Dear FRIENDS, As the days become shorter and many of us along the Wasatch Front begin yearning for deep powder, here at FRIENDS we know that the Greatest Snow on Earth is a direct result of our Great Salt Lake. As eternal optimists we tell ourselves that it will be a wet season, that lawmakers will understand how critical keeping water in Great Salt Lake is to our health, and the proposal to take 220,000 acre feet from the Bear River will finally be put to rest. We believe we must all remain optimistic, but within that optimism, we must face our challenges directly and keep working for the health of Great Salt Lake. The hemispherically critical and economically rich Great Salt Lake ecosystem provides ample opportunities for us to pause, and give thanks—sunsets over Buffalo Point, flocks of pelicans soaring to unimaginable heights, streaks of red brine shrimp within the crystal water. And thanks to you, we have enjoyed another year of successes within our programs—Lakeside Learning, the Doyle W. Stephens Scholarship, the Alfred Lambourne Prize, and the Great Salt Lake Issues Forum. Here are a few highlights of our 2017: Our Lakeside Learning program brought over 2,000 students to the shores of Great Salt Lake for inquiry-based environmental education. Special thanks to our generous education partners, Cargill and Compass Minerals, who help make this program possible. In May, the Doyle W. Stephens Scholarship was awarded to Melody Lindsay of Montana State University for her work, “Effects of Changing Salinity on Microbialite-Associated Primary Producers and Secondary Consumers in Great Salt Lake.” Lindsay’s full proposal can be read on our website; and she will be presenting at the 2018 Great Salt Lake Issues Forum in May. The 4th annual Alfred Lambourne Prize for artistic representations of Great Salt Lake was awarded in September to winners in four categories: Michael Sharp, visual art; Alicia Anderson, literary art; Kendall Fischer, movement; and Stuart Wheeler, sound. Samples of the artists’ works and photographs from the event can be seen on our website and social media platforms. For the fifth consecutive year, FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake participated in the International Coastal Cleanup. With the participation of more than 100 volunteers, we removed nearly a ton of trash and debris from the sensitive ecosystem around Lee Creek. 2017 has also brought monumental challenges our way. We no longer live in a world where science and logic are guiding principles. We no longer live in a world where facts top demagoguery. It can be easy to wish we were brine shrimp—with our metaphorical heads buried in oolitic sand, waiting for our circumstances to change. Dormant brine shrimp cysts can remain viable for dozens of years, but we do not have the luxury of inaction. We must face the realities of climate change today. Our primary focus must be keeping water in Great Salt Lake. Climate change poses a direct threat to Great Salt Lake’s water, which in turn affects the health of all Utahns. As we send this Year End Letter, we know we all have more work to do. The biennial Great Salt Lake Issues Forum will be May 9, 10, and 11th 2018 at the Fort Douglas Officer’s Club on the campus of the University of Utah. Our theme, “Lake Elevated: Keeping the Lake Great” will feature more than 200 individuals from around the region engaged in discussions about Great Salt Lake. Your continuing participation in and financial support of our programs is essential. You can help by becoming a member, making an additional one-time or monthly donation, and by gifting a membership to a friend or family member. Planned giving opportunities are also available and can ensure your support of Great Salt Lake continues to perpetuity. FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake seeks to operate within the highest ethical standards. In May of 2017, we earned the Fundraising & Resource Development Badge from Utah Nonprofits Association. Over half of our funding comes from individual donors, and nearly 80% is spent directly on programming. FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake’s Board of Directors and staff have committed to match the first $5,000 donated. Your tax-deductible gift this holiday season will ensure another year’s worth of our collective commitment to Great Salt Lake. If you’ve already given, thank you for your gift. Please do call me at 801-450-6934 or write at ldefreitas@xmission.com if you have any questions or would like more information about our programs or opportunities. Thank you in advance for your generosity and help. In saline and sustainability for the Lake,
Lynn de Freitas Executive Director |