PRESS RELEASE: 2026 Wetland Funding Awards Increase Acreage of Protected and Restored Wetlands at Great Salt Lake
Three Projects Awarded $1.6 Million by Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands and the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust
SALT LAKE CITY, (June 22, 2026)— The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands (FFSL) and the National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy, as co-managers of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust (the Trust), are pleased to announce the awardees of the 2026 Wetlands Protection and Restoration Funding Opportunity.
Three projects from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) were awarded a total of $1,659,192.50 in funding over the next two years for projects that will protect and/or restore wetlands and benefit the hydrology of Great Salt Lake. The DWR will provide at least $555,700.48 in matching contributions for these projects.
“This funding will directly support our waterfowl management area managers in implementing adaptive strategies to manage the wetlands around the Great Salt Lake and enhance the natural function of the ecosystem for migratory bird species,” said Riley Peck, Director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "The Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust and the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands have been instrumental partners with us and other organizations in the state in working to protect these extremely important habitat areas as we move toward our state-wide goal of saving Great Salt Lake.”
Funded projects Include:
Water Control Enhancement and Phragmites Control—Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area and Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management Area
Grant Amount: $825,000
Match: $276,000.48
Total Project Amount: $1,101,000.48
Blackhawk Waterfowl Management Area Hydrologic Restoration (phase II)
Grant Amount: $322,392.50
Match: $109,000
Total Project Amount: $431,392.50
Bayview Duck Club Water Retention Impoundments and Channel Clearing to Benefit Howard Slough Waterfowl Management Area
Grant Amount: $511,800
Match: $170,700
Total Project Amount: $682,500
This marks the third round of wetland funding, following the Trust’s 2023 Program, which awarded $8,525,343 to eight projects that cover 13,000 acres of wetlands, and the Trust’s and FFSL’s 2024 Program, which awarded $5,479,914 to four projects at six locations covering 6,000 acres of wetlands. This latest round of funding will protect and/or restore 567 acres, which brings the total amount of protected acreage to 20,399 acres, surpassing the Trust’s goal of 20,000 acres established in its Five-Year Strategy.
“Wetlands surrounding Great Salt Lake are essential to its overall health and functions, including water management and habitat for millions of birds,” said Marcelle Shoop, Executive Director of the Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust. “A fundamental role of the Trust is to work with partners to support efforts to improve and protect the wetlands. Through these partnerships and the incredible work of the awardees since 2023, we’re well on our way of surpassing the Trust’s strategic goal to protect and restore at least 20,000 acres of wetlands and associated habitat around Great Salt Lake by 2028.”
“This funding supports those working on the ground to ensure they can be as effective as possible in their day-to-day management,” said Ben Stireman, Deputy Director of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. “We are committed to the continued investment in the protection and restoration of Great Salt Lake’s wetlands and look forward to seeing the progress that will come from these important projects as our State aims for a healthy lake by the 2034 Olympics.”
Past grant recipients who have completed projects have shared the impact this funding has had in their day-to-day work in terms of improved safety and efficiency, like the State Canal and Burnham Dam project (2023 recipient), and overall impact within the greater Great Salt Lake ecosystem like The Nature Conservancy’s West Layton Marsh Restoration project (2023 recipient).
Click here for more information on this year’s project proposals and their impact.
To learn more about the Trust’s and FFSL’s wetland grant program and to view a map of the funded projects, visit https://www.gslwatertrust.org/wetland-grants.
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands -https://ffsl.utah.gov/
Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust - https://www.gslwatertrust.org/
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Media Contacts:
Shaela Adams,
Great Salt Lake Watershed Enhancement Trust
shaela.adams@audubon.org; 801-809-5805
Karl Hunt, Forestry,
Fire and State Lands
kthunt@utah.gov; 385-249-6696
Shorebirds at Farmington Bay Wetlands Photo: Shaela Adams/Audubon