With only a narrow strip of developable land between the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake, pressure increases daily to further develop wetlands. Increased recreation, including unrestricted use of off-road vehicles along beaches, can be disastrous to sensitive species that forage and nest along the shores. Concerns are increasing about water quality. Pollutants entering a lake with no outlet from industry, agriculture and a growing human population may be accumulating to possibly toxic levels for wildlife. There is a lack of scientific information about many aspects of the lake's ecology.
More scientific study is needed so informed decisions concerning the lake's future can be made.
This lifelessness is but an illusion. When intermittently or seasonally flooded, activity explodes and the playa blooms. Invertebrates feed on rapidly growing, salt-tolerant algae. These shallow, ephemeral, salt-water habitats become magnets attracting breeding and migrating birds. When the play dries, life goes dormant again and waits for water.