Over one thousand people gather to protect Great Salt Lake!
Sign our petition to protect Great Salt Lake and send a letter to the speaker of the house, Mike Schultz.
Over the weekend, a powerful rally unfolded on the steps of the Utah State Capitol as hundreds of individuals, cosponsored by UPHE, passionately called on the Legislature to take decisive actions to protect the iconic Great Salt Lake.
UPHE board member Dr. Courtney Henley spoke at the rally, quoting renaissance physician Paracelsus, “The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind.”
While political leaders insist that Great Salt Lake is a top priority and have invested over $1 billion in water conservation measures, the lack of specific actions to ensure water reaches the lake is frustrating. UPHE’s Dr. Brian Moench recently wrote an op-ed exposing flaws in many of these measures.
Our alley in battles to protect the lake, and the president of Great Salt Lake Audubon, Heather Dove, also called out the legislature’s contradictory nature in her recent op-ed, writing “The state has appropriated many millions of dollars towards saving Great Salt Lake, yet the state stimulation and permitting of these developments seem utterly counterproductive and disingenuous.”
The rally comes in the wake of the Office of the Great Salt Lake Commissioner unveiling an inadequate 30-year plan to restore the lake’s healthy elevation level. The plan, much like many legislative actions to improve the lake, fell too short to address the crisis.
“Imagine if you went to a doctor who told you that you might consider cutting down on your smoking… 30 years from now. Of course, you would find a new doctor,” said Dr. Brian Moench. “This plan is almost a cruel insult to the very idea of protecting public health. Public health needs to be protected now, not 30 years from now. If this is the best the state can do, it is an admission that it doesn’t really understand the public health consequences of letting the lake dry up or isn’t willing to do what’s necessary to prevent it. In either case, it is prima facie evidence that the state is failing in its most important responsibility.”
Utah Public Radio Coverage
KSL News Coverage
ABC4 Coverage
Fox13 Coverage