywhere along your shorelines, but it is at your fellow lakes and rivers too. It is at your fellow lakes and rivers too. You even see it in the city. It is an invasive non-native sod-builder and should be treated as such. It is changing the way your waters flow. Although still beautiful in your distress and rawness, I am concerned about losing you, you are a dear friend of mine. I will always hold memories of Great Salt Lake dear to my heart and I will continue to make more memories as you continue to change. 25 years ago I took my two month old daughter to your shores and more recently I have baptized my grandson in your waters. You are a way of life to so many, and to the birds, you are life. [Pelicans at Gunnison Island]<http://canoeingwithgod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/DSC01088-e14261215541…>You are part of the Pacific Flyway with millions of migratory birds consisting of over 250 different species flying to the Great Salt Lake as part of their migration journey. You are home to the largest rookery for the American White Pelican. In fact, theMigratory Bird Treaty Act <https://www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/migtrea.html> authorizes state governments to adopt and enforce laws and regulations protecting migratory birds, as long as they aren’t inconsistent with those of the federal government. These birds can’t live without your waters. They need to take rest upon your shallow saline bays to nurture, nest, and forage nutrients in order to survive. [Stranded Tug Boats]<http://canoeingwithgod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/DSC00966.jpg>What will happen to you Great Salt Lake? Will you stand the horrible fate similar to some of your sister saline lakes and go completely dry? Or perhaps will the citizens of the Great State of Utah finally take a stand and protect you. Mothers, Fathers, Children, Sailors, Boaters, Paddle boarders, Club members, Duck Hunters, and any of you that love an amazing sunset, this is your call to action. Please write your legislative representative, congressman or woman and ask them to protect the Great Salt Lake and the Bear River. Do this now. Do this every day. Don’t forget. With Love, Nicole [Canoeing with God Who's Got Your Paddle]<http://canoeingwithgod.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Canoeing-with-God-Who…>© Canoeing with God, 2015 All Rights Reserved <http://canoeingwithgod.com/><http://canoeingwithgod.com/><http://canoeingwithgod.com/><https://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Fcanoeingwithgod.com%2F…> Nicole Anderson, MSC Freelance Journalist Murray, Utah nma9999(a)xmission.com<mailto:nma9999@xmission.com> 385-355-5062

1 0

Update & EAC Meeting tomorrow 4:10 pm
by Janet Robins 11 Mar '15

11 Mar '15

?Just a quick update - I am pretty hopeful that we will be included in on the budget with the required funding for dredging the marina. However - we won't know for absolutely sure until Thursday at midnight. If you haven't sent the Democrats on the list a thank you (Senators Escamilla, Dabakis, Mayne, Davis and Representatives Chavez-Houck, Briscoe, King and Arent) please do so. It just needs to be a brief paragraph letting them know much we appreciate them supporting us. This is not the time to write long lengthy emails, they won't get read. I went to the EAC meeting today, but it was cancelled at the last minute (happens a lot). The EAC meets again tomorrow at 4:10 pm - 5:00 pm. If anyone can go, it would be appreciated. I can't be there, I am working in Richfield. Basically all I am hoping to see is that a line item has been added to the budget for our dredging. If there is a hard copy of the proposed budget please grab a copy for me, if no hard copies available, please take a picture of it and send it to me. It is entirely possible that you may get there, and the meeting may be cancelled again - don 't be discouraged by that, again, it happens frequently this time of year. This is also not the time to try to talk to someone, wrestle them to the ground and convince them we are right. We have done a good job letting them know what the issues are, and I do believe we have successfully gotten our point across.

1 0

Crane Day / Mast Drop Party.
by Dave Shearer 09 Mar '15

09 Mar '15

Correction. The date of the Mast Drop Party is Saturday, April 18th. The one button on my keyboard does not always work. Dave Dave Shearer Harbor Master Great Salt Lake State Marina Antelope Island State Marina 801-209-9142

1 0