Because of the importance of Great Salt Lake and its associated wetlands to migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, in 1991 the lake was designated a Hemispheric Reserve in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Wetlands are an important part of the earth's ecosystem. They act like sponges to store water during the wet times of the year and release it into the aquifers and underground streams where we get most of our drinking water. When there are no wetlands to soak up the water, rains are more likely to turn into floods which destroy homes, businesses and farms. Plants that grow in wetlands hold the soil and help keep it from being washed away.
Wetlands also help purify water.
They filter out harmful chemicals and wastes. Dirty water gets a good cleaning when it flows through a wetlands Wetlands provide homes for many birds and animals that need wet places to grow and reproduce. They are important rest and food stops for many migrating birds. At the time of European settlement, there were about 215 million acres of wetlands in the lower 48 states. In the last 200 years over 54 percent of these wetlands have been lost.