“Utah will sell part of the Great Salt Lake to the feds – a deal lawmakers call a ‘win-win’ for the lake.” This headline from today’s Salt Lake Tribune marks a significant development in Utah’s attempt to save Great Salt Lake. Things took an, uh, interesting turn recently when President Trump lent support for the effort and discussed with Utah governor Spencer Cox the possibility of sending a billion dollars toward the lake.
So what the hell is going on? First of all, here’s the details. The Utah legislature, on the last day of its (very short) session passed the joint resolution that will allow for the sale of 22,311 acres of lakebed to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, owned by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The price is still being negotiated, but is expected to be more than $60 million. (I confess to not understanding how a House Joint Resolution accomplishes this transfer, but it seems like the legislature is signaling its cooperation, promising not to put up any roadblocks.) The Bird Refuge was established in 1928, due in large part to the efforts of duck hunters who drew the state’s attention to bird epidemics caused by deteriorating environmental conditions. It protects crucial wetlands for many bird species, and the transfer of exposed lakebed to federal control is almost certainly a good thing for the refuge and the lake. (I do not know precisely how the various jurisdictions have sorted out who manages the lakebed as Great Salt Lake dries up, how settled those jurisdictional boundaries are, or how this transfer might trouble or resolve those questions.)
When I was more involved in Great Salt Lake organizing, one of the strategies that organizers discussed was getting the federal government involved. At the time, before the second Trump administration, everyone understood that this would be an escalation. Some organizers work closely with state officials, and engaging the federal government on this issue could jeopardize those relationships. The coalition was split between the need to move quickly and the desire to avoid antagonizing the state government. But last October, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit to gain protected status for Wilson’s Phalarope, a migratory shorebird that depends on Great Salt Lake. In January of this year, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that a closer look was indeed warranted.
Fox 13 News reported that Republican state senator Scott Scandall objected to this action by USFWS, saying that “If any species of wildlife gets listed, we lost that control so we’re going to do everything we can to make sure we don’t lose that control of what happens on the Great Salt Lake. We can manage it better than the federal government can.” And yet, a couple months later, Scott Sandall was the floor sponsor of the Bird Refuge joint resolution. Apparently, only Trump could get Utah to transfer land to the federal government. I won’t say more on this here, but Westerners will understand what a remarkable development this is.
What does this all mean? And is it good? I’m of the opinion that basically any intervention that buys more time for the lake is good. Wilson’s Phalarope, along with many other migrating bird species, are indeed threatened by the imminent collapse of the food web in the lake. When the lake reached a historic low in 2022, its salinity rose to levels at which brine shimp cysts (eggs) become unviable in lab conditions. With this winter’s warm temperatures and scant snowpack, the lake level is on track for a new record low. It’s hard to be choosy when faced with this unprecedented danger.
I have been critical of the strategy of playing too nice with Utah officials. I don’t think they’re serious about doing what is necessary for the lake, and they are far too quick to pat themselves on the back just for paying lip service to the problem. But I also recognize that if these officials were to give organizers and experts the cold shoulder, we would be in truly bad shape. And with the rise of the far right, there is always the danger of turning the issue into grist for the culture war industry. This would ultimately be an own goal for state leaders regardless of party, but Republicans are increasingly incapable of looking at anything other than their X mentions. I think we’re fortunate that we’ve avoided this scenario so far – knock on wood.
There is more at stake here than just the lake. Anything that lends legitimacy to President Trump’s fascist administration and reckless campaign of multifront war deserves careful scrutiny at the absolute least. I hasten to mention that while we need immediate interventions, we also need to overhaul the culture and political economy of the West in a way that will value the natural processes that sustain life. Anything having to do with Trump feels like a payday loan. We don’t have much choice at the moment, but if we get any breathing room, we should not let that debt continue to mount.