Dear Great Salt Lake

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.

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.

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. I know you don’t mean to smell. I understand that the smell is because you are so alive. The brine fly larvae 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!  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, 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.

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 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 annually to the economy
• Great Salt Lake Open Water Swimmers
• Great Salt Lake Rowing Club with 46 members and 18 boats
• Great Salt Lake Volunteer Search and Rescue
• Gonzo Sunset Dinner Cruise, Kayak and Paddle Board Rentals
• Huntsman Rowing Club
• Hui Paoakalani Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Club
• Mud motorboat groups
• Sailboats – approx. 160 sailors that together pay upwards of $475,000 annually in slip fees
• Utah Airboat Association
• Utah Bowfishing Association

In fact, did you know that The Great Salt Lake Advisory Council’s Executive Summary Report 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, 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 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 crashactually 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? Did you know that it states in the Utah Constitution 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.

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 because it isn’t really an island anymore.

Have you considered the health ramifications 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. 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.

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 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.

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

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