Counting Shorebirds at Great Salt Lake and Across the Intermountain West

 

Plus, meet one of our partners, take our bioblitz survey, and learn about beavers and climate change!

It’s no secret that the Great Salt Lake is vitally important for shorebirds like phalaropes, avocets, stilts, and sandpipers.

From 1989 to 1995, in a large collaborative survey across the Intermountain West, scientists and state agencies counted shorebird populations in an effort to understand their abundance and migration. The data collected verified what observers knew: Great Salt Lake is essential for these species.

A survey of the south shore of Great Salt Lake. ©Max and Mike Malmquist.

But in light of recent issues threatening Great Salt Lake and its ecosystems, biologists and birders recently gathered to survey over 60 sites. Along with our partners, we organized teams of volunteer birders to recreate the earlier survey across the Intermountain West and monitor population changes.

Read the full story below.


Thank You,
2022 Volunteers and Donors!

Thank you so much to all who joined us at our Thank You Bash at Tracy Aviary! If you weren't able to make it, watch this video to learn more about what you made possible for wildlife in 2022.

If you haven't had a chance to join us yet this year, feel free to join our upcoming projects or donate to continue to support our work. We can't thank you--our community of volunteers and donors--enough!


Saline Lakes & Shorebirds:
Meet Max Malmquist

Max surveys for shorebirds at Great Salt Lake.

Meet one of our extraordinary partners, Max Malmquist! Max is the Outreach Associate for National Audubon Society’s Saline Lakes Program, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He works to protect terminal or saline lake ecosystems that are invaluable to the health of both birds and people.


Bioblitz Survey

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our bioblitz along the Jordan River in August!

Please take a moment to complete our survey to help us improve future conservation efforts like this.


In the News:
Beavers and Climate Change

We've been talking a lot about beavers, and we're not alone! CBS Mornings shared this story, which features our stream restoration site where we recently released beavers with our partners. Read the full story!


Join Our Projects

Plants & Pollinators - Wrapping up our season

Rosy-Finch Project - Starting next month


Thank you for your passion for wildlife and lands in the West! Support the future of conservation by donating today.

Visit the project page on our website or connect with us on social media (see links below) to learn more about our conservation work, and please contact us with any questions or suggestions.

 
Sierra Hastings