Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve Area

Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve spans across 4,400 acres of wetlands around the lake. We narrowed down our study site to a circular boardwalk located at 41.045887, -112.026314. This land is owned by the Nature Conservancy Organization. Other stakeholders include: Mitigation Commission, Utah Division of Wildlife, and Department of Natural Resources.

In August 2019, the Nature Conservancy received complete ownership over the wetlands. The Utah Department of Transportation wants to build a highway on a portion of the wetlands, about 15 acres. This action could decrease the value of the wetlands and the Conservancy will oversee the project.

The main groups of vegetation are sedges (Cyperaceae), rushes (Juncaceae), cattails (Typha), and phragmites. Other plants were there but weren't able to be identified. The health of the vegetation between 2018 and 2017 using aerial imagery for the month of August. The map below shows where the vegetation isn't as healthy and where managers can focus there efforts to increase the vegetation's health.

This wetland, along with the Salt Lake, provide habitat for migratory birds, and the rare species of brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) brine flies (Ephydra). Some of the birds present include: bald eagles, peregrine falcons, snowy plovers, and long-billed curlews. Other animals could be rodents, feral animals, ungulates, and foxes, although they weren't spotted during some observation sessions.

The area receives its water mainly from groundwater and the Great Salt Lake. The lake's major sources of water is from creeks and rivers, the big rivers are: Bear river, Ogden River, Weber River, and Jordan River.

The Nature Conservancy has already posted signs that have the rules for the boardwalk

• Stay on the boardwalk
• No all-terrain vehicles
• No bicycles/ skateboards
• No alcohol/ BBQ equipment
• No fireworks/weapons

Some of the potential impacts from people visiting the site include: staying on the trail, various forms of pollution like litter or run-off, the airport's noise pollution, and light pollution from Layton, UT.

Run a trial management plan for a smaller site that could be implemented for a larger area after success focusing on being striking a balance between being aesthetically pleasing with a natural habitat.

• Run more tests (water quality, pH, salinity, etc)
• Clean up the pollution
• Remove or treat invasive species
• Encourage public cooperation