PRESS RELEASE: Announcement - Funding Opportunity to Restore and Protect Wetlands to Benefit Great Salt Lake Hydrology

Salt Lake City – The Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust (the Trust) today announced that up to $10 million in grant funding is available to eligible organizations with projects that will protect or restore wetlands and habitats in Great Salt Lake’s surrounding ecosystem to benefit the hydrology of Great Salt Lake.

Funding is through The Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust, which was established in January 2023 pursuant to the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Program with $40 million in Utah State funding. The primary purpose of the Trust is to enhance water quantity and water quality for Great Salt Lake and its wetlands, as well as protecting and restoring wetlands habitats to benefit the hydrology of Great Salt Lake.

“Wetlands associated with Great Salt Lake are essential to the lake’s health and play an important role in connecting water flows and habitats that benefit the hydrology of the lake and the well-being of our communities as we look to the future,” said Marcelle Shoop, Executive Director of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust. 

“This is a big step forward in advancing the goals of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust. We are thrilled to see this funding become available for the preservation and protection of wetlands, which play a critical role in lake and ecosystem health," said Ben Stireman, Deputy Director at the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

The Trust is co-managed by National Audubon Society’s Saline Lakes Program and The Nature Conservancy in Utah, with oversight from the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. A nine-member statutorily defined Trust Advisory Council plays an important role in helping set the strategic direction of the Trust and approves major project proposals.

Eligible applicants include state, local or municipal government entities, tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations. Private landowners, private entities, or institutions of higher education are eligible if working in partnership with a public/governmental entity or a non-profit organization.

Applications must be submitted by midnight on September 15, 2023.

This funding opportunity has specific project eligibility requirements. For more information visit https://www.gslwatertrust.org/wetland-grants

Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust - https://www.gslwatertrust.org/