PRESS RELEASE: Funding Awarded to Protect and Restore Nearly 6,000 Acres of Essential Great Salt Lake Wetlands

Four Projects Awarded $5.4 Million by Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands and the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust

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SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands (FFSL) and the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust (the Trust) are pleased to announce the awardees of the 2024 Wetlands Protection and Restoration Funding Opportunity, which will help support approximately 6000 acres of wetlands on Great Salt Lake. National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy co-lead the Trust. 

Four projects from state and non-governmental entities were awarded a total of $5,479,914 in funding over the next two years for projects that will protect and/or restore wetlands and benefit the hydrology of Great Salt Lake. Spanning approximately 6,000 acres of wetlands and habitat surrounding Great Salt Lake, applicants and partners are providing at least $1,698,164.65 in matching contributions for these projects. 

“Collaborative efforts like these are needed to provide long-lasting benefits for Great Salt Lake and its surrounding habitats,” said Marcelle Shoop, Executive Director of the Trust and National Audubon Society’s Saline Lakes Director. “These grants will help protect and enhance the unique services that wetlands provide—wildlife habitat and food, water management, flood control—while also benefiting the hydrology of Great Salt Lake and the quality of life for surrounding communities.”

Great Salt Lake and its associated wetlands not only provide irreplaceable habitat for wildlife, such as the millions of migratory birds that depend on them each year, but also support state-wide economic, ecologic, cultural, and public health benefits.  

No one organization can solve the challenges facing Great Salt Lake alone—partnerships and collaboration through projects such as these are crucial to achieving forward progress.  

“We are excited to partner with the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust to provide this round of funding to protect Great Salt Lake’s wetlands,” said Ben Stireman, Deputy Director for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. “Collaboration on every level— including funding mechanisms and diverse recipients—is a vital part of the solution when it comes to addressing the challenges facing Great Salt Lake and its wetlands.” 

Spread across the southern shore of the lake, the impact of each wetland project will be long-lasting and significant for the wildlife that depends on the health of the wetland ecosystems.  

Awardees and projects include:  

• Salt Creek / Public Shooting Grounds Waterfowl Management Area (WMA) Restoration
  Ducks Unlimited
  Grant Amount: $2,661,197.70
  Match: $896,500
  Total Project Amount: $3,557,697.70  

• GSL Marsh Water Delivery Improvements:  
  Pelican Haven (Ogden Bay WMA) & Turpin/Miller Ponds Outlet to Great Salt Lake (Farmington Bay WMA)
  State of Utah, Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife
  Grant Amount: $710,183
  Match: $252,662.28
  Total Project Amount: $963,345.28  

• Manes Flats Wetlands Restoration
  The Nature Conservancy
  Grant Amount: $659,200
  Match: $168,162.37
  Total Project Amount: $827,362.37  

• Goggin Drain Bank Stabilization through Pilot Study, Evaluation, and Implementation
  Audubon Rockies
  Grant Amount: $1,449,332.98
  Match: $380,840
  Total Project Amount: $1,816,632.98 

Following the success of the 2023 Wetlands Protection and Restoration Funding—whereby the Trust awarded eight projects from local, state, federal, and non-governmental entities a total of $8,525,343 of that original $10 million, projects which are ongoing—FFSL partnered with the Trust to facilitate this year’s funding effort, utilizing the Trust’s existing funding framework and criteria, while bringing an additional $5 million in state funding to support these projects.

Building on the momentum of last year’s funding efforts, these four projects will help to build longer-term resiliency for the wetlands and increase the capacity for the wetland managers to keep them healthy even in the face of drought and climate change. 

Click here for more information on each project proposal and their impact. 

FFSL and the Trust will be working with the Grantees to enter into funding agreements so projects can get started in 2025.  

To learn more about project eligibility requirements, selection process, and to view a map of the funded projects, visit https://www.gslwatertrust.org/wetland-grants. 

Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands - https://ffsl.utah.gov/ 

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

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Media Contacts:   

Shaela Adams, Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust  
shaela.adams@audubon.org; 385-355-4340   

Karl Hunt, Forestry, Fire and State Lands
kthunt@utah.gov; 385-249-6696 

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Photo: Shaela Adams/Audubon