Our Programs

FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake believes that education is the key to raising public awareness and appreciation of the lake. We attend over a dozen community events each year to distribute information about Great Salt Lake. In addition, we offer the following education programs:

(All of our programs need VOLUNTEERS. Click here to download a volunteer application and JOIN OUR TEAM!)

Traveling FRIENDS. If your class cannot get out to the lake, then our volunteers and staff can bring the lake to you! New in 2010, we now offer short in-classroom programs where students (grades k-4) will examine live brine shrimp and use hand lenses to observe brine fly pupal cases, shrimp cysts, and oolitic sand. We also offer a simple lake-related art project.

Lakeside Learning. Our lakeside learning field trips are designed to complement the 4^th grade science core curriculum mandated by the state of Utah. Every spring and fall we take hundreds of 4th grade students out to Antelope Island State Park for a fun day of science and education. Great Salt Lake is the perfect outdoor "classroom" that provides the opportunity for relevant place-based educational experiences in biology, chemistry, geography, geology and weather, as well as in history, language arts and career motivation. Pre and post field trip activities are available for download.

Project SLICE 4th Grade Curriculum. Our Salt Lake Initiative for Conservation Education - or Project SLICE, is designed to assist teachers with matching the wealth of scientific, cultural and economic attributes of Great Salt Lake to their own standards-based instructional needs. The entire curriculum is free and available for download after registration on our website. For teachers interested in teaching with these materials, we also offer a Teacher Training Institute and a SpeakersNetwork.

The Lake Affect. Record human populations in northern Utah are encroaching upon the lake, while public attitudes about the Lake remain indifferent. To provide for a citizenry that better understands the fragile Great Salt Lake Ecosystem and their relationship to it, we offer a "virtual field trip" with our Lake Affect DVD.

Coming Soon: Lakeside Investigations! Interdisciplinary lessons designed by partner middle school teachers will be available for free download!

Our Funding

Funding for our Great Salt Lake Education efforts has been generously provided by:

• Dr. Ezekiel S. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation
• JEPS Foundation
• George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation
• Patagonia Outlet
• Utah Wetlands Foundation
• Wilburforce Foundation
• Hemingway Foundation