Dave Grierson

Abstract: Below the Meander – Management of Great Salt Lake

The Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands is charged by statute to be the management authority on the sovereign lands in the State of Utah. Managing the sovereign lands with a mix of conflicting uses poses a challenge in developing and implementing public policy on these lands. There is over 500 miles of shoreline and 1.3 million acres of land and lakebed in Great Salt Lake, presenting many challenges for the management of those lands. There is great diversity of uses on Great Salt Lake including recreation, aquatic and migratory birds, mineral extraction, brine shrimp harvesting, nutraceuticals and a host of other uses. Management direction for those lands come from Public Trust Doctrine, state statute, rules and regulations, and the Great Salt Lake Comprehensive Management Plan. This talk centers on the difficulties of managing a large, complex lake, among a host of administrative and regulatory agencies, for a wide range of often conflicting uses.