New Audubon Report Identifies Most Important Areas for Bird Conservation at Great Salt Lake – Now and for the Future

SALT LAKE CITY — Today, the National Audubon Society released the Great Salt Lake Birds and Habitat Assessment—a science-based analysis that integrates habitat, hydrology and climate modeling to illustrate the importance of Great Salt Lake and its wetlands for waterbirds.  

Developed by Audubon’s team of scientists, with input from habitat and water experts, the Great Salt Lake Birds and Habitat Assessment identifies and classifies the most important habitat for waterbirds to help guide ongoing and future conservation efforts. As a result, several strategic conservation opportunities emerged, including: 

• the identification of ongoing priority areas concentrated around the open water of Great Salt Lake and existing wetland complexes—particularly managed wetlands, state waterfowl management areas—and key sites such as the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and Audubon’s Gillmor Sanctuary,  

• opportunity areas which represent key potential sites for proactive conservation such as restoration or incentivizing voluntary land preservation around the lake in places that provide current and future habitat values. 

“The future of Great Salt Lake and its wetlands is intertwined with the decisions we make in the surrounding watershed,” said Marcelle Shoop, Director of Audubon’s Saline Lakes Program. “This science-based assessment illustrates where conservation will make the biggest difference for waterbird species —and makes clear that protecting how water moves to the lake and its wetlands is essential for the future of Great Salt Lake and our communities.”    

The Assessment’s findings emphasize that the hydrologic connectivity of Great Salt Lake and its wetlands is central to successful habitat conservation. The lake is defined by its mosaic of habitat types, as no single habitat type can support the full suite of species, some 12 million waterbirds annually, that depend on Great Salt Lake. Open water areas of the lake support species like Eared Grebe and Wilson’s Phalarope during staging, managed wetlands with reliable freshwater sources and deep-water zones support breeding species like Cinnamon Teal and White-faced Ibis, and shallow wetlands like seasonal and mudflats are essential for breeding shorebirds like Snowy Plover and American Avocet.  

Wetland habitat and ecosystems along the interior Pacific Flyway–including Great Salt Lake–are increasingly vulnerable due to prolonged droughts and a changing climate—threatening local economies, farms, as well as birds and other wildlife. Enhancing landscape-scale connectivity, especially between wetlands and water sources, can reduce habitat fragmentation and increase resilience to environmental variability. 

“Great Salt Lake is one of the most important remaining strongholds for migratory birds as they make their hemispheric journeys along the Pacific Flyway,” said Marshall Johnson, Chief Conservation Officer for National Audubon Society. “This assessment contributes directly to Audubon’s broader work to bend the bird curve and provides valuable insight to our partners—water and wetland managers, partner conservation groups, and policymakers—a shared, science-based framework for protecting Great Salt Lake habitats and water resources.”  

While the conservation of these birds and their habitats  is integral to the larger picture of Great Salt Lake preservation, the Assessment was designed for application across sectors. The Assessment is for conservation partners, water and land managers, restoration practitioners, and local, state, regional and national decision-makers to inform, unify and maximize the positive impact of their decisions about where and how to invest in conservation efforts, particularly when coupled with site-specific analyses.    

“The Great Salt Lake Birds and Habitat Assessment provides valuable information that can be utilized by a wide array of practitioners, including farmers, who are working in the Great Salt Lake Basin,” said Kelly Pehrson, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. "The assessment highlights the important role that agricultural lands can play in water flows for wetlands and habitat, which are important factors to be considered in conservation and planning.” 

Bird and habitat conservation at Great Salt Lake must consider the dynamic nature of climate change and changing land-use pressure in a forward-looking and coordinated approach with multiple partnerships. Every area of quality habitat today warrants attention and protection, and as habitat conditions are predicted to shift in the future, Audubon has identified many opportunities to improve the health of the lake and its wetlands. More conservation resources and efforts—strategically aligned—are needed to address the challenges facing Great Salt Lake, its habitats, and surrounding communities to have the greatest beneficial and durable impact.   

Learn more about the Great Salt Lake Birds and Habitat Assessment and its findings →  

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Media Contact:  
Shaela Adams, Saline Lakes Program, National Audubon Society  
shaela.adams@audubon.org