THE GREAT SALT LAKE ALLIANCE

By Maunsel B. Pearce, Chairman GSL Alliance

Lynn has asked me to introduce the Great Salt Lake Alliance to readers of the Newsletter. This is no easy task, because the Alliance has been a quiet, informal group. We have been meeting monthly when necessary since January, 1998 to exchange ideas and share information and concerns about the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem. It all began at an Alta Club luncheon hosted by Utah Wetlands Foundation founder Bill Olwell, Bob Valentine, and myself.

The Alliance is composed of the leaders of local conservation groups with a major Great Salt Lake focus. Organizations represented include: Friends of Great Salt Lake, The Nature Conservancy of Utah, Great Salt Lake Audubon, National Audubon, Ducks Unlimited, Hawkwatch International, Utah Wetlands Foundation plus a few important "Lake Advocates": Bob Adler, Cullen Battle and Ella Sorenson. We have resisted temptations to expand because we seem to function best as a small focused group.

Our goal or mission is to promote cooperation rather than competition among groups and to share in healthy dialog on issues affecting sustainability of the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem.

A few highlights of activities over the past five years:

A few highlights of activities over the past five years:

• Detailed comments submitted on the Great Salt Lake Management Alternatives proposed by Utah Department of Natural Resources for the Great Salt Lake Planning Project.
• Coordination of efforts opposing Alternative C of Legacy Highway including breakfast with Governor Leavitt.
• Informative discussions with Directors of Department of Natural Resources and Division of Wildlife Resources, Representative Jim Hansen's staff and others in promoting the Sovereign Lands-Bear River Refuge settlement.
• A friendly discussion among all parties about Farmington Bay water quality concerns. This resulted in the creation by Utah Division of Water Quality of the Farmington Bay Water Quality Working Group. Meetings and grant applications are ongoing.

The Great Salt Lake Alliance is now represented on the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Land's Great Salt Lake Technical Team and The Technical Advisory Group of the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Project.

Perhaps our best contribution to the Great Salt Lake conservation community will be the promotion of cooperation and enhancement of partnerships among various stakeholders within a framework of watershed conservation. That is a lofty goal, but worthy of our effort.

The above is taken from the FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake Newsletter Summer 2003 Vol. 9 No. 4, p. 5.